Juventus coach Thiago Motta has warned his team that they need to be both “fired up and calm” when they face Atalanta. He believes Atalanta’s high-pressing style will not give Juventus much time on the ball.
This game is very important for both teams as they chase European spots and potentially even the Serie A title. Juventus wants to close the gap on the league leaders after some recent stumbles at the top.
“Playing for Juventus comes with responsibility, and we must use it wisely,” Motta told DAZN. “My players are responsible, but if we don’t play to our full potential, we give our opponents an advantage. We need to be mentally strong, both passionate and composed, to make good decisions during the game.”
Motta Stresses Need for Composure
Juventus has several players unavailable due to injury, including Francisco Conceicao, Douglas Luiz, Nicolò Savona, Jonas Rouhi, Arek Milik, Gleison Bremer, and Juan Cabal.
Kenan Yildiz is feeling unwell but will start, while Renato Veiga and Pierre Kalulu will begin on the bench.
Motta praised his team’s performance in the win against Verona, especially for maintaining their style of play throughout the match. He cautioned against becoming too rushed late in games and opening themselves up to counter-attacks.
“I expect Atalanta to limit our time on the ball, except maybe for passing back to our goalkeeper, which we want to avoid doing too often.”
“Our aim is to attack and maintain good balance against Atalanta’s dangerous counter-attacking players like Lookman, Cuadrado, and Retegui.”
“We need to strike a balance between attacking effectively and being ready to defend against their quick transitions.”