Thiago Motta was pleased to see Juventus end their series of ties on Sunday with a 2-1 win over Monza, but admitted they should have taken the points earlier.
Juve had drawn their last four Serie A matches in a row, but first-half goals from Weston McKennie and Nicolas Gonzalez either side of Samuele Birindelli's equalizer ended that streak.
It was Juventus' 1,700th win in the Italian top flight as they are now unbeaten in their last 25 league games (W9 D16), the longest current run without defeat in the Big-5 European competitions.
“We have always struggled with teams that defend and go on the counter,” Motta told DAZN.
“We had to end the game. This is part of the growth process, where we take extra risk against these teams and possibly allow counter-attacks.
“We were in a position to make the transitions in the second half with quality when we were in the lead, but we didn't do it well enough.”
Despite the win, Juventus remain nine points behind leaders Atalanta, but Motta said he was not looking at the standings going into the festive season.
“We only look at the table at the end of the season. Before that, we take it match by match and try to get the maximum result against each opponent,” he added.
FT | | We leave Monza with maximum points
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Key midfielder Teun Koopmeiners was substituted at half-time, with Motta confirming he was uneasy and had been taken off the field as a precaution.
“Koopmeiners felt a bit of a pull in his adductor, we didn't want to risk it,” he said.
Gonzalez has now scored in two consecutive games in all competitions for Fiorentina (against Frosinone and Cagliari in Serie A) for the first time since September-October 2023.
Motta praised the winger for his versatility after playing in the hole just behind striker Dusan Vlahovic.
“He can play on the right or on the left, as a centre-forward, but I see him doing well there too. I only use players in a role if they are convinced they can do it.”
Meanwhile, Gonzalez said he is happy to play out of position for Juventus after his two-month absence due to muscle problems.
“To help the team, I can also play as a goalkeeper, I also let the coach know that,” Gonzalez told DAZN after scoring the winner.
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