Spalletti’s masterstroke: false nine sinks Juventus, Yildiz benched | OneFootball

On the night at the Maradona, amidst the shadows of a defeat that pushes Juventus further from the top, a single, dazzling individual light shines. With the goal that temporarily leveled the score at the start of the second half, Kenan Yildiz forcefully enters the history of the Bianconeri club. The Turkish gem has scored his fifth goal in the first 14 matchdays, a statistical milestone that allows today’s number 10 to catch up with the number 10 par excellence: Alessandro Del Piero. From tonight, Yildiz and “Pinturicchio,” who achieved this in the 1994-95 season, are the only two Juventus players to have scored at least 5 goals in the first 15 league games before turning 21.

Confused Juventus punished by experiments: Napoli dominates, Yildiz gives hope but it’s not enough

However, this record has the bitter taste of a missed opportunity, sacrificed on the altar of a failed tactical experiment. The truth that emerged from the pitch is that Luciano Spalletti made managing the game much easier for Napoli, essentially gifting the first forty-five minutes to their opponents.

The idea of deploying Yildiz as a “false nine” turned out to be an unintended assist for Antonio Conte’s defense. By forcing the Turkish talent to play with his back to the goal and away from his comfort zone, Spalletti made Juventus sterile and lacking in reference points, allowing Napoli to dominate the game without worry and to close the first half ahead thanks to Hojlund’s goal, with Di Gregorio forced into heroics to avoid a collapse. The proof of the coach’s mistake came right after the break: as soon as Spalletti backtracked, bringing on a real striker (David) and putting Yildiz back in his natural role, everything changed and the Turk immediately found the path to his historic goal. The Bianconeri talent makes history, but Spalletti must take responsibility for an initial lineup that made life far too easy for the Champions of Italy.

Andrea Alati

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.