Thiago Motta’s rollercoaster ride as Juventus head coach, since joining from Bologna in the summer, could screech to a sudden halt should he oversee a third Serie A reversal on the spin.
Although he was backed to the hilt by sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli with a massive spending spree, Motta’s choice of signing, formations, starting line-ups and tactics have been highly questionable.
The irk of disgruntled fans has grown, even to the extent of the usually loyal Juventus Ultras making protests and refusing to travel to support their side.
It’s not just fans that are frustrated this term, but also the squad and former Juve stars who now ply their trade as media pundits.
Motta's mind games
Motta seems to play mind games with his squad, constantly shifting the captaincy and frequently implementing players in their unfavoured positions.
The team has never seemed to gel as a unit, and there are disgruntled players who are not getting minutes.
Following the heavy 4-0 home defeat to title-chasing Atalanta, when fans booed Motta and his side off the pitch at the final whislte, Juve were expected to show fire in their belly at Fiorentina. Instead they were simply off the pace, and crumbled after conceding the opening goal on the quarter-of-an-hour mark.
Motta’s starting line-up in Florence spoke volumes as to why his team are struggling. He left Juve’s three players that had been selected for international duty — Andrea Cambiaso, Federico Gatti and Kenan Yildiz — on the bench.
He began with former Premier League misfits Lloyd Kelly (signed from Newcastle United) and Renato Veiga (on loan from Chelsea), who each had a nightmare match and were hauled off.
Vlahovic reduced to a bench-warmer
Dusan Vlahovic was not introduced, even when Motta’s side desperately needed some firepower, with the former Fiorentina favourite and Juve’s top scorer this season seemingly out of favour under Motta.
For Vlahovic, the highest-paid player in Serie A, to not feature for Juventus is a costly mistake because his value has dropped by at least €20 million (US$21.8m) since the start of the year.
Premier League clubs and Inter Milan are monitoring the Serbia striker’s situation, and must be astonished at how his price tag has plummeted.
Fortunately for Motta, Vlahovic does not possess a disruptive character. He saves his talking for the pitch, and could still be a major asset to Juventus if Motta is replaced mid-season or at the end of the campaign.
Vlahovic and Turkish teenager Yildiz are prized financial assets to the Turin titans, yet if the duo don’t get to play regularly then interest from other clubs will surely wane.
The millions that Juventus could lose by cashing in on Vlahovic and Yildiz in the summer, because of Motta’s refusal to utilise the pair for the remaining nine Serie A matches, is far greater than the €15m (US$16.4m) it would cost the club to give the former Italy international the boot.
Motta given the boot
Motta may have scooped 27 major honours during his glittering career in midfield, but as a coach he has already been sacked in Italy.
He was axed by Genoa, his first managerial role, after just two months and 10 games in December 2019.
Motta had to patiently wait until he was given another opportunity, and was appointed by Serie A relegation favourites Spezia for the 2021/22 season. He kept the club up and collected four points against Genoa.
He kicked off the following campaign as Bologna head coach, and in his maiden season steered the side to a creditable ninth-place finish.
Motta bettered that for the 2023/24 campaign, guiding them to fifth spot and securing their first-ever foray into the European soccer arena.
His stint at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara only ended when Juventus came calling, after he was hand-picked by Giuntoli so turned down the overtures from AC Milan.
Push for Champions League berth
Giuntoli has been supportive of Motta despite referring to the club currently being “very unhappy” at their recent plight. He has reiterated that earning a Champions League spot is an absolute priority for Motta.
Ironically the day that Motta’s troops lacked any fight, to be destroyed by Fiorentina, Bologna leaped over Juventus and into fourth place.
Motta’s coach journey could go the distance until the end of the season, with a free agent such as former Italy manager Roberto Mancini likely to take over for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup finals in June and July.
Yet defeat at home to mid-table Genoa, who have only tasted one loss in their past six league games, on 29 March could end in a coach crash.
There’s no rumours of Motta losing the dressing room. Yet the highly-rated yet underused attacking pair of Vlahovic and Yildiz would surely be delighted to see the manager gone so that they can once more show Juventus fans their silky skills.