Woltemade Spares Juve as Spalletti Fumes After 2-2 Rennes Draw

Juventus all heart but again the same story

Juventus were held to a 2-2 draw against Rennes, with Nick Woltemade the one player Italian papers felt showed the right spirit on a night of more boos and more fear for coach Spalletti.

Woltemade leads the way

The German forward set up Zeki Celik to open the scoring for 1-0, and later equalised from the penalty spot to make it 2-2, playing for his teammates and trying to drive the Bianconeri forward throughout. Mousa Al-Taamari had responded for Rennes, while Weston McKennie hit the post.

Juventus were then overtaken by Boulaye Dia, who scored from the spot, before Woltemade restored parity with his own penalty. In the closing stages Jhon Lucumi scored what would have been a goal for 3-2 in the 89th minute, but it was disallowed for a questionable offside call to deny Juve a late winner.

Pressure builds on Spalletti

The draw added to the scrutiny on Spalletti despite seven points from three games. Reports state the coach attacked the referee and lashed out at talk of his sacking, saying: "I still won't sleep tonight."

Cagliari sporting figure Carnevali also weighed in on the situation, noting: "The hotseat is always hot at this club," adding that Spalletti "knows what he needs to do" and that you cannot change every time.