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Thiago Motta Crisis: Were Juventus Better Off With Max Allegri? (Clip From Ep. 477)
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After Juventus drew again in the Serie A this time against Bologna, Nima Tavallaey and Carlo Garganese discuss, debate and analyze if Juve were better off under Max Allegri than they are under Thiago Motta.
This is an extended clip from this week's free Monday episode of The Italian Football Podcast which is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google podcasts.
To listen to this & all other full episodes of The Italian Football Podcast (with no ads), go to Patreon.com/TIFP OR now also available on Spotify to become a Patron for only $2.99 USD per month (excluding VAT).
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Transcript
Introduction to the Italian Football Podcast
00:00:03
Speaker
Welcome to the Italian football podcast.
Juventus' Current Performance Challenges
00:00:05
Speaker
Let's move on to Juventus now, who preserve their unbeaten record in Serie A. Un Bangula scoring right at the death two minutes into injury time to to save Juve 2-2 coming back from two goals down. but um the bottom line is overall, it's ah it's another negative result for Juventus, who now fall, I mean, we can now absolutely for certain write off the Scudetto. I mean, i there's any doubt about that. um this the you know They're way off the top, but but even though again, as we said with with Milan, Juventus really do have to be careful now with the with the with the top four.
00:00:49
Speaker
um you know, if Fiorentina win their game in hand, there'll be seven points. I know the a game in hand is against Inter, but the they you you know there'll be seven points off off the top four.
Team Criticism and Defensive Issues
00:01:00
Speaker
um and And, you know, as I said for Milan, while we don't expect a Fiorentina or even a Lazio necessarily to continue the incredible starts to the season that they've made, if Milan and Juventus keep, you know,
00:01:15
Speaker
Producing the results that they are then by default they're going to struggle to get in the top four That's just basic fact based on the results that they and the performances um So so yeah, it is concerning it is concerning um in this game. I thought Juventus were Really poor for the most of this game and defended poor which hasn't been the case this season Loca telly and Rui on the first goal dreadful defending Locatelli and Gatti on the second goal all for defending. um Defensively, they they struggled. Gatti, he had a shocker here. Calulio was pretty poor. Rui, it's I can't criticise the guy because it's so obvious that he's nowhere near this level at this stage of his career. um I mean, hes you you saw that, ah but you can't blame him.
Midfield Struggles and Game Management
00:02:07
Speaker
He shouldn't be left, Juventus shouldn't be in a position that they're having to play Rui.
00:02:12
Speaker
um and but not just the defence, the midfield was awful that it motivated the decision to to to bench to round, which I kind of understand because you've got, you know, yet need to rest. and But there isn't many options. Locatelli and Fagioli, my gosh, they they were bad um in this game. I mean, Bologna, until the Bologna first goal,
00:02:34
Speaker
Juventus were completely dominated in midfield, outplayed. Juventus couldn't get out at all. This wasn't like some of the other games we've had with Juventus where they've dominated possession but they've just been completely sterile. This was a game where Italiano for really until Juventus went for broke at 2-0 and tried to try to desperately rescue the game and managed to get their way back it and managed to somehow salvage a point. This is a game where Juventus are outplayed in terms of the football, in terms of the control of the game and the Italianos completely outcoached Motta in this game. um So it was it was very, very concerning um and like we said you said about Fonseca
00:03:19
Speaker
his comments at the end of the game i think the fact that motta got himself sent off ah get chosen that's an example the that is ah ah highlights that the pressure is is getting to to to motta um and i would expand on that the players, I didn't like the fact that the players were arguing,
Juventus Under Pressure and Scudetto Race
00:03:41
Speaker
complaining at the ref. The ref was awful in this game, right? And there's no doubt about that. But if you're a big team, you can't, you know, winners, winning teams do not argue and moan and blame the referee, especially when they're for for relatively minor things like getting a yellow card or giving away a free kick in the middle of the pitch.
00:03:59
Speaker
They were moaning and arguing nonstop. They were losing their their heads over over these like minor fouls that they weren't getting. And that is not how a team, a winning team behaves. And that for me, that was that was very concerning as well. um I don't mind players complaining as long as they don't lose their concentration and focus. Yes, they did. And that's that shows to me that Juventus are under pressure.
00:04:29
Speaker
Again, to echo pretty much what we said about Milan, I'd say this is even worse. Because realistically, no one but the most ardent Milan fan believed Milan had a sprayer to win the Scioretto this season. However,
00:04:50
Speaker
Juventus spent a lot and they are out now in December out of the Scudetore's earlier than last year with Allegri.
Injury Crisis and Squad Depth Problems
00:05:00
Speaker
That is utterly unacceptable. There is no painting, there's no perfumes or Any spin in the world that can change that fact that Juventus have already failed in the Serie A at an earlier stage than previous seasons under Allegri, especially last season, and that's just unacceptable. That is just not good enough. Whose fault that is? There's plenty of blame to go around.
00:05:29
Speaker
The injury situation, which is a joke now, can Biasso out again? God knows, what is a month now? What is it? He's going to be going for a month? Well, as we we're recording this on Sunday afternoon. and The last I heard that they were doing tests today. um So I don't know if anything's come out yet about how long he's going to be out for. so Yeah, I saw something. I hope it's not a month, of the way because he's been Juventus' best player this season. So it's it's a total disaster. If Rui has to play another game ah left back, then we we might as well just go home now. so um yeah is so Yeah, I think you're spot on. there's ah There's a lot of blame. I want to continue because I think there's there is also Juntoli. I think not just because, not just what he did
00:06:15
Speaker
um is oh no yeah now he saw he's got a he's got some he's got an ankle injury um cambbias so yeah but Yeah, we knew that, yeah yeah. Nobody says they're going to monitor him, but yeah he's going to come back until he's not going to be out until 2025. Christ almighty. When Giuntoli failed Juventus, not just this summer, but also the summer under Allegri, and the windows under Allegri, he didn't give him anything.
00:06:45
Speaker
Well, he you veners were hamed I can't blame Jun Cili for the allegory summer. Juventus were completely hammer-strong. They were butchered by the ban in Europe. There's nothing... nuclear but there's nothing like but He couldn't do anything in that summer. There was nothing he could do. So I don't blame him there. No, well, well he couldn't do anything. He didn't do anything.
00:07:03
Speaker
And and and and he didn't you know when it was clearly obvious that Allegri was going to leave at the end of that season, it was obvious to everybody. And and that's why Allegri reacted the way he did. He felt disrespected, right? So everybody knew this. And yet there were no real preparation done. That entire year is just a wasted year. Nothing was done to prepare for Tiago Mota coming. And when Tiago Mota came, if you remember last summer, a lot of things were done really late as well.
00:07:31
Speaker
um we I think they did they did prepare. or they they They did do the preparations, like the cook miners deal was done months was prepared months in advance, they just couldn't get the funds, they couldn't get the offload the players in time or even offload play at some players. you know you you know i think listen I think the mistake that Junceli made was the squad wasn't big enough. So as soon as they started, I don't care, the injury situation is separate, I'll come to that. As soon as the event has started to get these injuries, and of course there's way too many injuries than could anybody could possibly thought that you can prepare a squiffer to deal with this many injuries. any Any team would struggle when you've got more than half, you've got half your squad injured. Of course, any squad's
Transfer Market Decisions and Criticisms
00:08:16
Speaker
gonna struggle. But they were still, even regardless of the injuries, they were still too thin. And that is, you know,
00:08:23
Speaker
to go into the season, for example, with only one fit striker, that's on Gently, you know, because we everybody knew that Millik was going to be out for half a season. You can't go with just one one striker into the into the season. they were they were one They were short on one winger as well. They tried to bring in Sancho. When that hap didn't happen, they just didn't bother bringing in anyone else. So they were short on a winger um as well. They were fine at Centre midfield, but obviously the injuries and the the inexplicable form of of some of the bad form of the sign-ins. Defense, they were too short. There's no doubt that they tried to sign Toddebo and Calafuri before, and then when they didn't get them, they just got Calulu and they didn't bring anyone else in. So they were left short, probably one or two men in defense short. So I think that's the biggest criticism on Junzli is that he he didn't get he didn't bring in enough numbers.
00:09:15
Speaker
um and the one criticism that i've made and i've i've been i have to have to say i've been proven 100 right on this i was very very critical of the decision to sign because i understand that that jinzni only had so much budget to play with and in some ways he's done a very good job at getting all the high earners off on on cutting the salary the wage bill down massively. He'd done very, very well on that. And I understand that he only had so much budget to play with and it wasn't easy to do all the business that he was trying to revolutionize the squad with the budget he had to play with. I mean, you're going to spend a lot of money, but their net spend is only around about 50, just over 50 million. So it's not like they went out and spent a crazy net spend. They spent a hell of a lot of money, gross-wise, but when you take the
00:10:05
Speaker
When you when you cut off and especially when you then do the amortization with the wage bill and everything, he's actually does the spending actually hasn't been that high. um But it wasn't easy to do that juggling. But where I'm very, very critical of is the decision to scientific order. I will make I said it that the minute they bought him, I think it was a big, big mistake.
00:10:24
Speaker
because that they spent 20 million on Diego Giorgio, right? That should have been, if they weren't really, really wanted to sign Diego Giorgio, they should have booked it for next year. If they they were that desperate to sign him, they should have booked it for next year. There was no need to spend 20 million on Diego Giorgio now when he had Chesney already for one more year. And in the end, they they got rid of Chesney and they had to give him a payoff for him to go. I don't know how much it was, but they that had to pay him off. So it wasn't like he went for free. They already had Perin.
00:10:52
Speaker
who's actually become the first choice goalkeeper in the last few games. He played again at the weekend. Perrin's clearly good enough to to to do to do a to do what they wanted to have him for one season. They should have gone with Chesney and Perrin just for this one season, or if they really wanted to get Chesney off the books, get rid of Chesney, have Perrin as your number one, and bring in someone for
Offensive Struggles and Comparisons to Allegri Era
00:11:11
Speaker
cheap.
00:11:11
Speaker
for for for a season as you as as you as your backup goalkeeper, that would have been absolutely fine. Spend that 20 million on bringing in a player for your outfield, which you need, or even bringing it in into two players. That was a big mistake. That is where I'm most critical. for that yes might that mean That's absolutely part of it. I mean, it's it's all of that. also so and that's not By the way, can i just just to specify, just just so that no one has a go, that's not me saying that I don't like Gregoria. I think he's good. I think he's actually done quite well for Juventus and I think he's going to be a good goalkeeper for Juventus.
00:11:44
Speaker
you but that that they needed to see they needed to understand what the priorities were. And by signing through Gregorio, it meant that they they they went short in the outfield, in certain areas of the field, and that has hurt them more when now, during the season, with with a lack of squad and with all these injuries. So that's where I blame Juntzli the most. Yeah, no, without a doubt. um it's it's It's that, but you know to continue what I said, that The injuries juntoli and for for everything you said, and and and also we have to talk about Thiago Mota. He has so far failed to create ah to to at JUVA. I mean, we're talking about a JUVA. OK, they haven't lost. That's great. And that's always important. And draw ventus and all that, paregentus and all that that everyone's joking about. But at the same time,
00:12:40
Speaker
When you create 0.48 in the first half against Bologna at home, um you have one chance, really, which Vlauvic again squanders. Well, that's Fagioli Mr Seir, to be fair, in that first half. That was the big chance, the Fagioli one, which he put over. and but But yeah, not not good enough. Again, under one XG in total, of this game. you know it's not <unk>s no It's not good enough. It's not good enough. And and it's it's not just this game. It's over and over and over again this this season.
00:13:11
Speaker
and they they just it's like i said they it looks really nice when as soon as they reach just outside the penalty not in this game though in general yes in general this season the flat lines not in this game no ideas this game was horrible even from that even from that aspect it's horrible it was but yeah it was also this is also on motta and he you know again I've been told for the last four years that Chiesa was destroyed because of Allegri. Well, ki Federico Chiesa now plays with the cop kids. He's the star of the cop kids. He plays with children in Liverpool. He doesn't even play with the second team. He plays with literal teenagers. That's Federico Chiesa. Yeah, but but that's got nothing to do with Allegri. Allegri destroyed the first half of the season. No, no, no, no. I've got to come back on that just before you move on. Allegri destroyed Kaze in the first half of the season. The first half of the first season.
00:14:09
Speaker
Federico Chiesa's career was ruined by the injury. He had nothing to do with Max Alegu. He is literally playing with teenagers in Liverpool. That is not on Max Alegu. He was a son of a cop kid. That's what he is. He didn't play him all the time at right wing back, he played him a couple of games there but he also said that he wanted to play him as a second striker and he refused to play there and said he hates playing and he wants to play under the wing. And the result of that has happened, well now he's the star of Cop Kids, he's not even part of the first team, he plays with children in Liverpool.
00:14:55
Speaker
That's not Alegri's fault. Then you have Dusan Vlaovic, who, if you go on social media, Juventus fans are now, for 2024 alone, doing ah video compilations of his misses, which are three, four, five minutes long, of Vlaovic missing sitters. That's not Vlaovic. That was also Alegri's fault. But it's not this is what I'm saying. Thiago Motta has been given more backing, has been given pretty much everything he needed, and he's failed so far. Alegri was not backed.
00:15:24
Speaker
So I think we should look back. No, he wasn't back last season. He was back in the but the second season. He was back. We cannot say we're back. Look at you. Look, he got everything he wanted. Every single sign in that the leg we asked for in his second season, he asked what he got. He got Pogba. He got the Maria. He got Paredes. Every single player he asked for, he got he wanted readymade development. place He got everything.
00:15:45
Speaker
he got everything he wanted. He did not get everything he wanted and the very idea that you're looking for Pogba and the idea that you're looking for beauty. He named the three players he wanted were Pogba, Di Maria, Peredis. They were the three players he got all of them. He even said after that that he got the players that he wanted in the transfer market. So he got what he wanted.
00:16:01
Speaker
last season he did it but that was because of the not getting in europe and there was nothing i'm not just that but also if you look at his entire tenure all i heard for for the three years he was there was how what a disaster he is how horrible he is he was a disaster but that doesn't change the fact that he was a disaster is irrelevant let me finish let me finish is irrelevant has been a cluster f of a disaster so far at uva despite being backed 10 000 times more than allegory was in three years and all i'm hearing is a leg he was horrible I like it was horrible every single season he won one a trophy the Agomata is is not gonna is well his heart is not in the top four now he's creating less than than that and he's got a much better score than I like the ever So, no, no, no, no, no. The fact of the matter is... The fact of the matter is that Motters also had half of his squad available. You can't say it's being backed. And Max Olegli had a club that didn't exist because they did a bunch of nonsense which forced them to resign. So what's the point? No, the point is... The point is that Motters don't make Olegli good. No, it does. It means that maybe the problem at Juventus has had nothing to do with Allegri as such, but it's everything to do with a club who's in complete turmoil, who has no idea what they're doing, and they haven't had an idea what they're doing pretty much since Marotta
Management and Coaching Criticisms
00:17:26
Speaker
left. That's the point. And he has got absolutely F all to do with Max Allegri, who despite in the face of unbelievable problems, created and delivered good results, whilst Thiago Morta, who
00:17:39
Speaker
is is is was backed fully has delivered worse results now does that i was nuanced then i'm nuanced now i'm saying motta still needs time you can't just give up the project completely but at one standard will do just fine if we're going to crucify allegory as being this that and the other the same standard to reply when we look at the agumota who is failing. I agree with you. I agree with you. But but that number the same goes the other way. You can't say just because Mota is struggling right now that suddenly Allegri did well, when when everybody that watched Allegri for three years could see could tell you that he was a diser he was that he was horrific. It was absolutely horrific. So that doesn't change anything. You understand that the reason why Allegri failed those years was because of a Juventus incomplete turmoil. The Juventus are not in complete turmoil anymore now. They have a new management in place, a management that is making mistakes. But it's incomparable.
00:18:30
Speaker
to compare this Juventus with the one that Allegri inherited after the Cristiano Ronaldo debacle. It's just not even remotely comparable. And if you take all the ah all the factors into into consideration, you see that actually Allegri did pretty okay. It wasn't that bad. The problem then comes that when you start investing, Douglas Luis, 60 million, complete flop. Cook Miners finally scores a goal.
00:18:52
Speaker
But he's hardly been there. There's been there's been there's been circumstances to both the struggles of Allegri and Motte. If you want a nuanced take, there's been circumstances that we can talk about him being back to more in the transfer market this this summer it saving of try in terms of trying to build something.
00:19:08
Speaker
for the future absolutely no doubt about it but when when you have nine of those players unavailable for the last month and a half then that is a circumstance a huge circumstance which you can't say our motto has got all the players that you want he hasn't had them they will be injured most of them you know so so you know there's circumstances it's not just one or the other and i agree with you for those ah for those that that said it was all allegory Well, it's been shown it wasn't all allegory, but also the same goes the other way, Nimr. The same goes to the idiots that are all pining for allegory to come back, thinking if allegory was in charge, that suddenly it all would be okay. It wouldn't be all okay. It would be the same as it same as as it was. So, you know, there's there's you got if you want to talk about nuance, you've got to go both ways on both on both sides. um that's the that's the that's the that's the way If I want to blame Mota on something about the injuries and say that he's actually contributed to the injuries, I've been speaking to sources.
00:19:59
Speaker
at Juventus actually and I've been told by a number of sources that Juventus players are not happy with Thiago Motta's training sessions, that they're too intense, that he's making no exceptions or changes based on if there are multiple games in a week or if players are coming back from international duty and that a number of the players believe that this is this is contributing greatly to their to their to their to their injury crisis. Now if I want to criticise Motta if this is true, and um this comes from more than one source, if this is true, then yes, this is where you start criticising, we definitely start criticising, because he's directly contributing to this injury crisis. um And, you know, McKinney, I've been told that McKinney came back from international duty. And as soon as he stepped off the plane,
00:20:49
Speaker
the same day or the day after, he was put into a highly intense training session and then he got injured straight away because he wasn't, you know, he was overloaded. And the motto, there's been criticism that motto is treating the eventers like Bologna in the sense that Bologna were playing once a week, last week, and ah last season, sorry, and and that um the Allegri is, i'm sorry, that um that this season the eventers are playing you know twice a week and that you know you have to tailor your your your training regimes and your intensity of your training sessions and the number of your training sessions and how you train the players and the rest that you give the players when you're playing more. um So this is what I've been told. you know and think yeah i I don't want to blame it all on myself because again I've been following Juventus for years and I know during the Allegri's time
00:21:37
Speaker
injuries were also a problem they were never as bad as this i mean this is off the charts this is this is an absolute scandal what's going on and again coming back to motto needs to be taken to account you know look at the event has seemed that played against bologna i mean danielo who's completely finished ruey who's who's a sedia q player you know he's a teenager we don't know what level players are not ready at this level no he's not exactly that's the point and that's again like i said Timothy Weyer, you know, Fagioli.
Injury Issues and Training Methods
00:22:03
Speaker
Look, these are the level of players we're talking about here. So, you know, these kind of things need to be taken into account. But if Motta, Motta also, he needs to he needs to look at himself and realize, well, you know, we're playing twice a week. I need to, you know, I can't do things exactly how I how I want to do them. and But I think this is an Italian problem as well. I think Italian, I've said it many times, all the coaches I've been to Italian coaching in terms of training the players physically, it's completely outdated.
00:22:29
Speaker
um is too intense. They run plays into the ground, starting from pre-season into the matches. And that is why the Serie A is the worst league in Europe for for injuries, for ACLs. We had another ACL, by the way, at the weekend. ah It looks like ah Gaspar for Lecce. It's because that we're not we're over we're we're we're exhausting our players and we're training them too hard. um So, you know, this is what I've been told. um And it would make sense, I think, if this is this is if this is the case.
00:22:58
Speaker
No, i i if if that was the case it would make sense, but it could also be a way by people at Juventus trying to protect their own asses by blaming it on Mota and saying that it's and you know the the reason we have such an injury crisis because of his training methods as opposed to the the staff that work with with the health and to monitor players' health and and so on and so forth. they yeah except so so i don't i don't i'm not you know i don't I take that with a pinch
Debate on Coaching Strategies and Future Prospects
00:23:24
Speaker
of salt. I do, however, think that, yes, Mota is to blame for this as well, because, again, it's not just him. It's all it's it's all of the above. How much
00:23:33
Speaker
ah how much portion percentage to blame, most 30%, 40%, 20%. That's a separate debate. But the fact of the matter is that Juventus today in December 2024 are way off worse with a better team than Allegri had last season. And those are just the facts.
00:23:52
Speaker
and injury-wise they're also far worse and Allegri was also mocked for the way he prepared players. I'm just saying my nuanced position on this is I'm not giving up on their motta project but it would be completely, in fact I think he should be given more time, I think Giuntoli should be given more of the blame for not doing properly and in either window, neither last summer or this summer or any of the or any of the windows that he's been at Juve until to be perfectly honest.
00:24:18
Speaker
And so we should give him time and it takes time to grow and all these things. But the fact of the matter is, the way that Allegri was shut on for three and a half years, for three years, continuously, and Mota being given a pass despite being given more funds. I don't think he's been given a pass. Who's given him a pass? Nobody's given a pass. You are. You're literally giving him a pass. I'm giving him a pass. Compared to Allegri, you're giving him a pass, which I think is just ridiculous. Am I?
00:24:44
Speaker
I've said something completely different for the last month, where I've been criticising Mota continuously for a month. I'm saying it's simple that, because Mota is struggling with Juventus, does not change anything of the fact that Allegri was horrific for Juventus for three years. That's what I'm saying. If that's given Moturapaz, then I don't see how that is given Moturapaz, because I'm literally saying... If Allegri had spent as much with Allegri... No, I'm saying Allegri got everything that he wanted in the second season, which is plain fact, he even said it himself. He even said it himself. The fact that you have a sporting director that doesn't even see a problem with the fact that you bring in Paredes and Pogba,
00:25:22
Speaker
and is you're putting it on the court. But they they well that was Allegri's demand. Allegri took over the transfer. Allegri was in charge of transfers that second summer. Jose Mourinho demanded Frank Lampard and Ricardo Carvalho at Inter, but Inter said no. they got Instead they got um they got ah Lucio and Wesley Snyder and they won the treble. like this is the This is why you have a sporting director. Someone who understands the dynamics and the finances of it and can bring the coach on board. Juventus have not had a proper sporting director for years. They have Giuntoli, who's obviously failed since he's been there, because look at the state of Juventus now on the squad. So that's what I'm saying. it's There's plenty of blame to go around. There's plenty of blame to go around. Juventus were bad under Allegri. They're bad under Allegri. I'd give any worse now, but they are
00:26:09
Speaker
they are they are there is hope for the future that's all i'm saying that there is action which is why i'd much rather be as the eventus fan much rather be in the position eventus or in now than under a legary under legary there was no hope it was just going to be like this forever with no not building towards anything and that's exactly what i mean about giving motor pass no i i'm not talking about monster i'm talking about the whole project here as well i'm not talking just the Because alleg there was no project under Allegri, because there was no so no club under Allegri. That's the point I'm making, and that's where we disagree. I think that Allegri was very poorly treated, and I think that he this is redemption for him. Allegri had no no no intention himself of building a project, which is why when he which is what he didn't. That's why he demanded established players, like a 34-year-old di Maria, and a clearly pasted Pogba, and ah and a parade is, and he's taking it somewhere, because he didn't want to build. He wanted players already there,
00:26:59
Speaker
because If an actual sporting director was there to create a project and and unite, he would he would not have been in that position. But Juventus, like I said, there was nothing there. And so they had to just bring in something to make him happy. Again, you work you work as a team. It's not just one manager. This isn't football from the 80s anymore. You have to have a team behind you with a clear project, with a clear identity. Allegri was sold to the wind.
00:27:21
Speaker
just left alone here, like we just make this work for a couple of years while we balance the books and then bring someone to replace you. Oh, in the meantime, you're going to be hung out to dry every week in the media. Like, no, it's it's it's this. He was treated poorly. And I think it's it's not fair to to to to crucify him the way that he was, especially when he when it's worse now, the results are worse now. The injuries are worse now. The chance go is if not worse at the same level. And the position of Juventus in the league is far worse.
00:27:48
Speaker
Well, people keep going on about them being nine points worse off now than they were under a leg of our season. But that's not how you you look at it. You look at it over the course of the season. After 15 games, we can't make comparisons. Well, no, because the set well, if we're going to do that, then we can we'll compare the second half of of of Mott's season. was Absolutely. But I don't have like when you have them yeah and all of the worst second half leg. We had one of the worst second half of the season in the history of the first season.
00:28:14
Speaker
he won't perform them no regardless forget about the second half the points in the first half of the season the points just in the second half of the season were one of the worst second halves of the season it's irrelevant how he did in the first half of the season i'm talking about just no it's not because Look at the points in the second half of the season last season. It's not irrelevant because you don't know the future. I don't have a crystal ball. I have no idea. If I did, I would play the lottery every week. I have no bloody idea what's going to happen in the future, right? If I could accurately predict it, then that's then I would, like I said, I play the lottery. I play Toto Calce every week, but no.
Financial Challenges and Expectations
00:28:52
Speaker
So what I'm saying is the only comparison we can make is what
00:28:55
Speaker
based on the results we have and after 15 games with Mota these are the results compared to last season after 15 games that's what and that's the comparison we're making and that's the only one we can do so you can but i think i don't think it's relevant when you when you look at the second half of the season if you want if you go no we can look at this ten after you went off in the desk second now at this point compare the points per game last season. Allegri last season, I've just worked it out, points per game, 1.86 for Mota, 1.8. Finish the season with 71 points and Mota right now will finish on 68 points. So three points less than the Allegri. So Allegri's got three more points over the course of the season. So he's doing a little bit better. So far.
00:29:37
Speaker
You know, so far, but again, like, again, I don't, I don't, that those predictions are irrelevant. I'm talking about the actual measurable quantifiable results that we have up until this point, the, when we get to match day 35, 36, 38, then we can compare them overall. But right now, as of things are Tiago Mota has.
00:29:54
Speaker
been backed far more than Allegri and he's delivered far more results and those are just the facts, those are just the empirical facts. Now why that is, it's a completely different discussion which we've already covered. My issue is Allegri was very poorly treated and I think it was poorly respected, disrespected and I think this is redemption for him and it just goes to show that it wasn't, it's not that easy at a club like Juva to have to handle everything, especially when you have a sporting director that from the minute he took over was obvious, he didn't want you there.
00:30:22
Speaker
with Giuntoli. Everybody knew that Allegri was going to leave as soon as Giuntoli was appointed. We all did that. and and And they did nothing for it. So I blame Giuntoli more. Now, is is it salvageable? Of course it is. I remember Marotta when he took over Juve first and how severely criticized. I mean, I've got this thing. I have a very good memory. I remember how Juventus fans were slaughtering Marotta in the beginning when he came to Juve.
00:30:46
Speaker
when he appointed Del Neri, when they failed, and and and everything that happened in the beginning. It took some time for him to learn the ropes. I'm sure Giuntoli will learn the ropes because he's been born in his first season. Yeah, he did. so But Marotta did. But like I said, Marotta, because he he was given time, he he got into it. Giuntoli has a better CV at that age than Marotta did, so I have no doubts that he will probably turn the ship around. But the fact of the matter is, at that moment in time, Marotta was severely criticized, and you were severely criticized, and they should be the same the same same standard should apply now. That's it. Yeah. Well, listen, it was always it was never going to be a panacea. It was impossible. There are too many changes, too many players brought in and revolutionized in in in one summer. The youngest squad in in Syria, which you can maybe criticize gently for, maybe. You can say maybe they too maybe they've got too many young players. okay
00:31:37
Speaker
But the point is that Juventus were never going to be a title challenger, you know, at the start. No, no, no, no, no. They had to be. You can't sit and tell me that you net spend that much and you're not. time They haven't spent it that much. They spent about 50 million. nimma There's not that much. Which is quite a lot by Serie R standard. You can't let' literally sit and tell me that if you net spend. It's not even miss a net spend on transfer fees. If you look at the wage bill, the wage bill has gone down massively. So it's not even really a 50 million net spend if you amortise it over the over the years. You know, if we're playing championship manager, yes, we can say it's 50 million. nets I'm talking about.
00:32:05
Speaker
You know, so it's not it's not really, they haven't actually spent that much on transfer fees. Yes, but no, no, no, no, no. That's what they have in players in versus players out in transfer fees. Yeah. And they have salary bills gone down massively. Yeah, but that's that's a separate debate. They have arguably strengthened the squad. The results are not good enough. That's just a fact. That is true. That is true. But again, circumstances, you know, you you look at the squad, you've got half your squad out. It's not easy.
00:32:35
Speaker
It's not easy. That needs to be taken into a account. Plus there were gaps. You can't say that there wasn't gaps that that in the squad. Again, you can blame that. You can also say it's unrealistic. You can also say it's unrealistic to to expect Juventus to change their entire squad in one summer. Absolutely. with the limits of of absolutely but i do But I don't think it's unrealistic to expect Juventus to not fall from the title race on December 8th. That is not unrealistic. That is is just poor. And that's the point I'm making.
00:33:03
Speaker
I think that's fair. I do think that's fair. But you know, and and you know, I've been I've been critical of Motta a lot and and I was the first person to talk about his weaknesses before anybody else when everybody was saying that that that Motta was going to bring back the beautiful champagne football before anyone else I was still talking about. they They weren't watching Bologna properly. yeah I but before anybody else. So, so when you start saying, sorry, no, no offense to him, when you start saying bullshit, I'm giving that i'm that I'm giving him a pass, you know, that's not true. him i say know no but So If Allegri delivered these results, you'd be you be hunger striking outside of the Italian embassy in London with a fatwa against Allegri. So that's the difference. That's what I'm saying.
00:33:42
Speaker
Well, I think I've been pretty harsh. on um not and again you you can dog wash don't dont Don't bullshit me. If it wasn't, I wouldn't be sitting here, you know, I'd be doing what the English journalists do and and not saying that the motto was potentially to blame for the injury crisis. I'd be keeping that quiet because I don't give a shit, you know. So the the point is that at the moment, Juventus are struggling and and if they don't, you know, start turning this around, they're going to they are going to struggle for top four as well, just like Milan.
00:34:12
Speaker
i actually yeah they they are they are this this is it i think right now i think we can say pretty much or is I think we can say with certainty now that one of Milan or Juventus are going to miss it on top four. I think so too because I don't see Napoli collapsing. I certainly don't see Inter and Atalanta collapsing out of the top four. So I think yes, I think one of them will miss it and it's going to be a disaster for either one that does it. Personally, I think Juventus are in a better position to finish in the top four than Milan is.
00:34:37
Speaker
Um, but again, remains to be seen could change those. Like if, if Milan change manager, you know, bring someone, someone better in like, could resurrect that. But again, within know when do they do that? Is there enough time and so on and so forth? But yeah, we'll see.