Luciano Spalletti wasn’t pleased with the performance of his players during the first half against Pisa, and he let them know it at half-time.
The Tuscan manager is being credited by fans and observers for healing the team’s wounds following the disappointing spells of his predecessors, Thiago Motta and Igor Tudor.
While the Bianconeri are seemingly on the up, their path remains a challenging one, as illustrated by their initial struggles in Pisa.
Although Juventus eventually managed to prevail over Alberto Gilardino’s men by two unanswered goals, the home side came extremely close to scoring on a couple of occasions. Michele Di Gregorio was twice bailed out by the goal frame.
Therefore, Spalletti was absolutely livid with his players’ display in the first half.
(Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images)
According to La Stampa via JuventusNews24, the 66-year-old gave his men an old-fashioned locker-room dressing down.
“Wake up, this can’t be your level! You’re Juve, show it!” he reportedly told the Juventus players at the interval. This incident was also reported by La Repubblica.
Interestingly, Juventus had a woeful start to the second half, with Pisa dominating the action after the break.
Nevertheless, the visitors gradually grabbed the contest by the scruff of the neck,and managed to score through Pierre Kalulu and Kenan Yildiz.
Spalletti’s locker-room outbursts will be certainly be welcomed by the Juventus supporters, who have long complained about the players’ tendency to drop their guard down, especially in the later stages of the match.
Interestingly, even the players are seemingly enjoying the new manager’s approach, or at least some of them.
Following Saturday’s away win, Yildiz admitted that he’s relishing Spalletti’s tough-love treatment, as it makes him feel important to the case.
The former Italy boss is vastly experienced, so he knows how and when to hit the right buttons, unlike Motta and Tudor, who weren’t always able to trigger a reaction.
The post “Wake up!” – How Spalletti shook Juventus at half-time in Pisa appeared first on Juvefc.com.
