Sacchi: “Juve, Motta is getting into his team’s heads. Milan is discontinuous, that’s not the case”

This is indeed a great success for Juve. One of those successes that give courage and increase self-esteem, fuel necessary to face the rest of the season. When you defeat Manchester City, even if the English team is going through a particularly difficult period, you are not only happy, but you also become aware of your strength. And now the Bianconeri are in full swing for qualification and the doubts that had been raised after the recent performances suddenly seem to have disappeared from the field. In these cases, however, it is essential to maintain balance in the judgment, and I am sure that Thiago Motta, although happy with the victory, will not let himself be overwhelmed by the enthusiasm: the 2-0 over City is only the first step of a journey long, very long. It was clear from the first part that Juve and City were not in top condition, either physically or technically.

Both teams started without sprint, fearful, worried about controlling and not sinking. Observing them I immediately perceived the problems they could have. In short, they looked like two groups recovering from the flu: they still had to digest the antibiotics. In the second half, however, the Bianconeri came out great and this is a great credit to Thiago Motta’s team. Finally the group was united, everyone participated in the maneuver, no one held back and in this way they put Guardiola’s boys in a crisis. Who, in my opinion, is one of the best coaches in the history of football, will have a lot of work to do to return to the level of past seasons. I can’t understand what’s happening to the English, but I really think it’s a psychological issue.

Certainly, Guardiola will have to understand who those elements are that are functional to his game and his project, and who have the necessary motivation to continue on the path. Pep doesn’t need my advice, he knows perfectly well how he should behave: I’m sure he will analyze this period, also self-critically, and then bring City back to high levels. What I especially appreciated about Juve was the overall attitude of the team. It seemed to me that they were aware of the problems they had and acted accordingly. In the second half I saw a united group, willing to fight, to press, to sacrifice. The defenders also participated in the construction of the maneuver, and this is no small detail. It means that, little by little, Thiago Motta’s ideas are entering the players’ heads.

And then also Vlahovic, who has received a lot of criticism lately, has often put the English defense in difficulty. I repeat: the Bianconeri are only at the beginning of the work and must not believe that they have already reached the finish line, otherwise they would be committing a sin of presumption. But it seems to me that the foundations have been laid for an interesting project, the evolution of which should be observed with curiosity. Thiago Motta only arrived on the Juve bench last summer, let’s give him some time so he can express all his qualities.

I’m really happy that he won this match, because he is a very good boy as well as a very prepared coach. I say this because, when he was at Bologna, I followed his training sessions several times and I can confidently say that he knows what he is doing. And a lot. Thiago focuses on work, he demands a lot from himself and his players. Sooner or later, if these are the conditions, the results will arrive. Milan also celebrates the victory over Red Star, and it is an important success from a qualifying perspective. But the Rossoneri have struggled quite a bit, and this shows that they still haven’t shaken off that discontinuity in performance that has penalized them so much in this first part of the season. In any case, Milan is there, fighting to enter the round of 16 of the Champions League as well as Juve, and Italian football can only be happy for these two great players once again protagonists in Europe.