TURIN, ITALY – APRIL 19: Luciano Spalletti, Head Coach of Juventus, reacts prior to the Serie A match between Juventus FC and Bologna FC 1909 at Allianz Stadium on April 19, 2026 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)
Luciano Spalletti recognises Juventus are ‘on the right track’ after moving closer to second than fifth place. ‘The players care for each other and share the burden.’
The Bianconeri came flying out the blocks and took the lead within 90 seconds thanks to Jonathan David’s glancing header, then substitute Khephren Thuram made sure after the restart by nodding in Weston McKennie’s cross.
Emil Holm and Bologna’s Jonathan Rowe also rattled the frame of the goal, while Francisco Conceicao had an effort ruled offside for the final 2-0 result.
Spalletti relishing Juventus atmosphere
The first question was on the choreography put together by the players to celebrate Thuram’s goal.
“I don’t know what they cooked up between them, but seeing them celebrate like that together is wonderful,” smiled Spalletti on DAZN Italia.
“It’s marvellous to see a player score and want to share his joy with his team-mates and the fans. It all comes from the affection, the rapport between players, and when you give that friendship, you receive it in return. They say if you want to find a friend, then behave like a friend.”
This is a big win for Juventus, who take advantage of Como, Roma and Atalanta results by opening up a five-point cushion in fourth place.
Even more remarkable, they are now within three points of both Milan and Napoli in joint second, with a showdown against the Rossoneri coming up next week.
“What we absolutely could not do wrong, seeing the other results, was dropping our intensity because we could see ourselves maintaining this position regardless of our performance. That was the risk, so we needed to have the right attitude from the start and maintain it.
“We knew that Bologna had a tough week with travel and the Europa League, so we knew that if we maintained the intensity, it would give us a significant advantage. Everyone did that really well, and we scored early, there were times when the quality of Bologna forced us back, but that’s inevitable with a strong side like Vincenzo Italiano’s.”
It feels as if the season took a turning point on March 1 when Juve came back from 3-1 down to hold Roma 3-3 at the Stadio Olimpico, as they’ve won five of the six games since then, while the Giallorossi visibly faltered.
Before kick-off, Spalletti had shrugged off the suggestions Juventus needed to challenge for the title next season, but he knows it will be inevitable.
“There is certainly a lot of responsibility and pressure here, but the team is trying to play good football, the players care for each other and are ready to share the burden, that is fundamental for a coach.
“We are on the right track and every day I see something more, so we want to keep going like this.”
