Motta talks Juve's Leipzig win and Bremer's injury, but refuses to comment on Pogba
Today at 01:15 PM
Motta's thoughts ahead of their home game against Cagliari, and a momentous win at Leipzig
After an eventful and dramatic Champions League victory over RB Leipzig, Juventus returns to Serie A with Sunday's lunchtime kickoff against Cagliari at the Allianz Stadium.
Although we're still left to wait and see if the Leipzig victory will act as a catalyst for future success this season, Juventus continued to put their scoring drought in the past and again showed their desire to assert themselves as a team to be reckoned with in Europe, it also came at the expense of Michele Di Gregorio's red card, Nico Gonzalez's injury, and a likely season-ending ACL tear for Gleison Bremer.
Responding to questions about Juve's injury list, with specific reference to Bremer, who as one of world football's most inform defenders, represents a significant loss for the club, Motta had this to say:
"The team have trained well, and winning helps you to work even better," Motta said. "(Arek) Milik, Bremer, Nico, (Vasilije) Adzic and (Timothy) Weah are unavailable, and everybody else will be called up for the game tomorrow. We're disappointed for Bremer. Now he has to stay calm, and to only think about recovering as best he can. We'll all give that bit extra for him. He's a great guy, both as a man and as a player."
Apart from the news of Bremer's unfortunate injury, another name dominating the headline and is now suddenly on every Juve fan's mind is Paul Pogba. The 31-year-old French midfielder, who returned to Juve in 2022 for the second stint at the club after spending six years at Manchester United, was slammed with a four-year doping ban for use of banned substance, dehydroepiandrosterone. However, according to reports that came out Friday, Pogba's ban has been reduced from four years to 18 months by the the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) following the appeals process, meaning that Juventus fans could see him back on the field as early as March.
Motta refused to comment about a potential return and asserted that the news about the player and whether he has a place in the squad once the ban is lifted will not take away from Juve's upcoming game against Cagliari, or any other fixtures for that matter.
"The club will decide what to do about Pogba." Motta said. "Pogba was a great player. He hasn't played for a long time. I'm focused on tomorrow's game, the rest doesn't matter."
Motta continued: "For us right now, the game tomorrow is our most important. We'll face a confident team after their win last time out. They're quick, strong on the break. (Roberto) Piccoli and (Zito) Luvumbo are in good form, and (Nicolas) Viola played really well against Parma. Tomorrow, though, we'll be at home in front of our fans and we want to use that in our favor."
Motta also spoke about the team dynamic and the state of the squad after Juve's win at Leipzig on Wednesday, and asserted that while the win was momentous, it simply clarified what he already knew — that this squad is inspired and ready for big things.
"Internally, the win in Leipzig hasn't changed anything," he said. "We're continuing to work as we have since day one. It's important to give everything in every game we play. In Leipzig I saw a team that wanted to try to win, despite being a player down. I followed my instinct and I'm happy with how the guys reacted. We're proud of Wednesday's performance.
"We will always keep our feet on the ground, knowing our strength and worth. But we can never lack enthusiasm. The more we have, the better it'll be for this group."
Finally, regarding the game against Leipzig, Motta was asked about some of the more contentious players in the squad, whose performances have either been criticized or their role in the starting XI questioned. Motta was asked about Nicolo Fagioli, Weston Mckennie, Dusan Vlahovic, Juan Cabal, and Francisco Conceicao.
"Fagioli played excellently on Wednesday, as did everybody. Nicolo can still get even better. Of course, it's important for him to find consistency and I'm sure he will, it's fundamental," Motta said. "McKennie winning the ball back for the third goal in Leipzig was extraordinary. It's amazing for a coach to have players like that at their disposal. I'm happy that Weston is part of this group, he's important for us.
"Dusan is a positive leader for us, I'll never tire of repeating it. His goals are important, but so is his ever-positive attitude. From the first day he started training with us he has always given his all. Cabal is doing well. He has to keep working as he has been and I'm sure he'll do well when he's called upon, his national team call-up is evidence of how he's doing.
"Conceicao has settled in very well. He's working well and I'm very happy with him. His attitude is spot on, he always gives his all in every training session and every match. He faces every day with the right attitude. I'm privileged to have a player like him in the squad."
