Juventus manager Luciano Spalletti has received some very deserved criticism following his squad’s 2-0 loss to Fiorentina last weekend that has put the Bianconeri’s chances of qualifying for the Champions League next season in serious peril. And as a result of that sudden change of fortune for both the manager and the club as a whole, there has been plenty of speculation about Spalletti’s future beyond Sunday night’s season finale against Torino in the Derby della Mole.
Will he stay and be the man
to lead Juventus into the 2026-27 season even if there’s no Champions League football? Or would he offer up his resignation — something the club could obviously refuse — because he failed to achieve the one true objective Juve has had for months?
Rumors, including a report from La Stampa earlier in the week, said that Door No. 2 could be the option if Juve finish outside of the top four come the end of Sunday night’s action.
But when speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of the Derby della Mole, Spalletti pretty much said that any notion linking him with stepping down after the season is over this weekend are pretty much off the mark.
“It never crossed my mind. First there was all the talk about the new contract, then immediately after that they turn to resignations, you just throw every possible adjective at me. If anything crossed my mind after a result like that, it was putting myself at the disposal of the club should it want to make a change, but I never asked to speak with anyone.
[…]
“We meet with the club every week, at this moment even more often, because we are planning the future. However, the journey must be consistent, whatever happens. You cannot let one incident drag you down into conclusions that have no connection to reality.
“We must use our heads and if anything be even more motivated to overturn what happened, because bumps in the road can happen, it’s how you get back on track. It’s the mentality that makes the difference.
“There isn’t much time left to fix things. We must have the intelligence to see things in a balanced way and take the right action for the future. That is fundamental.”
(Source: Football Italia)
In the aftermath of Juventus’ loss to Fiorentina last Sunday, a report from Tuttosport came out that detailed the fractured relationship between Spalletti and club CEO Damien Comolli, who himself has been subject to rumors about his future if there is no Champions League football next season. Tuttosport described the relationship between the two as “nonexistent,” with things stemming from Comolli’s inability to land Spalletti a true No. 9 during the January transfer window to help fill the void during Dusan Vlahovic’s long-term injury absence.
Also fueling speculation on Spalletti’s future was the fact that he mentioned he would be meeting with the club’s majority owner, John Elkann, at some point in the near future, although nobody truly know what the subject of that chat would be other than what you could probably guess. (You know, the general state of the team these days.) Nobody knew if it was just a regular discussion between Spalletti and Elkann, or if it was going to be something much further that could very well result in Juve looking for another manager yet again this summer.
Spalletti went on to also say this on his future:
“My future doesn’t depend on anything, planning means the courage to look beyond the result. There is always a project behind it, laying the foundations for the future, trying to build and that doesn’t change because of one or two points difference.
And what about his working relationship with Comolli?
“We’re together, talking like we did today at lunch, and the other morning when he arrived at the office at 8:30, I always arrive earlier. We talked about what happened, and it’s clear that it’s crucial that I want to participate in building the future Juventus team. Each of us will share our perspective, in an effort to build a stronger team.
“And then the relationship will continue as it is right now. The important thing is to have an objective, coherent, and united viewpoint on the team’s vision.
“We may clash at times, because each person maintains their own opinions, but they’re all about building a stronger team.”
To qualify for the Champions League next season, Juventus need plenty of help on Sunday after dropping down from third place to sixth with the loss to Fiorentina and other results involving teams trying to finish in the top four. Juventus need to beat Torino and get multiple results to fall in their favor to be able to jump over Como and one of Roma or AC Milan.
