Luciano Spalletti has made it clear that Juventus must keep improving before they face Palermo in their penultimate summer friendly. After a pre-season that has brought three wins from five matches, the Juventus head coach wants his side to treat the test seriously as they build towards the Serie A 2026-27 campaign.
The warning comes after Juventus lost their latest friendly to Inter, even though Spalletti saw signs of a better response after the break. It is still only preparation, but it is also the first full summer under the club's new coach, and the need to raise the level is already a clear theme.
Spalletti: the work must continue
Spalletti accepted that Juventus were hesitant in the first half against Inter, saying they had shown “some hesitation” even against the highest level of opposition. He also pointed out that when the match looked difficult at 2-0, his team reacted well after the interval, played faster football and produced a fine goal.
That is the balance he is asking for now. Juventus are not being judged on results alone in pre-season, but on whether the team is adding more to its physical condition and its mentality before the real campaign begins.
As Spalletti put it, the squad must move forward “calmly”, adding more “to the legs and the head” because improvement is exactly what the summer programme is for. In other words, the friendlies are there to sharpen habits, not simply to tick off fixtures.
Why Palermo cannot be taken lightly
The next opponent is Palermo, and Spalletti was keen to stress that this will not be a simple run-out. He described them as a Serie B side, but one with several players who know Serie A well and a coach who is highly motivated.
That coach is Filippo Inzaghi, who led Palermo to eighth place in Serie B in his first season. Spalletti also said Inzaghi will surely become a great coach, praising him as a humble person and a champion as a player. It is a respectful message, but also a reminder that Juventus need to approach the game properly.
Spalletti called it a difficult match in a splendid setting with a big crowd, which fits the tone of his broader message: this is still preparation, but it should be treated like meaningful football.
Juventus still have work to do
There is also a wider reason why Spalletti is pressing the point. Juventus finished sixth in Serie A last season and missed out on the Champions League places, so the margin for complacency is not very wide.
That makes every summer test useful. Juventus have already shown they can win matches in pre-season, and they also introduced Randal Kolo Muani and Kerim Alajbegovic in the loss to Inter. But the bigger question is whether the team can carry the better moments into a more reliable overall level.
The meeting with Palermo will not decide anything on its own. Even so, it should tell Juventus more about where they stand as Spalletti continues shaping his first full season in charge.
