Motta Laments Juventus' Sixth Consecutive Defeat at Napoli

Juventus manager Thiago Motta lamented his team's sixth consecutive defeat at Napoli, citing minor mistakes as a key factor in their 2-1 loss.

Juventus manager Thiago Motta expressed his disappointment after his team suffered their first Serie A loss of the season at the hands of leaders Napoli on Saturday. Motta attributed Napoli's success to the ample preparation time they have for matches, given that they are not participating in European competitions this season.

Napoli staged a remarkable second-half comeback to secure a 2-1 victory, thanks to goals from Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa and Romelu Lukaku. This win allowed Napoli to maintain their lead at the top of the table with 53 points, six points clear of Inter Milan, who have two games in hand. Juventus, meanwhile, dropped to fifth place with 37 points.

Motta acknowledged Napoli's strengths, saying, “I'm disappointed with the defeat. We had a good first half, causing our opponents a lot of problems, a side that is not top of the table as a fluke because they have a great coach and had the opportunity to prepare all week for this.” He also highlighted the disparity in preparation time, noting, “However, we did not have that luxury and it showed, because all the good work we did in the first half, we struggled to replicate in the second and that is why we were unable to win.”

Juventus dominated the opening period, taking the lead into halftime courtesy of a debut goal from France forward Randal Kolo Muani, who recently joined on loan from Paris Saint-Germain. However, Napoli seized control in the second half, exerting immense pressure on Juventus and ultimately securing the comeback victory.

FT | ⏹️ | It ends in Naples.#NapoliJuve pic.twitter.com/JeQyqVWCXF

— JuventusFC 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@juventusfcen) January 25, 2025

Thiago Motta reflected on Juventus' struggles at Napoli's home stadium, saying, “We reacted well in many other situations, we just didn't do it today. Juve have not won here since 2019, it is important to point that out. It is the sixth consecutive defeat for the club here so evidently that is a tough place for us.”

Motta identified minor mistakes as a key factor in Juventus' defeat. He explained, ”The idea was to press and defend well but we were unable to do that because our quality was lacking and when we started giving the ball away Napoli tended to win the duels and that gave them an advantage.” This lack of quality and inability to maintain possession ultimately proved costly for Juventus.