Juventus beat AZ, but Spalletti's anger stole the night

Luciano Spalletti did not leave Alkmaar talking about control or composure. Juventus won AZ Alkmaar vs Juventus 2-1 away from home, but the manager's fury after the late wobble became the main story. Randal Kolo Muani had already put them in charge, and AZ Alkmaar still found a late way back into the game through Mexx Meerdink in the 88th minute.

Spalletti's complaint about hesitation

The footage from the touchline showed Spalletti confronting Juan Cabal after the late defensive confusion, and his post-match line pointed to the same issue. Speaking to Sky Sport Italia, he said: "Undecided decisions are worse than wrong ones: if you decide, you decide wrong and do something wrong, it costs you less than an undecided decision, which is the worst of all."

That is a fair read of what bothered him most. Foot Mercato reported the immediate reaction as, "I am going to hit you…" while football-italia.net carried his softer post-match line, "I am very satisfied, because we played well against a very strong team." One version captured the flashpoint, the other the reset once the game was over.

Kolo Muani keeps delivering

The football itself still mattered. Kolo Muani doubled the lead before the interval, and he was the standout performer in the match with an 8.83 rating. He has now played 4 Europa League matches this season, scored 3 goals and added 2 assists, a clean return for a striker who keeps giving Juventus a direct route to goals on European nights.

Spalletti was happy to praise the performance in public, but the details of his own complaint are the more revealing part. Juventus were in control for long stretches, then too deep once the game opened up late on, and that is the version of the win that will stay with them after Alkmaar.

The three points stand, but the cleanest takeaway from Juventus's trip is the manager's demand for quicker decisions before the next Europa League fixture.