Luciano Spalletti left the Allianz Stadium talking less about the 5-0 scoreline than about what Juventus showed behind it. Kamil Grabara made his debut and kept a clean sheet, and Spalletti singled him out for his composure and his work with the ball at his feet.

"Let me congratulate Grabara," Spalletti said, before adding that Juventus could have been more compact and left less space behind the back line. He also said the squad has so few players that it has to adapt, which is where this performance mattered most.

Spalletti's view of the performance

The message from Spalletti was practical rather than grand. He said Juventus could have done a better job of protecting the space behind them, but still felt the choice to change something was the right one. He described the players as clear-headed and said they turned doubts into decisions.

That fits the way the night unfolded. Juventus had enough control to make the changes work, and NEC Nijmegen never turned the game into a test of the keeper under pressure. For a side that Spalletti said must keep adapting because of its thin numbers, that is a decent sign.

First goals and a sign of settling in

The night also gave Nick Woltemade his first Juventus goal, from the penalty spot, and it came in his second appearance for the club. He said scoring is always the most important thing for a striker, and that the goal should help him settle in and gain self-confidence.

Woltemade’s return is straightforward enough to read. He has one Juventus goal in two appearances, and that kind of early breakthrough can matter for a forward still finding his rhythm. Randal Kolo Muani also got on the scoresheet, giving Juventus another early-season boost in attack.

Spalletti’s praise for Nico González on the first goal was part of the same picture. González had earned the penalty and handed the spot-kick to Woltemade, a small gesture that matched the mood of the night and the confidence he said he gets from the coach and the team.

Juventus now move on with a clean sheet, a debut goalkeeper who looked composed, and a striker who has his first goal in the bank. Spalletti will take more from the adaptation than the margin, and this was the sort of European night that gives him a few reasons to believe the squad can cope on short numbers.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →