Thiago Motta’s reign at Juventus has simply began and Wayne Girard seems at three key tactical modifications for the Bianconeri beneath the ex-Italy worldwide.
With a landing for Thiago Motta at Milan Airport, the brand new Juventus coach arrived with an air of positivity across the Bianconeri camp not felt in a fortnight.
Following Max Allegri’s second departure from the membership, Motta left Bologna to introduce a brand new mind-set about soccer, with fashionable ways and perception into how the sport is performed and might be performed over the subsequent decade.
Motta is usually mislabeled as the person of the 2-7-2 formation because of a remark he made in an interview again in 2018. This led to query marks on social media, however his formation has been given this title to the distinctive means during which Motta sees the pitch – horizontally. It hasn’t been a straight shot to the highest for him although, as his imaginative and prescient was rapidly blinded in 2019 after simply 9 matches on the helm for Genoa, changing into one other casualty of Enrico Preziosi’s reign. At Spezia in 2021-22, he confirmed high quality match administration with a win over his previous employer, in addition to Milan and Napoli.
In the beginning of 2022, the late nice Siniša Mihajlović was exonerated after Bologna dropped inside touching distance of the relegation zone. After a shaky begin, his aspect applied a compact, possession-based system that concluded with a end within the prime half of the Serie A desk.
This previous season, Motta guided them again to the Champions League for the primary time in 60 years, accumulating the second-highest total possession of 58.4% – based on Fotmob – and the third-highest variety of clear sheets (17). Defensively, they have been the second highest with profitable tackles, being simply .1 off the mark of first. In keeping with Opta, he left them in nineteenth place for the statistical machine’s energy rankings, making for a +48 soar over the course of the season.
Thiago Motta leaves Bologna with the membership sitting nineteenth on the planet within the males’s Opta Energy Rankings.
They’ve jumped +48 locations because the begin of the season 👏 pic.twitter.com/7EvAhTNDmc
— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) Could 23, 2024
Based mostly on this footballing precedent, there are 3 ways Motta will change Juventus’ fashion of play:
Possession
Allegri was more than pleased to lend the ball to the opposition, sit in a low block, and look to take advantage of the open areas left via a counter-attack. That is the polar reverse of Motta’s strategy, who mandates sluggish and complex buildups, primarily based upon inviting the opposition into the center third of the pitch, however then exploiting these areas with heavy diagonal motion that confuses the opponent. This bypasses the press as triangles are then shaped all through the center and attacking third.
It’s considerably of a counter-ideology in Italian soccer, which via historical past was primarily based on shifting the ball as rapidly as attainable in a series motion (catenaccio), whereas right here the velocity of the sport relies on the gamers making themselves out there via overloads and want to take care of the ball.
This explains why the Previous Girl has made a serious funding in Douglas Luiz and has Teun Koopmeiners in her scope. These two gamers would bestow a technical facet and bodily presence that may remember to bully and outclass most midfielders in Europe.
Overloads
Talking of overloads and numerical superiority, Motta’s ace up his sleeve is the distraction-formed switch-of-play. On this ‘2-7-2’ formation, the concept is to have the 2 huge gamers on every flank present width within the attacking areas. Mixed in an overload with an additional or supporting attacker, the opposition is then pulled over to at least one aspect. This enables the opposite-sided flank freedom to enter threatening areas and likewise confuses the defending crew when they’re compelled to shift over, whereas the ‘7’ then flood any vacant areas left over.
Whereas there have been rumours earlier this summer time that Filip Kostić might be headed away from Torino, he could also be an vital participant on this module for his mixture of endurance and ability. Contrarily, the philosophy has additionally performed a heavy hand in Federico Chiesa’s future, who’s now destined for an additional membership.
Dynamic Defence
Riccardo Calafiori’s contribution to Motta’s ways was chic. Removed from a conventional centre-back, the Roma youth product was persistently seen bursting ahead past the defensive midfield line to indicate himself as an choice, in addition to ship key passes into the ultimate third. Calafiori might be stereotyped as simply an offensive-minded defender, however he was additionally the second-highest contributor in successful the ball again, which he did in each sector of the defensive and center third.
A logical goal for the Bianconeri, there may be stiff competitors and curiosity from overseas for the blossoming Italian worldwide. In the event that they fail to accumulate him, Gleison Bremer might be an identical outlet because of his athleticism and tenacity.
Motta is on the tactical forefront of world soccer, and his Juventus revolution might very nicely dominate Italy within the coming season.
