Juventus coach Thiago Motta was lucky enough to work under the tutelage of some of the most renowned managers in football during his playing days. However, some had a bigger impact than others when it came to shaping the coach that the Italian Brazilian has become.
Saying that the 42-year-old’s first campaign in Turin has been largely disappointing might be an understatement. Nevertheless, Motta remains one of the most promising young tacticians in Europe, especially following his historic achievements at Bologna last season.
The Juventus boss is now preparing to take on one of his mentors in Gian Piero Gasperini. The two men will cross paths once more when the Bianconeri host La Dea on Sunday night. The veteran manager used to coach Motta during his solitary campaign at Genoa.
So ahead of the big weekend clash, the young manager was naturally asked about Gaperini’s influence on his career. While he didn’t deny that the latter had left his mark, he named Louis van Gaal (who coached him at Barcelona) and Carlo Ancelotti (his old PSG manager) as his main role models.
“I would like to take many things from Gasperini, but it takes time. A coach like me likes the team to play well with pace and dynamism, a team that creates chances and goes forward, with defensive solidity,” said Motta in his pre-match press conference (via IlBianconero).
“We have our differences though. He was my coach, but I also had others. I grew up with the Barcelona philosophy. I spent six or seven years in a very different school, I arrived in Italy with Gasperini, who works in one way, Mourinho, Ranieri, Benitez had other ways.
“Van Gaal gave me a lot, Ancelotti was a great master in managing and interpreting certain situations. I have had many coaches. But we all want to win, the philosophies and principles are only valid if you get to victory, that’s why all these coaches helped me a lot. Gasperini was one of them.”
