Luciano Spalletti's first Juventus loss highlights issues preventing Old Lady from contending in Italy and UCL

Juventus lost 2-1 on Sunday at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona against Napoli and showed that the work of the coach, Luciano Spalletti, needs more time. The Azzurri won thanks to the brace of former Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund, who joined Napoli in the summer of 2025, and proved that Antonio Conte's side are back on track and now leading the Serie A standings with a one-point margin on Inter. On the other hand, Juventus showed that they are still struggling to create chances and suffered, despite scoring one goal in the second half with Kenan Yildiz, well assisted by USMNT midfielder Weston McKennie. 

The team coached by Spalletti probably played their worst match of the season, and some numbers showed all the concerns of the fanbase and the manager.

"We didn't produce as much as we could, but we need to sit down and talk because we still showed the same issues. In my opinion, we can do better than today, we gave them an incredible number of chances. If you don't lead it yourself, you end up being a passenger to others who make decisions and you have to adapt. Every time they get a set piece, they make a block, we couldn't find countermeasures. Maybe we allowed them to get too comfortable, but these are all decisions that have to be taken on the spot and the result depends on the decision you make", he said during the post-match press conference. 

The injury of Dusan Vlahovic, who will be out for several weeks after undergoing surgery, underlined the poor impact of Jonathan David this season, who struggled and failed to create chances to score in the second half. With his contract expiring in the summer of 2026, Vlahovic must soon clarify his future, as Juventus need to know whether they can count on him moving forward and given his performances and impact this season, it's clear they desperately do.

The Napoli match was more than disappointing for Spalletti, who lost his first game since he was hired to replace Igor Tudor on Oct. 30. Since then, Juventus won four matches and drew three in all competitions before losing to Napoli on Sunday, a match that showed they still need much more work. It was clear how much they struggled in the attacking phase: their 0.24 xG against Napoli was their lowest of the season, matched by season-worst totals in touches inside the box (eight) and shots (five). Juventus posted their poorest attacking numbers of the campaign against Conte's side, showing they are still firmly a work in progess.