TURIN, ITALY – DECEMBER 17: Juventus head coach Thiago Motta watches during the Coppa Italia match between Juventus FC and Cagliari Calcio at Allianz Stadium on December 17, 2024 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

Thiago Motta is keeping his tactical options open for Juventus after using Teun Koopmeiners, Kenan Yildiz and Nico Gonzalez in the 4-0 win over Cagliari. “I never use players if they are not convinced.”

If they were mocked off the pitch at the weekend after their fourth consecutive Serie A draw, 2-2 against bottom side Venezia, there was a very different atmosphere at the Allianz Juventus Stadium in Turin this evening.

Thiago Motta’s men beat Cagliari 4-0 with great goals from Dusan Vlahovic, Teun Koopmeiners, Francisco Conceicao and Nico Gonzalez to set up a Coppa Italia quarter-final clash with Empoli.

“It was a good performance, the fans were right behind us as always. Sometimes, as I said the other night, they have the freedom to express their feelings with respect, but we need them,” Thiago Motta told Canale 5.

“These guys handle a difficult situation the right way and give their best in every training session. Sometimes we can achieve positive results, sometimes not. This is not because we are Juventus, but because, as we saw today, we have players of great quality and we should aim high.

“Anyone who comes back from an injury, like Douglas Luiz and Nico Gonzalez, can help the team.”

Thiago Motta is experimenting at Juventus

There was a bit of experimentation tonight as Manuel Locatelli was deployed at centre-back in the first hour and Weston McKennie was an oddball left-back, while Koopmeiners played a deeper midfield role and Kenan Yildiz was left as a trequartista in the supporting trio.

“Koopmeiners did well, he didn’t come out today because he played with flu symptoms, and he showed his professionalism by helping the team in these conditions,” revealed Thiago Motta.

“I like it when he plays everywhere. He is a player with technical quality, physicality and a strong mentality, he helps and reacts correctly in difficult moments without complaining or looking for alibis.

“The team works when he’s on the pitch, but when the team works, he can also express his qualities as an individual player, so it’s a symbiosis.” It doesn’t matter whether he plays as a 4, 6 or 8 , the important thing is that he is in good shape.

“He is a top player both on and off the field.”

Kenan Yildiz was also used in a more central position. Will Thiago Motta repeat that in the future or was that just an emergency situation?

“If we didn’t have all these injuries we wouldn’t have had to use Locatelli in defense, that’s for sure. He is intelligent, can read the game well and I never put a player in a role if he is not convinced,” assured the coach.

“Kenan is the same, he has a wonderful present but the future is extraordinary considering what I can see in training and match situations. If we play him on the outside and he gets the right serve, he can get past men. He is more active in a more central position, although he lost the ball a few too many times tonight.”

Nico Gonzalez’s goal was a remarkable individual performance and a sign that he is finally fit again after a two-month injury layoff.

“Nico Gonzalez can also play as a ten-man, winger and center forward. “He also brings his positive energy to the team, so we are happy to have him with us,” concluded Thiago Motta.