Luciano Spalletti is someone who certainly has no problem exposing, even in public, the limitations of his players. For this reason, when Yildiz says of Kenan that he “does not have the perception of how strong his opponents see him”, it is particularly flattering.
In Juventus’ victory over Roma last night, the Turkish number ten does not appear in the scoreboard: he did not score any goals and did not even make an assist. Special players, however, are those whose influence is independent of statistics and Yildiz’s talent belongs to that category. Juve and Roma didn’t put on a good match, the two teams were already ahead after a quarter of an hour and the match was rather dirty. Within the chaos of last night, then, the moments of clarity coincided with the times in which Yildiz took his parents’ hands.
For two seasons now, it has been clear to everyone that the Turk is Juventus’ best player. However, the team has not always been able to support him adequately. Motta expected him to establish the breadth and, even abstracting from the game, to create something through isolations. Tudor, however, after an encouraging start, had led him to disappear, with Juve often looking for inspiration on the opposite flank, between the feet of Conceicao, easier to reach but certainly less productive than Yildiz.
Last night, however, Yildiz was not only Juve’s best player, but he finally found a team ready to revolve around him. Spalletti gave his number ten all the support he needed and obtained what is perhaps, at this moment, the best possible version. Yildiz is a midfielder capable of solving matches with a single play, of course, but he is also one of those offensive players capable of improving the game in general. For this reason, if accompanied by an up-to-date association circuit, his performances and his influence on the team rise to a higher level.
Yesterday, as mentioned, Juve were not always brilliant. Against Roma’s pressure, the Bianconeri were hasty several times, and Spalletti denounced this by complaining about a first half that he didn’t think was up to par. When there was the possibility to restart, the hosts were often imprecise, especially if Kalulu or Thuram were leading the transition.
Despite this, Juve’s victory was fully deserved and given the quality of the opportunities produced, many more goals could have come (according to StatsBomb, Juve’s shots are worth on average 0.08 xG, yesterday 0.19). Much of the credit can be attributed to the left-wing chain, master of the game as never before.
Juventus usually divides their development between the two flanks rather equally: according to WhoScored, in the 2025/26 season the Bianconeri develop 39% of their actions on the left and 35% on the right, rather similar percentages. Yesterday, however, Spalletti’s team leaned towards the left-handed lane: not only did Juve weave 40% of their plots on the left, but they also exploited the center more (30%), eroding the quantity of actions developed on the right side to 30%.
Figures like this demonstrate how Juve have supported the characteristics of their men, because Yildiz is the best player while Cambiaso, a winger on that side, is also the full-back who is most skilled with the ball. The reason why the Bianconeri insisted even more last night on the left and centre, however, also concerns the movements of the players on the opposite chain, the one on the right. In fact, to give even more density and unpredictability to the left-handed lane, players from other lanes were added. From the center, for example, Openda cut to the left to provide an outlet in depth. Even McKennie, occasionally, could cut towards that side, while Conceicao, on developments on the left, used to move from the right towards the center and in the action of the first goal, he even added to the left chain.
Juve’s passmap from last night according to StatsBomb: note how McKennie and Conceicao have a much more centralized average position compared to their teammates on the left chain, towards which the theoretical right-wing midfielder Locatelli also leans.
An example of an action developed on the left in which the opening is given by Openda’s movement from the center towards the strong side. Here the ball is at Cambiaso’s feet and in the meantime Kelly has gotten up. Theoretically Soulé should follow him. Yildiz’s scorer, in theory, is Mancini.
Yildiz receives from Cambiaso and, since he is already close to the area, it is inadvisable for Mancini to press him hard. Yildiz turns and meanwhile Openda cuts. The Turk serves it and Openda puts it in the middle for Thuram, who shoots high.
In reality, the first goal is a somewhat spurious development. Conceicao found himself near the left almost by chance, because Juve had taken a corner and Svilar had hastily returned it. The dynamics of the action, however, reveal how Juve’s movements on that chain were more harmonious than usual.
Just take a look at the synergy between Yildiz and Cambiaso. Too many times this season the two have seemed incompatible, with Cambiaso touching more balls than necessary and therefore taking away centrality from Yildiz. Yesterday, however, Cambiaso was able to put himself in the background: if in the setup phase he maintained a certain importance (however relative, because Juve did not come out short against Roma’s pressing), once he passed mid-field the national team full-back understood that he had to move according to Yildiz: here first he hides behind Cristante, then cuts in front of him to give the line of passage to the number ten.
Further to the centre, Conceicao reads the free space behind Cristante and slips in, ready to collect Cambiaso’s beautiful heel.
Of course, you might wonder how it is possible that Conceicao ends up hitting the box alone. Roma, moreover, was in a situation of numerical superiority 4vs3. However, on Conceicao initially there is Soulé who does not follow him until the end. Maybe if he and Cristante had exchanged references, Roma could have put a patch on it, but in an all-out marking system it’s not easy to understand when to change men. Maybe Koné could have made a deeper return, and in fact defending the space behind him is somewhat of the Frenchman’s weak point. And then there is the fact that what canceled out the numerical superiority was Celik and Mancini’s doubling of Yildiz: a practical demonstration of the fact that, as Spalletti says, «his opponents know more than he himself how strong he is».
Yet the match didn’t have an easy start for him, anticipated a couple of times by Mancini when, from behind, he tried to connect the game on the center left. Then, however, he realized he had to widen to receive from the front.
Using Yildiz in width had often been a shortcut to get him the ball. On the wing, however, the Turk had often found himself too alone in the last two years. Yesterday, as mentioned, he constantly received support and from there, where he had simpler receptions, he made the game flourish, with the support, above all, of Cambiaso, of Thuram who gave him support or of Openda who cut. Without forgetting, a little further in the centre, Locatelli, perhaps the best together with the Turk for his ability to win duels and clean up balls to distribute towards the left.
Once he discovers the ball, which he manages to do very well with the first controls or with body feints, there is no teammate that Yildiz cannot reach if he puts himself in the light area, whether it is playing vertically or horizontally towards the edge of the area.
Perhaps the best move of the match, which began with Yildiz in the center who meets Locatelli and then unloads on Thuram, who immediately opens on the left for Cambiaso.
Yildiz immediately joins the left-handed side and gives a central pass to Cambiaso, who dives in.
Yildiz discovers the ball with a great first control and unloads on Openda. The Turk passes and moves forward to ask for the closure of the triangle in the empty space.
Thus Yildiz gets himself a very dangerous shot.
Giving support to a player like this means guaranteeing a cleaner development. Now Juve must find a way to do it continuously. In this way, not only will he get more chances, but in general he will have more patient and precise management of the ball. As on the occasion of the second goal, where the development on the left later served to isolate Zhegrova on the opposite side.
With Roma low Locatelli supported Cambiaso on the center left. Yildiz opened up, dragging Mancini and Openda, with his usual inside-outside cut, called the ball into the space freed up by the Italian centre-back. The Belgian held up Ziolkowski and supported Yildiz who, thanks to a feint and Cambiaso’s vertical movement, attracted two men, his marker Celik and Baldanzi, thus giving Thuram more time to receive his pass and raise his head.
The Frenchman was able to open for Kalulu on the opposite side and the defender immediately fed Zhegrova, isolated on the right top of the area.
Note Cristante who advises Rensch to abandon the center, effectively freeing McKennie who strikes all alone. If Cristante had covered his teammate it would have made sense, but Roma opened the way for the American.
Net of the defensive limitations denounced by Spalletti in the post-match, Zhegrova is a great isolation dribbler, nothing less but also nothing more. He doesn’t know what to do with having friends around him. He is a winger with a weak side, who after having jumped the man can verticalize or cross. If the ball, as in this case, comes to him in a position to quickly execute one of these solutions, without elaborating the game too much, then it can become a precious weapon for Juve, as demonstrated by the cross that gave rise to the 2-0. In short, giving further weight to the left-wing chain could benefit him too.
The defeat against Napoli risked making the horizon for Juventus bleak, which after the Maradona match, in addition to the Champions League, had to face two high-level opponents in the championship such as Bologna and Roma. Spalletti’s team, however, emerged with 6 points and the certainty of being able to survive a certain type of challenge.
If athleticism and cohesion are the basis on which Spalletti built these victories, what allowed him to accept the particular conditions imposed by Bologna and Roma, last night’s moments of brilliance on the left are situations that the Bianconeri will have to consolidate throughout the rest of the season.
Also because Gasperini’s teams always represent a peculiar opponent, who in some situations even allow more space. In the next cycle of matches, however, Juve will find themselves facing cautious opponents such as Pisa, Lecce, Sassuolo, Cremonese and Cagliari. The ball will be able to arrive more cleanly on the attacking midfield, but from then on it will be necessary to attack fluidly and with patience. Ultimately, if Juve are able to extend their moments of clarity with the ball, then the next few weeks could be decisive in consolidating themselves among the top four places.
