Juventus Coach Thiago Motta: Inter and Napoli Lead Race for Serie A Title
Juventus manager Thiago Motta believes that Inter Milan and Napoli are the frontrunners in this season's Serie A title race. Speaking ahead of Juventus' challenging away match against Inter on Sunday, Motta acknowledged the strong positions of both clubs, which have claimed the last two league titles. "It’s clear that the favourites to win the league are Napoli and Inter; they have won the last two Scudetti. Tomorrow, we have to face Inter with focus and courage," Motta said in a press conference.
Historically, Juventus have been the most successful team in Italian football with 36 Serie A titles, their most recent win coming in 2020. However, the past few seasons have seen a shift in Serie A’s competitive landscape, with Inter, Napoli, and AC Milan each winning the title in recent years. Juventus finished third last season, but they were 23 points behind champions Inter. The previous season, when Napoli took the Scudetto, Juventus ended in seventh place, trailing by a substantial 28 points.
Juventus currently sits third in the league standings, with 16 points, just one point behind second-placed Inter and three points behind Napoli. When asked if the gap between Juventus and the title favorites had narrowed, Motta replied, “It’s not me who thinks it has; the facts speak for themselves.”
Motta, in his debut season with Juventus, remains optimistic about the team’s mindset, especially after their recent 1-0 Champions League loss to VfB Stuttgart. "There’s no need to work on mentality; the guys are in good shape. In a historic team like ours, expectations are extremely high,” he stated, adding that Juventus is focused on each game without dwelling too long on past results. "Stuttgart is behind us, and now we’re going to play Inter."
This season, Juventus have scored 11 goals in their eight league matches, a tally that is modest in comparison to Inter’s 17 goals. Motta hinted at tactical flexibility in their attacking approach, with players like Kenan Yildiz playing just behind Dusan Vlahovic, who has scored five goals in eight games. While Yildiz has yet to score this season, Motta remains open to exploring diverse scoring strategies: "We have scored in many different ways this season, with forwards positioned strategically. We’ll see what works best tomorrow."
As Juventus face their rivals in a crucial clash, Motta’s focus is on channeling the team’s determination and adapting their approach to challenge the title favorites, Inter and Napoli.
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