Juventus’ Ten Coup Miners via Delmer in Lexe, Italy on December 1, 2024, after a Serie A match between Lexe and Juventus. (Photo: Maurizio Lagana/Getty Images)
Former Juventus head coach Thiago Motta gave her opinion on why the Ten Coupminers didn’t live up to expectations after joining the old Atalanta lady over the summer.
The former Bianconeri head coach, who was replaced by Igor Tudor at the end of March, gave an in-depth interview with Il Corriere Della Sera, which was released on Saturday.
Among the topics of discussion was the relationship with Motta with Koopmeiners, which Juventus had over 60 million euros in the summer, and Vlahovic, which was thought to not be repeated in the first half of the season, but after Randal Kolo Muani arrived in January, they struggled to return to the team.
Motto about unrealistic Koopmeiners expectations
Motta feels that Koopmeiners met unfair expectations “quickly” given his price tag.
“In my opinion, Koop was quickly overloaded with many expectations. His high cost of purchasing has become heavier. In these situations, expectations will increase more than you think and affect players.
“He’s a high-level player. He’s always played well for Atalanta and his national team last year. I’m sure he’ll return to normal levels once he’s balanced and his expectations are at normal levels.
“He needs to adapt to his dressing room and roles on the pitch, but he’s a very good player, so he always improves. He’s a really good guy who works really hard and I’m sure he’ll give this team a lot.”
A message he received from the Juventus squad
Only a small selection of Juventus players sent public messages to Motta after his sacking, but the coach claims that social media “changes reality” and that in fact he has several wishes from players on his private first team.
He was asked if he was hurt by his lack of public messages or thanks from the Coop Miners, especially given the coach’s defense of Dutchman in the press.
“Social media changes reality. If something is not publicly said today, it doesn’t seem to happen or true. In reality, the message you receive from a player is true and meaningful.
“There were a lot of people who wrote letters to me, not just Koop.
Motta about Vlahovich’s overuse: “He deserves it, he always worked well.”
In the first half of the 2024-25 campaign, Vlahovic was the only fit and centre forward on the senior team, playing virtually every game he was available to him before Kolo Muani entered from PSG in January.
“Dussinn played a lot, but some have said too much, but he deserved it because he always worked well,” Motta said.
“Sometimes, he was injured that kept him out for 10 days so he couldn’t play. He’s a smart guy and can discuss and share opinions.
“I had a good relationship with him, but at the same time it’s normal to be influenced depending on whether you’re on the pitch or not. Dusan wasn’t happy when he didn’t play, but he always respected my decision.
