Juventus' "suicide", Spalletti: I have to examine myself first

Juventus coach Luciano Spalletti admitted he had to "re-examine himself" after a shocking 2-0 home defeat to Fiorentina in the penultimate round of Serie A.

The "Old Lady" dropped from third to sixth place and remained two points behind the Champions League spot.

Nothing depends on Juventus anymore, because in the last round they have to fumble Roma, Como...

Spalletti appeared nervous during a post-match interview with Sky Sports. The journalist said Juventus had to win the "match of their lives", but the Italian expert immediately responded:

"If you start the conversation like this, we're off to a bad start."

After that he added:

"This story that it's all over, that we're all dead... that's not true. Of course, this is a terrible result. This was a very important game."

A few weeks ago, Spalletti said he still didn't fully understand his team, so he was asked if he had a clearer picture now.

"My assessment is not based only on today's game. I think the boys did a lot of good things, that there was a lot of progress and that the foundations were laid for something important," he said.

Ndur and Mandragora launched Fiorentina with goals, who played a good match without any pressure, without any sentimentality towards their big rival, to whom they meant everything in terms of points.

"Today we had to play football with a high level of quality and personality," Spalletti continued.

"First of all, I have to question myself, not the players. As I told them today - if this is what my team is showing, then I have to first assess what I did, before analysing them."

Spalletti admitted that the performance was very poor:

"We were disastrous in many aspects. Sometimes we were unlucky. We conceded a goal for 1-0 even though we practically didn't allow many chances. We started the match poorly, we didn't win duels and we didn't raise the atmosphere in the stadium."

Juventus conceded a goal from Fiorentina's first shot on target. It was the 16th time this season that the "old lady" had conceded a goal from their opponent's first attempt.

"I have to make sure that doesn't happen again. I have to talk about that, but also about something else - to bring peace of mind to the players, so that they can freely make decisions, find space, play aggressively and simply."

"Those are the things that get the audience on your side. And we didn't do enough of what was needed."

Spalletti then spoke about the very likely outcome - not qualifying for the Champions League:

"We know that missing out on the Champions League would hit the club financially, but talking about life and death or war is wrong. This is just a football match."

"Footballers have to play disciplined, the style of play has to remain the same, and it's that style that has brought us here."

Spalletti extended his contract with Juventus until 2028 in April.

"I have a clear picture of both my players and myself. I have known myself for 68 years and I have always followed my own path," he said.

"First I have to analyze myself. Have I done everything to get them in the right mental state? It's mostly all in my head. First I have to talk to myself."

Although Juventus needed a goal in the second half, Openda and David remained on the bench throughout the match. Spalletti had been looking for a new centre-forward since January, and was asked if the season would have been different if the club had brought in a striker in the winter.

"It's pointless to talk about it now. I should have managed this game better," he replied.

"We've generally done quite well. I think some things are clear now, but we're not where we need to be at the moment. The Champions League is something that Juventus and its fans deserve."