Bonucci: If Juventus want to win immediately, take Conte. Thiago Motta needs time

The future of Thiago Motta is a hot topic in Italy. Leonardo Bonucci, the former historic Juventus defender, has expressed his opinion to “Gazzetta dello Sport” regarding the possibility of confirming the Italian-Brazilian coach, even in the event of non-qualification in the Champions League:

"It depends on the objectives of the club, which invested in several players during the summer, but also in the young people it has evaluated. If you want to win immediately, change in June and get Conte, otherwise give Motta and Giuntoli time to build the foundations and return to success.

"Of course I expected a greater increase, but now the black and whites must unite for the only remaining objective, qualification for the Champions League (for the next edition), which is still a small consolation."

Bonucci admits he is not satisfied: "However, a project needs time and harmony at the management level. Motta currently has an unstable project, but he must be given confidence for at least another year to create the conditions to win. Of course, he also needs to grow.

He has to understand that coaching Juve is a world of its own, he is smart and he has to understand which parts need to be improved. Even at Bologna there were difficulties at the beginning, but at Juve you play to win, everything is different.

"It's not fair to put all the responsibility on him after only 8 months, but Motta needs to take a step forward on a communication level as well. Saying 'we are sad and disappointed' is not enough."

However, according to Bonucci, it's not all to be dismissed: "I'm confident that, if Thiago stays, something positive can come out. He has given Juve the opportunity to dominate matches in terms of play, but that doesn't mean winning.

"With the growth of the youth and the inclusion of 2-3 high-level players, next season there will be the foundations for a step up. Today there is no team for the title, but if they had won against Atalanta, let's not forget, Juve would still be in the title race."

Leonardo Bonucci also spoke about individual Juventus players during the interview, focusing mainly on Teun Koopmeiners: "Why are there difficulties? When you change clubs and environments, you erase everything you have created. If you don't join a team that is already consolidated, everything becomes more complicated. It happened to me at Milan, so if you don't have a great personality, you will have even more difficulties."

What can be started again?

"Yildiz has played much more than under Allegri and now they can sell him for 70-80 million euros. I rate Thuram positively, Di Gregorio is also doing well. So, there is something to save this season at Juventus. I remember Kenan from 2022, when we played a match with the U-19s. When he had the ball, he would come and attack me and Danilo without fear. He is worth so much money, because for his age he has shown that he is an important player. If Juventus have the strength to keep him, he is one of those who can be restarted, although he has not yet shown all his qualities. He brings enthusiasm to the fans and has shots, but to be ranked in the Yamal category he needs to grow a lot and be less selfish. In the first match with Atalanta he had to pass the ball to Mbangula".

Vlahovic, should he leave?

"If Motta stays, I don't think he can stay. At first he played a lot, then something changed."