Why Spalletti still won't pair Woltemade with Kolo Muani
Nick Woltemade scored his first open-play goal for Juventus and says playing alongside Randal Kolo Muani makes defending them harder, but Luciano Spalletti continues to use the pair as alternatives rather than a partnership.
Nick Woltemade described the 2-1 Europa League win over Celta Vigo as his best performance in a Juventus shirt, after scoring his first goal from open play for the club, Football Italia reported.
The striker pounced on a poor touch from Marcos Alonso, who chested down a cross straight into his path. Woltemade converted the chance to level the match after Hugo Alvarez had put Celta ahead inside 18 minutes at Estadio Balaidos.
Randal Kolo Muani then completed the turnaround in stoppage time, heading in a cross from Andrea Cambiaso after coming on as a substitute. It meant both of Juventus' first-choice strikers combined for the win without ever appearing on the pitch together from the start.
Woltemade told Sky Sport Italia he was satisfied with his display: "I think this was my best game for Juve, obviously I can do better, but I am happy with the goal. A goal always helps confidence, fo course, that is important for a striker, and I want to keep getting stronger."
The goal continues a pattern in Europe for the German forward, who also scored a penalty in Juventus' 5-0 win over NEC in the previous round. He has now found the net in both of his Europa League appearances this season.
The case for two strikers together
Woltemade was asked directly about the growing debate over his best position alongside Kolo Muani, given Spalletti has so far preferred to use one as a starter and bring the other on later rather than fielding both from kick-off.
His answer pointed to a specific tactical advantage. "Of course I like playing with Kolo. When there is just one centre-forward, the defenders can focus on just marking one and it is easier for them, whereas with two of us we can divide up the space more."
That logic is straightforward: a lone striker allows a defence to commit both centre-backs to a single opponent, closing down angles and support options. Two forwards occupying different zones force defenders to split their attention, which can open gaps between the lines or along the width of the box — exactly the kind of space Cambiaso exploited to find Kolo Muani's winning header.
Kolo Muani expressed a similar preference, according to Football Italia, which raises the question of why Spalletti has not started the two together more often if both players want it.
Woltemade won't push the issue
Faced with that question, Woltemade declined to lobby for a change in approach. "I am not the coach, I trust my coach and think any choice he makes will be the right one. I am a good player, Kolo is a good player, so the decision is up to the coach, but as long as we keep scoring goals, everyone will be happy," he said.
The diplomatic answer leaves the tactical call with Spalletti, who has so far treated Woltemade and Kolo Muani as rotation options rather than a fixed pairing. Using one as a starter and introducing the other from the bench gives Juventus a fresh outlet late in matches, as the Celta Vigo game demonstrated when Kolo Muani's introduction directly produced the winner.
There is also a squad-management logic to the current setup. Rotating the two strikers reduces the physical load on both across a season that includes Serie A and the Europa League, and it keeps a point of difference in reserve that opposing defences have to account for even after a substitution.
Whether that outweighs the benefit Woltemade describes — of permanently splitting a defence's attention — is Spalletti's judgement to make. The result in Vigo offers evidence for both sides: a goal scored with Woltemade alone up front, and a winner created once Kolo Muani joined him.
Juventus' next test will show whether this pattern of alternating starts and finishing with both forwards on the pitch becomes the settled approach, or whether recent results push Spalletti toward using them together from the opening whistle.