Thiago Motta: ‘I give Juventus freedom, always defended Koopmeiners’ | OneFootball

Thiago Motta smiles at suggestions Juventus are in the Scudetto race after closing the gap to six points, while he ‘always defended’ Teun Koopmeiners after the goal to beat Verona 2-0.

There is a paradoxical situation in Turin, as while this was their fifth consecutive Serie A victory to put them within six points of leaders Inter, the fans were also protesting their elimination from the Champions League to PSV Eindhoven and the Coppa Italia to Empoli.

The tension was also palpable at the Allianz Juventus Stadium this evening, until Khephren Thuram’s opener and the late angled drive from substitute Koopmeiners.

“We created so much in the first half and should’ve scored, it would’ve changed the game and the way the opponents were tactically too, opening up more. We saw after the first goal that the game was far more open,” Thiago Motta told Sky Sport Italia.

“I am glad the lads proved once again they have character, hunger, play good football and know what it means to play at this level.”

Thiago Motta stands up for Koopmeiners

TURIN, ITALY – MARCH 03: Teun Koopmeiners of Juventus celebrates scoring his team’s second goal with teammate Khephren Thuram during the Serie A match between Juventus and Verona at Allianz Stadium on March 03, 2025 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

Now that Juventus are only six points off leaders Inter, and with a showdown against Atalanta coming up, are they thinking about the Scudetto?

“I am concentrated on our performance today, these were three important points against a side that closed up well,” smiled Motta.

“Now we hope to get some players back over the next few days to prepare for the next match against Atalanta, one of the best teams in the league. We need all our energy and concentration to be ready, because we know how tough it will be.

“As we are on home turf, we must take the initiative and know that if we let Atalanta play, they will do well physically and tactically. The next match will not be like the one today, as Atalanta are very aggressive and will press high, so we need intensity and determination.”

Koopmeiners was jeered by some of the fans when he came off the bench today, having struggled to make an impact as a deep-lying midfielder or a trequartista this season.

However, the Netherlands international played in a wider right position and it worked, as he scored the second goal.

“He is an important player for us, who can take on many different roles, as he has physicality, technique and can interpret the kind of football we want to see. Sometimes we used him deeper, currently he is higher with the freedom to be internal or wide, he knows when to change position and cause problems for the opponents,” assured Thiago Motta.

“He’s very generous and works for his teammates. He is a great player, it is a fortune and a privilege to have him in our team. The goal will be important for him, but I always defended him because I see him in training, I know what he can give to the team and am very happy to have him.”

It was put to Thiago Motta that some of the Juventus passing moves were too long, almost as if he had asked them to walk the ball into the net.

“I give my players a lot of freedom in attacking moves, but naturally it’s tough to break down teams who are very defensive like Verona were today. We need organisation, but also I can assure you the lads have a lot of freedom to show all their potential and creativity, because that’s important in football. Sometimes the creativity shows, at others it doesn’t, but we created so much today and should’ve scored earlier,” concluded Motta.