“Juventus paralysed by fear” – Sabatini baffled by Thiago Motta’s decision-making | OneFootball

Italian journalist Sandro Sabatini admits he’s struggling to understand the reasoning behind some of the decisions made by Juventus coach Thiago Motta.

The Bianconeri were coming off back-to-back defeats against Napoli and Benfica, so they could ill-afford another slip-up against Empoli in Sunday’s early Serie A kickoff.

Juve endured a miserable first half, with Mattia De Sciglio punishing his old employers by snatching the lead with from a poorly-defended corner kick. The Azzurri threatened to add more and even won a spot-kick which was later overruled by VAR due to a handball in the buildup.

Thankfully for Motta, Randal Kolo Muani led a second-half revival, turning the match upside-down with a swift brace. Dusan Vlahovic and Francisco Conceicao then pounced on the numerical advantage in the final minutes to put their names on the scoresheet.

But despite the 4-1 victory, not everyone was left impressed by the overall display. Sabatini, for one, highlighted some of Motta’s calls that left him perplexed, including taking off Kenan Yildiz for Dusan Vlahovic.

“I struggle to understand many of Thiago Motta’s decisions,” said the veteran journalist during his appearance on Pressing via JuventusNews24.

“Thuram, who seems to me to be the best signing of the club, disappears from the lineup every now and then, Yildiz left to make room for Vlahovic… I would have made an attempt but not at the expense of Yildiz. This is his management.”

Motta had already planned the change just before Kolo Muani put Juve in the lead, and still went proceeded with it when the result changed.

Moreover, Sabatini felt Juventus still cannot shake up their fear on the pitch.

“Regarding the match, Juve was paralyzed by fear and Empoli did what they wanted for half an hour, then two of their players [Anjorin and Ismajli] got hurt at 1-0 and the three points arrived which felt like liberation.”