Portugal Colonial - Motta sacked as coach of struggling Juventus, replaced by Tudor

"Juventus FC announce that Thiago Motta has been relieved of his duties as men's first team coach," said a statement by Juventus.

"Juventus also announce that the team will now be led by Igor Tudor, who will take charge of his first training session tomorrow, Monday, 24 March."

The decision to dump Motta followed a 4-0 defeat by Atalanta -- their heaviest home defeat since 1967 -- and a 3-0 loss at Fiorentina in the team's last two games, leaving Juve a disappointing fifth in the Italian top flight.

Tudor will be tasked with securing fourth place, the last qualifying spot for the Champions League, which is crucial for Juventus' fragile finances.

Croatian Tudor made 174 appearances for Juve as a player, before going into coaching. His past managerial experiences include Verona, Marseille and Lazio.

Although his arrival in Piedmont had raised high hopes after leading Bologna to the Champions League last season, Motta, 42, quickly disappointed the supporters.

His team rarely thrilled and collected 13 draws in the league, while summer recruits failed to live up to expectations.

Last month, they were knocked out of the Champions League by PSV Eindhoven in the play-off for a place in the last 16 and the Italian Cup, of which they were the defending champions, when they lost to Empoli in the quarter-finals.

The Italian-Brazilian coach made some odd choices, notably by relegating Serbian striker Dusan Vlahovic and Turkish phenomenon Kenan Yildiz to the bench.

Juve are in a fight for a place in Europe's top club competition with six points separating Bologna in fourth and ninth-placed AC Milan.

"The club would like to thank Thiago Motta and all of his staff for their professionalism and for the work they have carried out in recent months with passion and dedication," added Juventus.

A.Seabra--PC