Spalletti: Waltemade's all-round qualities are a very valuable asset

At 02:45 Beijing time on September 7, Juventus will host Milan in the third round of Serie A. Before the match, Juventus head coach Spalletti attended a press conference. This article covers the second part of the press conference.

Hello, let's talk about Waltemade. When evaluating him before, you mentioned that at this stage he is not yet a pure penalty-area finisher, but he must work toward becoming one in the future. In actual coaching, how do you transform a player who does not naturally possess the characteristics of a finisher in terms of technical strengths and match instincts into an efficient finisher? Does this include specific training methods, such as technical corrections or psychological adjustments?

As I said before, Waltemade is a special player who can expand our tactical dimensions both vertically in terms of height on the pitch and horizontally in terms of space. When a player is placed closer to goal, he is usually happy. If he is moved farther away from goal, his touches may increase, but the reward of scoring goals and the desire to fight for goals remain the most attractive things for a striker and the biggest motivation for him.

During my very brief time working with him, I think he has done very well in both aspects. He is used to dropping back to receive the ball and connect play, but he does so to use his off-ball movement to create numerical advantages in certain areas, pull apart the opponent's defensive structure, and then make runs behind into the vacant spaces.

His ability with both feet is very balanced and excellent. I mentioned before that I used to think his heading ability would certainly be strong because of his height, but in reality he is not just tall with long legs. He also shows sharp instincts inside the penalty area, aggressively and strongly finding the ball's landing point and attacking with powerful headers. Therefore, in my view, these all-round qualities he possesses are a very valuable asset for us. What we must do next is learn how to maximize these qualities within the right tactical system.

Hello coach, Juventus and Milan were arguably two of the most disappointing big clubs last season. As Serie A giants, neither reached the Champions League places. Milan completely rebuilt its sporting and technical planning during this transfer window, while Juventus also underwent major changes in management and technical planning, especially in the first transfer window in which you were deeply involved and able to fully integrate your ideas. Do you see similarities between Juventus and Milan's current new starts? Do you think the initial delay and disadvantage caused by such rebuilding and large-scale changes are difficult to overcome within one season? Inter have a more stable and complete squad, while Napoli kept almost the same core structure, so Juventus are somewhat behind in rebuilding progress. You also admitted that there is a gap with the top teams that needs to be closed, so this is not an imagined issue.

In fact, balance and a very strong ability to adapt are the essential qualities that allow you to turn challenges caused by unexpected restructuring and situations into new opportunities. Actively adapting to this highly changing environment does not mean making compromises or temporary choices. Instead, it is the professional ability and quality that a truly strong and resilient team must have. We must invest effort and maintain high standards in these details, and we cannot portray the current rebuilding situation inside the team as a huge obstacle to our development.

Ultimately, the fact that we are a strong team is not something planned behind a desk or simply spoken about. You have to prove it through action in every real and unpredictable match. That quality exists in the actual process of competition. In my view, this team is fully prepared for tomorrow's tough challenge. The players showed very good form this week, we tried many new tactical combinations, and the whole team deeply discussed how to improve exposed problems. Everyone showed a very high level of professionalism and commitment, aiming to deliver something special in tomorrow's match.

Of course, as I said, the actual course of the match will prove whether all of this works. But we already have all the necessary squad strength and competitive conditions to challenge for and become a top team. Although we did not complete 100% of all the moves we originally planned in the transfer window, the investment still greatly enriched our squad depth and expanded our tactical options.

Returning to the issue Giovanni mentioned about many new faces needing integration, this is certainly an unavoidable reality. But on the other hand, it also gives us new tactical choices and variations. If we can use these changes cleverly and reasonably in future training and matches, we have the ability to transform into a completely different and stronger collective.

Good afternoon, coach. I want to discuss the players who were excluded from the Champions League registration list. After the list was announced, did you privately have further detailed conversations with them? For some of these players, can we consider that the transfer market door is still not completely closed during this window?

Regarding whether I communicated with them, the answer is obvious: I did speak with them, because apart from anything else, that is the minimum duty and respect I owe them. Before the transfer window approached its deadline and before the final decisions were made, I repeatedly hoped this moment would never arrive. In coaching, there is no decision more difficult and painful than having to exclude a player you work alongside every day, someone who has given sweat, loyalty and full support to the team in training and matches.

Unfortunately, as I said before, some of our original plans and ideas in operations did not become reality, which forced us to face and accept this difficult situation. Therefore, I had deep conversations with them. In my view, they all fully understood the club's circumstances and decisions.

As for whether these players excluded from the list can seek departures in the market, that is not something I need to manage or be responsible for. To a large extent, it depends on the players' own thoughts and future plans. From my position, I feel very sorry about this. Of course, depending on how circumstances develop, there is also the possibility of reintegrating them in the future. Therefore, I always believe we should try to find positive and beneficial aspects even in disappointing realities.

We must constantly ask ourselves: Is our current situation really as bad as it can possibly be? There is no need to be so pessimistic, because around the next corner in life there may be unexpected surprises waiting to put things that have gone off track back in order. We must face every day and every challenge in our careers and lives with such an inclusive and long-term perspective. I have thought about this for a long time and spoken with them face to face for a long time. I feel extremely sorry and truly regretful.