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The Guardian
10-03-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Motta's painful Gasperini reunion leaves him gasping for air at Juventus
Thiago Motta has never been shy with his gratitude towards Gian Piero Gasperini. He cites the Atalanta manager extensively in the thesis he submitted while studying for his Uefa Pro coaching licence at Coverciano, describing how the season he spent playing under Gasperini at Genoa reshaped his approach to the game. He offered thanks again on Saturday, recalling how he had arrived in Italy in a delicate moment of his career – seeking a way back from successive knee injuries at Barcelona and Atlético Madrid. 'I'd just started training again and Gasperini asked me if I could play,' said Motta. 'I said yes, and he said: 'OK, I'll bring you tomorrow and maybe you'll play 10 minutes.' Then he stuck me on in the first half when [Omar] Milanetto got hurt. 'It was from there that I rediscovered my desire to play, I found my smile again. I remembered how to have fun playing football.' Motta would have a very different expression on his face by the end of their reunion on Sunday. His Juventus side's game against Atalanta began as a showdown between two aspiring contenders for the Serie A title. It ended in a humiliating 4-0 home rout that might prove fatal to Motta's hopes of keeping his job past the end of this campaign. This was not how it was meant to go. The mood inside Juve's Allianz Stadium before kick-off was more optimistic than it had been for months. Five consecutive league wins had dragged the Bianconeri back into the Scudetto conversation, just six points behind league leaders Internazionale – who they beat in Turin last month. Another victory here would move them ahead of Atalanta into third place by virtue of a head-to-head tiebreaker. It seemed like the perfect moment to face Gasperini's team, who had been going through their own crisis of form. Atalanta had won just two of their last nine games across all competitions and failed to score against relegation-threatened Cagliari and Venezia. Juventus boasted the stingiest defence in all of Serie A. Meanwhile, Gasperini's relationship with his best player, Ademola Lookman, was under scrutiny. The forward had spoken of feeling disrespected by the manager's public criticisms after the Champions League defeat by Club Brugge and subsequently refused to answer questions about whether the matter had been put behind them. Still, Lookman started against Juventus on Sunday, as he has in several other games since their falling-out. He lined up to the left of Mateo Retegui and Juan Cuadrado in the front line of a lopsided 3-4-3. Right away, Atalanta looked the more threatening team, though their breakthrough in the 29th minute came from a contested penalty. Marten de Roon's free-kick from the right had been half-cleared by Juventus, before Ederson chipped the ball back into the area. Weston McKennie then committed a clear handball on Berat Djimsiti's header but there was debate about whether the American had been shoved as well as whether Lookman had handled on the initial clearance. A VAR check upheld the spot-kick and Retegui converted. Atalanta missed chances to extend their lead before half-time but De Roon smashed home a second goal within 50 seconds of the restart. Sead Kolasinac then set up Davide Zappacosta to make it 3-0 in the 66th minute, before Lookman completed the scoring with a run and finish in the 77th after Dusan Vlahovic gave the ball away in midfield. Motta's thesis is titled The Value of the Ball: the tool of the trade at the heart of the game.' As you might expect from that title, it contains much discussion about the value of possession. In one section, he recalls a specific conversation with Gasperini, who persuaded him that although direct balls to Genoa's centre-forward Diego Milito could lead to shooting chances, they also removed all other teammates – including himself – from the action, and in doing so reduced the overall likelihood of creating a scoring opportunity. Better to move up together, with the ball, and keep all options open. Theory is one thing, though, and real life another. Juventus finished with more than 63% of possession against Atalanta yet took fewer than half as many shots as their visitors. If anything, the final scoreline could have been even more lopsided – Juve's Michele Di Gregorio made several good saves. While it is true that Gasperini prefers to cultivate teams that are comfortable on the ball, his greatest strength has always been his willingness to keep adjusting – within games and across seasons – to exploit his teams' strengths and opponents' weaknesses. As Juventus committed men forward chasing the game, Atalanta increased pressure in the middle of the pitch to create turnovers and became ruthlessly direct in their transitions. There is a story to be written here about the Bergamo club overcoming recent adversity and reasserting their title hopes, as they continue to sit just three points off first place. Gasperini reminded us before and after this game of how rare it has been historically for Atalanta to occupy such a high position this late in a campaign. We have got so used to seeing them succeed under his leadership that we probably should pause sometimes to remind ourselves that this is not normal. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion Perhaps we also ought to hold that thought for one more week. Atalanta's next game, on Sunday, is at home to Inter. A win would make all things possible. But the reverse fixture, last August, ended in a 4-0 defeat and Atalanta have struggled more lately in their own stadium than on the road. With 10 games still to play, and Napoli poised in second place, even next week's game will not decide the title race. By contrast, there was a feeling that Sunday's defeat might have fundamentally shifted the discussion about whether Motta should get a second season in charge of Juventus. Perhaps that is unfair. Motta has overseen an ambitious rejuvenation project this season, fielding the second-youngest teams, on average, of any club in Serie A. His possession-focused tactics represent a sharp change of direction from his predecessor, Massimiliano Allegri, and there have been some high points along the way, including the win over Inter and before that Manchester City. Yet some of the lows have felt dismal: blowing a first-leg lead against PSV, exiting the Coppa Italia to Empoli and endless draws through the winter. Sunday was a new low. As brilliant as Atalanta are, Juventus can only go so far in excusing their worst home defeat for 58 years. Cagliari 1-1 Genoa, Como 1-1 Venezia, Empoli 0-1 Roma, Internazionale 3-2 Monza, Juventus 0-4 Atalanta, Lecce 2-3 Milan, Napoli 2-1 Fiorentina, Parma 2-2 Torino, Verona 1-2 Bologna Monday Lazio v Udinese (7.45pm GMT) It is hardly all Motta's fault. Juventus spent more than €160m on transfers last summer but the most expensive new additions – Douglas Luiz and Teun Koopmeiners – have been the most disappointing, and came at the cost of allowing some of the most promising young talent on the club's books, such as Dean Huijsen, to be sold. There have also been damaging injuries to key players, most notably the centre-back Bremer. Fans chanted against their club's directors during the game and booed when the president, Gianluca Ferrero, appeared on the big screen. Many left before full-time. But of the few who remained, some did sing for the return of Allegri. A change before the end of the season seems unlikely. Juventus's first objective remains qualifying for the Champions League. They ended the weekend still in fourth place, though Lazio will overtake if they beat Udinese on Monday night. But a scenario in which Motta returns to continue his project next season feels ever more distant. He chided the media at full time for creating false expectations. 'This story with the Scudetto, where you put us among the possible candidates, we're not going to talk about that any more.'
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'Brave' club needed to lead way with female boss
Non-league coach Rosi Webb believes having females in charge of men's professional teams could become a norm once a club is "brave enough" to be the first to do it. Stanway Pegasus boss Webb, one of very few females in charge of a men's team in England, recently obtained a Uefa A license. It entitles her to coach teams up to the second tier of English football, but she would need a Uefa Pro license for a job in the Premier League. "There's certainly a lot of talented females out there that, first of all, hold the right qualifications but also have experience in the game," she told BBC Essex. "I think sometimes clubs aren't brave enough to do it because if they were we'd have a female (in charge of a team) already. "As soon as one club does it, it will probably start to become the norm a little bit but it will take that first club to take that step." No club has ever appointed a female manager in the top five tiers of English football, although Hannah Dingley had a two-week spell as interim boss of Forest Green Rovers in 2023 where she was head of their academy. Female coach in charge of men's team earns A licence Men's game not ready for female manager - Hayes Dingley enjoying journey after moment of history Webb believes that a female should only be appointed on merit, not on the basis of attracting headlines. "I'd like to think that there's a club out there that will give a female a job because they deserve the job," she added. "It's got to be the right fit for the club. It's like any job - whoever gets it should be the right person for the job." Webb obtained her A license 10 years on from earning her previous B qualification after studying over a period of eight months at the St George's Park national training centre in Burton-upon-Trent. "It was a bit of a relief because the course is so intense, like you'd expect it to be being a Uefa qualification," Webb said. "It took about a year to complete. "In between each block, you'd have two online calls and talk about things like tactics and strategy and you'd also have a minimum of six visits, so a coach developer would come out into your environment and watch your sessions." She continued: "There's always going to be trends in the game and we've gone from playing long to playing out (from) the back - it will be a forever evolving game and we see things now where players don't just play one position, they look to rotate. "It's also the other bits around it like analysis and injury prevention, which all inform the practices you're putting on - it's not just a case of turning up and putting sessions on, you have to take into account everything that comes along with it." Stanway face Framlingham this weekend and are hoping to go one better than the last two seasons when they lost out in the Eastern Counties League Division One North play-offs. Given her current level of qualification permits her to coach up to Championship level, Webb was asked whether she would fancy coaching a club like leaders Leeds United one day. She replied: "Not sure about Leeds United but certainly that's probably the aim in around that kind of standard at some point, I guess." Get the latest WSL news on our dedicated page
BBC News
26-02-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'Brave' club needed to lead way with female boss
Non-league coach Rosi Webb believes having females in charge of men's professional teams could become a norm once a club is "brave enough" to be the first to do Pegasus boss Webb, one of very few females in charge of a men's team in England, recently obtained a Uefa A entitles her to coach teams up to the second tier of English football, but she would need a Uefa Pro license for a job in the Premier League."There's certainly a lot of talented females out there that, first of all, hold the right qualifications but also have experience in the game," she told BBC Essex."I think sometimes clubs aren't brave enough to do it because if they were we'd have a female (in charge of a team) already."As soon as one club does it, it will probably start to become the norm a little bit but it will take that first club to take that step." No club has ever appointed a female manager in the top five tiers of English football, although Hannah Dingley had a two-week spell as interim boss of Forest Green Rovers in 2023 where she was head of their academy. Webb believes that a female should only be appointed on merit, not on the basis of attracting headlines."I'd like to think that there's a club out there that will give a female a job because they deserve the job," she added."It's got to be the right fit for the club. It's like any job - whoever gets it should be the right person for the job."Webb obtained her A license 10 years on from earning her previous B qualification after studying over a period of eight months at the St George's Park national training centre in Burton-upon-Trent."It was a bit of a relief because the course is so intense, like you'd expect it to be being a Uefa qualification," Webb said. "It took about a year to complete."In between each block, you'd have two online calls and talk about things like tactics and strategy and you'd also have a minimum of six visits, so a coach developer would come out into your environment and watch your sessions."She continued: "There's always going to be trends in the game and we've gone from playing long to playing out (from) the back - it will be a forever evolving game and we see things now where players don't just play one position, they look to rotate."It's also the other bits around it like analysis and injury prevention, which all inform the practices you're putting on - it's not just a case of turning up and putting sessions on, you have to take into account everything that comes along with it."Stanway face Framlingham this weekend and are hoping to go one better than the last two seasons when they lost out in the Eastern Counties League Division One North her current level of qualification permits her to coach up to Championship level, Webb was asked whether she would fancy coaching a club like leaders Leeds United one replied: "Not sure about Leeds United but certainly that's probably the aim in around that kind of standard at some point, I guess."
