After getting torn to shreds by another rival in the battle for a top-four place in Serie A, the pressure on Juventus manager Thiago Motta is beginning to reach a crescendo.
There are valid calls from fans and pundits alike to can Motta just one year after he was hired to replace long-time Juventus manager Max Allegri, who was in his second stint as the club’s coach.
Juventus are currently outside the top four after losing 3-0 to Fiorentina, which came one week after another embarrassing loss in a big game, 4-0 to Atalanta.
Although Motta came into this job with tempered expectations due to a developing squad, it has been jarring to see how some of the team’s top players, including former Fiorentina stars Federico Chiesa and Dusan Vlahovic, have been outright discarded by the former Serie A and Ligue 1 star midfielder.
Now, Thiago Motta reportedly has a limited amount of time to save his job. As the Bianconeri recover during the international break and prepare for tough upcoming fixtures against Genoa and Roma, let’s break down the Motta situation in Turin.
The best reason for firing Thiago Motta
Look, the most compelling reason for firing Thiago Motta lies in the results. They have been terrible. Juventus are playing even worse football than they were under Allegri, and they are getting worse results, too.
One of the main issues with firing Allegri was the fact that he played utlra-defensive, boring football that was seen as disgraceful to the club by Juventini. That he was playing so defensive without winning enough games was another major issue, as Juve were about 20 points behind Inter Milan in the title race, which is unacceptable for the biggest club in Italy.
They are even worse this season in fifth, because at least Allegri had Juventus qualified for the Champions League again. Motta’s first season at the helm has been much worse than Andrea Pirlo’s, because Pirlo both finished in the top four and won Coppa Italia.
Motta has won nothing, and the fairytale of his accomplishments in Bologna means zero to Juventus fans who have very valid questions about his ability to manage an elite team to title contention. Getting blown out by a combined 7-0 against Fiorentina and Atalanta does not help that perception.
The best reason for keeping Thiago Motta
That said, it is fair to point out that while Thiago Motta’s success at Bologna may not translate to success at Juventus, but it does mean something. Motta got Bologna into the Champions League, which is an absolutely outrageous feat that goes down in the history of Italian football.
Not only that, but Motta got the most out of talents who were previously overlooked in European football. He turned Riccardo Calafiori from forgotten Roma graduate into a world-class defender who took Europe by storm and is now playing for Arsenal.
Better yet, he morphed Joshua Zirkzee, a Bayern Munich prospect flop, into one of the most well-rounded strikers in Europe and a real centerpiece player. Every top club in Italy wanted him before he moved to Manchester United, where he has gone back to being an utter disappointment.
Thiago Motta was seen as an innovative, up-and-coming manager with the pick of multiple top clubs. It was a big deal for Juventus to replace Allegri with him, and there was a lot of optimism when hiring him.
He came to Juve with more experience than Andrea Pirlo, who was also fired after one season in which he struggled to adjust. Firing Motta this soon will put Juve back at square one, and a retread hire, as with Allegri in 2021, may only set the Old Lady back even further.
The proverbial grass is rarely ever greener for elite clubs experiencing a downfall and a rot that is embedded within, and Zirkzee himself can relay that news to Motta and Juve as a member of Manchester United – a club Juve need to be careful that they don’t become Italy’s version of.
Joe Soriano covers West Ham for Green Street Hammers and writes about Real Madrid for The Real Champs. He has extensive experience covering world football since 2014. Joe is an editor for The Trivela Effect, where he covers the biggest clubs in European football. He has watched professional sports regularly since 2002 and can be found playing the same sports he covers with his friends.