Thiago Motta outlines the importance of Juventus ‘taking risks’ to open up Verona after a 3-0 victory and his remarkable knack for launching new talents.
The Bianconeri are the only side after two Serie A rounds to have a perfect record, not just in terms of points, but also by scoring six goals and conceding none.
They followed the 3-0 win over Como with an identical result away to Hellas Verona, thanks to a Dusan Vlahovic brace and a goal on his full debut from 21-year-old Nicolò Savona.
The opening goal was an epitome of his idea of football, as Manuel Locatelli won it back in midfield and Kenan Yildiz immediately fed it through the centre for Vlahovic.
“That is where you can see the attitude of the group. Pressing the opponents means taking a risk, because you open up spaces, but it is ultimately worth the risk because you can win it back high up the field and go straight towards goal,” Thiago Motta told DAZN.
“Dusan finishes the move, we’re happy, as he deserves it for all the hard work he does both attacking and defending.”
Michele Di Gregorio has been practically untested since taking over the gloves from Wojciech Szczesny, as between Como and Verona, there was only one shot on target.
“We need everyone to help out the defensive movements, starting from the strikers. They help maintain that pressure and win the ball back quickly. It is important to keep that balance between attack and defence, which leads to performances like this.”
Thiago Motta takes risks with tactics and team picks
The coach really knows how to pick young players from the NextGen team and give them a chance, because Samuel Mbangula scored on his debut last week and Savona did the same in his first start. Did he have to do any psychological work to get them ready?
“Not really. These are lads with great talent, great quality, the staff and I all help them get into the best condition to do their work on the field, but ultimately they are the protagonists. When they can play like this, you see the difference,” insisted Thiago Motta.
“Reading the game is very important. Verona waited for us at the start and were trying to wait for us to make a small error before going on the counter-attack. When they pressed us a little more, we found the through balls with Kenan, Mbangula, Savona too, you can see this attitude.
“Our fans in the stands sung from start to finish, and it’s because these lads transmit their desire to do well.”
Juve have their first big test of the campaign on September 1 when hosting Paulo Dybala’s Roma at the Allianz Juventus Stadium in Turin.
“I see a wonderful game to be a part of, we are on our home turf and will try to do our best, along with our fans, to get the result we want,” concluded Thiago Motta.
