Thiago Motta Critiques Juventus' Defensive Errors After First Serie A Defeat Of The Season Against Napoli

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Juventus experienced their first Serie A loss of the season, falling 2-1 to Napoli. Thiago Motta attributed this defeat to a series of defensive mistakes. Randal Kolo Muani, on loan from Paris Saint-Germain, scored his debut goal for Juventus, but it was nullified by goals from Frank Anguissa and Romelu Lukaku. This loss marked the end of Juventus' 29-game unbeaten streak in Serie A.

Despite their strong start to the season, Juventus have only managed to gather 37 points from 22 matches, placing them fifth in the standings. This is their lowest point tally at this stage since Luigi Delneri's tenure in 2010-11 when they had just 35 points. Motta noted that Napoli's absence from European competitions allowed them more preparation time, contributing to their victory.

Motta expressed his disappointment with the defeat, particularly after a promising first half where they troubled Napoli significantly. "We had a good first half, causing our opponents a lot of problems," Motta told DAZN. However, he acknowledged that Juventus couldn't maintain their performance in the second half due to fatigue and lack of preparation time.

The match was especially frustrating for Juventus as they dominated the first half at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. They recorded an expected goals (xG) total of 0.78 from five shots compared to Napoli's 0.16 from four attempts on Michele Di Gregorio's goal during the opening period.

Kolo Muani's early goal rewarded Juventus' initial dominance. He became the first Juventus player to score in Serie A with his first shot since Samuel Mbangula against Como on August 19. Additionally, he is the first French striker to score for Juventus in Serie A since David Trezeguet did so against Bari in December 2009.

Kolo Muani acknowledged the challenge of playing away at Napoli, stating, "We reacted well in many other situations; we just didn't do it today." He highlighted that Juventus haven't won there since 2019 and have now suffered six consecutive defeats at this venue.

Motta's Analysis of Defeat

Motta pointed out that Juventus' downfall was largely self-inflicted due to poor possession play. "The idea was to press and defend well," he explained, "but we were unable to do that because our quality was lacking." He noted that once they started losing possession, Napoli capitalised by winning duels and gaining an advantage.

Juventus have now lost 17 points from winning positions this season in Serie A. The only time they surrendered more points in a single season was during the 2019-20 campaign when they gave up 21 points.

This defeat also marked Juventus' first loss in Serie A since March 2024 when they were beaten by Lazio with a scoreline of 1-0. Despite remaining unbeaten for so long, their current position reflects challenges faced throughout this campaign.