Word of Henry Precious: “Thiago Motta is predestined. I have always been certain of his coaching skills and I am convinced that he can become one of the best in the world even on the bench. In fact: he already is now”. L’former owner of Genoa he was the first to believe in the Italian-Brazilian’s coaching qualities, entrusting him with the Genoa bench at just 37 years old. It was 2019 and, with hindsight, we can easily confirm that he had seen things through. Once again. Like in 2008, when the Avellino entrepreneur bet on the relaunch of a talent battered by injuries and which the vast majority of experts considered finished after the serious accidents he had against Barcelona and Atletico Madrid (torn ligaments and meniscus): “Everyone told me not to take it, that it was broken – Preziosi recalls today -. But I didn’t listen to anyone and I wanted to meet him. There I met Thiago for the first time and I discovered a great man: he looked me in the eyes and told me: ‘President, take me and you won’t regret it” I did it and I must say that the Motta purchase was absolutely one of the best operations of my life”.
Dry question: is your pupil ready to coach Juventus?
“Of course yes, I have no doubts. Motta has shown that he deserves a top club and I think it’s no secret that Juventus will start from him again. I’m sure that he will do very well at the helm of the Bianconeri too.”
What do you say to those who say that the pressures in Turin are different than those in Bologna?
“Apart from the fact that there are expectations and criticisms everywhere, but then as a player Thiago played in huge clubs like Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Inter and PSG, where he was forced to win and pressure was the order of the day. He’s used to can tolerate them and has always shown that he knows how to handle them well. It won’t be a problem at all to live with those of the Juve world. And then they weren’t light either in Genoa, trust me: I often put them on my players and coaches too…”.
You entrusted your Genoa to a debutant: what struck you about Motta as coach?
“As a player he was always in the heart of the game, in the middle of the pitch: he was already a sort of coach. I immediately liked his ideas: very brilliant and convincing. Furthermore, I knew and appreciated Thiago as a man: a person of one piece, who has never compromised, but who always follows her own path. It was easy to trust her.”
Juve in destiny: ten things you don’t know about Thiago Motta
