Five former Juventus stars give contrasting verdicts on Thiago Motta

Five former Juventus stars have given their verdicts of their former club, Thiago Motta, the team’s defeat to Milan in the Supercoppa Italiana semi-final and the potential methods to ‘fix’ the current issues in Turin.

Alessio Tacchinardi, Alessandro Birindelli Angelo Di Livio, Franco Causio and Domenico Marocchino all shared their opinions on Juventus’s current form and the success of their coach in Sunday’s edition of Tuttosport.

Juventus are coming off the back of a 2-1 defeat to Milan in the Supercoppa Italiana semi-final. The Bianconeri had dominated for the first hour, and led 1-0 through Kenan Yildiz, but conceded twice within five minutes to throw the result away.

Among the criticisms was Motta’s decision to take off Juve’s only recognised and fit centre-forward, Dusan Vlahovic, with the scores only at 1-0.

The five former Juventus players interviewed by Tuttosport largely agreed that the team’s recent run of results has not been acceptable.

Some believe that Motta needs drastic changes in terms of his players’ attitude and personnel generally, while others believe that the coach still needs time to ‘fix’ his current set-up.

Here is what they had to say.

Alessio Tacchinardi: ‘Juventus’s biggest flaw is a lack of obsession with winning’ 

“Juve’s biggest flaw is the lack of obsession with wanting to win matches. This team is ‘quite’ good too many times, playing well, but getting distracted and then conceding. Somebody might slip, another time someone makes a mistake.

“It was self-inflicted against Milan: 70 minutes in total control, and then hurting themselves within 10 minutes. Locatelli’s inattention for the penalty is understandable, but the way the second goal went in is unacceptable given how the team were positioned on the pitch.

“It meant that the team was in a mess. It couldn’t have gone much worse, throwing the match away with substitutions that, right or wrong, didn’t work. There is some good in this Juve team, but it is still only ‘quite’ good, and not yet a winning team.”

Alessandro Birindelli: ‘The obsession with winning is a habit’ 

“The feeling against Milan was that the Rossoneri, maybe because of the change in the dugout, had a different character: They wanted to win at all costs. Despite that, Juventus dominated for an hour, but didn’t give the impression that they wanted to protect the result, or that they were really hungry.

“This is a common feeling in other matches. It seems they play well when the result goes their way, but they don’t chase it with all their strength.

“It’s normal for a coach to try and defend the team, but the obsession with winning doesn’t just mean going into the locker room and shouting ‘we have to win with force’. The obsession with winning is a habit, it’s the attention to the smallest details from the first minute to the last. It is forseeing everything that could happen.

“It is a quality that can be trained, and in Juve’s case, must be trained. LEading the team to victory, even in ugly matches, because you can’t always play beautifully, but you must always want the result.

Angelo Di Livio: ‘I think it’s fair to criticise Thiago Motta’ 

“I think it’s fair to criticise Thiago Motta for some choice, like taking Vlahovic off when the score was 1-0 and not a sure thing at that point.

“However, in my opinion, the players’ decisions on the pitch were terrible. Look a Locatelli’s penalty and the second goal, with Di Gregorio trying to come out. In my opinion, the coach doesn’t have much to do with these mistakes.

“ Still, you have to know how to read the game, and you also have to have that mentality: Playing the ball without taking risks, without risking counter attacks, which in my opinion have become a bit ridiculous.

“Motta’s priority now has to be to get the players who have been out for a long time back to their best condition. From Nico Gonzalez to Douglas Luiz and most importantly (Teun) Koopmeiners.”

Franco Causio: ‘You can’t buy character from the supermarket’ 

“You can’t buy character from the supermarket. The coach has to bring it to the group, especially if it’s a young team like this Juventus side. Motta needs to examine his conscience. He’s good and deserves time, everyone makes mistakes and he still has time to grow as a coach.

“I think he’s made mistakes so far, in managing his changes and giving little certainty with his rotations, but it’s clear that he has a lot of extenuating circumstances. Injuries etc. It’s right to give him time, even my Juve side needed a little sabbatical year given how young we were.”

Domenico Marocchino: ‘The situation needs time’ 

“I don’t think it’s a question of character, it’s more the incorrect reading of the game. I’m continually seeing the same things, starting with the substitution of Vlahovic in favour of a winger who’s adapted to play up front, for example.

“The situation needs time to allow Motta to work with Giuntoli to sort the squad out. I believe that the Bianconeri are the only club in Italy to have started the season with one striker. There aren’t enough alternatives up front.

“Also in the summer, I perhaps wouldn’t have let a player like Rabiot go so easily, due to his characteristics and experience, just like what’s happened with McKennie. He would be essential today.

“Bad luck has had an impact, there’s no denying it. From unfavourable matches, like the one against Milan, to the many injuries. Bremer for example, he’s not only one of the strongest defenders on an international level, but he would have also ensured a few more goals and also a few more points in the league table.”