Juventus Facing Scrutiny As Spalletti Questions Determination After Cagliari Defeat

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Juventus slipped further behind in the Serie A title chase after a 1-0 defeat at Cagliari, despite long spells of control. The result leaves Juventus 10 points adrift of leaders Inter, while Roma can move three points ahead if Roma beat Torino on Sunday.

Luca Mazzitelli decided the Serie A contest with a clean volley on 65 minutes, punishing Juventus after a soft free-kick concession near the area. Juventus now switch focus to a Champions League tie against Benfica, before a critical league trip to Napoli on the weekend.

The numbers underlined Juventus’ frustration in this Serie A meeting. Juventus produced 21 attempts compared to Cagliari’s three and held 78.1% possession, yet failed to score. Juventus became the first Serie A side to lose a match with at least 78% possession since such data started in 2004-05.

The defeat also extended a concerning away pattern for Juventus this season across all competitions. Juventus have lost five of 14 away fixtures, already exceeding last season’s total of four defeats from 24 away games in 2024-25. It was also only the second league loss for Juventus under Luciano Spalletti since the appointment in November.

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Juventus created the clearer chances but could not beat Elia Caprile, who made five saves for Cagliari. Kenan Yildiz went closest for the visitors when a deflected strike came back off the woodwork. Luciano Spalletti accepted Juventus needed greater precision in attack but also praised Cagliari’s effort and organisation.

"Cagliari deserved it, because they fought for every ball, closed up and tried to go on the counter,Spalletti told Sky Sport Italia."

"We were unable to be determined enough in preparing thosesituations. There are games that go like this, we move on. The substitutes got swept up in the frantic nature of the game. Zhegrova and Conceicao dropped back to get the ball in midfield rather than stay up there, so they got too far away from the 'hot'areas of the pitch. Kalulu and Kelly then started pushing up the flanks, but no, they were defenders and needed to be defending. We can complain about that, players need to stay in their roles, but in general we played our game, suffocated every attempt at a counter-attack. It was destined to go like this, theres no point crying over spilt milk. We needed to be more determined and make more of our chances, but also the free kick where they scored was so unnecessary and they used that opportunity. Maybe next time luck will turn our way, but it's nothing unusual."

Spalletti’s comments showed irritation with how substitutes interpreted instructions in the closing stages. Spalletti felt Edon Zhegrova and Francisco Conceicao dropped too deep, while Pierre Kalulu and Lloyd Kelly advanced excessively on the wings. Spalletti stressed that players must respect positions, even though Juventus largely restricted Cagliari’s counter-attacks.

The defeat, shaped by one avoidable free-kick and missed opportunities, leaves Juventus under pressure heading into the Benfica tie and the meeting with Napoli. With Inter winning 1-0 against Udinese and Roma still to face Torino, Juventus must respond quickly to keep realistic Serie A ambitions alive.