After the heavy league defeat to Lazio and the 2-2 Europa League draw with Rennes, Giovanni Carnevali spoke about Luciano Spalletti: "The manager is the same as ever. He knows he has work to do. The manager's seat is hot, but that comes with being at a club like Juventus, where if you play two matches poorly, people talk about changes. But we know what we need to do, and he is working on the problem areas".
Part defence, part warning, the Juventus chief executive's words reveal how the top brass at Juventus view the manager. For months, the refrain at Continassa has been one word: continuity. That directive comes directly from John Elkann, stung by too many changes in recent years, both at executive level and among the managers. The club brought in Carnevali and Massara with that aim: to give Juventus continuity for the years ahead. The same applies to Spalletti's two-year contract renewal, which Elkann himself wanted even before Carnevali arrived.
