Spalletti at Juventus: Restoration or Ruin?

Luciano Spalletti takes charge as Juventus search for identity amid chaos and decline.

Luciano Spalletti is back in Serie A management, and it is Juventus who have come calling. For a man who had planned to spend his sabbatical tending to wine and olive trees, this isn’t a quiet return, it’s a full-scale firefight. The club that once set the standard in Italian football now crawls along, battered by poor decisions, and shackled to past mistakes. Spalletti arrives with pedigree, but this is a rescue mission with no guarantees.

Juventus Have Forgotten Who They Are

Juventus used to embody ruthless competence. From Del Piero and Nedved to Conte and Allegri’s first run, they were relentless. Now, they feel unrecognisable. Eight games without a win, toothless performances, and managers discarded like used tape. Igor Tudor lasted seven months. His interim replacement, Massimo Brambilla, picked up a dead rubber win against Udinese, then quietly stepped aside.

That brings us to Spalletti. The same man who led Napoli to a stunning title just over a year ago, only to be chewed up and spat out by the Italy national team job. He takes over a Juventus side sitting seventh in Serie A, six points behind leaders Napoli, but with a sense of crisis far deeper than the table suggests.

Juventus have lost their footballing identity. They are unsure whether they are a rebuilding project or a club chasing titles. They are caught between the ghosts of their past and a future that nobody seems willing to commit to. And in that confusion, Spalletti is now the one expected to sort it all out.

Spalletti’s Baggage and Brilliance

Let’s be clear, Spalletti is not a romantic choice. He is not a cheerleader or a nostalgia hire. He is, at 66, a pragmatic technician with an obsession for detail and a volatile streak. His methods are intense. His football is demanding. He is not coming to play five at the back and grind out draws. He plays a sharp, cutting-edge game that leaves no space for passengers.

That style worked at Napoli, where he brought structure to chaos and delivered a title that felt impossible. But it failed spectacularly with the national team. He inherited a broken squad in mid-qualifying and was expected to fix it instantly. The team barely scraped through Euro qualification and were dreadful at the tournament itself. A tame exit to Switzerland and an ugly start to World Cup qualification ended his time with Italy before it ever really began.

Now, Spalletti returns to club football, but his scars are fresh. He published an autobiography recently, describing the national team job as heaven that turned into hell. This Juventus role, by contrast, might be purgatory. He has already said that taking this job helps him “close a wound.” For a club drowning in uncertainty, that kind of motivation might actually be useful.

But Spalletti brings more than motivation. He brings order. He brings tactics that stretch opponents. He brings training sessions that demand accountability. Juventus have had none of those things lately. They need all of them immediately.

Ronaldo’s Shadow Still Lurks

Juventus have made many mistakes, but none more damaging than signing Cristiano Ronaldo. It was meant to be the final piece of a Champions League-winning puzzle. Instead, it ripped the club’s finances to shreds, broke their wage structure, and sent them down a path they have yet to recover from.

The transfer fee, the salary, and the commercial expectations were enormous. But it wasn’t just the money. It was the ripple effect. The entire project shifted focus to accommodate one player in his 30s. When COVID hit and the stadiums went quiet, Juventus were left holding the bill.

Even now, they are still paying. Literally. A €19.6 million dispute between Ronaldo and the club is due for a final ruling in January. In the meantime, Juventus face another UEFA investigation for potential Financial Fair Play breaches. The Ronaldo era was meant to elevate them. Instead, it has left them vulnerable, financially exposed, and desperate to regain control.

Spalletti has walked into a club that is still paying for a decision made five years ago. That is the scale of the dysfunction.

No More Room for Mistakes

This appointment feels different, but only if Juventus allow it to be. They cannot afford to chew up another manager. Spalletti is not a long-term project man. He is a short-term stabiliser with a high ceiling. His job is to stop the bleeding and impose order. If they let him work, Juventus might start resembling themselves again.

But the signs from above are not reassuring. The club’s leadership has been volatile. Sporting directors come and go. Recruitment has been uneven. They’ve thrown money at players like Douglas Luiz and Loïs Openda, only to offload them months later. Even young talents like Dean Huijsen, earmarked for the future, were sold prematurely and now appear destined for stardom at Real Madrid.

The ownership structure is another complication. The Agnelli led Exor NV group has pumped nearly a billion euros into the club over the past decade. They are capable of funding a recovery, but there is a growing lack of football knowledge at the top. Worse still, a crypto firm has begun buying shares and has nominated a dentist to the board. That does not scream stability.

Juventus need football people making football decisions. Instead, they’ve become a case study in mismanagement. Spalletti is now the latest man expected to rescue a project that has veered dangerously off course.

This Could Still Work

And yet, I believe Spalletti could make it work. There is something about his edge, his intelligence, his obsession with control, that makes him the right man at the right time. Juventus do not need someone to build a dynasty. They need someone to stop the slide.

If Spalletti can build a coherent midfield, if he can stabilise the defence, and if he can get the best out of Dusan Vlahović and Kenan Yıldız, Juventus could still salvage this season. The league is not out of reach. European football remains within their grasp, though even that feels like a stretch given their current Champions League form.

But more than points, Juventus need clarity. They need to know who they are again. Spalletti, for all his drama and intensity, knows exactly what kind of football he wants to play. That alone is an upgrade.

Whether the club is brave enough to let him lead without interference remains to be seen. Because if they don’t, they’ll be right back here in six months, explaining another failed project.