Juventus' unbeaten run in Serie A came to an end against leaders Napoli, with Thiago Motta citing defensive mistakes as key.
Thiago Motta said a string of defensive errors led to Juventus' first Serie A defeat of the season after falling to a 2-1 loss against Napoli on Saturday.
Motta watched on as on-loan Paris Saint-Germain striker Randal Kolo Muani's first goal for the club was cancelled out by strikes from Frank Anguissa and Romelu Lukaku.
Juventus have now lost 17 points from a winning position in Serie A this term, only giving up more in a single season in the Italian top-flight back in 2019-20 (21).
The defeat also marked the first time Juventus had lost in Serie A since a 1-0 loss to Lazio in March 2024, ending their 29-game unbeaten run in the competition.
Though having got this far in the campaign without a loss, the Bianconeri have collected just 37 points from their 22 matches, leaving them fifth in the table.
Only under Luigi Delneri in 2010-11 (35) have Juventus earned fewer points at this stage of a season, though Motta said that Napoli not being involved in European football this season played its part in their victory.
"I'm disappointed with the defeat. We had a good first half, causing our opponents a lot of problems, a side that is not top of the table as a fluke because they have a great coach and had the opportunity to prepare all week for this," Motta told DAZN.
"However, we did not have that luxury, and it showed, because all the good work we did in the first half, we struggled to replicate in the second and that is why we were unable to win."
The result was made even more frustrating for Juventus after dominating the opening period at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
Motta's side registered an expected goals (xG) total of 0.78 from their five shots compared to Napoli's measly 0.16 from their four attempts at Michele Di Gregorio's goal in the first half.
Kolo Muani's goal was the reward their dominance merited in the opening stages, but the Frenchman acknowledged the difficulty of facing Napoli away from home.
"We reacted well in many other situations, we just didn't do it today. Juve have not won here since 2019, it is important to point that out," Kolo Muani said.
"It is the sixth consecutive defeat for the club here, so evidently that is a tough place for us," he said.
Kolo Muani's goal saw him become the first Juventus player to score in Serie A with his first shot in the competition since Samuel Mbangula against Como on 19 August.
He is also the first French striker to score for Juventus in Serie A since David Trezeguet (December 2009 against Bari).
Motta added that Juventus' downfall was all their own making, highlighting their poor play in possession as key to their defeat.
"The idea was to press and defend well, but we were unable to do that because our quality was lacking and when we started giving the ball away, Napoli tended to win the duels and that gave them an advantage," Motta concluded.