English Premier League
Spalletti compares Italy’s football rebuild to updating an ageing phone
Luciano Spalletti has compared Italy’s attempts to recover from a period of decline to trying to update an old, worn-out mobile phone, while outlining how Kerim Alajbegovic could fit into his Juventus attack.
The Juventus manager was speaking after his side’s 2-0 friendly victory over Nice, with Douglas Luiz and Justin Obuawodu scoring the goals.
Juventus’ squad is still taking shape, with negotiations at an advanced stage for the signings of Randal Kolo Muani from Paris Saint-Germain and Alajbegovic from Bayer Leverkusen.
The possible arrival of the Bosnia and Herzegovina international has prompted questions over how he could feature in the starting XI alongside Kenan Yıldız, Kolo Muani and Francisco Conceicao.
“We currently lack a recognised striker who can hold the ball up, and a playmaker who can provide it to him,” Spalletti told reporters in the mixed zone.
“Kolo Muani is a completely complete striker because he can drop deeper and combine with the midfielders, while also attacking space and playing out wide. I see Alajbegovic as being closer to the role of a playmaker behind the striker.”
Those comments suggest Yıldız could continue on the left wing, with Juventus potentially using a 4-2-3-1 formation. Alajbegovic is also capable of operating in wide positions, however, giving Spalletti further attacking options as he continues to reshape his team.
Spalletti took charge of Juventus in October 2025, less than four months after being dismissed as Italy manager.
Italy’s results deteriorated after his departure. Gennaro Gattuso and caretaker manager Silvio Baldini subsequently took charge of the national side before Roberto Mancini returned this week.
Paolo Maldini had originally been expected to take the Italy manager’s job, but he resigned within three weeks, allowing Claudio Ranieri to become involved in the process.
“Maldini certainly represented something new, which was something we desperately needed,” Spalletti said.
“It was like trying to update the firmware of an old, worn-out phone, but it did not work at all. Instead of buying a new phone, we held on to the old one and did not update it.”
Asked whether Ranieri and Mancini were the right men to put Italy back on the correct path, Spalletti replied: “I cannot know that. Maldini represented a move into fourth gear and flying along the road, but instead we went back to second gear.”
Spalletti’s remarks linked his assessment of Italy’s leadership with the questions facing Juventus as they prepare for the new campaign. The Turin club are still negotiating over two attacking additions, while the manager is considering how best to balance Yıldız, Conceicao, Kolo Muani and Alajbegovic in the same forward unit.
The 2-0 win over Nice provided the immediate backdrop to those discussions, but the construction of Juventus’ squad remains unfinished and Spalletti’s comments indicate that the roles of the incoming players will be central to his plans.