Capello identifies ‘main’ Juventus problem in loss against PSV

Fabio Capello (Photo by Jurij Kodrun/Getty Images)

Former Juventus coach noted that the Bianconeri’s ‘main’ issue against PSV was in midfield, although Thiago Motta’s men struggled to keep up with the ‘opponents’ intensity.’

Juventus were eliminated from the Champions League knockout playoff on Wednesday, suffering a 3-1 loss against PSV.

“We have seen proof that our Serie A struggles with the high pace of European football,” Capello told Gazzetta.

“From this perspective, our league seems to have taken a step backwards after the progress we made in 2023-24.”

Capello identifies ‘main’ Juventus problem in loss against PSV

This is especially true of Juventus, even if Milan and Atalanta were also eliminated from the Champions League playoffs.

“Above all, the difficulty in keeping up with the opponents’ intensity was evident,” continued Capello.

“PSV practically never passed the ball back to the goalkeeper, never played backwards, but always moved forward, even when they were winning. Our teams are not used to this kind of pressure.

“I liked the Bianconeri in the first 45 minutes; they pressed a lot, keeping PSV far from Di Gregorio’s goal. But fatigue started to show at the beginning of the second half,” continued the ex-Bianconeri boss.

“Juve had spent a lot of energy, and just ten minutes after the break, they already seemed to be running on empty. Perhaps Thiago Motta could have acted sooner with the substitutions. He spent almost 10 minutes discussing with his assistant before making changes.”

Capello told Motta on Sky Sport that he should have made some substitutions earlier, but the Juventus coach argued that he made changes at the right time.

The former coach identified the primary problem with Juventus against PSV last night.

“Juve’s main issues were in midfield when the team was no longer able to press, allowing the Dutch side more space,” he noted.

“That’s why Motta should have made changes earlier, perhaps bringing in Thuram to freshen up the midfield.”

Juventus currently sit fourth in Serie A, level on points with Lazio. Their next league game is away at Cagliari this coming Sunday.

Motta is under contract at the Allianz Stadium until 2027, but to remain at the helm, he’ll likely need to finish in the top four in Serie A this season.