Thiago Motta: "Juventus hit rock bottom after losing to Empoli in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals"

The Juventus coach reacted emotionally to his team's elimination from the Coppa Italia.

Juventus head coach Thiago Motta stated that his team had hit rock bottom after their quarter-final loss to Empoli in the Coppa Italia.

On Wednesday, the reigning Coppa Italia champions Juventus lost at home to Empoli in a penalty shootout (regular time – 1:1), ending their campaign for the trophy.

"I'm ashamed. Our first half was disgraceful, and I hope the players feel the same way. You can make mistakes in everything, but you can't have this kind of attitude. And that was my mistake because I failed to make the players understand how important this match was and what it means to wear this jersey. I hope the criticism is really harsh. The fans were too kind to us after what we saw in the first half. I expect an immediate reaction from the players. Again, I'm ashamed of what I saw on the pitch today, especially in the first half," Motta told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"Today, we did absolutely nothing on the pitch. We played through the goalkeeper at least 20 times, and no one took any responsibility. That's unacceptable. We simply have to apologize to the fans, to the club, and to the history of this team. We've hit rock bottom," Motta added.

Motta took over as Juventus head coach in June 2024, replacing Massimiliano Allegri.

Published by Patrick Jane
27.02.2025