Motta: Possession is not the only key to winning for Juventus

After four consecutive draws in Serie A, Juventus secured their first win against Monza before the Christmas break. Ahead of their home game against Fiorentina this Sunday, Juve manager Thiago Motta expressed his desire for the club to continue their winning form this weekend, albeit against a much tougher opponent than seven days ago.

Fiorentina, under the leadership of new head coach Raffaele Palladino have quickly asserted themselves as a competitive force within Serie A, currently sitting one place above Juventus in fifth — albeit level on 31 points — with a game in hand.

“Our sole focus is on Fiorentina. We will face a strong team, with a very knowledgeable coach who has always done a great job,” Motta said during Saturday’s press conference regarding the challenge of facing a team like La Viola. “Fiorentina have quality players and are excellently organised. Although they were unsuccessful in the last two matches, they still come into the game off the back of a series of important victories. It will be fundamental for us to put in a balanced performance at a high intensity, whilst maintaining our concentration throughout.”

Regarding their strategy against Fiorentina, especially considering Juventus’ recent difficulty translating their high volume of possession into wins, Motta said: “I don’t think possession is the only key to winning. Many other things count, like intensity and balance.”

According to Motta, “against Manchester City we showed that you can win in different ways. With Fiorentina we will have to be careful, they are dangerous in transition.”

Finally, Motta spoke about the club’s injury list, which, despite representing a significant roadblock throughout the beginning of the season, has improved as of late.

“The players are doing well,” Motta said. “Douglas Luiz, Nico Gonzalez, Danilo and Teun Koopmeiners are all back with the squad. Nico Gonzalez trained separately due to a fatigue, but he did well today.”

Motta similarly expressed his faith in the club’s €50 million summer signing Douglas Luiz — who, after arriving from Aston Villa, has struggled to make an impact due to injury and has fallen out of favor with the fans but returns to the squad for Sunday night’s game.

“I hope and believe a lot in him. He has been out for a long time,” Motta Said. “(Although) he certainly doesn’t have the physical level of some of his teammates. He can do everything and has shown he’s a complete midfielder at a high level.”