Carnevali backs Spalletti and cools Deschamps speculation at Juventus

Giovanni Carnevali has ended, at least temporarily, speculation surrounding Didier Deschamps at Juventus. On Friday morning, the Bianconeri’s general manager visited the training center for a crisis meeting and declared in front of players and staff: “We cannot continue like this, the situation is unacceptable, but we cannot question the technical staff.”

This statement comes after a disastrous week for the Turin club. On Wednesday, Juventus lost 2-0 away at Genoa, following a heavy home defeat to Lazio (0-3) and a draw in the Europa League against Stade Rennais (2-2). Result: the Bianconeri sit in 8th place in Serie A, eleven points behind the leading duo of Inter Milan and Lazio Rome after nine matches.

Italian media had in recent days mentioned a possible dismissal of Luciano Spalletti in case of another poor performance on Sunday against Naples, and listed Didier Deschamps among the top candidates to replace him. Carnevali’s message, reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport, appears to cut short this scenario: by explicitly exonerating the technical staff while targeting the players, the executive has chosen to place responsibility for poor results on the professional squad.

Spalletti’s stated retention does not, however, ease the pressure weighing on Juventus. The match against Naples on Sunday evening looms as a decisive test for the Italian coach, whose future could be decided in the coming days despite his management’s backing.