'You all laughed in my face' - Luciano Spalletti fires back at critics as Juventus end AZ's incredible European streak

Luciano Spalletti was in a defiant mood after leading Juventus to a hard-fought 2-1 victory away at AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League. The Bianconeri boss took the opportunity to address his detractors following a result that ended the Dutch side's lengthy unbeaten home run in continental competition.

Despite a mounting injury list that saw players like Weston McKennie and Kenan Yildiz sidelined, the Italian giants managed to end AZ’s incredible 17-game unbeaten home run in European competition. It was a performance built on grit, but the manager felt the credit was being unfairly directed away from his players’ efforts on the pitch. Spalletti was eager to point out that when his side wins, the public often assumes the opposition was substandard rather than acknowledging the quality of the Bianconeri’s tactical setup and execution during the ninety minutes of play.

The Juventus coach was particularly vocal about the perceived lack of respect shown to the teams they have defeated during this continental campaign. "I am very satisfied, because we played well against a very strong team. I have to say this because otherwise I'll be back to talking about NEC, who have 7 points and were said to be a poor team, so we need to rethink our approach to giving the others their due. When you win, it's because the others are weak, and instead tonight we won a great match and played great football," he told Sky Sport Italia.

Despite the positive result, Spalletti admitted that the closing stages of the match were more stressful than they needed to be. He felt his players should have put the game out of reach earlier to avoid the nervous finish that saw the hosts pull a goal back. The Italian tactician noted that the team retreated too deep, which invited unnecessary pressure on the backline.

"We sat there, we weren't getting out and then we conceded; if it lasted another five minutes we wouldn't have brought it home. For how we conducted it, the third goal should have been scored. But today we came here with authority, strength, quality and also courage; there isn't the merit of just one person. Kolo [Muani], if he manages to find a few more outlets, finds plenty of space to hurt them. Only in the final stretch of the game did we drop a bit; those who came on could have hurt them more because they have the qualities to do so, people like [Jeremie] Boga and [Jeff] Ekhator could have restarted better, we dropped too low and stayed a bit halfway," Spalletti noted.

The performance of Teun Koopmeiners against his former club was a major talking point, but Spalletti was determined to share the credit across the entire squad. He specifically highlighted the defensive contributions of Jhon Lucumi and Pierre Kalulu, while also noting the importance of modern goalkeeping in his tactical setup during high-pressure situations.

"I don't want to make distinctions because there are also those who did the dirty work and did it well like Lucumi or Kalulu, they are all very positive signs, but what matters is having gone into their half man-to-man, then it's clear that you risk a bit," he explained. "How many times have we said that the goalkeeper only has to save? Instead, he must know how to play with his feet because it cancels out all the pressure you face."

Ultimately, the victory was built on a foundation of mental toughness that Spalletti believes is becoming a hallmark of this Juventus side. He reiterated that his main concern was the lack of decisiveness during the moment AZ scored, rather than the tactical plan itself, emphasizing that hesitation is the greatest enemy on the pitch.

"This is the victory, having been in their half; there was a great attitude and great mentality. Juve convinces me when they have the right attitude, the thing that worries me is how we conceded the goal, because we didn't make a decision and a decision not made is worse than a wrong decision, being hesitant and waiting for others to organize themselves well. Then at the end, we needed some balls to hold up front because they were counter-pressing fiercely, but tonight we played a very beautiful game and I am happy with every one of my players, even those who stayed on the bench," he concluded.