“He was walking” Massimo Mauro slams underperforming Juve midfielder | OneFootball

As criticism of Douglas Luiz’s performances for Juventus continues to mount, former player Massimo Mauro has harshly criticised the midfielder for his display during his only start of the season so far.

Luiz appears set to join a long list of Brazilian midfielders who have struggled at Juventus, and he cannot claim he hasn’t been given a fair opportunity. Many Juve fans were surprised when he was benched in the club’s early matches of the season, especially considering they had yet to sign Teun Koopmeiners.

Having been one of the first players brought in by the Bianconeri last summer, Luiz joined the club after a strong season at Aston Villa, helping the Villans qualify for the Champions League. Juventus expected him to make an immediate impact.

However, Motta soon realised that Luiz was not performing well enough to earn a starting spot, leading to his exclusion from the lineup at the start of the campaign. He finally got a chance to start in the match against Empoli but delivered an underwhelming performance, which prompted serious criticism from Mauro.

He did not hold back and told Tuttosport:

“From what we’ve seen in Empoli, it was right to rest him. In Tuscany, he was embarrassing, he was walking. If he should be used little in the future as well, then yes, it would become a problem considering he was paid 51 million.”

Juve FC Says

Luiz’s performance has surprised us all and we hope the midfielder will get better and step up his performance in the coming weeks.

Otherwise, he may not spend plenty of seasons on our books.