Juventus drew 0-0 with Monaco yet still moved into the Champions League play-offs, leaving Luciano Spalletti frustrated with the display but encouraged by the squad’s mentality. Juventus lacked sharpness in attack throughout the match, however the head coach believes the group now carries stronger self-belief heading into the knockout ties.
Spalletti’s team is unbeaten in five Champions League fixtures, with three wins and two draws, matching a run last seen between March and November 2021. Juventus started this campaign slowly with three draws and one defeat, but responded with three victories and another draw to close the group stage strongly.
Juventus had already guaranteed a play-off place before kick-off at Stade Louis-II, while Monaco joined
them after the stalemate. The Bianconeri finished 13th in the league table yet remain alive in Europe. Juventus will face either Club Brugge or Galatasaray for a place in the last 16 of the Champions League.
| Stage | Possible opponents |
|---|---|
| Play-off round | Club Brugge or Galatasaray |
| Next knockout round | Liverpool or Tottenham |
Despite the clean sheet, Juventus delivered a poor attacking performance. None of the team’s five attempts hit the target and the side produced just 0.2 expected goals, ending a sequence of 37 Champions League games with at least one shot on target. Monaco had a goal disallowed and wasted a clear chance after Mattia Perin’s misplaced pass.
Juventus struggled to cope with Monaco’s transitions, as the Ligue 1 side repeatedly threatened on the break with direct runs. Spalletti acknowledged that fatigue was an important factor and rotated the side during the game. However, the changes did not raise the tempo or improve the execution in the final third.
Juventus Champions League fatigue and Spalletti’s assessment
"There was some fatigue that started to build up, so I made changes to find some more sharpness and create a better tempo," Spalletti told Sky Sport Italia. "We didn’t manage it, but we were up against a team that kept forcing us to sprint back 100 metres with pace and aggression; their counter-attacks really tire you out. "
"Those who came in didn’t do badly, but when the quality level of the whole group dropped, so did that of the individual performances. " Spalletti highlighted that Juventus defended transitions well yet did not match that level further forward, with too many mistakes in possession and slow movement when spaces appeared.
"There is more self-belief now; this is how you go on to prove who you are," Spalletti added. "We need to give a sense of consistency, but we didn’t do it [against Monaco], in terms of tempo, solidity, and playing with width when we did have the ball. It was a rough game; they were aggressive, we misplaced too many passes, so there was a lack of quality. We went too slowly, and it gives me something to talk about to the team. We did well defensively on their counter-attacks, but from the midfield up, we should’ve had more quality. "
Juventus now prepare for the Champions League play-offs knowing recent results in Europe have been positive, despite the lacklustre draw with Monaco. Spalletti sees belief within the squad, yet also clear areas for improvement in tempo, width and passing accuracy as Juventus seek progression against Club Brugge or Galatasaray.
