Luciano Spalletti says Juventus need time to develop into a cohesive team after admitting Inter were “more of a team than us” in their 2-1 friendly victory in Perth.
Juventus are undergoing a major rebuild after finishing sixth in Serie A last season, a result that left them outside the Champions League places. However, the club have taken longer than anticipated to complete much of the recruitment required to strengthen the squad.
New arrivals Kerim Alajbegovic and Randal Kolo Muani made their Juventus debuts in the second half against Inter. Both players joined from Bayer Leverkusen and Paris Saint-Germain respectively, and Spalletti said he had assessed them carefully before approving their signings.
“I evaluated carefully before they were signed, as I wanted to get a good look at them first,” Spalletti told Sky Sport Italia.
Alajbegovic had already been monitored by Juventus director Ricky Massara, while Kolo Muani was also introduced as part of the club’s reshaped attack.
“Alajbegovic had already been tracked by (director Ricky) Massara beforehand, so that’s reassuring. They both need to get into match shape, as they’ve only been with us for three days, so perhaps I rushed it by asking them to play an entire half today.”
The pair showed some promising touches during their time on the pitch, although neither could prevent Juventus from suffering defeat.
Federico Dimarco gave Inter the lead before Andy Diouf added a second, with Juventus goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio making a costly error. Francisco Conceicao reduced the deficit late in the match, but Juventus were unable to find an equaliser.
Spalletti said the priority was now to establish the right structure around the club’s new signings and turn a developing squad into a more effective unit.
“These are strong players at a high level, so we must try to figure out how to find the right balance and become a team,” added Spalletti.
The former Serie A champions are making several changes following a disappointing campaign, but the arrival of key reinforcements has not happened as quickly as expected.
Inter’s performance underlined the difference in team development between the two sides, particularly during the opening half.
“Inter showed in the first half they were more of a team than us. It is a process that we simply need to go through, we have to take steps forward.”
Juventus will now continue preparing their new-look squad, with Alajbegovic and Kolo Muani needing further time to reach full match fitness after only three days with the team.
