Kenan Yıldız – No Matter What He Does, It’s Not Enough! Even Spalletti Rebelled… “The Only Spark in the Darkness”
In the 14th round of Italy’s Serie A, Napoli defeated Juventus 2-1 at home. Türkiye’s national star Kenan Yıldız scored Juventus’s only goal of the match, while Luciano Spalletti’s post-match comments and the Italian media’s comparison to Totti attracted huge attention. Here’s what emerged after Kenan Yıldız’s performance against Napoli…
In the 14th round of Serie A, Napoli hosted Juventus at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium. Napoli won the encounter 2-1. Türkiye international Kenan Yıldız scored Juventus’s goal. Registering his 5th league goal of the season, Kenan Yıldız started the game and played 76 minutes.
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“HOW CAN I NOT PLAY KENAN?”
Speaking after the match, Juventus manager Luciano Spalletti complained about Kenan Yıldız having no real alternative:
“A week ago you asked if Kenan Yıldız needed to be rested. I took him off and brought on Openda, a player Juventus paid between 45 and 50 million euros for. He has to play and contribute more. He can give us a lot, but the team needs insight and moments of good football. That’s why he has to step up too. We’re trying different things to better understand our talents. Both Yıldız and Conceição are players with excellent ball control.”
“THE SPARK IN THE DARKNESS”
Meanwhile, La Gazzetta dello Sport used striking words about Kenan Yıldız:
“A flash of light in the dark Maradona night: Kenan Yıldız. It wasn’t the ‘shot in the dark’ Spalletti once talked about, because his goal neither changed Juve’s fate nor earned a point. But in the stadium that bears the name of football history’s greatest No. 10, the only joy for Spalletti’s team came from Juventus’s No. 10, Kenan Yıldız.”
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“HE BROKE RECORDS AGAIN”
“On a night that dramatically jeopardized Bianconeri’s chances of reaching the Champions League, the Turkish player added another record to his young career: In the 59th minute, with a magnificent attack he initiated himself, his goal saw him once again catch up with his idol Del Piero and become the second Juventus player to score at least five goals in the first 15 league games of a Serie A season before turning 21.
But that’s not all: For the first time since the final match of last season, he scored away from the Allianz Stadium, and at 20 years and 217 days he became the second Juventus U21 player since Pogba in 2000 to score against Napoli. And as of yesterday, with six goals he is now joint-top scorer of the season alongside Vlahović.”
“HE PLAYED IN THE SAME ROLE AS TOTTI”
“Of course, Yıldız’s start at the Maradona wasn’t easy. For the first time, Spalletti used the Turkish player as a false nine – the very position in which Francesco Totti rose to stardom under the Certaldo-born manager. The Turkish star became a victim of the pressure from Di Lorenzo and Beukema and struggled to find the right positions. This was clearly visible with 12 balls lost and only 40 total touches. Yet he was still one of the few players who kept trying.”
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“JUVENTUS’S TECHNICAL LEADER”
“His first shot on Milinković-Savić’s goal, two crosses into the Napoli box, and the creative move in the box that Kelly failed to finish. In the second half, once David came on and freed him up, Kenan returned to the center of the game and became the ‘director’ of the classic Spalletti-style move that brought Juve level: He received the ball just beyond midfield, combined with Conceição, passed to McKennie, showed the American the run, darted into the gap between Buongiorno and Olivera, and beat Milinković-Savić with a pinpoint finish. Once again, he proved beyond doubt that he is Juventus’s technical leader.”
