Motta: Juventus 'deserved more' from Lille stalemate

By Sports Desk November 06, 2024

Thiago Motta feels Juventus "deserved more" against Lille, insisting "I cannot be happy" with the 1-1 draw in the Champions League.

The spoils were shared at Stade Pierre Mauroy, where a second-half Dusan Vlahovic penalty cancelled out Jonathan David's opener in the 27th minute.

Juve responded well to falling behind, controlling large periods of the contest after the break, but were unable to turn their superiority into a winning goal.

That moved the Bianconeri onto seven points after four games, though Motta believes their tally should be greater.

"I'm happy with the players, but I cannot be happy with the result, we deserved more than a draw," he said.

"We faced a team who were well-organised, defended very well and who were ready to hurt us on the break. Lille know what they are doing, they are full of confidence at the moment. But it was a great performance from my lads.

"We certainly could've done better in the final third, though the quality of our football improved in the second half.

"We wanted a different result and created the opportunities to get that, but I am happy with the performance. We can improve certain things but, overall, I am satisfied with the way the team played."

Motta also praised the performances of Francisco Conceicao and Kenan Yildiz, with the pair carrying some of Juventus' greater threats down the wings.

"The two wingers who started were in good form, we knew that we would have to go down the flanks to break Lille down," the Bianconeri coach added.

"It was tough for us to push through the middle today because Lille were closing up all the spaces, so we had to attack wide with the wingers, and also the full-backs overlapping.

"Kenan and Francisco are very good at taking men on in one-on-one situations to break down teams that are clammed up.

"I really liked them in the second half, as they were in the right zones to accept the ball, and I am glad about what they both did."

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