Luciano Spalletti delivered a pointed assessment of Randal Kolo Muani after Juventus opened their Serie A season with a 1-0 win at Frosinone, suggesting the forward has significant ground to make up before he is the player the club believe he can be.
Speaking to DAZN after the match, with quotes via TuttoMercatoWeb, Spalletti said: “We went and got Kolo, we’ve looked after him and we know what his value is. But he has to realise that he hasn’t played for two years and there must be a reason for that. Sometimes you think you’re at an exceptional level but you’ve left something behind that you need to go and get back.”
The criticism carried weight given the shape of the match.
Juventus held 63 per cent possession and registered 20 shots at the Stadio Benito Stirpe, but converted only once with Gleison Bremer’s 22nd-minute header from a Francisco Conceicao delivery settling it.
Spalletti hints at different striker profile for Juventus
Spalletti tied the display directly to Juventus’ remaining business in the window.
“These are matches in which you have to take goals home because the spaces are in your favour,” he said.
“The striker we’re looking for might have different characteristics. Today the spaces were there but we weren’t able to exploit them.”
On the performance overall he was measured rather than damning.
“I would have preferred the team to show it has an identity, and it did that,” Spalletti said. “At certain moments we’re a bit light, we’re not good at bringing that determination. But it can happen, especially at the start. We’ll work on it.”
Asked whether Juventus could have managed the game better, he credited the hosts before turning the question back on his own players.
“Frosinone are a strong side, with a coach who has given them this conviction. It’s not easy to manage, because they come at you,” he said.
“If you manage to free yourself from these little prisons then there’s freedom. It depends whether you want to be free or a prisoner. At certain moments we want to become prisoners even when we’re free.”
Spalletti also confirmed Guglielmo Vicario’s stoppage-time withdrawal on his Serie A debut was nothing to worry about.
“No, just cramp,” he said. “There was a moment when he felt a strong pull and we preferred to substitute him.”
