Juventus, the bonuses are over for Spalletti: he must win. The goals from Openda and Adzic and Conte’s shadow

In other words, beyond Elkann's words, it is clear that Spalletti has run out of leeway from that first season he began on the move.They did not pin last season's dreadful final result on him because, based only on the points Juventus picked up from his arrival in place of Tudor onwards, they would have qualified for the Champions League. They placed full responsibility for the failed 2025-26 season on Comolli and some of the players. Not on the Tuscan coach, despite the way Juventus threw away the small cushion they had in the Champions League places over their pursuers until just a few matchdays from the end of the league season.

Now they turn the page. Aside from Vlahovic not being kept and the failure to bring in an experienced goalkeeper, Alisson or Dibu Martinez, Spalletti has been given the reinforcements he asked for in the transfer market: Vicario, Celik, Lucumì, Alajbegovic, Ekhator and the confirmation of Boga. And someone else could still arrive between now and 1 September, in midfield or attack. The club, moreover, are also trying to satisfy Spalletti in the outgoing market, with the departures of Openda and Adzic (curiously both on target in the first official match of the season with their respective new teams, Lyon and Sassuolo), as well as Rouhi, and with difficult negotiations to offload Di Gregorio, one defender from Rugani and Cabal, one midfielder from Miretti and Koopmeiners (with Arthur also frozen out), and at least one of David, Milik and Zhegrova. On top of that, the hierarchy are backing Spalletti in his desire to trust the revived Douglas Luiz.

At 6.30pm on Sunday in Frosinone, Spalletti's first real Juventus side at 100 per cent will start to take shape, and he will no longer have any margin for error. In the event of a false start, we would bet that the shadow of Antonio Conte would not take long to loom over the Juventus dugout.