Juventus sack Thiago Motta, hire Igor Tudor after heavy losses

Juventus have sacked manager Thiago Motta and appointed Igor Tudor, the Serie A club said on Sunday, following two consecutive heavy defeats in a disappointing season.

Juventus were beaten 3-0 at Fiorentina on March 16 following an embarrassing 4-0 loss at home to Atalanta on March 9, and Motta’s side dropped to fifth in the standings, having been overtaken by Bologna. They are 12 points behind leaders Inter Milan.

“Juventus FC announces that it has relieved Thiago Motta of his position as coach of the men’s first team,” a club statement said. “Juventus also announces that it has entrusted the leadership of the Men’s First Team to Igor Tudor who will direct the first training session tomorrow.”

Tudor, 46, spent most of his playing career at Juventus, arriving in 1998. In 2020, the Croatian coach was Andrea Pirlo’s assistant at Juventus for one season.

In Italy, Tudor has managed Udinese, Hellas Verona and Lazio.

Juventus finished 20th in the Champions League standings and were knocked out of the competition at the playoff stage by PSV Eindhoven last month.

Less than a week later, Juventus was knocked out of the Coppa Italia by Empoli after a penalty shootout in the quarterfinals.

Juve went 21 league games without a defeat earlier in the season, but that period saw Motta’s team draw 13 matches, preventing them from entering the title race.

While there was an upturn after the first loss to Napoli in January, with Juventus winning five in a row, the manager has paid the price for the recent heavy defeats, which have angered supporters.

Since his arrival at Juventus, Motta has taken a hard stance with players, with Federico Chiesa told he was not part of the manager’s plans before he was sent to Liverpool in August.

Juventus next host Genoa on Saturday.