Montella praises Juventus and Spalletti but warns ‘don’t take any risks with Yildiz’
Montella praises Juventus and Spalletti but warns ‘don’t take any risks with Yildiz’ Vincenzo Montella was full of praise for Juventus and head coach Luciano Spalletti following their 2-0 win over Bologna on Sunday evening, but jokingly warned the Bianconeri tactician: ‘From here until the end of the season, let’s not take any risks with Yildiz’. Montella, head coach of Turkiye, was a guest analyst on Sky Sport’s Serie A coverage on Sunday evening and spoke in-depth about his role, his relationship with Yildiz and his previous experiences working under Spalletti. Montella on Turkiye role and Italy disappointment: ‘It’s not all negative’ It has been over six years since Montella last worked in Italy, joining Adana Demirspor in 2021 before being appointed as head coach of the Turkiye national team in 2023.
He explained to Sky Sport viewers why he decided to make the move to Turkiye five years ago: “I didn’t have any interviews in Italy for a year and a half. I went to Turkiye to get back into the game because there weren’t any interviews coming my way here, no chance,” (via Tuttosport ). “I also thought about stopping coaching because there were no chances, then COVID arrived.
I was fine at home. Then some teams that I didn’t like came along. Then I decided to go and work my way up in Turkiye and start again.
” And on the difficulties that face Turkiye heading into the 2026 World Cup, he added: “We don’t have a recognised striker, so it becomes important for us to come in with players of great quality, strength and speed, especially in attack. We’ve gathered talent, I’ve brought them together under this banner, we’ve given them a bit of tactical organisation. ” As we all know, Italy will not be competing at the 2026 World Cup following their third consecutive defeat in the World Cup play-offs back at the end of March.
ZENICA, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA – MARCH 31: Francesco Pio Esposito of Italy shows reacts during the FIFA World Cup 2026 European Qualifiers KO play-offs match between Bosnia & Herzegovina and Italy at Stadion Bilino Polje on March 31, 2026 in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina. (Photo by Getty Images/Getty Images) “It’s not all negative,” Montella insisted. “Italy, taking away some of the strongest teams, is competitive.