Spalletti: Juventus made the wrong choices when ´the going got tough´

Juventus head coach Luciano Spalletti believes his side “made the wrong choices when the going got tough” in their Coppa Italia defeat to Atalanta.

The Bianconeri lost 3-0 in their quarter-final tie against Atalanta at New Balance Arena, despite outscoring them on expected goals (xG) 1.9 to 1.6.

Juventus have been eliminated in the quarter-finals of two Coppa Italia seasons in a row for the first time since 2009-10 and 2010-11.

And since the start of 2025, Juventus have lost three times in all competitions by at least a three-goal margin: twice against Atalanta and once versus Fiorentina. In the last two, the opposing manager was Raffaele Palladino.

Juventus looked to be building some momentum after Gianluca Scamacca’s first-half penalty, but goals from second-half substitutes Kamaldeen Sulemana and Mario Pasalic took the game away from the visitors.

Spalletti put the defeat down to the decision-making of his players, which was not at the level of their counterparts on Thursday.

“They were better than us in the decisive moments of the match. When you comment on a 3-0 defeat, there’s not much you can say. We congratulate Palladino and Atalanta. It is a well-built team that plays good football,” Spalletti told Sport Mediaset.

“We made the wrong choices when the going got tough. There are moments where the ball moves around, and it’s largely about statistics, but when the game gets real, you have to make the right calls, do them quickly and sharply.

3 – Since the start of 2025, #Juventus has lost three times in all competitions by at least three goals margin: twice against vs Atalanta and once vs Fiorentina; in the last two, the opposing manager was Raffaele #Palladino. Nightmare.#AtalantaJuventus pic.twitter.com/PYxFyNalRg

— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) February 5, 2026

“In those moments, we made the wrong choices; they made the right ones.

“There were spaces to send players through two-on-one, but instead we took it near the corner flag. We lack the experience sometimes to recognise those situations, but also, there are the characteristics of some players that are either there or not.

“We cannot seem to have that sharpness and clear-headed focus in the decisive moments. It happens.”

Juventus’ chances of lifting silverware are now slim, with the Bianconeri 10 points behind Serie A leaders Inter, while they face Galatasaray in the Champions League play-offs.

And the fixture list does not get any easier for Spalletti’s side, who host Lazio before travelling to Inter in their next two league games.