Luciano Spalletti May Have Solved Two Juventus Mysteries In No Time

It only took Luciano Spalletti two games, but perhaps the Teun Koopmeiners conundrum has been solved.

The Dutchman has looked incredibly, and also frustratingly, out of place since arriving in a big-money move from Atalanta two summers’ ago.

Both Thiago Motta and Igor Tudor tried to get the best out of him, but to no avail.

Spalletti, meanwhile, has been in charge of the club for two games, but appears to have solved the mystery: by utilising Koopmeiners as a left-sided centre back.

This was likely out of necessity somewhat due to Juve’s lack of central defenders, with Gleison Bremer and Lloyd Kelly both injured.

However, playing in the position isn’t exactly out of the ordinary for Koopmeiners, having played there over 40 times for AZ Alkmaar before his move upfield and eventually his move to Italy.

In two games as a defender, Koopmeiners produced the kind of performances Juve expected when they splashed out over $60 million to sign him back in the summer of 2024.

“I feel comfortable in this role,” he said following the 1-1 draw with Sporting in the Champions League this week.

“I feel much better in this position, because I am not a forward who plays with his back to goal, where I played in other games. I told the representatives of the club that too, and I told Spalletti. I had already played this role many years ago in Holland and it is where I feel comfortable,” he said.

“I am a player who wants the ball, to pass to my teammates, to push everyone else forward, and I can do that with a midfielder and another defender near me.”

The resurrection of Koopmeiners has been one of the early small wins for Spalletti since taking over the job from Tudor.

The Croat, like Motta before him, had struggled to shoehorn the Dutchman into his starting XI. Koopmeiners, especially under Motta, had been utilised everywhere but his ideal position, which is as a box-to-box midfielder.

Motta, for reasons unknown, decided to implement him as a No10, often with his back to goal, a role Koopmeiners hated.

Dusan Vlahovic also appears to be an early beneficiary of Spalletti’s arrival. The Serb scored the equaliser against Sporting on Tuesday, and put in the kind of dynamic performance that’s been absent from his play for large parts of his time in Turin.

With his contract winding down, Vlahovic is eager to prove that he deserves an extension. Yet this appeared to be at a dead end last summer, with Juve openly shopping him around to anyone willing to take a punt on him and the player refusing to take a pay cut in order to remain.

On the back of his form, however, there has been talk of a possible reconciliation and another round of discussions, yet he would need to lower his salary demands with Juve no longer able to afford his $13m-per-year salary.

Spalletti has also publicly backed Vlahovic, who’s scored six goals in 14 games this season, and revealed the striker told him he’s ‘happy’ at the club.

Of course, that doesn’t translate to signing a new contract, but Spalletti’s arrival perhaps bodes well for the Serb, and the potential of an extended stay beyond next June.

Despite the draw against Sporting, Juve impressed for large patches against the Portuguese outfit, and only a lack of a cutting edge in attack denied them all three points.

Spalletti is forcing his team to up their pace and the intensity shown against Sporting is the template going forward. Early days, of course, but there are plenty of positives.

Next up are two grudge matches in Torino and Fiorentina. Should Spalletti win both, then the former Napoli, Inter and Roma coach will have hit the ground running.

And if those victories arrive, don’t be surprised if Vlahovic and Koopmeiners play huge roles in them.