Juventus Coach Motta Faces Sleepless Night After Atalanta Thrashing 

Football - Serie A - Juventus v Atalanta - Allianz Stadium, Turin, Italy - March 9, 2025 Juventus coach Thiago Motta. (Reuters) 
Football - Serie A - Juventus v Atalanta - Allianz Stadium, Turin, Italy - March 9, 2025 Juventus coach Thiago Motta. (Reuters) 
TT

Juventus Coach Motta Faces Sleepless Night After Atalanta Thrashing 

Football - Serie A - Juventus v Atalanta - Allianz Stadium, Turin, Italy - March 9, 2025 Juventus coach Thiago Motta. (Reuters) 
Football - Serie A - Juventus v Atalanta - Allianz Stadium, Turin, Italy - March 9, 2025 Juventus coach Thiago Motta. (Reuters) 

Juventus coach Thiago Motta said it would be difficult to sleep after his team were hammered 4-0 at home by Atalanta on Sunday in a major blow to their slim hopes of the Serie A title.

Juventus's five-game winning streak in the league came to an end and they remain fourth in the table with 52 points, nine behind leaders Inter Milan, in a disappointing season after they were knocked out of the Champions League and the Coppa Italia.

"Atalanta deserved to win and we knew our opponents' game plan," Motta told reporters.

"Today we are disappointed and it will be difficult to sleep. Everything can influence us, because we are Juventus. The fans, like the press, have the right to think what they want.

"The facts say that we are in this position. This team has an enormous margin for growth. After the first goal we suffered a lot. We are quite disappointed and now we have to start thinking about the next game."

Juventus had not suffered a Serie A home defeat by four or more goals since 1967, but Motta said last month's 4-2 loss on penalties to Empoli in the Italian Cup quarter-finals was more painful.

"It is a defeat we do not like, but I do not put it on the same level as the defeat to Empoli," he said. "They are different situations. We needed to keep our balance and we didn't do that, but it's partly down to a lack of experience in the side."

Juventus play at Fiorentina next Sunday.



England’s Kane Optimistic About Chances of Winning First Ballon D’Or 

Football - World Cup - UEFA Qualifiers - England Training - St George's Park, Burton upon Trent, Britain - March 18, 2025 England's Harry Kane and Kyle Walker during training. (Action Images via Reuters)
Football - World Cup - UEFA Qualifiers - England Training - St George's Park, Burton upon Trent, Britain - March 18, 2025 England's Harry Kane and Kyle Walker during training. (Action Images via Reuters)
TT

England’s Kane Optimistic About Chances of Winning First Ballon D’Or 

Football - World Cup - UEFA Qualifiers - England Training - St George's Park, Burton upon Trent, Britain - March 18, 2025 England's Harry Kane and Kyle Walker during training. (Action Images via Reuters)
Football - World Cup - UEFA Qualifiers - England Training - St George's Park, Burton upon Trent, Britain - March 18, 2025 England's Harry Kane and Kyle Walker during training. (Action Images via Reuters)

England captain Harry Kane sees a real chance of winning the next Ballon d'Or award for the best player in the world, but knows securing silverware with Bayern Munich would be key to fulfilling that dream.

The 31-year-old striker, England's all-time leading goalscorer, has scored 32 goals and provided 11 assists in 37 appearances across all competitions this season for Bayern, helping the German giants top the Bundesliga table and book a place in the Champions League quarter-finals.

While no English player has won the Ballon d'Or since former Liverpool striker Michael Owen in 2001, Kane believes his chance of winning soccer's top individual award has been boosted by his August 2023 move from Tottenham Hotspur to Bayern.

"Just being at a club like Bayern Munich has helped push me on even more, confidence-wise and responsibility-wise," Kane told reporters ahead of Friday's FIFA World Cup European qualifier against Albania.

"I feel like I've definitely got better, I've improved, and maybe the 'aura' of me as a player is a bit more respected than what it has been in the past, because you're playing in big games, big nights.

"That's probably what I mean in terms of being respected more worldwide, on the bigger stage. For something like that, you have to win enough team trophies to be considered in that and probably score 40-odd goals, but that is a possibility this season."

Kane said his goal-scoring feats are not always appreciated but he remains motivated as ever.

"It's like when (Cristiano) Ronaldo and (Lionel) Messi were throwing these crazy numbers out there and the next season they'd score 40 goals instead of 50. It was like they were having a bad season," Kane said.

"People take it for granted and maybe a little bit with England as well. I've scored 69 goals and when you score against Albania or Latvia, or these teams, people just expect it, so it's not spoken about so much.

"If I was 25 now and doing what I'm doing, the excitement around me would maybe be a little bit different to what it is now. That's part of where we are with football ... Maybe people just get a little bit bored of what you do, but I'm certainly not bored. I'm excited for these games and the games ahead."