News Focus
- Spalletti denies claims he planned to quit if Juventus miss out on Champions League qualification
- The Bianconeri face Torino FC in the Derby della Mole on Sunday evening with top-four hopes at risk
- Juventus dropped to fifth place after a shock 2-0 home defeat to Fiorentina last week
- The coach insists he is planning for the future with the club regardless of the final league position
- Spalletti rejects reports he clashed with CEO Damien Comolli or issued ultimatums to stay
Luciano Spalletti has rejected claims that he planned to quit Juventus if the team fails to secure a place in next season’s Champions League. The Italian manager insists that leaving his position was never an option.
The 64-year-old spoke to reporters before Sunday’s Turin derby against Torino FC. The match kicks off at 7:45 PM UK time at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino. Even a victory against their local rivals may not guarantee a top-four finish. If both AS Roma and AC Milan win their fixtures, Juventus will remain in fifth place.
Recent speculation suggested Spalletti would hand in his resignation should the Bianconeri miss out on Europe’s premier club competition. However, the coach firmly denied these stories during his press conference.
“It never crossed my mind,” he stated. “First there was talk about a new contract. Now suddenly it is about resignations. People throw every possible adjective at me. After a poor result, I thought about placing myself at the disposal of the club if they wished to make a change. But I never asked to speak with anyone.”
Spalletti confirmed that he meets with the board every week to discuss plans for the future. He believes the team must maintain a consistent approach regardless of setbacks.
“We cannot allow one difficult moment to drag us down into conclusions that have no connection to reality,” he explained. “We must use our intelligence and become even more motivated to overturn what happened. Problems can occur, but what matters is how you respond. It is mentality that makes the difference.”
Juventus had controlled their own destiny in the race for Champions League qualification. However, a surprising 2-0 home defeat to ACF Fiorentina allowed Roma and Milan to overtake them in the table.
There have also been suggestions of tension between Spalletti and Chief Executive Officer Damien Comolli. Some reports claimed the coach had set demands to remain at the club. Spalletti dismissed these rumours.
“My future does not depend on anything specific,” he said. “Planning requires the courage to look beyond the immediate result. There is always a project behind our work. We are laying the foundations for the future, and that does not change because of one or two points.”
He added: “We want to create the opportunity to challenge for something important, whether we are in the Champions League or not. We are disappointed with the Fiorentina result. But tomorrow we must win. We must play better than we did against Fiorentina and give everything on the pitch to achieve the result.”
Spalletti expects his squad to produce a performance worthy of the club’s standards.