Juventus manager Luciano Spalletti was displeased with his team after squandering a two-goal lead in the Derby della Mole.
Due to the one-hour delay, the Bianconeri had already known their fate by half-time, as the other matches involving clubs fighting for European spots had finished, with Roma and Como securing their places in the Champions League, leaving Milan and Juve to settle for Europa League berths.
Nevertheless, Spalletti was still expecting his men to make a point by winning their final match of the season, especially considering the importance of the Derby.
Dusan Vlahovic managed to score in both halves to give the Old Lady a healthy two-goal lead, but the team’s level dropped following a series of substitutions, allowing Torino to pull off a comeback and snatch a point thanks to goals from Cesare Casadei and Che Adams.
Luciano Spalletti rues the lack of character at Juventus
In his post-match interviews with Sky and DAZN, as well as his press conference, Spalletti reiterated the importance of character, something his players currently lack.
“I’m always the coach who has to analyse what happened. It’s clear that it may have had an impact because everyone was talking about it and asking about it when they came back into the dressing room,” said the 67-year-old via JuventusNews24.
“But that doesn’t change the fact that we had the match under control by then and we should have seen it through that way. It’s exactly in matches like these that you see people’s character, that you see what we’re made of inside.
“It’s not the same thing to have two extra points or two fewer points. It’s also not the same thing to become different because a result comes from somewhere else. So this is an area of growth we absolutely have to achieve.
“In my opinion, the difference is always made by people’s character. It’s one of those qualities that matters as much as physical strength, as much as technique: the mind of a player who doesn’t get disturbed, who doesn’t change in certain moments, on certain pitches, against certain opponents,” he added.
“If every time you keep doubting what happens to you, then you don’t have character, and you can’t play for Juventus, because that is what makes the difference.
“Character is extremely difficult to teach. You can teach technique, you can teach tactics, but character is a quality you possess”
When asked what type of players Juventus must buy in the summer, he insisted that the club must find mentally strong players.
“How do we improve? By buying players with character. Manuel Locatelli is someone who has character — you can see him fighting for every ball. Weston McKennie is a player with character. The runs that Kenan Yildiz made to come back and defend are something that normally isn’t part of his characteristics.
“Then, when we got lost inside certain situations, that was something lacking in character. Some things were done well, others weren’t.”
How will Juventus attract top players without the Champions League
Despite missing out on a Champions League spot, the Juventus head coach believes the club must be persuasive in its quest to lure quality players.
“We attract players by being competitive. There’s work, there’s a structure, there’s a project. Strong players exist, but you also need the approval of John Elkann to create a strong team.
“When the market opens, many things will happen along the way. We’ll have to be good at it, and I want to put something of myself into it as well, otherwise I’ll have sleepless nights.”
Spalletti also sent his best wishes to the Juventus fan who was seriously wounded in pre-match clashes with the local police, which delayed the kickoff time, while also slamming Torino for preventing Juventus fans from wearing their club’s colours outside the away section.
“I want to send a hug to the supporter who is in hospital, from me, all the players and Juventus, because inevitably what comes back to my mind is that announcement I heard yesterday about black and white colours being banned in one section of the stadium.
“It seems like an absurd decision to me, considering the efforts we are making to create better foundations and stronger football.
“Hearing that children are forbidden from wearing a scarf seems strange and absurd to me. If colours become a limit, then probably the problem is not the colours — the problems are something else.”