The 42-year-old and his players bore the brunt of Juventus fans, who booed at half-time and at the final whistle because of their insipid 2-0 Champions League home defeat to Benfica.
His tactics didn’t cut the mustard on the big stage, with an imbalanced looking side that clearly lacked confidence. It was the eighth time this season that Juventus have failed to find the back of the net, and Motta is paying the price for their failings.
Apprehensive and hesitant players were unable to ignite the usual excitement for European soccer inside the Allianz Stadium, which had noticeable hefty gaps.
Despite not being a jam-packed stadium in Turin, the noise of discontent echoed eerily around the once formidable venue as the Bianconeri trundled along to the dressing room at the break.
With the hosts seemingly happy to keep the score down to just a single strike at the interval, an improvement following Motta’s teamtalk was highly anticipated.
Cheers rather jeers greeted the side for the second-half. Such stars as Douglas Luiz and Dusan Vlahovic were back in the starting line-up, with both continuing to be the subject of intense transfer speculation, although their respective performances were as flat as a pancake.
After conceding a second goal with 10 minutes left on the clock, there was no way back for Juve. Furious supporters vented their anger, and expressed their displeasure when the referee ended a largely one-sided affair.
Luiz and Vlahovic showed more speed than they did during the match when they headed for the players’ tunnel, leaving Motta and his squad to wave at the disgruntled fans.
Supporters have been gradually running out of patience with their beloved team, who have surprisingly become draw specialists under Motta’s regime this season.
This latest result, making it two reversals on the bounce following their 2-1 to table topping Napoli at the weekend, seems to be the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Across Italy the hashtag #MottaOut has been trending on X (formerly Twitter) since Benfica bossed Juve on their own patch, which significantly increases the pressure on Motta’s shoulders.
Xavi, Motta’s former Barcelona team-mate, held informal talks with Juventus this month as the Bianconeri gauge any potential interest in a head coach summer switch.
Motta has only tasted four defeats since he joined Juventus from Bologna on a three-year deal last June. He replaces former boss Massimiliano Allegri, who was sacked in May despite lifting the Coppa Italia.
The pair of Champions League reversals has resulted in Juventus having to negotiate their way through two legs if they are to reach the last 16 knockout stage. The draw takes place in Switzerland on Friday.
Motta also suffered defeat in the Supercoppa Italiana, beaten 2-1 in the January’s semi-final showdown by AC Milan in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Serie A results have been a mixed bag, eeking out endless draws despite often having the upper hand. Thirteen stalemates alongside only eight victories yet just the one loss has given Motta the third-worst ever Juventus manager record.
The Bianconeri are off the pace as potential title challengers this term, but only lie two points behind fourth-placed Lazio and tackle Empoli on Sunday.
Empoli visit Turin on a seven-match winless streak, although head coach Roberto D’Aversa masterminded a 1-1 draw with Bologna in their previous outing.
Motta needs to up the ante for this match, and try to win back the support of fans, pundits and even some of the Juventus board members with maximum points. Juve have kept 11 clean sheets in Serie A this campaign, and despite problems in both defense and attack they should have enough in the bag to score a much-needed win.
Motta is being positive about his squad, as he doesn’t want to lose the dressing room otherwise it could be ciao before the end of the season.