LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA - SEPTEMBER 15: Former Milan and Juventus coach Fabio Capello of Italy managing the Red Team during a charity match for the Slovenian flood victims on September 15, 2023 in Ljubljana, Slovenia. In August 2023 major floods occurred in two-thirds of the Slovenian territory due to heavy rain. Deemed as the worst natural disaster of the country. (Photo by Jurij Kodrun/Getty Images)
Fabio Capello (Photo by Jurij Kodrun/Getty Images)
Fabio Capello believes that Juventus have taken a risk in changing coaches nine games before the end of the season while being one point away from the Serie A top four, but feels that Thiago Motta’s sacking was ‘inevitable’ if the players had stopped believing in him.
On Sunday, Juventus confirmed that they hadparted company with head coach Thiago Motta just eight months into his tenure, and that Igor Tudor will replace him on a short-term contract until the end of the 2024-25 season.
Motta had failed to convince during his time in the Allianz Stadium dugout, particularly after the team were knocked out of the Champions League by PSV Eindhoven, eliminated from the Coppa Italia by Empoli and after the consecutive 4-0 and 3-0 defeats against Atalanta and Fiorentina in Serie A at the end of his reign.
TURIN, ITALY - MARCH 09: Andrea Cambiaso and Teun Koopmeiners of Juventus look dejected after the team's defeat in the Serie A match between Juventus and Atalanta at the Allianz Stadium on March 09, 2025 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)
TURIN, ITALY – MARCH 09: Andrea Cambiaso and Teun Koopmeiners of Juventus look dejected after the team’s defeat in the Serie A match between Juventus and Atalanta at the Allianz Stadium on March 09, 2025 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)
Capello: ‘Changing coach nine games from the end of the season could be a risk’
In an interview withLa Gazzetta dello Sport, Capello explained that getting rid of Motta was an inevitability if the players had stopped believing in him, but still feels that the club took a risk in the timing of their decision.
“In theory, changing the coach nine games from the end of the season and being only one point away from fourth could be a risk,” he said.
“There has to be context behind the club’s decision though, and from the outside, I had the impression that nobody wanted to continue with Motta anymore. Not the fans and not the team either. In those cases, you have to listen to the dressing room and decide accordingly.
epa11889266 Juventus coach Thiago Motta looks on during the UEFA Champions League play-offs first leg soccer match between Juventus FC and PSV Eindhoven, in Turin, Italy, 11 February 2025. EPA-EFE/ALESSANDRO DI MARCO
epa11889266 Juventus coach Thiago Motta looks on during the UEFA Champions League play-offs first leg soccer match between Juventus FC and PSV Eindhoven, in Turin, Italy, 11 February 2025. EPA-EFE/ALESSANDRO DI MARCO
“If the players were no longer taking to Motta, as I understood, then the sacking was inevitable. Having said that, Tudor has courage, he’s accepted a big challenge.”
Capello on why Tudor makes sense for Juventus
Despite their being a risk in his appointment, Capello believes that Tudor is the right choice in the circumstances, particularly given his previous experiences with Juventus.
ROME, ITALY - APRIL 27: Igor Tudor head coach of SS Lazio gestures during the Serie A TIM match between SS Lazio and Hellas Verona FC at Stadio Olimpico on April 27, 2024 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Silvia Lore/Getty Images) Juventus
ROME, ITALY – APRIL 27: Igor Tudor head coach of SS Lazio gestures during the Serie A TIM match between SS Lazio and Hellas Verona FC at Stadio Olimpico on April 27, 2024 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Silvia Lore/Getty Images)
“He knows the club because he’s gone through it both as a player and as a coach having been Pirlo’s assistant a few years ago. It’s a great advantage, especially in a moment like this.
“Tudor has already taken over dugouts midway through the season, from Udinese to Verona and Lazio. He has clear ideas, he knows the work that awaits him as a coach who has just taken over. Of course it’s different at Juve, pressure and expectations are raised, but as I said, we’re talking about a coach who knows every corner of this Juventus world.
“He doesn’t have much time to reach the goal of qualifying for the Champions League, but he doesn’t lack courage.
What would Capello do in Tudor’s position?
Capello went on to explain what he would say in his first meeting with the Juventus squad if he were in Tudor’s position.
“I would speak to the team in a very frank way, something like: ‘You brought me here, now let’s help each other’. Doing that takes off the mask and shows that everyone has to be on the same side. The coach can’t solve all the team’s problems on his own, especially when he doesn’t have much time.
Fabio Capello
“The important thing which Tudor will have to focus on is restoring order. Juventus need normalisation. We’vre had months of confusion, too much. Unclear roles on the pitch, strikers who play as full-backs, captains who change from one game to the next.
“Let’s put it this way, it was a three-year project that needed to be carried out in one year. The truth is that results are always what matters, especially for a club at the highest level like Juve.
Capello also revealed which players Tudor needs to help the most during the next few weeks: “Vlahovic first of all. He plays in the box, a striker who lives for goals. He has to play and regain confidence. And then Yildiz, he has great talent and a lot of personality.”
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