Juventus have dismissed the Italian manager Maurizio Sarri, despite delivering Juve’s ninth consecutive Serie A League title.
Juventus hierarchy have always had their eyes set on the Champions League, having not won the competition since 1996.
Juve, who beat Lyon 2-1 on Saturday, were knocked out in the Round of 16 by the French side on away goals.
Sarri succeeded Massimiliano Allegri at the end of the 2019 season, after being appointed on a 3-year deal, following his season tenure at Stamford Bridge.
13 months. 60 weeks. 416 days. There the statistics of Maurizio Sarri’s reign at the Allianz.
The Italian manager, is best known for his footballing philosophy of ‘Sarri-ball’, a high intensity, fast paced, intricate possession-based attack. The philosophy has best been demonstrated at his former Italian side Napoli.
The Chain-smoking manager failed to replicate his Napoli success with London club Chelsea as he departed after just one season.
The Season:
His reign in charge of the Old Lady’s started strong, as he went 14 games unbeaten. Their first defeat came on the 7th December to Lazio in the Suppercoppa Italia who ran out 3-1 winners.
As football began to resume in Italy, Sarri’s Juventus lost to his former side Napoli in the Coppa Italia Final.
The Old Lady’s went on to lose 3 of their last 4 league matches to finish just one point above the rejuvenated Inter Milan, under former Chelsea Boss Antonio Conte.
Juve finished on 83 points, their lowest tally since the 2011/12 season. However, it can be said the Serie A has got hugely more competitive with the likes of Inter and Lazio applying heavy pressure to the 36-time League Champions.
Sarri at the age of 61 is now the oldest manager to win the Italian topflight but was not enough for the former banker to see out another season.
New Look Juve:
Juventus’s hierarchy wasted no time in looking for a possible successor for the Italian giants. Many candidates were thrown in the air to replace the Italian: Mauricio Pochettino, Zinedine Zidane to name a few.
However, it was ex-player Andrea Pirlo who came out on top.
Pirlo, was appointed Juventus’s U23’s manager just a week ago, has been given the promotion of a lifetime.
The midfield maestro made 164 appearances for the club and has received a two-year deal as head coach of the Old Lady’s.