TURIN, Italy — Juventus has parted ways with coach Thiago Motta following a sequence of disappointing performances, appointing Igor Tudor as his successor for the remainder of the season.
In an official statement, the club expressed gratitude towards Motta and his coaching staff for their commitment and effort over recent months, wishing them well in their future endeavors. Juventus announced that Igor Tudor would assume control of the first team, with his initial training session scheduled for tomorrow.
Recent difficulties saw Juventus concede seven goals without reply in their last two Serie A encounters, enduring heavy losses to Atalanta and Fiorentina. This poor run of form has seen the club drop to fifth in the league, jeopardizing their qualification for the Champions League.
Motta, who joined Juventus after a successful stint with Bologna, allegedly lost backing from key squad members, which compounded the club’s failures in both the Champions League and Italian Cup. Earlier this year, Juventus faced elimination in the Italian Super Cup semifinals at the hands of AC Milan.
Igor Tudor, a familiar face at Juventus, played for the club from 1998-2007 and has a coaching past with teams like Udinese, Hellas Verona, and Lazio. Tudor also served as Andrea Pirlo’s assistant at Juventus in the 2020-21 season, but both were dismissed at that campaign’s conclusion. The 46-year-old Tudor will make his managerial debut against Genoa next Saturday.
Juventus is also preparing for the expanded Club World Cup in the United States, set to commence in June. Throughout the season, Motta struggled to pivot away from defensive strategies implemented by predecessor Massimiliano Allegri. Juventus, thus, drew 13 of its 29 Serie A matches, reflecting ongoing tactical challenges.
Allegri was removed following a controversial incident involving the referee in last season’s Italian Cup final, which Juventus won.
Tudor’s legacy with Juventus as a player includes winning two Serie A championships, as well as two Italian Super Cups, an Intertoto Cup, and the 2007 Serie B title following the Calciopoli scandal repercussions. Despite his career success, injury challenges prevented him from playing further for Juventus after a loan spell with Siena. He notably started in the 2003 Champions League final which concluded with an AC Milan victory over Juventus in a penalty shootout.