Juventus boss Thiago Motta hails Teun Koopmeiners after Verona win | OneFootball

Serie A giants Juventus picked up a 2-0 win over Hellas Verona yesterday and cut the gap between themselves and teams higher than them in the table.

Khephren Thuram and Teun Koopmeiners had scored a goal each in the second half in Turin last night and Juve are now only six points behind league leaders Inter. They take on Atalanta next and a win in that game could take them level on points with La Dea.

Motta spoke to the press after the game and he was asked about Koopmeiners, who has struggled in the season showed signs of recovery yesterday.

The Juve boss said: “He is an important player for us.

“He can play many roles, he has physical and technical qualities, he interprets the game we want to see well, sometimes lower, sometimes higher with the freedom to go inside or outside, he knows when to change position to cause problems for the opponents. In the defensive phase he is always very generous, I am happy because he deserves it, it is a privilege to have him with us.”

The Bianconeri boss further revealed his trust for the Dutchman and said: “Today he scored, and this is important for a player but I have always defended him, I see him in training and I know what he can give to the team.”

Motta was also asked about whether he is thinking about the Scudetto, but he refuted talk and stated that he is focusing on the next few games.

“I am concentrating on today’s match, they are three important points against an opponent who closed up well. Now I hope to recover some players for the next match against Atalanta, which will be very important.”

So far in the season, Juve have lost only one game and while they have picked up over ten draws, picking up points in those games is now putting them in good stead.

Kaustubh Pandey I GIFN