Motta: Derby della Mole will be a 'tricky' yet 'special' match
Today at 02:10 PM
Thiago Motta's comments ahead of Juventus' historic fixture against city rivals, Torino
After their Supercoppa disappointment a little over a week ago, Juventus now turn their attention to the first Serie A game of the new year and the season's second iteration of the Derby della Mole against Torino, the first of which Juventus won comfortably, 2-0, back in November.
Ahead of Saturday night's match — which Juventus will play away, albeit in their old stadium, the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino — coach Thiago Motta discussed the club's desire to win and fielded questions regarding the team's injury list and the January transfer window as a remedy for their perennially truncated squad.
As always, Motta praised his upcoming opponents, and asserted that tomorrow's game, despite the waning significance of the fixture, represents a 'special' and historic derby.
"It will be a tricky match, and a special one for us, for our fans and for the club," Motta said. "We can't wait to get out on the pitch, we want to win. We are a very young team that has performed well, we need to fully commit ourselves in every training session, day after day, to always come out on top and our desire, match after match, is to concede as few chances as possible, create more and finish better."
Moreover, amid criticisms and chatter regarding Motta's suitability for the Juventus manager position, given the club's poor form and inability to penetrate the league's Champions League spots, Motta discussed the team's progression and asserted, as he has for the majority of the season, that Juventus are a club undergoing transition. Motta emphasized that while his team has the necessary building blocks to compete at the highest level, they must be properly cultivated first.
"The attitude and character have always been good in the team," Motta said. "Sometimes we have had difficulty in reacting in the right way, but many others have had the same problem. At a great club like this, winning is a necessity, we know very well that it is the most important thing."
Motta also echoed this sentiment in his response to questions regarding the January transfer window, hinting that the club does not, by any means, require a dramatic overhaul as some critics have suggested. What is more, Motta evaded the question of the transfer window, which has dominated the rhetoric surrounding the club, by affirming the importance of the game ahead.
"I talk every day with the team: about how everyone is and what we will encounter in the next challenge," Motta said. "All moments in a season are important, we have to put all our energy into the next game tomorrow. Today we have many leaders and room to create more. Leader are formed in the locker room by the recognition of their teammates, that's what counts."
Finally, Motta spoke about the team's injury list, stating that "(On Saturday) we will be without (Gleison) Bremer, (Juan) Cabal, (Arkadiusz) Milik, (Dusan) Vlahovic, (Francisco) Conceicao and (Manuel) Locatelli, who is suspended."
Regarding the absence of Locatelli, who has certainly represented one of the club's leaders this season, Motta hinted that summer signing Douglas Luiz, who has been sidelined by injury for the majority of the season and, thus, subjected to intense criticism, may get a start against Torino.
"He is a top midfielder who can play in all positions in our midfield," Motta said of the 26-year-old Brazilian midfielder. "He knows how to score goals, he knows how to make the final pass because of his great creativity, he knows how to build attacks."
