Alessandro Del Piero found it almost difficult to keep his composure after the Fiorentina-Juventus match. It was difficult to comment on the performance of the Bianconeri, who were destroyed 3-0 by the Viola formation with a very negative performance. The former captain and current commentator for the "Old Lady" did not hide his disappointment in his first analysis, dividing the responsibilities between the team, the coach and the directors, while also recognizing the merit of an excellent Fiorentina.
Del Piero seemed almost embarrassed in front of Sky's microphones as he commented on his former team's performance. For this reason, he felt the need to make a clarifying introduction: "It is difficult, of course, for someone involved like me, although I always try to be very transparent and objective in what I see, to comment on a moment like this. Moments like this have happened in the past and I have experienced them myself, seasons that just go wrong."
But who is responsible?
Before analyzing the coach, the management and the players, Del Piero spoke about the "soul of Juve", which was not seen on the pitch: "Before we go to the tactical aspects, so what the coach could do, what the club does, or what the players did, the thing that stood out to me the most - and which also happened against Atalanta - is the lack of reaction. This is a very serious signal. When you don't react to the opponent's shots, it means you are at a very, very low point. This does not represent the soul of Juventus at all, because you can win or lose, but always with your head held high."
Those to blame for Juventus' failure, according to Del Piero
According to him, the responsibility is shared between the players, the managers and the coach. In particular, Del Piero was surprised by the substitutions made by Thiago Motta: "Today, I think that none of the players on the field, nor those on the bench nor the managers can feel calm and say 'We gave everything'. There was no reaction on the field, there was no reaction on the bench, because then, the substitutions were three defenders. You were losing 3-0 and you change three defenders. Of course there are reasons behind that, I'm not accusing either the players, or Motta, or the club, it's a broader issue, the whole environment".
Biggest problem: Juve's lack of typical reaction
The most serious point according to former captain Del Piero was the lack of reaction: "You can't not react when you're being hit from all sides. To start a parenthesis, Fiorentina were extraordinary – they came out of the difficulties with a different unity. Every team has its difficult moments, but they united around the coach, with a properly structured team, and the credit goes to them. In specific terms, seven goals conceded in two games… there's very little to comment on."