After a flourishing transfer window, Thiago Motta’s new Juventus started its rejuvenation very strongly with two big victories in Serie A, against Como (3-0) then Hellas Verona (3-0). Then came three goalless and tasteless draws (0-0) in a row, before experiencing a daily life filled with ups and downs. The excitement of the new resolutely offensive project carried by a modern and appreciated Thiago Motta finally gave way to nostalgic flanges of a Juventus that was unattractive and entertaining as it was under Massimiliano Allegri. Ranked 6th in the championship, Juventus is struggling to be as consistent and solid as at the start of the season. Thiago Motta’s players have had to settle for several draws in recent weeks in Serie A, against Parma (2-2), Inter (4-4), Cagliari (1-1), but also AC Milan (0-0) last weekend.
Performances far from being alarming which satisfy a Motta who is proud of his protégés as he said at a press conference this Saturday: “we are focused on Lecce thinking only and exclusively about this match. Let’s work with those who are there and we will see that we can recover. Total confidence in the players I have and in the situation must be approached in one way: everyone must give something extra to help the team. We want to give continuity to the good things we are doing during this period. What we have to do is try our best to bring the result to our side“. For several weeks, Thiago Motta has been facing a huge challenge and should call on many young players to try to heal the wounds as best as possible, while waiting for the situation to resolve itself, through the transfer window or through returns expected.
An avalanche of injuries
Two days before the Lecce match, scheduled for Sunday evening, Juventus carried out morning training on Friday in preparation for the match against the team which has just been taken over by Marco Giampaolo. Between the fatigue of traveling to Birmingham in the Champions League and the constant urgency that hits the Bianconeri, Thiago Motta called on five members of the youth team with the first team: Alfonso Montero, Augusto Owusu, Filippo Pagnucco, Christos Papadopoulos and Diego Pugno. During the last training and as against Aston Villa in C1, Dušan Vlahović, Weston McKennie and Douglas Luiz carried out personalized work and are highly uncertain for the match against the Puglia team. The risk is to have only 13 outfield players available in the event that none of the nine injured players recover. Apart from the three who trained individually, Vasilije Adžić, Douglas Luiz, Nico Gonzalez, Bremer, Arkadiusz Milik and Juan Cabal are still on the sidelines. Present for the Champions League match, Nicolò Savona was forced to go to the infirmary after a minor injury against the Villans on Wednesday evening.
And as if that were not enough, the young Pedro Felipe, who has already helped out the pro group in collective training, suffers from a ruptured cruciate ligament. All this headache forced the Italian coach to align midfielder Teun Koopmeiners at the forefront of the attack. “ He plays in a difficult position, especially in matches like these, against a team that tries not to let him maneuver between the lines. When he steps back and sees the game more, he is more comfortable. At the moment, he must also make his contribution in a more offensive phase. He can do it because he has the qualities and he can also score. He’s a special player, different, and he can play many roles. He transmits a lot to the team and knows what to do at each moment of the match. It gives me peace of mind and it’s hard to change it “, he explained. A very small squad which remains accompanied by three goalkeepers with Mattia Perin, Michele Di Gregorio and Carlo Pinsoglio. Thiago Motta is struggling to get out of this glaring bad luck despite the installation of certain young people like Samuel Mbangula and Jonas Rouhi.
