Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio offers a blunt assessment on Thiago Motta and his chances of remaining in the Juventus hot seat next season.
The Serie A giants appointed the Italian Brazilian tactician last summer as their new head coach, replacing Max Allegri who endured a forgettable second tenure in Turin. Motta was hand-picked by the club’s Football Director Cristiano Giuntoli who considered him the ideal profile to accompany him on this new cycle.
But while Giuntoli was praised for what was deemed at the time as brilliant summer transfer campaign, most of the new signings haven’t been able to thrive under Motta, leaving the club in turmoil, especially following back-to-back eliminations from the Champions League and Coppa Italia at the hands of PSV and Empoli.
These abysmal sporting results put the manager’s work under great scrutiny, with many questioning his ability to steer the club back to the right direction.
As Di Marzio explains, Juventus have chosen Motta for a long-term project, so he wasn’t put under pressure to deliver trophies immediately.
However, this certainly doesn’t mean that the management would tolerate the woeful results witnessed this season. Hence, the former Bologna coach will have to up his game in the next few months if he wishes to preserve his job, explains the transfer market insider.
“Motta enjoys stronger protection compared to the situation at Milan (with Sergio Conceicao). But if things continue like this and there is no empathy with the team, the club will be making assessments at the end of the season,” said Di Marzio during his appearance on Sky Sport Italia via JuventusNews24.
“It is Giuntoli’s choice and it is a long-term project, but even long-term projects require victories.”
Many believe Motta will have to at least secure Champions League qualification and find some success in the Club World Cup next summer to avoid the sack.
