TURIN, Italy (AP) — Thiago Motta was fired as coach of slumping Juventus on Sunday, with Igor Tudor named as a replacement for the rest of the season.
“The club would like to thank Thiago Motta and all of his staff for their professionalism and for the work they have carried out in recent months with passion and dedication,” Juventus said in a statement. “The club wish them the best of luck for the future.
“Juventus FC also announce that the men’s first team will now be led by Igor Tudor, who will take charge of his first training session tomorrow,” the club added.
Juventus conceded seven goals and scored none in its last two Serie A matches — 4-0 and 3-0 losses to Atalanta and Fiorentina, respectively — leaving the record 36-time champion in fifth place and at risk of not qualifying for the Champions League.
Motta, who was in his first season at Juventus after guiding Bologna to a Champions League spot in the last campaign, reportedly lost support of several key players in the changing room over recent weeks as Juventus was eliminated from the Champions League and Italian Cup.
Juventus was also eliminated by AC Milan in the Italian Super Cup semifinals in January.
Tudor played for Juventus for nearly a decade from 1998-2007 and has previously coached Udinese, Hellas Verona and Lazio in Italy.
Tudor will make his debut against Genoa next Saturday.
Juventus will also play in the enlarged Club World Cup in the United States starting in June.
Motta has struggled all season to shed the defensive tactics instilled by his predecessor, Massimiliano Allegri, and Juventus has drawn 13 of its 29 Serie A matches.
Allegri was fired for his ugly outburst toward the referee and others in the Italian Cup final won by Juventus last season.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
The Associated Press
