Motta explains why he benched Yildiz against Parma | OneFootball

Kenan Yildiz’s brace, which salvaged a 4-4 draw for Juventus in the Derby d’Italia, was not enough to earn him a start in his side’s 2-2 draw against Parma, as coach Thiago Motta admitted he saw the Turkish talent as an ‘ideal’ substitute on the occasion.

The 19-year-old came on seconds before the 60th-minute mark against the Gialloblu but failed to impact the final stretch of the game as his manager was hoping for.

Yildiz replaced Timothy Weah, who had scored the Bianconeri’s equaliser a few minutes before, finding his second consecutive Serie A goal in a row, and Motta explained that he picked the American to start as Juventus needed to ‘stretch the pitch’ against a closed defence.

Motta explained why Yildiz was an ‘ideal’ substitute against Parma

“Weah played well at the San Siro and today, too, scoring a goal,” Motta told Sky Sport Italia after the match, as reported by TMW.

“By coming on later, with a more open game, Kenan was the ideal player to create situations, even dropping deep.

MILAN, ITALY – OCTOBER 27: Thiago Motta, Head Coach of Juventus, gestures during the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and Juventus at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on October 27, 2024 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

“I also liked Thuram and Koopmeiners. Today, we needed to stretch the pitch; we did it many times. He [Yildiz] has freedom in the last meters, but it was normal for us today to want to stretch the pitch against such a closed team.”

Yildiz, who failed to capitalise on a chance in the closing minutes, started seven of his 10 total Serie A games played for Juventus this season, and found his first two league goals against Inter last weekend.