Walter Zenga, the ex‑Italy goalkeeper turned pundit, has not minced words about Juventus' attacking woes. Ahead of the Serie A clash with Sassuolo, he warned that the Bianconeri still do not possess a striker capable of delivering fifteen goals over the course of a season, despite the recent arrivals of Randal Kolo Muani and Nick Woltemade.
Zenga’s blunt assessment
Speaking on Sky Sport Italia, Zenga said the French forward and the German youngster are not the traditional No.9 that Juventus need. "Kolo Muani is not a number nine, that kind of hitman who can score fifteen goals per season, and neither is Woltemade really," he argued. The former keeper’s comments come at a time when Juventus are struggling to replace the firepower once provided by Dusan Vlahovic, who departed under unclear circumstances earlier this summer.
New arrivals don’t fit the classic No.9 mould
Randal Kolo Muani arrived from Paris Saint‑Germain in a deal that saw the 26‑year‑old French winger‑forward add pace and technical flair to the Juventus attack. Nick Woltemade, a 22‑year‑old German forward signed from Newcastle United, brings a physical presence but has yet to prove himself as a prolific goal scorer in Serie A. Both players have shown versatility, yet Zenga insists they lack the instinctive finishing required to reach the fifteen‑goal benchmark.
Injury list deepens the striker problem
Luciano Spalletti’s squad heads into the Sassuolo game without a host of key players. Manuel Locatelli, Jeremie Boga, Weston McKennie, Andrea Cambiaso, Kenan Yildiz, Khephren Thuram, Jeff Ekhator and Juan Cabal are all sidelined. The absence of these midfield and defensive options limits Spalletti’s ability to support the forward line, putting additional pressure on the newly signed attackers to deliver.
Spalletti may need to reinvent the attack
Given the lack of a traditional centre‑forward, Zenga suggested Spalletti could resort to tactical experiments reminiscent of his time at Roma, where he famously deployed Francesco Totti as a false nine. While Juventus do not have a player of Totti’s creative profile, the coach could still opt for a fluid front line, using Muani’s wing‑play and Woltemade’s movement to create space for midfield runners.
What the upcoming Sassuolo clash could reveal
The match at the Allianz Stadium, scheduled for 19:45 UK time, will be a litmus test for Spalletti’s adjustments. If Juventus manage to breach Sassuolo’s defence and register multiple goals, it could signal that the new forwards are adapting to the Italian game. Conversely, a muted performance would reinforce Zenga’s claim that the club still lacks a reliable goal‑scorer.
Beyond the immediate result, the fixture offers a glimpse into how Juventus might navigate the rest of the season without a clear‑cut striker. The club’s transfer window is now closed, and the pressure is on the coaching staff to extract maximum output from the existing squad.
Zenga hits the nail on the head - Juventus have bought talent but not the type of striker that consistently finds the net. Spalletti must either reinvent his system or risk falling behind in the title race.
Tactically, Juventus are likely to experiment with a fluid front line, relying on wide players and midfield runs to compensate for the lack of a classic No.9. Strategically, the club’s inability to secure a proven goal‑scorer could widen the gap to rivals who already have a proven striker in place.
Preguntas Frecuentes
Zenga believes the newly signed forwards, Muani and Woltemade, are not traditional No.9 players with the natural finishing ability to consistently score fifteen goals a season.
Juventus will be without Manuel Locatelli, Jeremie Boga, Weston McKennie, Andrea Cambiaso, Kenan Yildiz, Khephren Thuram, Jeff Ekhator and Juan Cabal due to injury.
Spalletti might adopt a false‑nine system or a fluid front line that uses Muani’s wing play and Woltemade’s movement to create space for midfield runners, similar to his past experiment at Roma.