Del Piero claims ‘history weights heavily’ at Juventus and picks four Scudetto candidates | OneFootball

Alessandro Del Piero believes his former club Juventus are one of the four teams who will still be in contention for the Serie A title by the end of the 2024-25 season, and believes that Thiago Motta is doing a decent job given the weight of expectations in Turin.

The former Juve and Italy star gave an interview to La Gazzetta dello Sport from the Globe Soccer awards, published on Saturday morning, during which he spoke about his former club’s chances this season, supporters’ expectations and Thiago Motta’s qualities in the dugout.

Del Piero: ‘It’s a time of change’ at Juventus

Alessandro Del Piero looks on during a press conference at Centro Tecnico Federale di Coverciano on June 03, 2024 in Florence, Italy. (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images)

Del Piero believes that Juventus are still going through a ‘time of change’ following Motta’s appointment in the summer, but pointed to the team’s success in the Champions League when asked about the quality of their start to the season.

“It’s a time of change. Things went well at the start and then there were these draws, which got a lot of people talking given how many there were,” Del Piero told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“The atmosphere has been reinvigorated after the last win, and things are going quite well in the Champions League, too.”

Juventus’s current situation is nothing new, and one that Del Piero has experienced himself on multiple occasions.

“I have gone through changes of coaches which have gone well, and others that went badly. The reality is that the expectations at Juventus are always high. There is no point in beating around the bush.

“History weighs heavily; This is true for Juventus and also for Milan, who are going through a similar moment.

“This is part of Juve’s history, we are not just realising it now. The season only started a few months ago, though and there is still a lot of time ahead.”

TURIN, ITALY – DECEMBER 11: Juventus players celebrate victory at the end of the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD6 match between Juventus and Manchester City at Juventus Stadium on December 11, 2024 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

When asked about Thiago Motta’s qualities as a coach, Del Piero responded: “I’ve never had him as a coach, so I can’t talk about him like that. I’ve played against him many times as a player, though.

“He was very tenacious, but more than anything, he had great technique and remarkable vision. If he can transfer his qualities on the pitch into the dugout, he will do a lot of good things.”

And who does he believe will be in the Scudetto fight by the end of the season?

“Inter are at the top, but there’s also Atalanta and Napoli, who have a chance, let’s see what happens. Juventus are there as well.

“I don’t have any favourites. The fact that there is this much competitiveness and balance is a positive for the spectacle and for the interest in the league. There aren’t many leagues in Europe this hard-fought at the moment.”