Juventus Have History on Their Side as Thiago Motta Seeks Much-Needed Victory in Derby della Mole

The Derby della Mole is arguably one of Italy’s most-underwhelming derbies. 

This is, for the most part, due to Torino’s mediocrity over the past half a century. Barring the odd bright season since the mythical Il Grande Torino era.- chiefly their 1976 Scudetto and the Emiliano Mondonico era in the early 1990s – more misfortune than fortune has befallen the Granata.

The end result has translated into Juventus generally picking up wins without much discomfort. In fact, Torino haven’t won a single game in the derby for nearly a decade, their last win coming in April 2015.

To add insult to injury, Torino went through the 2000s without picking up a single win. In fact, in the last 30 years they have won just three times against their rivals, with two of them coming in the same season, when they did the double in 1994-95.

This has meant the rivalry being completely one-sided; David against Goliath, and it’s led to Juve fans holding Toro with a certain level of apathy — akin to the dynamic between an older and younger sibling — that a club of their historic significance doesn’t really deserve.

Yet for Thiago Motta, the derby will mean much more than it currently does to fans. The Juventus manager is in need of a win in the league after picking up just two wins from the last five. 

Moreover, the Champions League draw against Lille was a disappointment for Motta. Despite a positive performance and having two goals ruled out by VAR, the draw does little to break the feeling that Juve so far under Motta lack a killer touch. 

The injury to Bremer, which in hindsight is beginning to look a watershed moment, has rendered the defence vulnerable. It’s been no surprise that rumours surround a new defender arriving in January, with Danilo, Federico Gatti and Pierre Kalulu all fluctuating in form.

Danilo, especially, has been nothing short of disastrous under Motta this season. A stalwart under Max Allegri, the Brazilian’s lack of pace has been exposed due to Motta’s insistence on a high defensive line. Yet it also begs the question why Motta continues with such a tactic considering Gatti and Danilo aren’t quick, with only Kalulu possessing the legs to get out of tricky situations.

Juve look at risk of conceding every time the opposition breaks forward, which was the case against Lille. The Bianconeri have shipped 11 goals in all competitions since Bremer’s injury, a far cry from the mere one pre-injury.

In attack, Dusan Vlahovic continues to blow hot and cold. On target in France on Tuesday night, Vlahovic has now equalled Carlos Tevez’s total in black-and-white with 50, yet the jury is still out on whether the Serb is a fit in Turin. 

The early season optimism, when some believed a Scudetto tilt could be in order, has begun to erode. The Old Lady have slipped to sixth in the table and with Napoli and Inter already stealing a march, Juve could be left fighting it out for the remaining two Champions League spots along with AC Milan, Atalanta and surprise packages Fiorentina and Lazio.

Yet competing for the Scudetto felt more like a dream than reality. Motta is still finding his feet in Turin and with a raft of new signings to integrate into the starting XI, patience is the name of the game. Indeed, despite the doom and gloom, they are still unbeaten in the top flight this term.

Despite Juve’s favourable record in the derby, the former Bologna manager still recognises the importance of the fixture. “I feel privileged because I played for great clubs and lived in great cities,” he said in his pre-game press conference. “Today, I’m still privileged; I’m at a top club and live in a beautiful city.

“Every derby is special. One always wants to win games, but this is special, so we must enter the pitch with the right attitude to do things the right way.”

The former Italy international knows his side can ill afford to drop more points this weekend, with a trip to face Milan at San Siro looming.

Should Toro, with only one victory in their last six, win a first derby since the days of Matteo Darmian, Bruno Peres and Kamil Glik, then the pressure would really start to build on Motta. 

Yet if history is anything to go by, a black-and-white victory should be expected.