ROME (AP) — Thiago Motta might have only one solution left to stay on as Juventus coach.
After two successive eliminations in the space of a week — from the Champions League and the Italian Cup — the pressure is on for Juventus to secure a top-four finish in Serie A and a spot in next season’s Champions League.
The Bianconeri were eliminated in stunning fashion by Empoli in the Italian Cup quarterfinals on Wednesday after wasting a first-leg lead against PSV Eindhoven a week earlier.
“I’m ashamed,” Motta said. “I didn’t make the players understand the importance of this match and what it means to wear this shirt.
“I hope that the criticism is really strong. I’m hoping for an immediate reaction from the players.”
Juventus also wasted an advantage when it was eliminated by AC Milan in the Italian Super Cup semifinals last month.
Fourth in Serie A, Juventus needs to hang on to secure its place among Europe’s elite.
Motta has struggled all season to shed the defensive tactics instilled by his predecessor, Massimiliano Allegri, and Juventus has drawn half of its Serie A matches — 13 of 26.
Allegri was fired for his ugly outburst toward the referee and others in the Italian Cup final won by Juventus last season.
Against Empoli, Juventus fell behind during a dismal first half and the match went to a penalty shootout after Khephren Thuram’s equalizer.
However, Dusan Vlahovic blazed his spot kick over and Kenan Yıldız saw his saved as record 15-time champion Juventus crashed out.
“We need to apologize to the fans, to the club and to the history of this club,” Motta said. “We can’t go any lower.”
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Andrew Dampf, The Associated Press
