Juventus frustrated by another draw as Motta acknowledges Napoli resilience

Juventus head coach Thiago Motta was impressed by Napoli’s courageous showing as the pair shared a goalless Serie A draw on Saturday.

Motta’s team started their campaign with two convincing 3-0 wins against Como and Verona but have failed to score in the league since, recording three 0-0 draws so far in September.

The Napoli result marked just the fifth time Juventus have been held to three straight draws in Serie A history, with the last such instance coming in May 1992 under boss Giovanni Trapattoni.

It also proved just the second occasion this decade of Juventus failing to find the net for three games in a row in Serie A, along with a run between February and March 2011 with Luigi Delneri in charge.

Motta apportioned some credit to Antonio Conte’s visitors, though was frustrated with parts of the hosts’ showing.

“I expected this attitude, although they played at our home and I didn’t expect them to be as courageous as they normally are,” Motta said at the post-match press conference.

“[Whether it was] their strategy or our merit, we found ourselves with the team with a low defensive block in the penalty area and therefore difficult to attack.

“It’s not a question of filling [the box] but of attacking it at the right time.

“We faced a team that knows how to defend the penalty area well. When a team closes up, it’s not easy to score.

“In my opinion, we did better than in the match against Roma. Inside the box, it was difficult against a team that defends well. We had a good performance but not enough to win.”

Stalemate in Turin #JuveNapoli pic.twitter.com/kLErOLO6zh

— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) September 21, 2024

Juventus finished the game with only one shot on target and striker Dusan Vlahovic, goalless in his fourth consecutive game across all competitions, was substituted at half-time.

“It’s difficult to win without scoring, we needed an extra contribution from us midfielders too,” said Bianconeri midfielder Weston McKennie.

“[Vlahovic] won’t be happy but the whole team must put him in a position to score.”

Juventus travel to 11th-placed Genoa next Saturday before they visit RB Leipzig in the Champions League on October 2.