Tacchinardi's words after Juventus-Atalanta
MATCH AGAINST ATALANTA - "I would have never expected this. Maybe I got carried away by the enthusiasm, being just six points behind the leaders... With a different group and a different mentality, at least they could have tried—not necessarily won, but tried. I never would have expected a team to collapse like this. But if I think about what happened in the Supercoppa, when Juve crumbled after the second goal... When they falter, they really falter, even though they have the best defense. And when they have to track back, they don’t want to, they don’t get their hands dirty: they look nice, but Juve's history teaches us that it takes less spectacle and more substance. Atalanta tore them apart. Losing is acceptable, but how did they lose? A team in total disarray—I was truly shocked."
DIFFERENCES FROM THE FIRST LEG AGAINST ATALANTA - "I don’t think Thiago suddenly forgot how to coach. I have nothing against him, nothing against Allegri—I judge what I see. There's a huge gap between Juventus' performance in the first and second leg against Atalanta. I believe something has broken in the locker room. It’s impossible that, if you coach well (and I saw that in the first match against Atalanta), there is such a dramatic collapse. As a former player, I say something must have broken—it’s not possible to fall apart like this. And I agree that the blame shouldn’t fall entirely on Motta, but the players must show some character. A team can't collapse like that. In Bergamo, the match was supposed to be even tougher, yet they played an incredible game."
THIAGO MOTTA - "We can also say that the club hasn’t helped him… But look at Conte: they sell Kvara in January, and he adapts, putting Raspadori in the best conditions to play. But is it really possible that, apart from Thuram, no one at Juve has improved? And that they can't even try playing Vlahovic with Kolo Muani? Kolo Muani is not a striker, and the coach is very rigid in his approach. Then seeing Koopmeiners played on the right—boh! Having such a valuable asset like Vlahovic just standing still… I take away all criticism from the coach, but I regret that he hasn’t been able to maximize his players’ strengths and has been very inflexible with his ideas. A player like Vlahovic needs to feel like the protagonist—right now, he doesn’t. You can’t play with fire today—it would be madness if Juve didn’t finish in the top four."
LACK OF LEADERSHIP - "This team doesn’t have the strength to pull itself out of trouble—no one has stepped up as a strong leader in difficult moments. The coach has tried to provide continuity, but leadership is missing. There are many good players, and I’m sorry that Danilo left because he could have been a key figure on a human level. I expected players to motivate each other during the week to understand the importance of the game against Atalanta. The players have their responsibilities too, but this seems to be their maximum level in terms of personality. The mistake was letting go of players who could have helped. The hope is that the team regroups for the match in Florence—I hope they don’t collapse again because that could open up new, uncertain scenarios… I hope Juve wins and continues with Motta, making assessments at the end of the season. But the emotional breakdown against Atalanta could have serious consequences. When I was playing, if you drew a home match, it caused chaos in the locker room. If Conte were six points behind the leaders, he would have used that as motivation for the Scudetto—it's ambition, a positive kind of arrogance. I lived through times when even losing a training match caused an uproar—it was a battle. Hearing the coach’s words left me frozen."
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PRESSURE AND MOTTA’S COMMENTS ON THE SCUDETTO - "There’s a clip circulating where Allegri says that some players and coaches win, and others never do. I remember Dortmund, I remember Madrid (the year of the Berlin final)—the pressure was immense, yet Allegri seemed like he was giving a speech at a parish in Livorno. That’s where you need to connect with the players emotionally and absorb the pressure of the moment. And Allegri is the best at that. The pressure of wearing this jersey starts on day one—players need to get used to it because that’s what pushes you to rise in tough moments."
CHIELLINI’S ROLE - "Let me start by saying that I have great admiration for him—since he arrived at Juve and was kicking Ibrahimović in training (laughs), he showed on the pitch that he was a true Juve man, someone special. On the field, he was a gladiator. I like his presence, but I don’t know if he has the strong charisma needed for this role. As a player, he was phenomenal. Off the pitch, I’ve seen him as an even better person. I’m not sure if he has the toughness to take charge of the situation—he entered Juve very humbly, tiptoeing in, and he’s a top guy. I don’t know if he can take that extra step, but for sure, the team needs a strong figure close to them. They need someone tough. If Giorgio can be that guy even with the club, then great. But here, people always say ‘it’s fine, it’s fine’—when in reality, nothing is fine. I’d like someone to take control of the situation, even alongside Giuntoli. I hope he has that charisma—I’ve never seen him work in that aspect. I’d love to see it because he embodies the true Juventus spirit. If he has that bit of extra character, he’s the right man for the job."
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