Spalletti Criticises Juventus' Second-Half Display: "We Went Backwards"

Luciano Spalletti was unhappy with his side's second-half performance despite Juventus' 2-0 win over Lecce.

Juventus returned to winning ways in Serie A on Sunday, with Douglas Luiz starring with a goal and an assist.

Juventus generated 0.81 expected goals (xG) in the first half, but after the break that figure dropped to 0.26 xG. Having faced 12 shots in the second half, 4 of them on target, Spalletti lamented his team's hesitant play.

Speaking after the match, Spalletti said: "The players put in a very good performance in terms of tempo and open play. But in the second half we dropped off a bit in terms of controlling the game, and because we showed less courage, everything became difficult. We needed to keep doing what we did in the first half. We found this system that gives the team solidity and we're happy with it, because we immediately saw a better team performance. But in the second half we practically went backwards."

Nevertheless, Spalletti heaped praise on Douglas Luiz, who stood out with his display. Luiz was the only Juventus player to create more than one scoring chance in the match (2), and he was also his team's most influential figure with 94 touches, 64/78 accurate passes and 28 passes into the attacking third.

Spalletti said of the Brazilian: "He played a great game today; he battled, he ran, he fought all over the pitch and he stepped in at critical moments when we needed him."