Thiago Motta insists ‘nothing changes’ for Juventus with busy fixture list

Juventus coach Thiago Motta insists ‘nothing changes’ for the Old Lady with a busy fixture list and is delighted with Dusan Vlahovic’s attitude in training.

Juventus will visit Empoli at the Stadio Castellani Computer Gross Arena on Saturday. The Bianconeri have collected seven points in three games so far. Reports in Italy claim Douglas Luiz will start in Tuscany tomorrow, but another new signing, Teun Koopmeiner, is also keen to start for the first time in a Bianconeri shirt.

“Like many others, they are great players,” Motta said at a press conference on Friday.

“We’ll see who starts tomorrow and who can contribute from the bench. We are lucky to have them.”

Nico Gonzalez and Danilo played in South America for Argentina and Brazil during the break, but they are available for selection against Empoli.

“Everyone is fit. Nico, Dani, and the others played. We knew the fixture list and what to expect,” said Motta.

“We face this game with great enthusiasm, step by step. We must only focus on Empoli. Nothing changes. We train, play and recover. We face each game with the utmost commitment.

“I’ve seen determination to have a playing style that will lead us to get results, which is the ultimate goal; we have a common idea, so we want to develop our strength game by game to compete with opponents,” continued the former Italy international.

“We have a different opponent tomorrow, and we know what we expect. We want to play with great commitment, knowing what to do and what to avoid to have the result on our side.”

Thiago Motta insists ‘nothing changes’ for Juventus with busy fixture list

Juventus will meet PSV in the Champions League next week before hosting Antonio Conte’s Napoli at the Allianz Stadium.

“There will be time for the other two games. The focus is on tomorrow; it’s the most crucial game,” insisted Motta.

“That’s all we focus on. We face a fit team; we respect them as we respected our previous opponents, and we’ll respect the next ones. It’s just Empoli. Colombo, Pellegrini, Maleh. All quality players that we must be ready to face, doing our best.”

Danilo has started three consecutive Serie A games on the bench but Motta said the Brazilian can cover multiple roles in the Old Lady’s defence.

“I see him well. Dani is an important player to us, like others on the team.

“He played as a defensive right-back with Brazil, almost as a third centre-back in the build-up. He can do the same here, but he can also play in the centre because he’s already done it. We’ll see what the team needs game by game to always be competitive.

“It’s a complicated game, like every game in Serie A. We’ll face a team that is in shape, as they’ve proved in the first three games,” Motta added.

“Empoli know what to do on the pitch, and we must be ready to face them, respect them, and, at the same time, impose our style of play to have more opportunities to win. All the rest counts relatively little.”

Samuel Mbangula and Nicolò Savona made their senior debuts in the opening games. Will they get more playing time alongside other Juventus youths?

“It all depends on them. I’ve already said it. I don’t look at their age or nationality. I see what young players can give to the team. Young players give us a lot of enthusiasm. We must manage the moment well.

“Sometimes, they can play, and sometimes, they need time to develop. They need help from experienced players to emerge and give the team what we need. The most important thing is to do a great job and bring the team as high as possible.”

Adrien Rabiot, a former Motta teammate and Juventus star, is still without a club. What if he offered himself to Juventus again? Would Motta welcome him back?

“There’s too many ifs,” the Bianconeri coach replied.

“First of all, he hasn’t called me. I’ve already said I wished him the best and hoped he was happy. It hasn’t changed. I love him as a footballer and as a person. He has taken a different path, and I wish him to find a team where he can be happy and prove all his talent. Nothing has changed.”

Lastly, Motta praised his star striker Vlahovic for his attitude at Continassa, Juventus training ground.

“All the team must help him, as he must help the team like he’s doing. I am happy with his daily work,” said the coach.

“He brings great enthusiasm when he arrives in the morning—for himself, for the others, and for me as a coach as well. It’s very interesting to see him come in the morning because he arrives with great desire and positive energy, trying to help his teammates. I am very happy with what he’s doing.”