Thiago Motta: ‘Juventus had right attitude’ in victory away to Como | OneFootball

Thiago Motta admits Juventus ‘have to do better,’ but he was satisfied with the hard-fought 2-1 win away to Como. ‘The lads had the right attitude in a difficult situation.’

The Bianconeri had not managed two consecutive Serie A victories since November, but much like the 4-1 result against 10-man Empoli, this was far from a sparkling performance.

They had taken the lead with their only chance of the first half, a solo effort smashed into the roof of the net from a tricky angle by Randal Kolo Muani, cancelled out by the Assane Diao free header.

Lloyd Kelly came on for his debut after the restart, but Kolo Muani was again decisive by converting the last-minute penalty for Jean Butez’s clumsy punch on Federico Gatti.

“I have good sensations. Playing against Como here is not easy and it hasn’t been easy for anyone. They play very good football, cause opponents all sorts of problems if you are not wide awake, as they attack in so many different ways. We did well, we can certainly improve, but we played the game we needed to get the victory,” Thiago Motta told Sky Sport Italia.

“I am pleased for the lads, because they deserve it and have been working so hard since the start of the season. I was also very impressed with those who came off the bench today, they had the right attitude in a difficult situation and raised the level at that moment.”

There was a negative when Teun Koopmeiners was caught napping clearing a corner for the equaliser.

“That is a situation where we have to do better,” confessed Thiago Motta. “Leaving Diao alone was something we should not do, we need to be more solid and it makes a big difference going into the break leading or at 1-1. However, the lads had the right attitude in the locker room at half-time, they can deal with difficult situations and I saw a strong reaction.”

Thiago Motta keeps Kolo Muani on his toes

COMO, ITALY – FEBRUARY 07: Randal Kolo Muani of Juventus celebrates after scoring their team’s first goal during the Serie A match between Como 1907 and Juventus at Stadio G. Sinigaglia on February 07, 2025 in Como, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Kolo Muani has now scored five goals in his first three Serie A appearances for Juventus, making a huge impact since his arrival on loan from Paris Saint-Germain.

“He is scoring goals, but he can improve too. He must keep working, goals are an important part of football and not the only part, as a striker has other work to do too. I like his smile, he has helped the team since his first day here,” continued Motta.

“Every striker has their own characteristics and way of helping the team.”

This was a rare situation for Thiago Motta, in that he chose the same starting XI for two games running, but once again Juve were second best in terms of possession. When will the coach get back to the approach he had started with, trying to dominate matches?

“Every game has its own story, we hope to read it the right way each time. I thought we had the right approach today against a Como side that has caused a lot of problems for opponents. Other than the goal we conceded, I saw us control the situation well.”

Juventus are back on the field on Tuesday with the first leg of the Champions League play-off against PSV Eindhoven.

“Now we are in the Champions League, a complicated match as always against a team that plays good football. We must read the moments of the game there too,” concluded Motta.