Luciano Spalletti: Juventus must step up to match Inter Milan and Napoli

By SABC Sport
13th January 2026

Juventus manager Luciano Spalletti praised his team's effort after a 5‑0 win over Cremonese at the Allianz Stadium on Monday but insisted they are still not on the same level as Inter Milan or Napoli.

The Bianconeri dominated from the start, with Gleison Bremer, Jonathan David, Kenan Yildiz and Weston McKennie all scoring. Juventus also equalled Inter for most goals scored in Serie A since Spalletti took charge in November, with 20 goals in that period.

After the match, Spalletti told Sky Sport Italia:

"I watched Inter-Napoli last night, they showed the top level of football, open and attacking football, with character and ideas, representing their coaches. I think we need to improve a lot to reach their level, and we need to take those steps quickly. I have seen great effort from these lads, so I feel we can make those improvements."

The win lifted Juventus into fourth in Serie A, four points behind leaders Inter and one behind second-place AC Milan, although both Inter and Milan, as well as third-place Napoli, have a game in hand.

Reflecting on the match itself, Spalletti added:

"We were in control, we had a good game and were set out well, we had the right hunger against an opponent that knows what it's doing. Davide Nicola knows the top flight very well and what his squad has to do, so they are well-organised and ready to battle. With a bit of good luck, we managed to get the result on track early, but then also had some bad luck with that penalty off the upright.

"I think all things considered we were in charge, although there were still a few wobbles that are hard to get rid of."

Spalletti also reflected on Juventus' progress since he arrived:

"When you take on this work, there can always be surprises, good and bad ones, as the pitch does the talking."

Since Spalletti's arrival in November, only Inter have collected more points (25) and won more matches (eight) than Juventus (24 points, seven wins). His side have scored at least five goals in a single Serie A match for the first time since February 2018, a performance Spalletti believes can be a platform for further improvement.

"The lads are working hard and you can see their effort on the pitch. We'll keep building, step by step," he concluded.

Juventus now aim to carry this momentum into upcoming matches, aware that consistency will be key if they are to seriously challenge for the Scudetto.