Motta explains why he benched Yildiz against Parma | OneFootball

Motta explains why he benched Yildiz against Parma | OneFootball

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·31 October 2024

Motta explains why he benched Yildiz against Parma

Article image:Motta explains why he benched Yildiz against Parma

Kenan Yildiz’s brace, which salvaged a 4-4 draw for Juventus in the Derby d’Italia, was not enough to earn him a start in his side’s 2-2 draw against Parma, as coach Thiago Motta admitted he saw the Turkish talent as an ‘ideal’ substitute on the occasion.

The 19-year-old came on seconds before the 60th-minute mark against the Gialloblu but failed to impact the final stretch of the game as his manager was hoping for.


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Yildiz replaced Timothy Weah, who had scored the Bianconeri’s equaliser a few minutes before, finding his second consecutive Serie A goal in a row, and Motta explained that he picked the American to start as Juventus needed to ‘stretch the pitch’ against a closed defence.

Motta explained why Yildiz was an ‘ideal’ substitute against Parma

“Weah played well at the San Siro and today, too, scoring a goal,” Motta told Sky Sport Italia after the match, as reported by TMW.

“By coming on later, with a more open game, Kenan was the ideal player to create situations, even dropping deep.

Article image:Motta explains why he benched Yildiz against Parma

MILAN, ITALY – OCTOBER 27: Thiago Motta, Head Coach of Juventus, gestures during the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and Juventus at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on October 27, 2024 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

“I also liked Thuram and Koopmeiners. Today, we needed to stretch the pitch; we did it many times. He [Yildiz] has freedom in the last meters, but it was normal for us today to want to stretch the pitch against such a closed team.”

Yildiz, who failed to capitalise on a chance in the closing minutes, started seven of his 10 total Serie A games played for Juventus this season, and found his first two league goals against Inter last weekend.

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