To say that the relationship between Juventus and Thiago Motta was creaking would be an understatement. After the Bianconeri's second consecutive 3-0 thrashing in Florence, which followed a 4-0 home defeat against Atalanta, the owners and management have allegedly realised that the time has come for change.
Although sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli appeared before the press to reiterate his faith in Motta, the move was only to buy time as there was still no agreement on the man to take over from the Italo-Brazilian.
The team's lack of reaction in a problematic league situation due to the risk of dropping out of the Champions League zone, a vital qualification for the club financially, had already made it clear to the directors that there is no time to lose.
The choice of coach, given the role he would have to play entering mid-season, was between Roberto Mancini and Igor Tudor.
Giuntoli was pushing for the former coach, but John Elkann would have preferred to entrust the team to a man of temperament, a former player who knew the environment well.
The choice therefore has fallen on the former Lazio and Marseille coach Tudor, who had already flanked Pirlo for a short time at Juve, in another less-than-happy year for the Bianconeri.
It also seems that this handover could take place before the match against Genoa, unlike what was first hypothesised, when it was thought that the management wanted to wait for the team's reaction and then decide what to do next.
In short, Motta's adventure at Juventus seems to have come to an end. The Bianconeri will likely return to action with a new head coach in order to save what can be saved this season.