How Luciano Spalletti will change Juventus

Luciano Spalletti’s arrival marks a decisive shift in philosophy for Juventus, replacing the individual-based approach of Igor Tudor with a clear, collective, and possession-oriented style. The new era will be defined by a focus on “field work” and a recognizable team identity, which is what is fairly unique about the Italian.

A Switch to the Back Four and Possession Control

The most immediate change will be the shift in formation. Spalletti’s tactical history favors a back four, a stark contrast to the three-man defense utilized by Tudor. The new system is likely to be a 4-3-3 or a variation of the 4-2-3-1, with the principles of play being more important than the rigid structure itself.

Spalletti’s core philosophy dictates that the team must command the game by controlling possession and dictating tempo and space. This starts with building play from the back, although not at all costs. As seen at Napoli, Spalletti is happy to mix control with quick attacks, utilizing options for depth, which could greatly benefit a striker like Dušan Vlahović.

The Collective Mentality

A hallmark of Spalletti’s teams, including his Scudetto-winning Napoli side, is the emphasis on the collective. This applies equally to both phases of the game:

• In Possession: Players must be highly coordinated, moving and rotating positionally in relation to their teammates to create openings.

• Out of Possession: The pressing system is never individual; it is a coordinated, team-wide effort to recover the ball immediately.

These demands are fundamentally different from Tudor’s system, which often relied more on the isolated individual brilliance of offensive players.

Potential Juventus Lineup

The shift in formation would see the midfield revert to a three-man setup, utilizing a holding playmaker (like Manuel Locatelli) flanked by two box-to-box mezzala players (like Teun Koopmeiners and Khephren Thuram). The 4-3-3 could easily transform into a 4-2-3-1 by pushing one of the central midfielders, like Koopmeiners, into the attacking midfield role.

While the new manager has many options, the hypothetical starting XI for Juventus under Spalletti would look something like this: (4-3-3) Di Gregorio; Kalulu, Gatti (or Bremer), Kelly, Cambiaso; Koopmeiners, Locatelli, Thuram; Conceicao, Vlahovic (or David), Yildiz.