“I'm Convinced That He Is A Good Coach, But Unfortunately He Hasn’t Understood What The Club Is"

Written By Onyeka Daniel

The current international break couldn’t have come sooner for Italian giants, Juventus owing to the air of uncertainty surrounding the club and their manager, Thiago Motta after their recent form that saw them lose their last two games while conceding seven goals in total.

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Despite the assurance from the management and Cristiano Giuntoli, the former Bologna manager is still at risk of sack following the team’s disastrous set of results against Fiorentina and Atalanta over the last two weeks. They have fallen to consecutive heavy losses.

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A record-breaking 4-0 defeat at home against Atalanta and a 3-0 loss away against Fiorentina. They’ve also lost their place in the Serie A top four as a result, and there are now four teams sitting within four points of the Old Lady, waiting to overtake in case of another slip-up.

Currently, they’re on for their worst Serie A finish in almost 15 years – dating back to the 2010-11 season, and still risk missing out on a Champions League spot in the standings. It has now become clear that Motta would not resign.

According to multiple reports, there was an in-depth discussion between the coach, players, technical director Cristiano Giuntoli and CEO Maurizio Scanavino to address the current issues. While Motta still has the temporary trust from the club and his players, it won’t last for long.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, the situation will change if they fall to a shock defeat against Genoa in Serie A after the international break as it puts their UCL qualification at an even greater risk. They were knocked out of the competition by PSV.

Coupled with their shameful exit from the Coppa Italia in the hands of Empoli, there’s not much left to play for this season. For Giancarlo Marocchi, he hopes that the players stop following Motta’s instructions, while Alessio Tacchinardi wonders how long he can remain at the helm.

“You reach this point when the coach completely confuses you. In this fantastic sport, there are always surprises; you never know how your teammate is feeling, let alone the other team. Juve looks drained, with no answers,” ex-Juventus midfielder Marocchi told Sky Sport Italia.

He also sees a big responsibility from the coach. “Emptying the players’ minds and souls is the worst thing you can do,” he said. “By doing this, as Motta loves to do and as he did at Bologna, you weaken the team, making it incapable of reacting in difficult moments.”

“In terms of approach, Gatti should never be left out. I hope the team stops following Motta’s instructions because if they continue to, we’ll keep seeing performances like this. Every Sunday, we don’t know who’s going to play. Motta may have a logical reason for his choices, but we watch the games and can see no certainties.”

Another ex-Juventus midfielder, Tacchinardi, was just as critical. “Continuing with Thiago Motta until the end? More than ‘until the end,’ the real question is whether it’s ‘until we hurt ourselves.’ Today, I feel really disappointed,” he told SportMediaset.

“I truly believed in Thiago Motta, but he’s going through a very tough time. The lineups, the substitutions, the management of the locker room, the handling of Vlahovic, the lack of reaction. He had a whole week to prepare for this match against Fiorentina.”

“Juve must decide if he is the right profile to secure a top-four finish. Among the teams fighting for that spot, Juventus is the best, the most expensive squad. Who would I replace him with? I don’t know, but a wake-up call is needed.” They will also play in the Club World Cup in June.”

“That’s another story; they need to focus on finishing fourth, or it will be a huge financial hit,” Tacchinardi concluded. Another club legend Marco Tardelli is among a growing group of Juventus supporters who do not see a way out for Motta at the club.

He feels that the problems in Turin go back beyond the two most recent defeats: “If only it was just the last two games that were the problem,” he said in an interview with Tuttosport. “The relationship between Thiago Motta and the team seems completely cracked.”

“There is no more dressing room.” He said and when asked how to overcome the current issues in the Bianconeri camp, Tardelli replied: “It’s difficult now, it’s late, there’s too much of a disconnect. The club let their moment slip away.”

“They never intervened and did not intervene in a concrete way even after the defeat at the Franchi. Everything is wrong at Juventus right now. And at all levels. The club had two captains – Danilo and Rabiot – and let them go.”

Now they find themselves with seven or eight players in the team who do not have the character to react to difficult situations.” So, where do Juventus go from here? “It’s still possible to finish in the top four, of course, because the Champions League threshold is not too high, but as long as they change gear.”

“At this speed, I don’t see how Juventus can do it,” Taredlli hypothesised. “Getting rid of the coach now would only increase the chaos, of which there is already a lot. I don’t see any positive in a change at the helm. I support the tradition of ending the season with the coach who started it.”

Tardelli believes that Motta is still a talented coach, but might not be the right fit for a club like Juventus. “I am convinced that Thiago Motta is a good coach, but unfortunately he hasn’t understood what Juventus is. At the end of the season, the club will have to sit around the table to understand what happened.”

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“A serious discussion is needed to get out of it. At that point, they will understand what the best solution is.” He further added. Motta is under contract at the Allianz Stadium until June 2027 and there are reports that it could cost the club as much as €20m to sack him between now and June.

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