“Father & son” – Spalletti explains his rapport with De Rossi, provides Vlahovic updates | OneFootball

Juventus head coach Luciano Spalletti opened up on his tight bond with Daniele De Rossi, who will be his opposite number on Monday.

The Bianconeri will host Genoa at the Allianz Stadium on Easter Monday. When the two sides had met earlier in the campaign, Igor Tudor and Patrick Vieira were on the touchline.

However, the Croatian and the Frenchman were both sacked after a poor start to the campaign, making way for Spalletti and De Rossi, respectively.

Luciano Spalletti explained his special rapport with Daniele De Rossi

The two Italian coaches have managed to improve their teams’ positions in the standings, and they’ll finally share the touchline in Round 31.

De Rossi was a Roma stalwart during Spalletti’s two spells at Trigoria, so the two men have known one another for over two decades. They have shared an eventful relationship filled with highs and lows, but the Juventus boss insisted that he considers his younger compatriot like a son.

“He’s certainly one of my football sons,” said Spalletti in his pre-match press conference via IlBianconero.

“I care about him, as I think he cares about me. I’ve probably got on his nerves at times, as it happens between a father and a son.”

Spalletti provided some updates on the physical conditions of Dusan Vlahovic and Arkadiusz Milik, who have recently returned from injuries.

He reveals that the duo have been making important strides, but they’re unlikely to start against Genoa.

“Dusan is doing well, he’s trained well – these 15 days allowed him to alternate intense work with recovery. He’s available; I’ll evaluate carefully. I see it as unlikely that he starts, but it’s possible he can help us during the match.

“Milik and Vlahovic can play together. They were out for a long period – they still need to complete their recovery process, given the length of time without training. We’ll calmly evaluate all options.”

Spalletti belittles contract renewal talks

Spalletti has been tipped to sign a new contract with Juventus in the coming days, but when a journalist brought up the topic, he was quick to dismiss it, insisting that his future matters little at this crucial stage of the season.

“I can’t understand why it matters so much to you. From our side, in terms of relationships, everything is fine,  everything is normal.

“The priority has to be the match against Genoa. There will be time in the coming days. Things happen; it doesn’t have to be done in an hour, even if you want to.

“It’s something that has to come naturally. What would be unnatural is not properly preparing the match against Genoa.”

The 67-year-old admitted that the last eight matches will each be approached like a final, as Juventus begin the final stretch trailing Como by three points in the Champions League race.

“Rush finale – it’s important because of these matches, but for us, this is a normal standard. When people say there are eight finals left for Juventus, that’s normal.

“Playing these kinds of games is always the case for us and always will be. We have to be ready to give our maximum; we have little margin given the current table to make calculations. We have to win almost all of them to stay in it.”