The head coach has come under criticism in recent weeks, as the performances tend to be uninspiring and are seriously lacking the cutting edge associated with the Turin giants.
He admitted: “We win and lose as a team. This is my responsibility, the lads always try to give their best. We missed creating something in the final third, we must improve quickly.”
Benfica, who sit second in their league behind Sporting Lisbon, swept aside the Bianconeri 2-0 on their travels.
The winning margin was flattering for Motta’s men, because the Portuguese team fluffed a plethora of goal-scoring opportunities. Juve’s defense constantly got exposed, especially by counter-attacks.
Vangelis Pavlidis broke the deadlock on 16 minutes. The Greek forward picked his spot from close range to beat home ‘keeper Mattia Perin. Orkun Kokcu doubled their tally with 10 minutes remaining, with the Turkey midfielder drumming in a low drive into the left corner.
Juventus could have done with the expert finishing displayed by Bruno Lage’s outfit, but he hosts seemed to have an air of lacking confidence. They failed to find the back of the net from 17 shots, with Samuel Mbangula coming closest in the first-half.
Striker Dusan Vlahovic started, although Motta was forced to play the Serbia international as Paris Saint-Germain loanee forward Kolo Muani is not registered for European action with the Juve.
Vlahovic, monitored by Arsenal and Chelsea for some time, will surely not have impressed any watching scouts inside the Allianz Stadium. He arguably had an evening to forget, although he did muster five shots.
Motta had indicated before the clash with Benfica that Vlahovic was going nowhere during the January transfer window. Vlahovic appears to just be going backwards, and his recent poor form could be why interest from Arsenal and Chelsea has cooled.
Despite a place already secured in the next phase of the Champions League for both teams, it was a competitive although largely one-sided contest.
Midfielder Douglas Luiz, who was also praised pre-match by Motta, lacked his usual spark and managed just a single shot. Any suitors, such as Manchester City, for the former Aston Villa star may have been put off by his blandness.
Motta trusted left-back Weston McKennie with the armband, making him the seventh different player to serve as captain this season. The US international had a quiet game, but held his own in defense with former Juve winger Angel Di Maria.
Home fans inside the stadium made their feelings known by booing off their flops at the final whistle. Motta’s side looked imbalanced, despite bossing the stats, and failed to ignite the excitement expected from the 36-time Serie A champions.
Motta admitted: “Benfica created more chances than us. We faced a team that deserved to win. We didn’t do what we wanted. If you can create and finalise well, it’s a way to prevent the opponents from attacking.”
The last time that the Bianconeri had lost at home in the Champions League by at least a two-goal margin was their 3-0 reversal to Villarreal in March 2022.
Benfica finished 16th in the 36-team league phase, four places above Juventus. Those teams who ended up 9th to 24th will enter Friday’s draw for two-legged ties. The winners will advance to the last 16 of the competition, where sides who took the top eight places lie in wait.
At least Motta reached the next phase, which is more than his former club managed. Vincenzo Italiano replaced Motta at Bologna in the summer, but the team were the only Italian side to be eliminated. Inter Milan made it into the last 16 with AC Milan and Atalanta joining Juventus in the play-offs.
Motta added: “We must improve quickly and recover players for Sunday [against Empoli]. There is just one way to bounce back, recover for the next game and win it!”
Achieving a win is not something that the Juventus fans are becoming accustomed to this campaign, with just eight victories from 22 Serie A matches so far.
Motta’s rally call for a rare win will be music to the ears of fans, although he needs to orchestrate something special for his squad to find the right rhythm.