There are several reasons to explain why Juventus parted ways with coach Thiago Motta. Each individual reason may not justify the decision to sack him, but overall, the club have no choice but to let Motta go.
Location in Serie A
Juventus are currently 5th in Serie A, 1 point behind their Champions League position, and also behind Motta's old club Bologna. They are under great pressure as Lazio and AS Roma are close to 6th and 7th place.
Early elimination from cup tournaments
Juventus qualified for the Champions League play-off round after finishing 20th out of 36 teams in the League Phase. However, they were unexpectedly eliminated by PSV. Notably, in the round of 16, PSV let Arsenal score 7 goals at home.
In Coppa Italia, Juventus also stopped at the penalty spot against Empoli, a team in the Serie A relegation zone.
Performance in important matches
Juventus have experienced recent defeats against teams with similar ambitions to the Champions League, Atalanta and Fiorentina. They also lost the final match of the Champions League group stage against Benfica (0-2 at home) and the return match against PSV (1-3 away). In general, the Turin team lacks the necessary intensity in big matches.
Bold playing style
Juventus's playing style under Motta was slow, creativity was limited and ball control was ineffective. Strangely, they do not look like Motta's Bologna last season.
Ineffective transfer
Juventus had to do everything they could to sign Douglas Luiz from Aston Villa in a deal worth more than 50 million Euros. And since then, Motta has only played in three of the 17 Serie A games in which the midfielder has registered. Meanwhile, Moise Kean - a player pushed by Motta from Turin - is shining for Fiorentina.
Motta also did not like Nicolo Fagioli, lent him to Fiorentina and now this young midfielder is a mainstay of the club. The tactician also did not trust Danilo, even after Gleison Bremer's injury, which forced the Brazilian to leave the club by mutual consent.
Communication skills
Juventus is not an ordinary club. For Juventus coaches, the task is not simply to come up with a squad and make replacements. The Brazilian strategist has been distant and has failed to build a close relationship with the players. As of early Monday afternoon, 24 hours after Motta left, only one Juventus player had taken to social media to thank him.
