Juventus have appointed former midfielder Andrea Pirlo as manager following the dismissal of Maurizio Sarri. The Italian champions acted quickly when Sarri paid the price for their Champions League departure to Lyon on Friday, with Pirlo replacing him on a two-year contract.
Pirlo, who made 164 appearances for Juve between 2011 and 2015, was only named 10 days ago as her under-23s manager, but the 41-year-old gets an immediate promotion.
A statement from the club said: ‘Today marks the start of a new chapter in his career in the world of football. As was said about a week ago: from Maestro to Mister. As of today, he will be the coach for the people of Juventus, as the club has decided to entrust him with the technical leadership of the first team, having already selected him for Juventus Under-23. Today’s choice is based on the belief that Pirlo has what it takes to lead, from his debut on the bench, an expert and talented squad to pursue new successes. ”
Sarri had led Juventus to Serie A in the club’s first season, but the Champions League failure proved fatal. Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice against Lyon, but Memphis Depay’s penalty was crucial to lead the French side to a surprise victory. Juve have lost four of their last 12 appearances before relegation from Europe.
Following his dismissal by Chelsea at the end of the 2018-19 season, former banker Sarri Massimiliano Allegri succeeded in Turin and opened his reign with a 14-game unbeaten run in Serie A, a campaign that took on stronger challenges from Inter Milan and Lazio.
It was at last that Juve lost in the league last December, allowing Lazio and Inter in the title match. When domestic football returned in June after the closure of the coronavirus, the poor form of Juve saw them struggling to beat Antonio Conte’s Inter to the Scudetto by one point.
Ronaldo took to Instagram after his Sarri’s dismissal, urging the team to come back stronger next season. “The 2019-20 season is over for us, much later than normal, but still earlier than expected,” he said. ‘Now is the time for reflection, because critical thinking is the only way to improve. An enormous club like Juventus must always think of itself as the best in the world, work like the best in the world so that we can call ourselves one of the best in the world.
“Winning Serie A in such a difficult year is again what we are proud of. Personally, scoring 37 goals for Juventus and 11 for the Portuguese national team makes me face the future with renewed ambition and a desire to do better and better every year.
“But the fans demand more from us. They expect more from us. And we have to deliver, we have to live up to the highest expectations. May this short holiday ban allow us all to make the best decisions for the future and return stronger and more dedicated than ever. Goodbye!”
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