In Italy, the departure of the Italian-Brazilian coach is a foregone conclusion even before the start of the Club World Cup. Not even the achievement of the 4th place in the Italian championship would save a coach who has not been up to the task at the ‘Vecchia Signora’.
Juventus’ comeback, which had taken advantage of the slip-ups of the teams in the upper echelons to move back to within 5 points of the top, was thwarted by an excellent Atalanta that strolled through the Juventus Stadium with a 0-4 win. The defeat does not leave the ‘Bianconeri’ completely out of options for the remainder of the season, but the feeling of impotence conveyed by the Turin team did severely damage the image of Thiago Motta.
The Italian-Brazilian had avoided the criticism of the European elimination thanks to the good moment shown by the ‘Vecchia Signora’ in the Serie A, but the ‘Bianconeri’, also out of the Coppa Italia after losing on penalties to Empoli at home, have made life difficult for themselves with the result against the team from Bergamo.
It seems that all the important matches have ended in disappointment for the Turin side, who have also drawn a multitude of matches in which they were considered strong favourites. ‘La Gazzetta dello Sport’ suggests that this weekend’s 4-0 defeat is a turning point and says that the ‘Vecchia Signora’ board no longer sees Motta as the right man to lead the club in the future.
The analysis carried out by the Italian press gives the coach practically sentenced and also advances that the new coach of the ‘Bianconeri’ will not be one of transition, but a recognised man within the ‘Calcio’. In ‘La Gazzetta dello Sport’ they suggest the names of Gasperini, De Zerbi and a Conte who is fighting for the ‘Scudetto’ with a Napoli team that has a squad somewhat inferior to the rest of the Italian giants.
Based on the above, it seems certain that Thiago Motta will finish the season and will try to secure at least 4th place, which is the minimum required for Juventus this season. In case there is no miraculous reaction between now and the end of the season, the former player would leave the ‘Bianconeri’ right after the end of the championship, always with the desire of the Juventus board to have a replacement before the start of the Club World Cup on foreign soil.