Drawn against Dutch league leaders PSV Eindhoven for the two-legged second phase, after a stop-start Champions League campaign, is a big task for the ailing Bianconeri.
The cheers that usually ring round the Allianz Stadium turned to jeers from disenchanted Juventus supporters at half-time and full time in their most recent Champions League adventure. The recent 2-0 defeat was a flattering result against Benfica, and Motta certainly knows it.
Their European foray didn’t kick off in the same manner, and there is a real concern that Juventus are in freefall under Motta.
The fact that they brushed aside visiting PSV in September but now won’t fancy tackling them in February, highlights just how the mighty Juve seem to have fallen under Motta’s leadership.
The bounce factor helped for the 2024/2025 Champions League opener. There was immense belief that with a new head coach at the helm, a set of smart recruiting and a specific setup that this could be the season that Juve could lift the coveted trophy.
Juventus 3 PSV Eindhoven 1
They only played four Serie A matches before the visit of PSV, but were brimming with confidence as they attacked at every opportunity to record a 3-1 success.
Kenan Yildiz, Nico Gonzalez and Weston McKennie found the back of the net with the visitors grabbing a 93rd-minute consolation strike.
RB Leipzig 2 Juventus 3
This momentum continued with a battling 3-2 triumph in early October. A visit to German side RB Leipzig was full of drama. Defender Gleison Bremer came off injured within 10 minutes, which turned out to be a season-ending torn ACL.
Things got worse for the Italian club, gifting an opener on the half-hour mark. Juventus should have levelled matters, only for midfielder Teun Koopmeiners to be denied by the upright. But Dusan Vlahovic came to their rescue with an equaliser shortly after the turnaround.
The Turin team briefly endured heartbreak when ‘keeper Michelle Di Gregorio was sent off on the hour-mark, and five minutes later the Germans slotted home a penalty to regain the lead.
Up popped Vlahovic to nab a late second goal, and summer signing Francisco Conceicao completed the fightback with the winner on 82 minutes.
Juventus 0 VfB Stuttgart 1
Yet the wheels came off for the new and experimental Juventus for a while in October’s European action, when the Bianconeri expected to sweep aside visiting Stuttgart. By underestimating their opponent they paid for it dearly, beaten by the only goal of the game.
Juve were often second to the ball, and were grateful for the exploits of Mattia Perin. The second choice ‘keeper ably dealt with all but one of the German team’s 10 shots on target, conceding two minutes into added time.
Lille 1 Juventus 1
The Bianconeri visited French outfit Lille in early November, and despite dominating in every department they were held to a stalemate.
They conceded midway through the first half, and snatched an equaliser through a 60th-minute Vlahovic spot-kick. This contest highlighted the fact that Juve’s attack was definitely waning.
Aston Villa 0 Juventus 0
A dreary scoreless draw at Aston Villa in late November followed, with injury-hit Juventus taking just 14 players to the English Premier League (EPL) side.
Big names were sidelined for this contest, with Motta having to do without the likes of Bremer, Juan Cabal, Gonzalez, McKennie and Vlahovic.
The Villains thought they had snatched a last-gasp winner, only for their effort to be ruled out because of a collision with Di Gregorio.
Juventus 2 Manchester City 0
The mid-December visit of Manchester City looked promising for Motta to pick up maximum points. The EPL champions were in the midst of a confidence crisis, and facing the longest winless streak since Pep Guardiola was appointed head coach.
Defensive duo Danilo and Federico Gatti impressed, while the US pairing of Americans McKennie and Timothy Weah ran circles around the visitors.
Vlahovic opened the scoring, with McKennie finding the back of the net in what proved to be a comprehensive triumph. This comprehensive victory got many Juve fans believing that Motta was a tactical genius.
Club Brugge 0 Juventus 0
The epitome of defensiveness was displayed in this stinker of a match. Juve only managed a single shot on target, which was one more than the Belgium champions.
Fiorentina loanee Gonzalez laughably fluffed his chance to slot home, and was compared by pundits on Italian television to both misfiring Koopmeiners and Vlahovic for his failure in attack.
Juventus 0 Benfica 2
The hosts had a patched up defence for the visit of the Portuguese giants. Juve were outmanoeuvred in the opening half, but only conceded on 16 minutes, and booed off at the interval by their own supporters.
After the turnaround Motta’s men pushed forward, with Vlahovic’s inability to polish off any attacks further frustrating the already furious fans. He had five shots but couldn’t produce any of his early season magic, and Juve paid the price by conceding a second goal with 10 minutes remaining.
Lacking conviction and cohesion, the Bianconeri were booed off the pitch at the final whistle with the transfer targeted duo of midfielder Douglas Luiz and Vlahovic ignoring their fans to rush down the players tunnel.
Juventus v PSV Eindhoven
The Bianconeri stuttered into the second phase of the competition. Combine their European exploits with some dismal Serie A displays in recent weeks and it looks like curtains for Juve against the Dutch team.
Yet Motta managed to mastermind an impressive Champions League win over the same opponents in September, but confidence is low among his squad.
In stark contrast PSV’s confidence has rocketed since that September contest. They sit top of the Dutch Eredivise and stunned the seemingly indomitable Liverpool in their last European game.
There’s tons of fine-tuning for Motta to undertake before the visit of PSV on 11 or 12 February, and he needs to act swiftly because he now realises that the home fans inside the Allianz Stadium can be unforgiving.