Motta: Our goal is to qualify for the Champions League
Yesterday at 01:35 PM
Ahead of their game against Atalanta, Motta asserts that Juventus must 'raise their level' if they want to reach the Champions League next season
After Saturday night's disappointing Derby della Mole draw against city rivals Torino, Juventus quickly turn their attention to their upcoming away match against third-place, title-contending Atalanta.
Ahead of Tuesday night's game — which, for both teams, falls just three days after their previous fixtures, exemplifying modern football's ever-demanding schedules — Juve manager Thiago Motta stressed the importance of rest, recuperation, and quickly shifting their attention away from their disappointments and onto the next challenge.
"The squad is recovering after the derby," Motta said. "It is important to recover well both physically and mentally. We are angry because we didn't win, but we are already focused on the next match, which will be very important, against Atalanta, who are in excellent form. We will face this challenge giving it our all."
Motta, throughout the press conference, further echoed the sentiment that the club, despite their disappointments, should refrain from dwelling on their shortcomings and focus on the game at hand while learning from their mistakes. However, Motta also lamented that they are not happy with their position within the league, professing that their goal this season, if anything, should be to secure a Champions League position.
"We have made mistakes and in some games we could have won," Motta said. "We are the first to get angry because we always want to give our all. Now we have to make up for the points we dropped and focus game after game. The team is united and ready to face the next challenges, although we must not think too far ahead. We are not happy with where we are now. Our goal is to make it into the Champions League places and we must raise our level. But it is futile to look too far ahead, we only need to think about tomorrow's game."
Regarding the squad, Motta had much to say about tomorrow's starting lineup and some of his key players throughout the season.
Specifically, Motta spoke highly of players like Teun Koopmeiners — who, after arriving from Atalanta this summer, has asserted his position as a central component of the squad, earning him the captain's armband against Torino this past weekend. Tuesday will be Koopmeiners' first matchup against his former club since his summer move to Juventus.
"Koopmeiners is exactly the player and the person I expected," Motta said. "He transmits so much to his teammates and sacrifices himself for them. Tomorrow will be a special game for him, as he returns to a place where he has done well and won."
Motta also spoke about another midfielder, Douglas Luiz, who made his first start since mid-October in last weekend's Derby della Mole.
"Douglas Luiz is still recovering, but he can play," Motta said. "He played for the full game against Torino and at a great level, even though he hadn't started for a long time. We chose to leave him lower to free up Khephren Thuram and manage his energy for the 90 minutes."
Other players Motta spoke about were youngsters Kenan Yildiz and Samuel Mbangula. Both players, to varying degrees, have burst onto the scene this season and signaled the promising future of the squad.
"Kenan Yildiz is doing well, both on the right and on the left," Motta said. "He's growing fast and has great qualities, but he needs to improve defensively to be more decisive in counter-attacks. Samuel Mbangula has grown very quickly, adapting because of the difficulties he has encountered. He is an altruistic guy, and must keep pushing to improve further."
Finally, with regard to his squad, Motta gave an update on Andrea Cambiaso, who after asserting himself as one of Juventus' best players and team leaders at the beginning of the season, has been stifled by an ankle injury he suffered last December.
"Andrea Cambiaso is improving a lot and against Torino he entered the match with precision and focus," Motta said. "He is fundamental for us and we are happy to have the Cambiaso from the beginning of the season back."
