New system, no playing style – What to expect from Juventus with Motta in charge

With Max Allegri now gone, Juventus will announce Thiago Motta as their new manager,  thus resulting in major changes in playing style.

La Gazzetta dello Sport explains what the Bianconeri faithful can expect to witness next season.

The first major change is obviously related to the tactical system. The 41-year-old will drop his predecessor’s 3-5-2 formation and adopt a combination varying between 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1.

As the source tells it, Motta isn’t a rigid tactician in this regard, noting how he kept alternating formations during his early-career stint at Genoa.

Moreover, Juventus will be building up the play from deep positions. In fact, the report reveals how Bologna were the second team in Serie A this season when it comes to touches inside their own penalty box.

Motta likes to invite the opposition to counter-press, thus creating spaces in the attacking areas. One of the more noticeable traits in his game is the advancing centre-back, who surges forward to join the midfield on some occasions.

The Italo-Brazilian also heavily relies upon fullbacks to drive the ball forward, while the striker tends to drop deep to help in the buildup and simultaneously create spaces for the wingers to attack in the opposition’s final third.

On the defensive phase, Motta opts for a risky high-pressing game. But if the opponents manage to escape, his wingers would be asked to track back at a frenetic pace to cover at the back, which could be one of the main reasons why Federico Chiesa could be deemed inapt to the plan.