An Italian TV correspondent picked up the brief exchange between Juventus captain Manuel Locatelli and his manager, Luciano Spalletti.
The Bianconeri made it three on the bounce by prevailing in Pisa on Saturday evening. The home side put on a solid showing and were twice thwarted by the goal frame. However, the visitors eventually took the initiative, scoring two unanswered goals through Pierre Kalulu and Kenan Yildiz.
Many fans and pundits pinpoint Edon Zhegrova’s second-half introduction as the turning point of the match, as Juventus became instantly more dangerous afterwards.
The Kosovar’s entry came at the expense of a baffled Locatelli, while Teun Koopmeiners dropped back to fill in for the skipper in the Regista role.
While leaving the pitch, the former Sassuolo star approached Spalletti, seeking an explanation for his decision.
However, the 66-year-old was in no mood to provide justifications, so he swiftly dismissed the midfielder.
“Go on, go to the bench,” said the manager as reported by DAZN’s pitch-side correspondent (via IlBianconero).
Manuel Locatelli (Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images)
After the contest, Spalletti mentioned that his decision was influenced by Locatelli’s yellow card, which is why he preferred to keep Koopmeiners on the pitch alongside Khephren Thuram.
The former Roma and Napoli manager was perhaps too focused on the action on the pitch to spare time for explanations that can be postponed for later.
Many things have been said and written about the relationship between Spalletti and Locatelli, dating back to their time together in the Italian national team.
The manager famously omitted the midfielder from the Euro 2024 squad, so many felt that their Juventus reunion would be an awkward one.
Nevertheless, Spalletti has confirmed the 27-year-old as a regular starter, even though he’s urging the management to sign a new midfielder more suitable for the deep-lying playmaker role.
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