Juventus will soon embark on a new phase in their history with the appointment of Thiago Motta as their head coach. The 41-year-old, who led Bologna to its most successful season in recent times, is reportedly on the verge of completing a move to Turin. The imminent appointment has provided the Juventus faithful with lots of enthusiasm and hope in restoring the club’s glory.
🚨⚪️⚫️ Thiago Motta to Juventus, deal sealed and set to be announced soon — here we go, confirmed!
The manager has informed Bologna of his decision to leave the club after fantastic season, as expected.
Thiago will now sign as new Juventus head coach until June 2027. pic.twitter.com/bKgF099Rz4
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 23, 2024
Bologna released an official statement on their website, declaring Thiago Motta’s intention to not renew his contract at the club. The news was earlier reported in the day by the ever-reliable, Fabrizio Romano who provided the details of the future association between Motta and Juventus. The Italian manager will reportedly earn around $5 million per season as per his contract with Juventus which will keep him at the Turin club until at least 2027.
The Old Lady of Italian soccer struggled to generate consistent results during the 2023/24 campaign. Despite winning the Coppa Italia, Juventus’ struggles in the league in the latter part of the season saw them sink to the fourth place in the Serie A table, 25 points behind the eventual champions, Inter Milan. Massimiliano Allegri, consequently was relieved of his managerial duties by the Italian giants.
Juventus has struggled with managers with different playing styles
Juventus was Italian soccer’s pride in European competitions during most parts of the last decade. At a time when other Italian teams were experiencing a transitional phase, Juventus under Antonio Conte and later Allegri was dominating the domestic competitions, unlike any other team in the league’s history. Unfortunately, for them, ever since the departure of Allegri in 2018, the club has struggled remarkably to reach those heights again.
Massimiliano Allegri will go down as one of the greatest Juventus managers in the club’s history, but ultimately, the sequel is never as good as the original and he embarrassed both himself and his club with his cup final antics. The time has come for a change in Turin. https://t.co/SmHfqSYMsF pic.twitter.com/57rp97neBP
— Zach Lowy (@ZachLowy) May 23, 2024
The failure of Juventus in past seasons can mainly attributed to their lack of direction while choosing their managers. Following Allegri’s initial departure, Maurizio Sarri took over as the coach and failed miserably to impose his style of play.
The next in line was Andrea Pirlo, who despite initial struggles was praised for introducing a modern style of soccer but was not given enough time to build a project. In the end, Juventus opted for Allegri again, who this time around was not able to replicate his first spell at the club and faced constant criticisms for his pessimistic way of approaching games.
Thiago Motta has had a dream run with Bologna
Thiago Motta was appointed as the manager of Bologna in the summer transfer window of 2022. At the time of his induction, no one would have predicted the levels of improvement that Bologna has shown under the Italian coach. Considered as one of the most promising modern-day managers on the planet, Motta was successful in teaching the players his style of playing which is characterized by counter-pressing and defensive stability.
Grazie Thiago Motta!
You brought Champions League football to Bologna after 60 years.
Your achievements and influence will always be remembered Thiago. pic.twitter.com/iyzybyCeRb
— Mfalsafa (@fcimrobin) May 23, 2024
During his second season at the club, the 41-year-old firmly made a name for himself among the best managers in Italian soccer. His Bologna side finished a historic third in Serie A, earning Champions League qualification for the first time in almost 60 years. The eye-catching soccer played by his team has driven excitement amongst the Juventus faithful who will be eager for Motta to lead the club to the Scudetto having not won it since 2020.