Thiago Motta has not resigned and Juventus has not fired him either, but that will only remain true until March 29, when Patrick Vieira’s Genoa arrives at Allianz Stadium. Another misstep by Motta, including a draw against the Grifone, will formalize the separation between the two sides. Juventus’ general director, Maurizio Scanavino, and technical director, Cristiano Giuntoli, held a meeting with Thiago Motta. In the last 30 years, Juve has had fewer points after 29 rounds only three times, and their Champions League qualification is in serious jeopardy. At the same time, the team is showing no progress, there is no recognizable identity, Motta still does not know who his starters are after nine months, the locker room atmosphere is tense and poor, and the coach barely speaks to certain players.Tardelli wants Juventus to get Conte or Gasperini next season:“I’m convinced Thiago Motta is a good coach but he doesn’t understand what Juventus is.The locker room is lost. It’s too late, I don’t see a way to save things.A player like Vlahovic can’t be on the bench the way… pic.twitter.com/dmdxkLDebB— Italian Football TV (@IFTVofficial) March 18, 2025 The damage Thiago Motta is inflicting on Juventus is measured in hundreds of millions of euros. The market value of Dušan Vlahović, Teun Koopmeiners, Douglas Luiz, and Nico Gonzalez has plummeted. Kenan Yıldız is stagnating, Cambiaso and Savona have regressed after promising starts, and Federico Gatti has gone from a trusted player and potential captain of Juventus to someone who is no longer considered for the captaincy. To make matters worse for Motta and Giuntoli, players discarded by Juventus are thriving elsewhere. Kean and Fagioli are key players for Fiorentina, Szczesny is Barcelona’s starting goalkeeper, Nicolussi Caviglia is one of the most effective midfielders in Serie A, and Huijsen has been consistently solid for Bournemouth. Scanavino and Giuntoli specifically asked Motta to improve relations with the players and establish dialogue within the locker room. However, the Italo-Brazilian coach has shown himself to be too sensitive and egotistical.Motta’s job at Juve is not jeopardized – it’s over!The tension with Dusan Vlahovic started after the striker publicly stated that he performs better for the national team because he has fewer defensive duties. That was in November of last year and the second major incident between them occurred in Riyadh after the Super Cup semifinal against Milan. Motta blamed Vlahović for the loss in front of the entire squad. Dusan reportedly responded, and after Randal Kolo Muani’s arrival, he was relegated to the bench. The Frenchman has not scored in the last eight matches but continues to play. It is noticeable that Vlahović was regularly substituted around the 60th minute or even earlier, while Kolo Muani remained on the field despite poor performances. After the match against Atalanta, Vlahović openly expressed his frustration about his treatment in the locker room. Motta’s response was self-destructive and theatrical: he left Dusan on the bench for the entire match in Florence.Wanna sack Motta? Prepare a lot of moneyThe confusion in Motta’s management was most evident in his handling of the captaincy. When he arrived at Continassa, he found Danilo as captain and Federico Gatti as his deputy. The Brazilian and the Italian embodied the spirit of Juventus through their seniority, experience, and leadership. Motta first demoted Danilo to a reserve role, practically forcing him to leave Juventus in January. Then, after just a few matches, he stripped Gatti of the captain’s armband and handed it out randomly—even to Weston McKennie, whom he had crossed off the squad list in June. This season, after Danilo and Gatti, six different players have worn the captain’s armband. Only when the Juventus management signaled that a “wandering” captaincy was inappropriate did Motta finally settle on Manuel Locatelli.Juve players played like old ladies, so African star used itKenan Yıldız, once a rising star wearing the number 10 and an irreplaceable starter, has been reduced to a bench player. Before the match against Atalanta, the Turkish talent suffered from a stomach virus. On matchday, he showed up at Continassa, eager to at least be on the bench. No one expected Motta to start him. Exhausted from illness, Yıldız was unrecognizable and was subbed off at halftime. In Florence, for the first time this season, he remained on the bench for the entire match. Cambiaso also went from being a favorite to an outcast in Motta’s chaotic decision-making, as did young Savona. One must be quite eccentric to start Weah and Kehle as full-backs when Cambiaso and Savona are available. Douglas Luiz, unlike the aforementioned players, was distant from Motta from day one at Continassa. They never connected, and injuries combined with uninspiring performances have only reinforced the gap: 50 million euros wasted.##NAJAVA_MECA_8790245##Koopmeiners’ situation is completely different. The Dutchman has been forced into a starting role even when clearly out of form. Motta bears the most responsibility for Koopmeiners’ poor season, as he constantly changed his role—one moment he was an attacking playmaker, the next a wide midfielder, and at times even a striker when Motta was punishing Vlahovic before Kolo Muani’s arrival. In a 4-2-4 formation, he was even used as a winger. All in all, in Juventus’ 42 matches this season, Motta has used 39 different formations—a clear testament to the complete disarray of his tactical ideas.
