Under pressure Juventus boss Motta says he has club's support

Updated: Mar 15, 2025, 10:23 am

March 15 (Reuters) - Under pressure Juventus manager Thiago Motta said the club's owners were still behind him despite last weekend's home thrashing by Atalanta in the league and earlier exits from the Champions League and Coppa Italia.

"In our profession, the coach is always under scrutiny, and that’s fair," Motta told reporters on Saturday as speculation about his future swirled in Italian media.

"I have been pleased with the support of the owners in recent days. The club has shown total trust in me."

Defeat by Atalanta left Juventus fourth in Serie A on 52 points, one ahead of fifth-placed Lazio with 10 games left.

Having been knocked out of the Champions League by PSV Eindhoven then suffering a Coppa Italia exit to Empoli last month, they hope to regain momentum in Serie A at eighth-placed Fiorentina on Sunday.

"My future is not the priority. The priority is tomorrow’s match, we need to play a great game. We are coming from a match where the result was hard to digest," he said.

"At first, we were disappointed, we were angry ... but we move on and restart. Getting back up is what we do. I see both the disappointment and the determination to react immediately.

"I am the first to put myself under discussion, and when things don't go well, this is only right. Tomorrow is a great opportunity to show our value again."

Juventus, who have as many wins as draws (13 each) and two losses, have steadily climbed the standings but must raise their game to secure a top-four finish for Champions League qualification.

The coach confirmed Francisco Conceicao and Nicolo Savona, who were sidelined with hamstring and thigh injuries, respectively, are back in contention. (Reporting by Shifa Jahan in Bengaluru; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)