Juventus manager Thiago Motta expressed disappointment following his team’s first Serie A defeat of the season, a 2-1 loss to league leaders Napoli on Saturday.
Motta highlighted the advantage Napoli had in preparation time, as they are not participating in European competitions this season.
Antonio Conte’s Napoli staged an impressive second-half comeback, with goals from Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa and Romelu Lukaku securing the victory.
The result leaves Napoli at the top of the table with 53 points, six ahead of Inter Milan, who have two games in hand. Juventus now sit in fifth place with 37 points.
“I’m disappointed with the defeat. We had a good first half, causing our opponents a lot of problems, a side that is not top of the table as a fluke because they have a great coach and had the opportunity to prepare all week for this,” Motta told DAZN.
“However, we did not have that luxury and it showed, because all the good work we did in the first half, we struggled to replicate in the second and that is why we were unable to win.”
Juventus dominated the first half and took the lead with a debut goal from Randal Kolo Muani, who recently joined on loan from Paris Saint-Germain. However, Napoli regained control in the second half, applying relentless pressure on their visitors.
“We reacted well in many other situations, we just didn’t do it today. Juve have not won here since 2019, it is important to point that out. It is the sixth consecutive defeat for the club here so evidently that is a tough place for us,” Motta remarked.
Reflecting on the defeat, Motta also emphasized the role of small mistakes in his team’s performance.
“The idea was to press and defend well but we were unable to do that because our quality was lacking and when we started giving the ball away Napoli tended to win the duels and that gave them an advantage,” he added.
