Spalletti takes the blame for Juve loss
Luciano Spalletti took the blame for Juventus's "terrible" 2-0 defeat to Fiorentina, which has left its hopes of Champions League qualification hanging in the balance.
Cher Ndour and Rolando Mandragora scored in either half at Allianz Stadium, with Fiorentina also seeing Luca Ranieri sent off in the 72nd minute of the match.
The result leaves Juventus down in sixth and two points adrift of Roma heading into the final day, with Gian Piero Gasperini's side beating rival Lazio 2-0 to move into fourth.
Juventus's defeat came after a run of six wins and four draws, and Spalletti acknowledged the severity of the loss in their quest to return to UEFA's flagship competition.
"This idea that it's all finished, that we are all dead, is wrong," Spalletti told Sky Sports. "If you start this way, you immediately begin badly.
"Obviously, this is a terrible result. It was an important game."
A few weeks ago, Spalletti claimed he had not yet understood his team, and the former Italy boss continued to defend his team's progress on Sunday.
"As for my assessment, it’s not only based on today. I think they've done great things. There was significant growth, and they laid the foundations for important things," he added.
"We had to play football today, keeping a high level of quality and personality. Firstly, I have to question myself rather than the footballers.
"As I told them today, if this is what my team offers, I must assess mostly what I’ve done, before analysing what they've done. The performance was dreadful in many respects.
"Sometimes we were not lucky as well. We went 1-0 down despite not conceding much. We didn't win many duels, and we didn't fuel the atmosphere in the stadium."
Juventus captain Manuel Locatelli agreed with Spalletti's assessment, saying: "It's ugly, we ended badly at home, and it's hard to comment on such a game."
The Juventus players were booed at full-time, and fan protests continued outside the stadium after the match.
But Locatelli continued to side with Spalletti, suggesting Juve's players did not handle the pressure of the occasion despite being set up well.
"It's fair. If we play these types of games, they are justified in protesting. We had a goal, and if we don't achieve it, it’s fair that the fans boo us," continued Locatelli.
"There are games that must be won, even when you play badly, and we don't have such a thing. It's something we must improve quickly because there’s no time, and those who have played here know that.
"This is the reality. We were not able to cope with the pressure that comes from playing here. I think it's evident that if we can't win a decisive game like this one, many things didn't go the right way
"We needed to show more motivation than they did. It's not a technical or tactical problem, but the desire to win the game that we didn't have."
