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Motta calls for improvement after Juventus held again in Serie A at Lecce

Juventus boss Thiago Motta has said his side must improve collectively and individually after they were held to a late 1-1 draw by Lecce in Serie A.

The result was his side's third consecutive draw in all competitions, following two goalless draws against Milan in the league and Aston Villa in the Champions League.

The Old Lady set a new club record for most Serie A ties in a single calendar year with their 18th draw in 2024 – surpassing the 17 of 1956.

“It is important to understand the moments in the matches,” Motta told DAZN after the match.

“After taking the lead, we can improve certain aspects of the game, both collectively and individually.”

Substitute Ante Rebic scored for Lecce in the 93rd minute, canceling out an Andrea Cambiaso goal from earlier in the half.

Juventus, one of three teams still unbeaten in the five major European competitions with six wins and eight draws, is also the team to have drawn the most games in those competitions.

“So far in the competition we have gotten what we deserved,” Motta said.

“Sometimes we have played better than the opponent, other times the games have been more balanced. We are where we need to be.”

FT | | It ends in a draw.

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— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) December 1, 2024

Juventus' season has been hampered by injuries to key players including Dusan Vlahovic, who has scored six goals this season, Nicolo Savona and Weston McKennie.

“We saw in the second half that the team was running out of strength and we knew that was possible,” the manager said.

“In the first half, Lecce waited for our mistakes, and we didn't make many of them. In the second half, we opened up too much, despite being ahead. We need to be able to judge these moments better.

“We have to improve, learn certain things and keep thinking positively. We have to prepare for the next match both physically and mentally.”

Although unbeaten in their last 22 matches in Serie A, Juventus will be hoping to turn these draws into wins more often, starting with their next match against Bologna on Saturday.

They are sixth in the table with 26 points from fourteen games and are leaders Napoli with six points.

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