“Five points less than Allegri” – Zazzaroni argues Juventus haven’t improved with Motta

Club News

October 31, 2024 - 3:00 pm

Italian journalist Ivan Zazzaroni insists Juventus have yet to take their game to the next level after replacing Max Allegri with Thiago Motta.

The Bianconeri decided to sack the Livorno native in May following the chaotic scenes he caused during the Coppa Italia final against Atalanta, which included grabbing Tuttosport’s editor-in-chief Guido Vaciago by the neck.

Nevertheless, the writing was already on the wall prior to that incident, as Juventus Football Director Cristiano Giuntoli had long identified Motta as the right profile to guide the club towards a new era.

For his part, Zazzaroni has often risen to Allegri’s defense, and following Juve’s most recent draw against Parma, he brought forward some figures to suggest that Juventus haven’t truly improved following their managerial shake-up.

“At the moment there are no substantial differences between the old and the new course of Juventus,” argued the Corriere dello Sport editor-in-chief in his post-match column via IlBianconero.

“Yes, it takes time. What is strange, however, is the loyalty to the peers. This year, Juventus have registered 16 draws out of 30 league outings. Only in 1956 did Juve collect one more and I wasn’t even born back then.

“Six of the sixteen draws belong to Thiago who has five points less than Allegri, despite boasting the second-best defense in the league and the fifth-best attack.”

Zazzaroni also insists that comparisons between Allegri and Motta are normal given how the first inherited the latter’s job.

“I’m often asked ‘But why do you always talk about Allegri?’ Answering this question, I say, who should I compare him with? Carcano?!”

Motta has yet to taste defeat in Serie A as a Juventus coach, with his only loss coming in last week’s Champions League outing against Stuttgart. Nevertheless, the 42-year-old only managed to win four of his first 10 Serie A fixtures.