Motta pleased with performance against Udinese, hails Juventus midfielder: “Complete player” | OneFootball

Juventus coach Thiago Motta was happy to return home with all three points in the bag after beating Udinese away from home.

The Bianconeri took the lead thanks to an own goal from Zebrette goalkeeper Maduka Okeye which was instigated by Khephren Thuram. Therefore, the Italo-Brazilian coach had words of praise for the French midfielder after displaying his well-rounded game.

“I really liked Khephren’s performance. He’s a very complete player,” said the former Bologna boss in his post-match interview with DAZN via IlBianconero.

“He’s Attentive in defense and has great quality in attack. He has these important characteristics, so I find him a very interesting player. Today, he scored a nice goal but his overall performance was excellent.”

Motta also felt that the team showcased the right attitude in Udine, as they knew how to navigate the game towards the finish line.

“This was a team victory. We interpreted the match as best we could. In the first half, we could have done more, as Udinese relinquished the ball. We found interesting situations, but we lacked a bit of depth.

“In the second half, Udinese came out. At that moment, they had confidence but we were able to regroup, defend well and counterattack. We deserved the victory considering how the match panned out.”

The 42-year-old was asked to elaborate on his choice to deploy Kenan Yildiz as a centre-forward following Dusan Vlahovic’s exit.

“They are two different players, but during the course of the match, it is important to have diversity.

“In the second half, Udinese surged forward with many players. So naturally, they exposed themselves a bit behind and we have Kenan who is fast, along with Koopmeiners who knows how to bother the defenders.”

Juventus temporarily climbed to third place in the standings following their win in Udine.