Spalletti appointed Juventus head coach, wins debut against Cremonese

Luciano Spalletti was appointed Juventus head coach on Thursday and made a winning start on Saturday, beating Cremonese 2-1 in his debut as the Turin club seeks to arrest a damaging run of form. The 66-year-old signed a contract through June 30, 2026, with the club holding an option to extend the deal should Juventus reach next season's Champions League, the club said. He takes over after Igor Tudor was dismissed earlier in the week following an eight-match winless streak across competitions.

Spalletti arrived at the club training ground on Thursday, completed medical checks and held a presentation press conference on Friday before taking a single day of training with the squad ahead of the Cremonese trip. With little time to implement sweeping changes, he confirmed he would likely use a three-man defence in his first match, while planning to work towards a four-man backline in the coming weeks. In the game his team showed tactical fluidity, with Teun Koopmeiners deployed in a deep role in the back three and wide players given license to move into attacking positions.

The early signs were positive. Filip Kostic opened the scoring after 85 seconds, and Andrea Cambiaso added a...