Juventus, late yesterday afternoon, did not go beyond a 0-0 draw against Napoli. The Bianconeri, especially in the second half, appeared to be improving and Thiago Motta saw positive signs, even if he would have preferred to take home the 3 points: “I have to look at the match again, in my opinion today (yesterday) we did better than the match against Roma. Inside the area, today (yesterday) it was difficult, against a team that defends well with defenders who are strong in the area. It’s a good performance and I don’t like to make comparisons. We had a good performance, but not enough to win”.
Koopmeiners and Kalulu leaders of the new Juventus.
During the match against Napoli, two Juventus players took on responsibilities, demonstrating that they are the new leaders of the team. In particular, they are Pierre Kalulu and Teun Koopmeiners, Thiago Motta also recognized the leadership of the Frenchman and the Dutchman: “Koopmeiners and Kalulu leaders? I agree with everything. Kalulu and Koop are very much leaders, they came in later, but with a fantastic attitude and that’s what we want. They are two perfect examples of a fantastic attitude to watch”. Kalulu quickly took over an important role both as a full-back and as a center-back. Against Napoli, the number 15 of the Bianconeri played alongside Bremer. Thiago Motta, in a press conference, explained that he also appreciated the performance of another defender, namely Nicolò Savona: “What can I say? He’s a strong player. I’m just watching his training. He earns the right to play these games every day”.
Juventus’ third 0-0 in a row hadn’t happened in 30 years.
Juventus also suffered a goalless draw against Napoli. This is the third consecutive goalless draw for the Old Lady and this hasn’t happened since May 1992 and the Bianconeri were coached by Trapattoni at the time (source Opta). Now, Juventus will have to try to restart and to do so they will be able to count on Manuel Locatelli who is a reborn player. Thiago Motta also spoke about the change of Juventus number 5: “Excellent match. Excellent in all training sessions, this is why he plays matches of this level”.