Juventus beat Napoli 2-0 at the Juventus Stadium on 1 November 2026, and the post-match verdict was as blunt as the result. Luciano Spalletti said Juventus were effectively down to 13 available players, while Marco Landucci said Napoli’s second half was not good enough and injuries were no excuse.

Spalletti's shortage argument

Spalletti told TuttomercatoWeb that the players “got involved in this desire to win back the trust of our fans” and said they went after duels and runs for each other. He also said, “I say it, eh, we are 13,” adding that Sarr could not play because of a fever and Weston McKennie went off at half-time with an adductor issue.

The detail matters because Juventus’ response came in a mixed spell, with the team coming in on a five-game league run of WLWLD. They also switched to a 4-4-2, and Spalletti’s point was clear enough, the win was built on compactness and application more than ideal structure.

The best individual return came from Kerim Alajbegović, who was the highest-rated Juventus player at 8.2. Jérémie Boga was the other major impact sub at 7.61.

Napoli's second half and the injury debate

Landucci said Napoli could not think “one good half is enough to win the match” and added that Juventus deserved to win. That fit the way the game fell away from Napoli after a balanced first half, and it is hard to ignore how much the absences around the team shaped the evening.

Alex Meret called it “a difficult moment” and said Napoli have been struggling to find consistency since the start of the season. He also said there have been “a few too many highs and lows” and that the group is united, with work resuming from the next day.

The injury talk around the match was not limited to Juventus. Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Kevin De Bruyne both came off at half-time, but Napoli’s problem on the night was wider than one change. They left Turin with 14 points after 10 rounds and sitting eighth in Serie A, which leaves little room for a second-half drop-off.

Spalletti’s team may have been stretched, but they got the result. Napoli now have to reset quickly, with their next game following a defeat that exposed how fragile their away performances can be when the second half slips away.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →