Numbers behind Juventus’ frustrating attack under Thiago Motta

Serie A giants Juventus were held to a 2-2 draw by Venezia yesterday and as a result, they haven’t won even once in the league over the last month or so.

This came after a 2-0 win over Manchester City in mid-week but the Bianconeri’s woes in attack continued on Saturday, even if they scored two goals.

Thiago Motta’s side have scored the fifth-most number of goals in Serie A this season – 26, but their xG is at 22. They have overperformed on their xG by about four and on top of that, they have scored four penalties – more than anyone else in the league. While they have the best xG Against in the league, their attack is what lets them down.

Their shooting numbers are not great too, as the Bianconeri take only 12.44 shots per 90 minutes, which puts them at 11th in the league. They are also seventh in the table for touches in the final third and that is a reflection of their lack of cohesion in the final third and reliance on a solid backline.

In a way, it shows that they deserve to be where they are. But it also shows that their attack needs help. Perhaps, Motta still hasn’t figured out the profiles at hand.

At Bologna last season after all, had the 8th best xG in Serie A and they had to overperform on it to reach the top four. Even then, Motta relied on the third best defence in the league.

Tactically, Bologna were more set up to attack spaces during counter-attacks using Joshua Zirkzee and Riccardo Orsolini. The Dutchman would often drop deep and set the likes of Orsolini, Dan Ndoye and Alexis Saelemaekes through, making sure that the side thrived on the break. 

Juventus are a different ball game and there is a need to dominate in possession and rely less on the break. That is a challenge Motta finds himself against and it has to be solved soon.

Kaustubh Pandey I GIFN

(all stats via FBRef)