Spalletti hopes Napoli win will restore Juventus' confidence

Luciano Spalletti said Juventus' 2-0 win over Napoli was an achievement that belonged entirely to his players, adding that he hopes the result will lift the team's confidence in the weeks ahead.

Juventus earned a morale-boosting victory at the Allianz Stadium thanks to superb second-half goals from Kerim Alajbegovic and Jérémie Boga.

The Bianconeri struggled to create clear chances in the first half, coming closest when Juan Cabal headed against the post from a Teun Koopmeiners corner. In the 70th minute, Alajbegovic broke the deadlock with a stunning long-range strike that went in off the right-hand post. Napoli were reduced to 10 men when Luca Marianucci picked up a second yellow card five minutes later, and Boga settled the contest with a brilliant finish three minutes from time.

Notably, Juventus have kept a clean sheet in all five of their Serie A wins this season. The last time the Bianconeri recorded at least five clean-sheet wins in the first 10 matches of a season was in 2023-24 under Massimiliano Allegri.

After embracing his staff at the final whistle, Spalletti thanked his players, who have taken the team to 17 points in Serie A. "They suffer with me, and they also work from morning until evening. Even though I'm the first to arrive and the last to leave, they often stay with me too. But all the credit should go to the team. They managed to look inside themselves and found the desire to take the first step, to go forward and to think positively. In the second half, with a few tactical tweaks, they put that on the pitch. By rediscovering their belief in the football they are capable of playing, they fully deserved this win," the experienced coach said.

Having won their last two Serie A meetings with Napoli without conceding, Juventus last put together a similar run against this opponent between April and October 2012 under Antonio Conte.

Spalletti also addressed the Juventus supporters who gathered outside the stadium before the match to protest against the team's up-and-down start to the season. "We just have to keep going. This is a process we have to get through. Right now we need to stick together and have behind us the spirit of fans who fight alongside the team, like in the second half. You can say 'Spalletti isn't good enough', 'this player isn't good enough', 'everyone should go', but now is the time to be united, and this stadium has to become our fortress again. Even if we can't always make them happy, we need their support. I thank everyone who applauded us. We are in a period where we need to embrace each other and stay positive," he said.