Juventus coach Thiago Motta insists he’s not willing to make a scene following the thrashing defeat at the hands of Atalanta.
The Bianconeri were riding a five-match winning streak in Serie A which catapulted them back to the title scene, but their hopes came shattering in the worst possible fashion, as they were pummelled in front of their disgusted supporters by four unanswered goals.
Juve were simply shambolic from start to finish, and were arguably lucky not to concede more goals, as Michele Di Gregorio had to produce some spectacular saves, especially at the end of the first half.
But while Motta had a major outburst when his side was eliminated from the Coppa Italia by Empoli, this time, he maintained his usual serene demeanour, insisting he’s not a fan of theatrics.
“We had a difficult match against a strong team. We started very well, then we suffered the penalty episode,” said the 42-year-old in his post-match interview with IlBianconero.
“If you expect me to throw bottles or make a scene, that’s not part of my character. I’m a serious and honest person, with the obligation to start the week off right now. You’ll never see something from me that I don’t really feel, that I make a scene because someone has to see it.
“I’m sad, but from tomorrow we’ll have to have the strength to start again and think about the next match, unite the locker room more, not talking about a friend of a friend.”
Motta nevertheless admits this result is difficult to swallow, but denies rumours of internal rifts.
“Internally we have always maintained balance. Now we are thinking about the next match, this is difficult to digest but it is part of our job. We all take into consideration what is said on the outside but we are a great team, so rumours are normal. We respect everyone’s, even the fans who are free to express their opinions.”
Finally, Motta claimed the penalty on Weston McKennie was dubious, while noting that the team failed to mount a strong reaction.
“Atalanta deserved it, we started the game well and the penalty incident is questionable. Then everything became more difficult, we went too far in attack, losing our balance against a team that was waiting for our mistakes.
“We knew it, the first goal we conceded made it even harder. Afterwards, we didn’t have the chance to react because they controlled the game and exploited our mistakes.”
