Against Lecce the Canadian missed the overtaking penalty, the Belgian missed an opportunity with an empty net after Yildiz’s post. And Spalletti is without alternatives
Juve, we have a problem. Maybe two. Because between David and Openda no one is safe: neither the Canadian, who ate the penalty that could have changed the history of Juve-Lecce, nor the Belgian, who was not very clear about Yildiz’s rebound from the post – a stone’s throw from the goal – on what was the last chance of the match. Spalletti comes out with broken bones, especially due to the lack of real alternatives. Yildiz cannot do everything alone, and even the contribution of Zhegrova and Conceiçao has not been enough so far to soften the ever-increasing pessimism on the summer transfer market to anticipate the future without Vlahovic (expiring and now injured). Milik not received.
david and openda, deep crisis
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David is in a deep crisis. In the championship he only scored in the first against Parma, then that was it. The scores in the last two Champions League matches against Bodo and Pafos were misleading: in reality the Canadian is the one who has given the least guarantees of performance so far. Spalletti tried to support him, he did so even after the mistake from the spot against Lecce: an insufficient execution for a high-level player, completely unacceptable for the highest paid player in the squad (6 million per season) after Vlahovic. For Juve’s 30 it is the sixth error from 11 meters out of 32 kicked, the second of the last three after the missed goal on 10 January 2025 in Ligue 1 against Auxerre wearing the Lille shirt. David is not Juve’s first penalty taker and should not have appeared on the spot, but Locatelli and Yildiz have decided to comply with a specific request from their teammate who evidently knows he has to change the direction of his so far terrible season, perhaps also to help him reconcile with the Juve world which continues to increase the pressure on him. The Canadian, taken on a free transfer after a long courtship in the final months of last season, is well below expectations, and Openda, who in recent weeks has appeared slightly ahead in Spalletti’s approval, is in the same vein. However, even the former Leipzig striker has not had the impact that was hoped for: just 2 goals since he arrived, one in the league and one in the Champions League, do not reflect a coup worth over 40 million.