Juventus vs NEC Nijmegen: Spalletti's Focus on Mentality
Luciano Spalletti is not interested in the bookmakers’ odds or the Europa League hype. On the eve of Juventus’ group-stage opener against NEC Nijmegen, he reduced everything to one word: mentality.
Juventus host the Eredivisie side at 20.00 BST on Thursday, and on paper it looks straightforward. At home, favourites, expected to make a serious run in this season’s Europa League. But the 3-2 defeat at Sassuolo at the weekend has stripped away any illusion of comfort.
Sassuolo scars and a warning shot
Spalletti’s pre-match press conference on Tuesday never drifted far from that loss. The performance bothered him. The attitude bothered him more.
“We could have been more attentive, fluid and now we have to be aware of the fact that we need to improve,” he said, still dissecting the Sassuolo game. “We’ve outlined what we want to do and the things that we need to correct.”
He went straight into the details that cost them: distances, decisions, timing.
“We have to be tighter to cut off some of the opponents’ passing lines and understand when to go and press, when to drop into the low block, these are the sorts of things we can correct. Today, the difference will be in how we interpret the situation. The mentality will be fundamental tomorrow.”
That last line hung in the air. For Spalletti, this is not a tactical tie as much as a mental test.
Respect for NEC – and a clear threat
Juventus might be the heavyweight in this matchup, but Spalletti refused to treat NEC as Europa League fodder. He expects something crafted, not improvised.
“We should expect a ‘personalised’ game plan with lots of quality ideas. We have to be ready, otherwise we could be surprised.”
The warning is not abstract. He name-checked the danger.
“They also have strong players like [Dusan] Tadic and they play with inverted wingers because they want to converge towards the goal. We have to be at a high level mentally and if we’re not ready, it could become an uncomfortable evening.”
That phrase – “uncomfortable evening” – is doing a lot of work. It is Spalletti’s way of telling his squad that reputation will not save them if they stroll into this one.
Europa League opener with something to prove
Juventus step into this Europa League campaign tipped to go far. But after Reggio Emilia and that 3-2 setback, they also step into it under scrutiny.
Spalletti has his corrections mapped out. The real question is whether his players bring the edge he is demanding when NEC arrive in Turin – or whether Thursday night turns into exactly the kind of uncomfortable evening he has been trying so hard to prevent.
