Legendary Milan coach Arrigo Sacchi believes Juventus will go far if they embrace Thiago Motta’s ideas. The former Milan boss wrote about the Bianconeri’s positive start to the season in his column for La Gazzetta dello Sport, and explained why he’s cautiously optimistic about their new porject:
“I was very curious to see the new Juventus under Thiago Motta in action, even though I knew I couldn’t expect the moon after just a few weeks of work. I must say that I liked what I saw from the Bianconeri: it seems to me that they have seriously and committedly embarked on the path that the coach has laid out. Of course, we must admit that Como appeared clearly inferior in terms of technical and physical ability. It’s logical, therefore, that Juventus shouldn’t get carried away after this victory, far from it: this is not the time for judgments, we’re only at the beginning of the season, and for the Bianconeri, it’s actually the start of a new cycle.
I remain convinced that the Juventus management made an excellent investment by hiring Thiago Motta. I have great confidence in him because I’ve seen him work in Bologna and, above all, I’ve admired the style of play he gave to the Rossoblu, even leading them to Champions League qualification. Motta is a strategist, someone who studies football from morning to night, someone who lives for this sport, and consequently, I’m sure the team will benefit from this total dedication.
The important thing is that the environment, including the management and the fans, gives the coach time to work: improvements will be seen game after game, as a result of experiments made during the week and the coach’s insights. If the players follow Thiago Motta’s instructions and prove to be reliable, then there will be no problems: Juventus will return to the top. Where exactly, I can’t say, especially because this is a season full of commitments and energy must be managed carefully. By the way, it seems to me that there’s an overdose of matches: the more there are, the less spectacle we see. It’s logical because players don’t have time to train and, therefore, struggle to improve their individual and team performances. Those who truly care about football should stop and reflect: is this the right path?
Positive and proactive football – The Mbangula impact
Returning to Juventus’ performance, I emphasize the positive and proactive football that Motta has tried to instill in his players. He too, despite having arrived recently, is trying to make an impact with very clear choices. Betting on a young player like Mbangula, who is twenty years old, is a signal to the whole group: it means that Thiago follows everyone, that he judges based on merit, and that he has no problem launching a youngster or benching a veteran. Motta, I repeat, is a strategist: a coach who has a broad vision, who doesn’t limit himself to observing the result of a match, but extends his gaze to the medium-long term. It’s in this light that his choices should be read and his style interpreted. By including this young player in the starting lineup, he showed courage, as he had done in the past when he was in charge of Bologna. He obviously couldn’t predict that Mbangula would score the first goal, otherwise we’d be talking about a magician, but he could predict (and perhaps he knew, given that he had observed him in training) that he would deliver a good performance.
The next step – Increase aggressiveness and stay compact
There are still several steps to climb, the margins for improvement are considerable. What does Juventus need to do to reach the highest level? First of all, it’s necessary to increase aggressiveness, therefore pressing. They must recover the ball as soon as possible because in this way they can catch the opposing defense off guard. Moreover, the team lines must always be tight and compact, so as not to leave spaces for other teams. And finally, Motta will have to work carefully on marking and off-the-ball movements. These are fundamental moments in the game of football: if I mark well, I nullify the opponent and can start again. If I make the right off-the-ball runs at the right time, and call for the ball when I’m already in motion (and not standing still, as is often seen), I put my team in a position to develop the action in the best possible way. Thiago Motta knows this lesson well, and I’m certain he will make his players apply it.”
