Juventus vs NEC: Spalletti's Mentality Warning Ahead of Europa League
Luciano Spalletti is not interested in hearing that Juventus are favourites. Not after what he saw at the weekend.
Still stung by a chaotic 3-2 defeat to Sassuolo in Serie A, the Juventus coach made it clear on Tuesday that only one thing matters heading into Thursday night’s Europa League opener against NEC Nijmegen in Turin: mentality.
If we’re not ready, it could become an uncomfortable evening.
Sassuolo scars and a Europa reset
Juventus go into their first Europa League match of the 2026-27 season under a strange mix of expectation and doubt. On paper, they should handle an Eredivisie side like NEC at home. They have been widely tipped to go deep in this competition. The stadium, the squad, the history – it all points in one direction.
But the Sassuolo loss has rattled that certainty.
We could have been more attentive, fluid and now we have to be aware of the fact that we need to improve.
Spalletti said as he revisited the defeat. “We’ve outlined what we want to do and the things that we need to correct.”
He did not dress it up. Juventus switched off at key moments, lost control in phases, and paid for it. That, for Spalletti, is the real opponent on Thursday: not just NEC, but any trace of complacency.
Details, distances and decisions
Spalletti drilled down into the tactical gaps he wants closed before kick-off at 20.00 BST.
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.
he explained. “These are the sorts of things we can correct.”
The message is clear: the structure is there, but the execution must sharpen. Distances between the lines, timing of the press, recognition of danger – all of it, in his eyes, comes back to how the players “interpret the situation”.
Today, the difference will be in how we interpret the situation. The mentality will be fundamental tomorrow.
he stressed. The pressure finally told against Sassuolo when Juventus lost that clarity. Spalletti is determined not to see a repeat under European lights.
Respect for NEC – and a warning
If anyone in the Juventus dressing room is tempted to treat NEC as a soft landing after the weekend, their coach is doing his best to stamp that out.
We should expect a ‘personalised’ game plan with lots of quality ideas. We have to be ready, otherwise we could be surprised.
Spalletti highlighted specific threats, not least the experience and craft of Dusan Tadic, a player who has long thrived in European competition.
They also have strong players like [Dusan] Tadic and they play with inverted wingers because they want to converge towards the goal.
he noted. That tactical nuance matters. NEC’s wide players drifting inside, Tadic linking play, runners attacking the spaces – it is exactly the kind of setup that punishes a team that switches off or misjudges its pressing triggers.
So Spalletti circles back, again, to the one theme he refuses to let go.
We have to be at a high level mentally and if we’re not ready, it could become an uncomfortable evening.
Juventus enter this Europa League campaign with ambition and expectation. On Thursday night, they will find out whether the lesson from Sassuolo has truly sunk in – or whether the competition’s first chapter starts with the kind of “uncomfortable” shock Spalletti has already seen coming.
