Luciano Spalletti takes drastic action at Juventus as pressure mounts over his future

Luciano Spalletti takes drastic action at Juventus as pressure mounts over his future

Luciano Spalletti has sealed off the Juventus squad at a hotel retreat from Friday morning until Sunday night’s clash with Napoli, dragging in long-term injury victims Kenan Yildiz, Manuel Locatelli…

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The Italian has turned the J Hotel next to the Allianz Stadium into a bunker. The entire first-team squad checked in on Friday morning and will not leave until the team bus pulls out for Sunday’s 20:45 CET kick-off against Napoli, according to Tuttosport via Football Italia.

The surprise is not the retreat itself but who is in it. Yildiz, captain Locatelli and Thuram are all out with long-term injuries, yet all three have joined the group at the Continassa base to be alongside their teammates. Only goalkeeper Kamil Grabara, who is in Poland recovering from knee surgery, is missing.

The order came after Wednesday’s 2-0 loss at Genoa, a result that dropped Juventus to eighth. Spalletti apologised to the fans after the game. By Friday morning he had the whole squad locked in together.

Deschamps name floated as pressure builds

The retreat is unfolding against a backdrop of succession talk. La Stampa reported on 29 October that Didier Deschamps has emerged as a candidate for the Juventus job, with his availability communicated to the club through intermediaries. The Frenchman has been a free agent since leaving the France national team after their 6-4 defeat to England in the 2026 World Cup bronze-medal match.

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Deschamps knows Turin well. He had spells at Juventus as both a player and the manager who led the club back to Serie A in 2007 after Calciopoli.

Napoli meet at 14 points, Allegri banned from the dugout

Juventus and Napoli enter the fixture level on 14 points from nine matches, as noted in the preview from Juvefc. Both teams arrive bruised.

Napoli head coach Massimiliano Allegri will not be on the bench. He was sent off during the 3-3 home draw with Roma and picked up a ban from the Serie A sporting judge for disrespectful remarks to the officials. The suspension covered the trip to Monza on 28 October and now the visit to Juventus. Allegri’s appeal was dropped after he said he feared the ban could rise to four matches. Assistant Marco Landucci takes charge against Juventus.

Slovakian midfielder Stanislav Lobotka is also out, after suffering a tibiofibular syndesmosis injury in the left ankle at Monza. Napoli are targeting his return for the Coppa Italia tie with Fiorentina on 16 December.

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The Napoli dimension for Spalletti

The derby carries a personal edge. Spalletti is the manager who won the Serie A title with Napoli before leaving to take the Italy national team job. Sunday brings him face-to-face with the dugout he once owned, in a fixture his employers may use to measure him.

Allegri, meanwhile, was announced as Napoli head coach on 3 July 2026 on a contract until 2029, replacing Antonio Conte, as reported by TNT Sports. His first Napoli-Juventus is also his first Serie A fixture against the club he managed from 2014 to 2019.

Kick-off at the Allianz Stadium is 20:45 CET on Sunday, 1 November.

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