Thiago Motta was happy Juventus ended their draw with a 2-1 win away to Monza on Sunday, but admitted they should have wrapped up the points earlier.
Juve had drawn their last four Serie A matches in a row, but Samuel Birindelli’s first-half equalizer either side of Weston McKenney and Nicolas Gonzalez snapped that streak.
It was Juventus’ 1,700th win in the Italian top-flight, while they are now unbeaten in their last 25 league games (W9 D16), the longest current streak in a big-5 European league.
“We’ve always struggled against teams that defend and counter,” Mota told DAZN.
“We have to stop playing. This is part of the growth process, taking additional risks against these teams and potentially allowing counter-attacks.
“When we were in the lead we were in a position to transition with quality in the second half, but we didn’t do it well enough.”
Despite the win, Juventus remain nine points clear of leaders Atalanta but Motta said he did not see the standings going into the festive season.
“We only look at the table at the end of the season. Before that, we play one game at a time and aim for maximum results against each opponent,” he added.
FT | | We leave Monza with maximum points
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— juventusfc (@juventusfcen) December 22, 2024
Key midfielder Teun Koopmeiners was replaced at the break, with Motta confirming he was unwell and was taken off as a precaution.
“Kopemainer felt a bit of a pull in his adductor, we didn’t want to risk that,” he said.
Gonzalez has now scored in two consecutive matches in all competitions for Fiorentina (against Frosinone and Cagliari in Serie A) for the first time since September-October 2023.
Motta praised the winger for his versatility after playing in the hole just behind striker Dusan Vlahovic.
“He can play right or left as a center forward, but I see him doing well there as well. I only use players in a role if they are sure they can do it.”
Meanwhile, Gonzalez said he was happy to play out of position for Juventus after a two-month absence due to muscle problems.
“To help the team, I can also play as goalkeeper, I told that to the coach,” Gonzalez told DAZN after netting the winner.
