Spalletti still under scrutiny at Juventus despite Carnevali protection

Spalletti still under scrutiny at Juventus despite Carnevali protection Despite recent assurances from CEO Giovanni Carnevali, Juventus head coach Luciano Spalletti is still under scrutiny in the Italian press and there have been claims that the Old Lady may have to reconsider their position if the team are unable to redeem themselves over the next week. Pressure still mounting on Juventus and Spalletti Juventus got their 2026-27 campaign off to a winning start with consecutive victories over Frosinone and Parma, but have since been held to a 1-1 draw at home against Milan and fell to a 3-2 defeat against Sassuolo on Sunday, which has left them in eighth place after four matches. REGGIO NELL’EMILIA, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 13: Sebastiano Esposito of US Sassuolo celebrates after scoring his team’s first goal during the Serie A match between US Sassuolo and Juventus at Mapei Stadium – Citta’ del Tricolore on September 13, 2026 in Reggio nell’Emilia, Italy. (Photo by Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Getty Images) Injuries are an obvious factor in the Sassuolo defeat, given that Spalletti was without nine senior players including star attacker Kenan Yildiz and three of his first-choice midfielders in Khephren Thuram, Manuel Locatelli and Weston McKennie. Spalletti has also recently received reassurances from CEO Carnevali that his job is not at immediate risk. “He’s an amazing coach, one of the best ever. Changing coaches is not in my nature,” said Carnevali in a recent interview on Radio Anch’io lo Sport. “We must try to program and build; we must give time and be patient, knowing that we will have to swallow some bitter pills.” REGGIO NELL’EMILIA, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 13: Giovanni Carnevali of Juventus reacts prior to the Serie A match between US Sassuolo and Juventus at Mapei Stadium – Citta’ del Tricolore on September 13, 2026 in Reggio nell’Emilia, Italy. (Photo by Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Getty Images) However, there have been suggestions in the Italian press that Spalletti is still under pressure and that the Sassuolo defeat is not the only cause for concern. Spalletti is currently averaging 1.75 points per game in 2026-27 and finished the 2025-26 season with an average of 1.86 points per game. These are two of his three worst points averages over his last eight seasons in Serie A from spells with Juve, Napoli, Inter and Roma. LECCE, ITALY – MAY 09: Head coach of Juventus FC Luciano Spalletti during the Serie A match between US Lecce and Juventus FC at Stadio Via del Mare on May 09, 2026 in Lecce, Italy. (Photo by Maurizio Lagana/Getty Images) For comparison, Cristian Chivu has averaged 2.36 points per game in Serie A since his appointment as Inter head coach last summer, Gasperini has averaged 2.02 points per game in Serie A since his appointment as Roma head coach, whilst Antonio Conte averaged 2.00 points per game in his final Serie A season with Napoli before being let go at the end of the 2025-26 campaign. Conte, a former Juventus player and trophy-winning head coach, is still available following his departure from Napoli and there have been calls from some supporters for him to be reinstated in Turin in the event that Spalletti is dismissed in the near future. He had also been heavily linked with a return to the Italy national team before Roberto Mancini was re-appointed over the summer. And whilst Spalletti has the support from Carnevali from the time being, La Gazzetta dello Sport suggests that the situation could change if Juventus are unable to redeem themselves in their upcoming clashes against NEC in the Europa League on Thursday and Atalanta in Serie A on Sunday.