What’s gone wrong for Thiago Motta at Juventus: 2024-25 recap | OneFootball

Thiago Motta is at risk of losing his job at the end of his first season in charge of Juventus after receiving the 4-0 hammering at home against Atalanta in Serie A on Sunday evening, but the humbling at the Allianz Stadium was not the first blow in a season full of ups and largely downs for the Bianconeri.

Here is a reminder of where things went wrong for Motta and The Old Lady in 2024-25.

Where things have gone wrong for Thiago Motta at Juventus

1) Replacing Allegri and a costly summer

Appointed as the successor to five-time Serie A winner Massimiliano Allegri, Motta’s arrival was meant to signal the start of a new era in Turin, and with the coach came the arrivals of several exciting new additions in a summer transfer window that cost the club just shy of €200m.

Aston Villa favourite Douglas Luiz was the first through the door at a cost of €50m at the end of June. He was later joined by fellow midfielder Khephren Thuram, who arrived for €20m plus bonuses from OGC Nice and then Teun Koopmeiners for around €60m from Serie A competitors Atalanta.

Also arriving in the summer were goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio, Pierre Kalulu and winger Nico Gonzalez on loans with obligations to buy. Juan Cabal also came in on a permanent deal and Francisco Conceicao arrived on a straight loan deal, although there is reportedly an informal agreement for his permanent signing as well.

Teun Koopmeiners arrives at JMedical ahead of permanent transfer to Juventus from Serie A side Atalanta.

Though there was plenty of excitement about the new Juventus recruits in the summer, the holes in the squad have proved to be an issue for the vast majority of the 2024-25 campaign.

Long-term knee injuries to Gleison Bremer and Juan Cabal made it clear that there was a shortage in defence, leaving Motta reliant on Federico Gatti and Pierre Kalulu as his only real options at centre-back for most of the first half of the season.

At the other end of the pitch, Dusan Vlahovic was left as the only available centre-forward for until the arrival of Randal Kolo Muani in January, putting too much pressure on the Serbian’s shoulders and a growing tension between him and the supporters.

epa11777785 Juventus’ Dusan Vlahovic during the Italian Serie A soccer match Juventus FC vs Venezia FC at the Allianz Stadium in Turin, Italy, 14 December 2024. EPA-EFE/ALESSANDRO DI MARCO

A number of the summer recruits have struggled to get going at the Allianz stadium as well, particularly Koopmeiners and Douglas Luiz.

The Dutchman had 12 goals and five assists in Serie A with Atalanta last season, but is now on two goals and three assists with 10 games of the 2024-25 season to go. Douglas Luiz, meanwhile, has started just three times in Serie A, despite being a standout player in an impressive Aston Villa side last season.

2) Too many draws

It wasn’t immediately doom and gloom for Motta at Juventus. The season got off to an encouraging start, with back-to-back 3-0 victories over Como and Hellas Verona, which gave the Bianconeri an early lead at the top of the Serie A table.

Though performances were not always perfect as the season went on, Motta’s Juventus proved a tricky team to beat, going on a 21-game unbeaten run in the league, a streak that lasted until the 2-1 loss to Napoli at the end of January.

Despite going unbeaten for more than half of the league season, 13 of those 21 matches ended in draws, which meant that Juventus were always some way off Napoli and Inter in the race for the Scudetto.

MILAN, ITALY – NOVEMBER 23: Rafael Leao of AC Milan is challenged by Francisco Conceicao and Teun Koopmeiners of Juventus during the Serie A match between AC Milan and Juventus at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on November 23, 2024 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

3) Ineffective January

January provided an opportunity to bring in some temporary fixes to Juventus’s issues, although a summer of heavy spending meant that there was not much room in the budget left to play with.

Three of Juve’s four January additions all arrived on loan deals: Kolo Muani from Paris Saint-Germain, Renato Veiga from Chelsea and Lloyd Kelly from Newcastle, with an obligation to make his move permanent. Alberto Costa also joined at a cost of around €13m.

Kolo Muani has hit the ground running and has been one of the few success stories of Juventus’s underwhelming season, but serious questions have been asked about the signing of Kelly, who is yet to impress and is considered an expensive gamble given that he was available on a free transfer in the summer.

Lloyd Kelly Juventus Cristiano Giuntoli

4) Cup exits and Atalanta humiliation

Though Juventus strengthened in terms of numbers in January, results have been hit and miss since then.

There was a brief resurgence in enthusiasm surrounding Juve’s top four hopes in February after a streak of five consecutive Serie A victories, Motta’s longest winning streak in charge, but that run was soon forgotten after a series of failures in cup competitions.

Juve were knocked out of the Champions League in the play-off round by underdogs PSV Eindhoven, who went on to lose 7-1 at home in the first leg of their round of 16 tie against Arsenal.

epa11908701 Ismael Saibari of PSV Eindhoven scores the 2-1 lead against Juventus FC goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio during the UEFA Champions League knockout phase play-offs 2nd leg soccer match between PSV Eindhoven and Juventus FC in Eindhoven, Netherlands, 19 February 2025. EPA-EFE/KOEN VAN WEEL

The following week, the Bianconeri were also eliminated from the Coppa Italia at the quarter-final stage after a loss on penalties to Empoli in a game where they were the clear favourites again.

10 days after the Coppa Italia exit came the 4-0 loss at home to Atalanta, the worst home defeat in close to 60 years and only the third time this century that Juventus have lost by a four-goal margin – at home or away in any competition.

With the Serie A title now a far cry away, there are no longer any trophies to play for this season, and finishing in the Serie A top four is no longer guaranteed either – Lazio will push Juve down to fifth if they beat Udinese at the Stadio Olimpico on Monday night.

While there are no plans for any immediate changes in the Bianconeri dugout, there are suggestions that time has already run out for Motta in Turin.