Juventus coach Thiago Motta commented on his team’s displays following a nerve-wracking come-from-behind victory over Empoli.
The Bianconeri spent almost the entire first half trailing as Mattia De Sciglio found the opener for the Azzurri in the fourth minute before apologising to his old supporters at the Allianz Stadium.
However, Randal Kolo Muani led the Old Lady’s revival in the second period, scoring two goals in the space of three minutes to beat the home side in the lead. In the end, Youssef Maleh left the Tuscans with a man down following his dismissal, and Dusan Vlahovic eventually managed to end his goal drought after coming off the bench, while Francisco Conceicao had time to score a fourth.
Therefore, Motta was delighted with the result, while reserving special praise for the Serbian bomber who reconciled with the net.
“Dusan is confident, I see it in his eyes. He also has a bit of anger inside due to the club’s current situation,” explained the 42-year-old in his post-match interview with DAZN via IlBianconero.
“He played a lot and helped a lot. Even when he wasn’t 100%, he had to play and he always gave a hand. When he came on today, he helped us win and I’m happy for him, for all of them.”
On the other hand, it was Kenan Yildiz who made way for Vlahovic in the second half, right after pulling off a spectacular piece of skill that culminated in the second goal.
“Kenan was doing well in the match but I preferred to take him off because Randal and Nico can play well on the left. Dusan was needed in the centre. I’m sorry for those who didn’t play but we are a cohesive and united group, let’s think about the next one.
“It was beautiful [commenting on Yildiz’s roulette]. But it’s normal for me, as I always see him in training. There are many things that I like even more and he knows it well. I’m happy with his display, maybe he didn’t deserve to go out at that moment but we have many players and must make choices for the good of the team.
“Kenan works very hard, he is always available and has played in many roles. I’m convinced he will do great things. He’s still very young and we have great faith in him.”
