Injuries mounted, confidence waned, performances dropped. Serie A giant Juventus eventually showed the exit door to head coach Thiago Motta on Sunday, less than 300 days since the former Italy international had taken the job.

As a rising star in the coaching world, Motta had had an excellent two-year stint at Bologna as he guided the Rossoblu to a historic Champions League spot, while young talents Riccardo Calafiori and Joshua Zirkzee also went from strength to strength, earning big-money moves to Arsenal and Manchester United respectively last summer.

However, Motta failed to replicate his magic at Juventus after succeeding Massimiliano Allegri in last June. Though the Old Lady splashed out nearly 200 million euros on transfers to support his ambition, the project did not work out as originally planned.

Juventus' Kenan Yildiz (L) vies with AC Milan's Tijjani Reijnders during a Serie A football match between Juventus and AC Milan in Turin, Italy, Jan.18, 2025. (Xinhua)

Motta did lead Juve to a good start to the season, opening the new Serie A campaign with back-to-back 3-0 victories, and the Bianconeri also kept a long unbeaten run with a relatively solid defense.

But defender Gleison Bremer's season-ending injury in an eventual 3-2 Champions League victory over RB Leipzig last October was costly, as Juve's back-line became more porous since then and the team struggled with ups and downs.

Juve delivered some masterpieces under Motta, such as a 2-0 win over Manchester City in the Champions League, and a 1-0 triumph over Inter Milan in the Derby d'Italia. But it was not enough as the team dropped too many points against lowly opposition. The Old Lady was seemingly back on track after January with a run of five consecutive wins in Serie A, even reigniting hopes of taking the title.

But it all collapsed with a 4-0 fiasco to Atalanta, before a 3-0 setback to Fiorentina, with the former result being the heaviest home loss for Juve since 1967. Ironically, Nicolo Fagioli, who was frozen out by Motta and moved to Fiorentina in the winter transfer window, delivered two assists against his former club.

In addition to domestic failings, the exit in the Champions League last 16 play-off also fell short of fans' expectations, and a shock defeat to Empoli in the Coppa Italia quarterfinal made things even worse, with even Motta calling it a "shame".

With 52 points after 29 matches, Juve hit a low point in the last decade, while Motta's overall win percentage was one of the lowest in Juve's history.

In stark contrast, Motta's former club Bologna is still competitive under Vincenzo Italiano, ranking fourth in Serie A and still in the Coppa Italia despite being knocked out in the Champions League group stage.

Besides the mixed results, Juve has also lacked a clear playing style. As a former player, Motta was a metronome in the midfield and noted for his intelligence in dictating the tempo, but he failed to impose his identity on Juve. Without the ability to complete line-breaking pass when opponents closed down the spaces, the players resorted to moving the ball aimlessly. On many occasions, Motta merely relied on both flanks to slice the defense.

In another worrying situation, it seems Juve has lost its strong mentality of recent years. For many years, Juve sides have been characterized by tenacity and resilience, but the players are likely accustomed to poor performances. Tensions in the dressing room ran high as Motta seemed to have difficulties in addressing the issues after he made an unpopular decision in releasing veteran and captain Danilo, a true leader among the players.

Motta should be responsible for Juve's failings, but it is unfair for the 42-year-old to take all the blame. Some statement signings last summer, such as Teun Koopmeiners and Douglas Luiz, failed to establish themselves at Allianz Stadium, especially the latter, who cost Juve more than 50 million euros, and whose niggling injuries have prevented him from making any impression on the pitch.

Juve has simultaneously announced the appointment of Igor Tudor, who played for the club from 1998 to 2007. The Croatian is tasked with guiding the team to next season's Champions League, or the club will suffer huge financial losses which may force it to sell star players such as Kenan Yildiz and Andrea Cambiaso to balance the books.

Notably, during his time at Juve, Tudor spent many years under the tutelage of Marcello Lippi, who is famous for his discipline. Tudor may know how to instill the right mentality to this sluggish Juve. But with only two months left, whether the 46-year-old has the ability to steady the ship during this turbulent period is still open to interpretation.

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