LUCIANO SPALLETTI has laid into his Juventus flops after they crashed to a dismal 0-2 home defeat against high flying Como.
The Old Lady were booed off at the Allianz Stadium after a shambolic display that leaves them staring at a real scrap for Champions League football.
Cesc Fabregas’s slick Como outfit arrived in Turin sitting pretty in the top half and played like it. They tore Juve apart with a performance full of confidence and class, leaving the Bianconeri looking bang ordinary.
Spalletti didn’t hold back in his assessment of another gutless display from his stars.
“We made too many mistakes today,” he fumed. “There were several moments when we created problems for ourselves, and the pressure began to affect us.
“The qualities we demonstrated before have not disappeared, but now we do not recognise them.”
Juventus find themselves languishing in fifth after a run that’s seen them win just two of their last seven. For a club of this size, that’s nowhere near good enough and Spalletti knows it.
The Italian tactician pointed to a lack of backbone as the main issue plaguing his side.
“We lack cohesion and persistence,” he added. “We need to take the initiative.”
That last line will sting for Juventini. A team built on grit, organisation and winning ugly has turned into a passive, disjointed mess incapable of grabbing games by the scruff.
Como, packed with clever technicians playing some of the most attractive football outside the top four, strolled into Turin and played with more belief than a Juve side packed with internationals. That tells its own story.
The pressure’s cranking up on Spalletti, who was brought in to restore some pride after last season’s disappointment. Instead, the fans are watching their team drift further away from the top spots.
With the top four race tighter than ever, Juve need to find that missing spark and fast. Otherwise, Champions League football could be a pipe dream.
