Motta Happy with Juventus Win, but Admits Room for Growth After Monza Clash

Juventus manager Thiago Motta praised Nicolas Gonzalez's adaptability after their 2-1 win over Monza, which ended the team's four-match winless streak.

Juventus manager Thiago Motta expressed his satisfaction with his team's 2-1 victory over Monza on Sunday, which brought an end to their four-match streak of draws in Serie A. The win was secured through first-half goals from Weston McKennie and Nicolas Gonzalez.

Despite the positive outcome, Motta acknowledged that Juventus could have wrapped up the game sooner, rather than allowing Monza to linger in contention until the final whistle.

Thiago Motta revealed that key midfielder Teun Koopmeiners was withdrawn at halftime as a precautionary measure due to a minor injury concern.

“Koopmeiners felt a bit of a pull in his adductor, we didn't want to risk it,” Motta explained, justifying the decision to substitute the midfielder to prevent any potential aggravation of the issue.

“We have always struggled against teams that defend and go on the counter. We needed to kill off the game, this is part of the growth process, taking the extra risk against these teams and potentially allowing counter-attacks,” Motta told DAZN.

“We were in the position to do the transitions with quality in the second half when we were in the lead, but we didn’t do it well enough.”

Thiago Motta commended winger Nicolas Gonzalez for his adaptability, particularly after he effectively played in the hole behind striker Dusan Vlahovic. “He can play on the right or left, as a centre-forward, but I also see him doing well there,” Motta said, highlighting Gonzalez's versatility. “I only ever use players in a role if they are convinced that they can do it.”

Despite the win, Juventus still trail leaders Atalanta by nine points. However, Motta emphasized that he doesn't focus on the standings during the holiday season. “We only look at the table at the end of the season. Before that we take it one game at a time and try to aim for the maximum result against every opponent,” he explained. Juventus will next host fifth-placed Fiorentina, who have the same 31 points, on Sunday, although Fiorentina have two games in hand.