MILAN, ITALY – OCTOBER 27: Juventus head coach Thiago Motta interacts with his players Danilo and Nicolo Fagioli during the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and Juventus at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on October 27, 2024 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Thiago Motta admits Inter “had the chance to decide the game” and let Juventus off the hook in a 4-4 thriller, but were put under pressure by their unexpected defensive decisions.

The Bianconeri looked like they were done for after just one point, trailing 4-2 at the San Siro and seeing Michele Di Gregorio repeatedly make acrobatic saves to keep the score down.

At the height of this pressure, Thiago Motta brought Kenan Yildiz off the bench, scored twice and fought his way back into the game with an extraordinary 4-4 result.

“We fell behind in complicated situations with two penalties, but we stayed in the game. Of course it became more difficult after the fourth goal because Inter played well and had the chance to decide the game, but they didn't,” Thiago Motta told Sky Sport Italia.

“We have to analyze this game as it had a lot of ups and downs, but it is a game where we have to be at full strength for 94 minutes, not these ups and downs.”

Juve had only conceded one goal in Serie A all season, but conceded three in the first half alone. In Thiago Motta's opinion, what is the cause of the sudden stroke of fate?

“We can improve in many areas, every game is different. We suffered in defense today, not to mention that we were up against a strong attacking team with a lot of quality, we still struggled both individually and collectively to concede as many chances.

“On the other hand, we also created a lot of chances to score, so it was an open and very fair football game.”

Thiago Motta explains Juventus' tactics against Inter

Inter have their greatest strength on the left with Alessandro Bastoni and Federico Dimarco. How did Thiago Motta deal with it?

“We have players on that flank who are in good form, Andrea Cambiaso, who comes from deep, Francisco Conceicao, who is no one to deal with easily when he comes at you with that pace and quality. Weston McKennie also has the ability to rush into spaces at the right moment.

“Inter can attack well but suffer in defense and we did more or less the same thing tonight which caused them problems.”

See how this incredible game unfolded in the live blog.

This isn't the first time Juventus have come back from the toughest of situations, as in the Champions League against RB Leipzig they came from behind and down to 10 men only to win 3-2 in Germany.

Thiago Motta was asked why Danilo was chosen for the back four instead of Federico Gatti, particularly because he gave away one of the penalty kicks.

“They are two completely different players. Federico has more experience in this role and has given us a lot so far, while Danilo is currently slightly better at initiating moves from the back. Both were able to help Pierre Kalulu in different ways in different games. “Gatti brought more defensive stability as Danilo had a yellow card, but they are two players who can also work together,” explained the coach.

“We also have Juan Cabal who can play there, but I prefer him at left-back. It depends on the game, their form and their fitness because we have a lot of games ahead of us and I am sure those who come on will do their best to get the results we want.”

The real winner of the evening is also Napoli, as Antonio Conte's team is four points clear at the top of the Serie A table.