Luciano Spalletti listening to Kenan Yildiz's advice on Juventus star's best position as new coach mulls over 'right, wrong and uncertain' choices ahead of Champions League test
Juventus parted ways with Igor Tudor last week after an uninspiring eight-game winless run, which saw the club fall behind the pack in the race for the Serie A title. Spalletti was swiftly appointed as the successor, signing a deal that runs until the end of the 2025-26 season. In his first press conference as Juve manager, the former Napoli head coach explained why he joined on an extremely short-term contract. "If I had not believed that this team has potential, despite difficult moments, why should I have accepted an eight-month contract? I believe I can do a nice job with them," he said. "It all passes from there. Desire, self-discipline to get important results, and I see the chance to fix some things. I don’t know the level, but clearly the aim is high for a club like Juventus, who want to get into the Champions League. We need to do a good job and get up to speed because the others run fast.”In the interim, reserve team boss Massimo Brambilla guided the Old Lady to 3-1 victory over Udinese to bring an end to the winless streak. Then, they registered their second win on the bounce last weekend, a hard-fought 2-1 win over Cremonese in Spalletti's first game in charge.While Spalletti's biggest priority is to lead Juventus to Champions League football next season, one of the recurring topics of debate over the past year has been figuring out Yildiz's best position on the pitch. The ex-Bayern Munich youth academy prospect is often deployed as a left winger or a second striker in a 3-5-2 formation.Spalletti, in a press conference on Monday, shared his thoughts on the topic. "A good starting point is to ask the other player where he'd be most comfortable," began Spalletti. "When you ask him, he says he likes playing that position, center-left or on the flank. Both are fine because he's good as a second striker, or as a winger... what might bother him a bit is the 100-meter run, but in modern football, you have to adapt to that too. The technique, the shoulder push to push the opponent off the pitch to show the other player where I'm going."In October, Platini, a three-time Ballon d'Or winner and one of Juventus' greatest players of all time, had his say on Yildiz's best position. "He's a number 10 and for me he should play in the centre," he said at the Trento Sports Festival. "I don't know why [Thiago] Motta and Tudor have him operating on the wings. Unfortunately, in today's football there's this tendency to move quality players to the flank, when they should play in more central positions. I've been saying it for years, but nobody listens to me."Juventus are set to face reigning Portuguese champions Sporting CP in the Champions League at the Allianz Stadium on Tuesday evening, with the Bianconeri still searching for their first win in Europe this season. "Tomorrow I expect a very difficult match," Spalletti said while reflecting on the fixture. "With [Rui] Borges, Sporting know how to play football, they know how to stay on the pitch, and they have a clear idea, even if it's hard to pin down. It's a bit of a characteristic of Portuguese football, but they're very good at switching roles and rotating. Plus, they have quality in tight spaces."Juventus opted to rest Yildiz against Cremonese as a precaution, with the young forward still managing mild discomfort from patellar tendinopathy that has troubled his knee in recent weeks. However, he has been training with the squad and will be available for the clash.On Yildiz's condition, Spalletti added: "He's available. Does he remind me of anyone? [Khvicha Kvaratskhelia] is someone who had those characteristics, then someone who got less visibility because he was a phenomenal player who could have played for the best teams in the world was Antonio Di Natale, who produced phenomenal plays. Yildiz is someone who fills everyone's Instagram with great plays."
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