Proven Title Winner, or Pantomime Villain? This Manager Will Get Quite The Reception At His New Club

Proven Title Winner, or Pantomime Villain? This Manager Will Get Quite The Reception At His New Club

In an age where “holding talks” with potential managerial candidates can take upwards of a month, Juventus’ head coach saga was drawn to a refreshingly quick close on Wednesday as the Old Lady announced Luciano Spalletti as the new man in the dugout.

🚨🤍🖤 Luciano Spalletti has agreed to become new Juventus manager, deal in place.

Verbal agreement until June 2026 plus option to extend based on Champions League spot to reach this season.

Formal steps/contracts being checked by lawyers before signing all documents. ✍🏼 pic.twitter.com/qfQ4txlVxz

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 29, 2025

A Serie A winner, former Italian national team coach, and a true personality both on the touchline and in the dressing room, Spalletti ticks almost all the boxes to fit right in as the latest man to lead the Juve project - almost.

Because there is one big problem with the Italian: His only major league honour came with Napoli, who currently sit top of the league, when he guided the club to their first top-flight title in 33 years. To mark the occasion, Spalletti tattooed a painfully detailed replica of the club’s logo onto his forearm, stating exactly where his loyalty lies.

The Naples outfit is one of Juventus’ most intense rivals, with the animosity between the two stemming from the distinct northern/southern Italian divide. In recent years, high-stakes games and contentious transfers have only seen the distaste between the two fanbases grow, and undoubtedly, both are divided on the appointment of Spalletti.

It’d be hilarious if Spalletti coaches Juventus with a Napoli tattoo pic.twitter.com/ZGbxXbOAWB

— Italian Football TV (@IFTVofficial) October 27, 2025

So, why do the two clubs dislike each other to such an extent, and why did the Juventus board see fit to go ahead with Spalletti’s divisive appointment?

A Deep-Rooted Rivalry

Though mutual dislike of each other stretches back to the early 1900s, when both sides were founded, the Juventus-Napoli rivalry started to really heat up in the 80s, when Napoli started to turn into title contenders.

Led by one of the all-time greats in Diego Maradona, the Gli Azzurri enjoyed a rare period of dominance over the Turin-based rivals, and won the Scudetto trophy in both 1986 and 1990, the latter of which was their most recent title victory all the way up until Spalletti’s success in 2023.

However, Napoli quickly declined, and had mired themselves in bankruptcy by 2004, a fall from grace worthy of Mo Salah’s 2025/26 performances to date.

1990: Napoli won Serie A for the second time.

1998: Napoli were relegated from Serie A.

2004: Napoli were bankrupt and dropped to Serie C1.

2007: Napoli were promoted back to Serie A.

2011: Napoli qualified to the Champions League.

2023: Napoli win Serie A 👏🏽🏆 pic.twitter.com/RPhs0C79NB

— Anthony (@AnthonyKyaw) May 4, 2023

Fortunately, film producer Aurelio De Laurentiis refounded the club under the name ‘Napoli Football’, and while the club was shoved into the midst of Italy’s third tier, they only needed two seasons to regain their top-flight status, bringing back the name ‘Societa Sportiva Calcio Napoli’ in the process.

By 2012, the fire between Juventus and Napoli had well and truly been rekindled, with Napoli besting the Old Lady in the Coppa Italia final, a game which happened to be Juve legend Alessandro Del Piero’s final game for the club.

In the league, two things intensified - between 2012 and 2020, Juventus won nine consecutive league titles, highlighting the enormous gap in quality they boasted over the rest of their counterparts. However, to Napoli’s credit, they managed to finish second in four of these seasons, and third in two of them. The gap was clearly closing.

Things started to get really ugly in 2016/17, when Juventus poached Napoli’s star striker, Gonzalo Higuain, for what was then the third most expensive transfer fee of all time, and the highest for an Italian club, arriving in Turin for around €90 million. It is fair to say that the Napoli faithful did not take it well.

Higuain shirts were burnt in the streets, and Juventus fans suggested taking a bulletproof team bus the next time they travel to Naples for an away fixture. However, the reaction was so bad that this suggestion ended up being irrelevant - instead, the Italian FA banned fans of either club from attending away games between the two, a punishment that stood for two years until eventually it was lifted.

Gonzalo Higuaín (28) (€90M) - Napoli to Juventus (2016) pic.twitter.com/bnBlAW23ia

— Transfersthathappened (@actualtransfers) June 25, 2025

During the 2016/17 season, Juventus didn’t just take stick; they gave it back. Even with the absence of Napoli fans in the stadium, the club were fined multiple times after their fanbase chanted, “Vesuvius, drown them in lava.” Whatever happened to friendly rivalry, eh?

And that brings them nicely up to the present day. Napoli view Juventus as the entitled big dog of the division, while Juventus simply sees them as a jealous rival, capable of pinching their star players without a second thought until their recent decline.

So, how will Spalletti be received in Turin, and does he have what it takes to lead Juventus back to the top?

Why Was Spalletti The Chosen One?

In a very shadowy way, the Juventus board has been very smart with the appointment of Spalletti. Think it through for a second - the 66-year-old has all the credentials to manage Juventus: he boasts 30 years of experience across Italy’s top two leagues, which includes spells at Roma and Inter Milan; he guided an underdog side to a top-flight title just two years ago; and his style of football and management suits the Old Lady down to a T.

However, the Juventus board will be more than aware of his links to Napoli, and their own fanbase's disapproval of the rival club - was Spalletti appointed with a run of bad form in mind?

If it goes well, then fantastic - the board appointed a capable coach, who, despite his obvious love of Napoli, led Juve back to the big time. But if it goes wrong, the last thing the Juventus faithful will think about is the board - their hatred will be focused solely on Spalletti, who would more than likely be labelled a secret agent and accused of sabotage. Fair play to Juventus chairman Gianluca Ferrero: his plan is foolproof.

Serie A an ever better place with Spalletti in it 🍿 https://t.co/CcKVuMhGTR

— Adam Summerton (@adamsummerton) October 29, 2025

Nevertheless, the club have no choice but to give Spalletti a chance, and should he start to put the club back together brick by brick, opinions of the 66-year-old will quickly change.

We all remember the Napoli side of 2022/23 - Victor Osimhen transformed into the most lethal striker the club has had since Higuain, Kvicha Khvaratskhelia emerged as one of Europe’s most dazzling young stars, and his side won the league by a cavernous 16 points, which at the time was the third largest winning margin of the century.

Spalletti orchestrated a remarkable campaign, and though the following season saw him sacked after leading his side to a dismal 10th place in their defence of the title, he had already etched himself into club and league folklore.

As such, it would be foolish for Juve fans to automatically rule Spalletti out as a legitimate managerial choice simply because he led Napoli to success. Yes, the obvious tattoo of the Napoli badge showing beneath the torn skin of his forearm isn’t exactly an encouraging sight. But Spalletti is a consummate professional and knows there is a job to be done regardless of his former affiliations.

His high-tempo, counter-attacking style that focuses more on open spaces left by the opposition than any particular tactical approach, Spalletti’s game matches the current Juventus squad perfectly. Just imagine what Kenan Yildiz could do in a similar role to Khvaratskhelia … scary stuff.

🇬🇪😮‍💨 Kvicha Kvaratskhelia (22) with a 87th minute winner vs Hellas Verona! 🚀 pic.twitter.com/L0Wa9xGlHT

— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) February 5, 2024

But it is obvious that Spalletti will need results right away if he is to have any chance of turning his new adorer’s - a long-sleeved shirt to cover his tattoo would go a long way towards building bridges too.