Serena: Woltemade 'Fits Spalletti's Game' as Juventus Weigh New-Look Attack for Lazio Clash
Aldo Serena, the former Juventus, Inter and Milan striker, has offered a qualified defence of Nick Woltemade, arguing the German forward is a natural fit for Luciano Spalletti's Juventus despite his obvious limitations.
Speaking to Tuttosport, with quotes carried via TuttoMercatoWeb, Serena delivered his verdict after Woltemade scored his first goal for the club in Thursday's 2-1 Europa League win away at Celta Vigo. The striker had blazed over from close range in the first half before equalising early in the second, with Randal Kolo Muani then heading a stoppage-time winner.
'Halfway, let me explain'
Serena was measured in his assessment of the summer arrival. "Has Woltemade convinced me? Halfway, let me explain," he said. "He's not very quick, but he's a striker who links play well and fits Spalletti's game."
The former Italy international was encouraged by the forward's technical quality, but stressed that he still has much to learn about the demands of leading the line.
"He has good technique and uses it to combine well with his teammates," Serena explained. "But he needs to understand better when to play the ball first time and when to control it and wait for a midfielder to arrive in support."
"If you play centre-forward, you have to hold the ball up, protect it and maybe win a few fouls too. I'm still convinced he can play up front."
Serena turns the spotlight on Koopmeiners
Serena also pointed the finger at Teun Koopmeiners, who wasted a promising first-half chance in Vigo when he was slow to control Pierre Kalulu's cut-back.
"It has to be said that Koopmeiners never made runs to support him, so he didn't help Woltemade at all," Serena said.
Serena believes Nico González, who came off the bench at Celta Vigo and almost scored, could prove a far better foil for the German.
"That said, I think someone like Nico Gonzalez could do very well with him. Spalletti himself pointed out that he's the best header of the ball in the squad," he added.
Spalletti mulls Woltemade-Kolo Muani pairing
According to Tuttosport, Spalletti is now considering starting Woltemade and Kolo Muani together, rather than only pairing them from the bench, ahead of Sunday's game against Lazio in Turin.
The decision comes with Juventus still searching for fluency in attack. As reported on 14 October 2026, Spalletti has been wrestling with a misfiring forward line and a squad thinned by injuries to Kenan Yildiz, captain Manuel Locatelli, Khephren Thuram, Jeff Ekhator and winger Jeremie Boga, a situation that has contributed to Juventus winning only one of their last four Serie A fixtures.
With the Lazio fixture described as a crucial match in the race for a Champions League place next season, Spalletti's choice of strike partnership at the Allianz Stadium could prove decisive.