Juventus defender Andrea Cambiaso says Thiago Motta has been using him mainly as a left-back during the pre-season and insists he will work ‘harder’ to play for Italy again after a disappointing EURO 2024 campaign.
Cambiaso spoke to Tuttosport newspaper during pre-season preparation in Germany with the Old Lady.
The Italy international has already worked under Motta at Bologna.
“He is a coach with a great mentality. He is very exigent, has a great desire to work hard, and is very focused on training,” said the Bianconeri defender.
“We are a relatively young team, and I think he can really help us.”
Cambiaso has been used in different roles during his playing career.
“I am quite versatile, and I can play different roles,” he said.
“I’ve been playing mainly as a left-back so far, but injuries and rotations will create different needs during the season; we’ll see.
“I already played in a four-man defence with Thiago at Bologna. Something changes tactically, but I’ve played with both systems, so I don’t see many changes.
How did it feel to meet Motta again?
“He’s been motivated since his time at Bologna. Thiago has not changed in terms of mentality,” said the defender.
“A few days ago, the club said that the minimum target is to qualify for the Champions League, so that’s the target. Then we’ll see. Motta wants to play every game in the best way. This must be our mentality.
“We are always the same and Juventus are at the centre of everything. The club moves forward. The coach and the players change, but Juventus and the club advance. Juventus will always try to win every game.”
There were reports of Premier League clubs interested in Cambiaso earlier this summer but the Italian was never tempted to leave.
“It was not a difficult decision. I extended my contract before going to the Euros, so I am the happiest man in the world.”
Does this mean that Juventus are better than the Premier League?
“As of today yes, Juventus are much better,” he confirmed.
Last but not least, Cambiaso spoke about his experience at EURO 2024 with Italy. The Azzurri failed to retain the title and were eliminated in the round of 16 at the hands of Switzerland.
“Surely, it was not a positive experience. There are competitions that you can play only a few times in life. It was not pleasant to go out like this, but it belongs to the past already. I’ll work even harder to play with this shirt again, it’s one of the best things in football. We must move forward, it’s the past already,” he concluded.
Cambiaso, 24, has three goals and ten assists in 92 Serie A appearances with Genoa and Juventus.
He made his senior Italy debut in 2024 under Luciano Spalletti and has collected seven international appearances, including three at EURO 2024.
Not good enough for Italy.