Thiago Motta does not believe Juventus are Serie A title contenders just yet, despite their 4-4 draw with reigning champions Inter.
With Juventus trailing 4-2, teenager Kenan Yildiz came off the bench to score twice and rescue a point in dramatic fashion.
It is the third time in the history of these sides that they have shared an eight-goal Serie A clash, though this was the first such occasion since 1961.
While Juve hit back from a two-goal deficit to avoid defeat against Inter in a league game for the first time since 1978, Motta believes the way the Nerazzurri dominated much of the proceedings shows how far his side away are from challenging for the Scudetto.
“Not at this moment. We delivered a solid performance against one of the favourites for the Scudetto, alongside Napoli, who have maintained the core of their squad from a year and a half ago,” Motta told DAZN.
“Right now, they’re ahead and capable of competing until the end for the title. While today was a good performance, we need to keep our feet on the ground.
“We’ll continue on our path, sticking to our ideas and our growth process. We’ll see what we’re capable of when the time comes. I’m being honest; I speak as things are.
“We sought something more in terms of both play and the right spirit; we wanted a different outcome after a first half filled with unfortunate incidents.
“They could have increased their lead but didn’t, and in the end, we could have won it. However, we need to understand why we perform well at times and struggle against the opponent’s game at others.”
Timothy Weah started in place of Yildiz, and scored in the first half, netting against Inter 25 years and three days after his father George had last scored a league goal against the Nerazzurri.
“I chose Weah because he could offer something interesting for us in transitions. Kenan can help the team in the second half by providing different options, whether as a winger, midfielder, or striker,” Motta said.
“We know we have young players, but we believe we can perform much better than we did today. It’s clear that the many absences may have had an impact; it’s not an excuse, but a fact.”
Indeed, Juve fielded their youngest starting XI (25 years, 212 days on average) against Inter in Serie A in the three points for a win era (since 1994-95).
Story by: Ebenezer Osei Kofi Bimpong.
AhotorSports, X @osei_gedo
