A much-needed victory has given Juventus breathing room. The bianconeri defeated Napoli 2-0 at the Allianz Stadium on Sunday, with second-half goals from Kerim Alajbegovic and Jérémie Boga securing three points that lift the club to seventh in Serie A on 17 points after ten games. The win matters beyond the scoreline: it arrives after a run of poor results that had pushed Spalletti to the edge, with fans protesting outside the stadium before kick-off and Antonio Conte's name circulating as a potential replacement.

Spalletti responded to the pressure by switching to a 4-2-3-1 formation, abandoning the back three that had failed to produce results. The tactical shift paid off. Alajbegovic, who had been used intermittently despite his obvious quality, opened the scoring in the 70th minute and looks increasingly difficult to leave out of the starting XI. Boga added the second late on to seal it.

Squad availability remains a concern. Francisco Conceição is serving a three-match UEFA suspension, while a lengthy injury list continues to limit Spalletti's options. One positive is the return of Jeff Ekhator to group training after missing the entire opening stretch of the season. Juventus now turn their attention to Europe, travelling to face AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League on November 5. The result buys Spalletti time, but the margin for further setbacks remains thin.