Spalletti takes responsibility for late Juventus defeat | OneFootball

Luciano Spalletti has taken full responsibility for Juventus’ late defeat at Sassuolo after revealing that he told his players to go all out and win after they scored a late equaliser.

Juve came from behind twice, thanks to Edon Zhegrova’s superb cameo off the bench, where he scored a brace. After his second goal in added time, Juve should have settled for the 2-2 draw.

However, they wanted more and pushed to get the winner. As they all moved forward to score, a huge opening appeared in their defence, and their tired legs could not close the gap.

This led to a late winner for Sassuolo, who probably deserved it for their brave performance in the game. The Bianconeri have now dropped points in back-to-back matches after finely beginning the season.

Spalletti accepts responsibility

After watching his team deliver a poor performance in the late stages of the game, Spalletti admitted that he had encouraged his players to push for victory after the equaliser.

His decision ultimately contributed to Juventus leaving themselves exposed, with Sassuolo taking advantage of the space that appeared in their defence. The result will be particularly frustrating for the Bianconeri because they had fought back twice and appeared to have secured a point.

The defeat also means Juventus have failed to win their last two matches, making their response in the next fixture important.

(Photo by Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Getty Images)

Juventus must regain their balance

Spalletti also acknowledged that his team lost some balance when they committed too many players forward. He said via La Gazzetta dello Sport:

“I was the one who encouraged us to go and win this match last, when we were tied. Maybe the players executed too literally.

“The defeat burns excessively because the team, lastly, could have also won. It’s clear that the team has lost some balance and that’s something they shouldn’t do, they’ve lost their reason a bit by attacking with eight players on one ball. Behind you must at least remain in numerical parity.”

The comments underline the lesson Juventus must learn from the defeat. Their desire to win was understandable, but they must retain their defensive structure when chasing a result.