Spalletti lauds Juventus' togetherness as key to victory over Chelsea

Juventus extended their impressive pre-season form with a narrow 1-0 victory over Chelsea, with Luciano Spalletti full of praise for his team's collective spirit and defensive resilience.

The win marks Juventus' third straight pre-season victory, following earlier successes over Standard Liege and Nice. Remarkably, the Bianconeri are yet to concede a goal during pre-season, having also played out a 0-0 draw with Basel.

Resolute display underpinned by unity

Substitutes Edon Zhegrova and Kenan Yildiz combined for the decisive goal in the 68th minute, with Zhegrova netting a stunning strike. Both teams registered nine shots apiece, but Juventus were clinical in limiting Chelsea to just 0.6 expected goals (xG) despite four of the Blues' attempts being on target.

Despite seeing less of the ball and only managing two efforts on target themselves, Spalletti pointed to his side's attitude as the defining factor.

"We managed to remain a team unit throughout the match, both when suffering under pressure, and on the counter-attack," Spalletti told Sky Sport Italia. "The attitude was one of unity. Chelsea know how to do everything, build from the back, finish, set off with pace, so it was important that we didn't bow down to them."

Managing Yildiz's return

Yildiz, who has struggled with a knee injury in recent months, provided the assist for the winning goal from his only chance created in the game. The young playmaker also finished with a 100% passing accuracy in the final third after coming off the bench.

Spalletti confirmed he is carefully managing the player's minutes as part of a planned return to full fitness, which also influenced Jonathan David's brief cameo.

"[Yildiz] is a very important player for us; we are limiting the minutes he has on the field as part of a planned process. He no longer feels pain and is smiling, so that's good to know," added Spalletti.

On Zhegrova's performance, Spalletti added: "Zhegrova scored a great goal, but the most important thing was the performance, his attitude throughout the match. He lost the ball a few times but also showed what he can do when it is at his feet. A player must never stop working to become stronger."

The Juventus coach also explained his use of substitutions and early-season player management: "It's August, you have to do a lot of substitutions and strategic ones too. I gave debuts to two youngsters and had David on the field for 30 minutes; he couldn't do more at this moment in time. I thought it better to use him at half-time when the game was still more lively."