Juventus’ new era under Thiago Motta began with a disappointing 3-0 loss in a friendly match against Nürnberg. The Italian giants struggled to control the game, particularly in the first half, as goals from Jander, Forkel, and Janisch secured a comfortable victory for the German side.
Despite the heavy defeat, Motta remained optimistic about his team’s performance and preparation. In his post-match interview (via gianlucadimarzio.com), the new Juventus coach acknowledged the need for improvement but emphasized the positives from their pre-season work.
“We were not able to control the game. At the beginning of the second half it went better, we could have found the equalizer that would have changed the match. We must and can do better, but in general beyond the result we had a good preparation”.
“We can control the game better, it means playing in the opponent’s half, extending the possession phase to organize and tire the opponent. At the beginning of the second half we did it in patches, in the first no. With a bit of disorganization, we gave too many opportunities to others”.
“Our second half at the beginning was positive, we prevented the opponent from restarting. This is our idea. Tired players? I don’t think so, we prepared well, it’s normal for players to struggle. We train more compared to habit. A defeat today is good if taken in the right way. We need to improve quickly and work in the same way, with the same intensity of these days”.
“Weah? As of today, I don’t want to make him play as a full-back, but he’s a very available boy. He can play on both wings and, why not, even in attack. He gives us variety in choices, and I’m happy with what I saw from him today. I liked all the young players who came on today. We’ll see with time who will be able to keep this level”.
“Soulé? He talked about it yesterday, he asked me today not to play, it seems the right thing to me”.
“Reinforcements from the market? We have a competitive team, they will arrive when it will be, but now I have no doubts about the competitiveness of the team”.
