BEVERLY HILLS, May 28, (THEWILL) – As was expected from Thursday’s events and as reported by THEWILL, Juventus have confirmed that they have fired the club’s iconic midfielder and team manager Andrea Pirlo, after the management took the risk of strapping him with the responsibility of managing the side in the wake of the sacking of Maurizio Sarri last season.
The season-long experimentation, which elevated Pirlo from his job with the Juventus Under-23s, very nearly ended disastrously as the debutant senior manager found it tough meeting the expectations demanded. But for good fortune which smiled on the Old Lady, Juventus could have ended outside the coveted top four slots if Victor Osimhen’s Napoli had won their final season tie against Hellas Verona.
Although Pirlo won the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana, he failed to defend the league title which meant the club could not reach that 10th consecutive title and endured a stuttering UCL campaign where they were knocked out in the Round of 16 for another season.
The announcement confirming the sack of Pirlo was expected to be followed by the appointment of former Juve manager Massimiliano Allegri to take over the reins once again in Turin but it appears the club management have reserved making that public just yet.
THEWILL recalls that the Italian Allegri succeeded Antonio Conte in the managerial position at Juventus and was coach at the Turin club between 2014 and 2019, winning five straight Sere A titles and four Coppa Italia trophies. By personal choice, Allegri had stayed out of football management since 2019 until now.
The statement from Juventus confirming Pirlo’s sack read: “Thank you, Andrea.
“These are the first words that all of us need to say at the end of this special experience together.
A few months ago, Andrea Pirlo, an icon of world football, began his new adventure, his first as a coach.
“To do this, first of all, it takes courage, as well as awareness of one’s own means, especially in a period marked by thousands of difficulties, with the world forced by the pandemic to reinvent its own rules day after day.
“Pirlo has just begun the first steps of what will no doubt become a brilliant career as a coach: An adventure of transformation, seeking, and often managing, to bring his ideas and his experience as a champion on the pitch from the “other side” of the fence.
“And since in football, what counts are the victories, let’s remember them: in the space of a few short months Pirlo’s Juve has raised two trophies: The Italian Supercup and the Coppa Italia. And he, as coach, brought home brilliant victories on the most prestigious of fields, from San Siro to Camp Nou.
“For all this, for the courage, the dedication, the passion with which he demonstrated every day, our thanks go to the Maestro, the Coach and to Andrea that really comes from the heart, as well as our good luck for the future that will surely be a wonderful one.”
The next statement the club will issue will be the confirmation of Allegri as Pirlo’s replacement.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
