Thiago Motta frustrated with Juventus attackers: “I played six, but only one did well” | OneFootball

Juventus coach Thiago Motta didn’t like what he saw from his attacking band in the Champions League contest against Club Brugge.

The Bianconeri have now secured their place in the Champions League knockout stages, but they needed a victory in Belgium to break into the Top 8 spots which warrant a direct route to the Round of 16.

However, the team put up a forgettable showing away from home, settling for a goalless draw. While the first half was a snoozefest, the two teams showed some attacking intent after the break, albeit it wasn’t enough to change the initial result.

For his part, Motta was disappointed with the displays of his attacking options who failed to create much in the attacking third, whether those who started the contest, or the ones that came off the bench in the second half.

The only exception was Samuel Mbangula who did enough against his former employers to earn a decent rating on the manager’s book, although the 21-year-old was hooked in the second half.

“Mbangula was the only one who was decent,” said Motta via IlBianconero. “I played six forwards, but only one, Mbangula, did well.

“No one attempted a dribble or tried to attack in depth. Only Mbangula did it. I expected much more from the other five.”

The young Belgian started on the left after finding the back of the net against Milan in the weekend, with Timothy Weah on the opposite side while Nico Gonzalez acted as a centre-forward.

In the middle of the second half, the two wingers were replaced by Kenan Yildiz and Francisco Conceicao, but to little effect, while Dusan Vlahovic came in for Gonzalez in the final stretch, but it was another miserable cameo for the Serbian striker who can’t just catch a break these days.