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Tag: Pirlo

  • Serie A: I won’t step aside – Pirlo

    Serie A: I won’t step aside – Pirlo

    Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo says he won’t resign after their 3-0 thumping by AC Milan.

    The result was a blow to Juve’s top four hopes.

    “I said yesterday that the team looked good during the week, we trained with the right mentality and concentration. The team was alive and convinced it could put in a great performance,” Pirlo told Sky Italia.

    “Instead that was not the case. We had actually started fairly well, but we lost our way and this was the final result. It’s difficult to explain now. There were many components that didn’t work. When you lose such an important game 3-0 it means many things didn’t work, but I need to evaluate it and then talk it over with the lads with a calm head.”

    Pirlo was asked if he was ready to step aside or thinks he might be sacked?

    “No, I won’t step aside. I took this role with a great deal of enthusiasm amid certain difficulties. I am at the disposal of the club, there are still three games to go, so I will continue doing my work as long as I am allowed to.”

  • I’m grateful for Pirlo backing – Juve winger

    I’m grateful for Pirlo backing – Juve winger

    Juventus winger Federico Chiesa says he’s a better player for working with coach Andrea Pirlo.

    In his first season with Juve, Chiesa has appeared 27 times in Serie A, contributing eight goals and nine assists.

    “What characterises me this year, has been the continuity in my performances,” Chiesa told Sky Sport Italia. “That’s what I have improved the most.

    “Playing and training with the champions has helped me, as did the coach and the mentality that exists here at Juventus. Namely that of always wanting to improve and win.

    “Pirlo has helped me a lot in recent months. Especially for the trust he has shown me.

    “I just have to thank him, every day he gives med advice to improve my game, from the defensive to the attacking phase, and this has helped me a lot.”

  • Too many mistakes, says Pirlo after Benevento shock

    Too many mistakes, says Pirlo after Benevento shock

    Juventus manager Andrea Pirlo admits defeat at home to Benevento wasn’t good enough.

    Juve lost 1-0 as Arthur’s error was decisive, his back-pass was easily intercepted by Adolfo Gaich for the goal.

    Pirlo said, “There was no pressure, just the expectation to do better than this. Instead, it was a bad day in every respect, with our attitude, technical errors, everything. When you play like this, you can well lose.

    “We were eager to win the game, but also knew it would be a difficult match, as Benevento are well-organised with two tight lines, so we had to be calm and spread them out.

    “Instead, we were frenetic, made lots of mistakes and unfortunately were unable to get the result we wanted.”

    On catching Inter Milan and their ten point lead, Pirlo added: “We must continue believing, continue our path so that we are up there. As I said yesterday, the objective does not change, but we do need a completely different attitude to this. We wear an important jersey and must honour it every time.”

  • Pirlo warns Juve players never to repeat Fiorentina display

    Pirlo warns Juve players never to repeat Fiorentina display

    Juventus coach, Andrea Pirlo, has warned his players not to repeat the poor performance they produced during their shock 3-0 defeat against struggling Fiorentina in their last match before Serie A headed into its Christmas break.

    The Italian champions, who face Udinese on Sunday, slumped to their first league defeat of the season against Fiorentina.

    The result left Pirlo’s side 10 points adrift of league leaders AC Milan, albeit with a game in hand, putting their nine-year stranglehold of the Italian title at risk.

    “We talked about the game against Fiorentina, we got it completely wrong,” the 41-year-old, who is in his first season as a manager, said.

    “It was a good meeting and we discussed our future objectives. It was productive.

    “I don’t want to see any more matches like the one with Fiorentina.

    “We’ve otherwise made some progress and improved in many aspects, but I’m convinced it can be even better.”

    Udinese also headed into the winter break following a 2-0 defeat to Benevento but Luca Gotti’s side were unbeaten in six league matches before then.

    Hence Pirlo is not taking the challenge lightly.

    “I’m expecting a difficult match, Udinese are on a good run of form and are a very well organised and physical team with players who are very good on the counter attack,” he said.

    “The team is eager to redeem itself after the last defeat. We’ve got almost all our players back, so we’re setting out to restart the league season strongly.

  • Juve plan double January raid on Chelsea

    Juve plan double January raid on Chelsea

    Serie A champion Juventus are lining up a double January raid on Chelsea.

    Il Bianco Nero says Juve coach Andrea Pirlo wants to bring in Olivier Giroud and Emerson Palmiero to help kick-start his campaign while he is also eyeing up moves for Sassuolo star Manuel Locatelli and Udinese ace Rodrigo De Paul.

    Giroud has been linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge for the last year as he continues to search for more first-team minutes in order to secure his spot in France’s Euro 2020 squad.

    Italian left back Emerson has fallen down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge behind Ben Chilwell and Marcos Alonso and has been reduced to cameo appearances this season.

  • Juve’s gamble makes new Serie A season the most open for years

    Juve’s gamble makes new Serie A season the most open for years

    The decision by Juventus to hand the reins of coaching its team to untried Andrea Pirlo promises to make this season’s Serie A title race one of the most open in years.

    Already, a queue of clubs are waiting to pounce should the champions’ remarkable gamble backfire.

    The Turin side will be bidding for a 10th successive Serie A title this season, which kicks off on Saturday.

    But they will do so under the leadership of a man who, for all his undoubted ability as a player, has never coached at senior level before.

    Pirlo, who makes his debut at home to Sampdoria on Sunday, only received his official badge on Monday after presenting his thesis at the Italian federation’s coaching school in Florence.

    It now remains to be seen how he will adapt to the new role.

    “I’m the Juventus coach and it’s natural that anyone who comes here must win,” said Pirlo after a pre-season friendly against Novara.

    “I know I have to win, it was like that as a player and it will be like that as a coach.”

    There are further question marks over Juventus, including the way in which they staggered over the finish line last season, winning only two of their last eight matches.

    There was also the issue of their dependence on Cristiano Ronaldo.

    While his record cannot be questioned, Ronaldo’s presence demands that the team is built around him, leaving his coach short on tactical options as Pirlo’s predecessor Maurizio Sarri found.

    With Juventus in transition, Serie A has become arguably the most difficult of the major European leagues to predict — not least because the transfer window does not close until Oct. 5.

    This is two weeks after the opening fixtures.

    Inter Milan, who finished one point behind Juve in second place last season, appear to be the most dangerous and obvious challengers to Juve’s dominance.

    But that is if they can overcome the inconsistency which exasperated coach Antonio Conte last season.

    Their neighbours AC Milan are equally intriguing.

    After years of mid-table mediocrity, the seven-times European champions came to life in the second half of last season, partly inspired by the presence of 38-year-old forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

    Stefano Pioli, their experienced and amiable coach, seemed to have found the right blend of youth and experience — something Milan have been chasing for years.

    That seemed to be why they were unbeaten for their last 13 matches of the season.

    Yet, most observers agree that none of those three played the best football last season.

    That honour belonged to Atalanta who blasted 98 goals on their way to finishing third.

    Although, clubs of Atalanta’s size often struggle to keep their team together after a successful season, the Bergamo-based team appear to have escaped that fate.

    Instead, they have consolidated their position after their UEFA Champions League debut last season.

    Similarly, Lazio were outstanding for part of last season and led the table shortly before Serie A stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March.

    Their small squad struggled with the heavy fixture list after the break.

    But they still finished fourth as forward Ciro Immobile equalled the Serie A scoring record for a single season with 36 goals.

    With a few reinforcements, they could launch another challenge this season.

    Lazio’s neighbours AS Roma, after exchanging one American owner for another following the take-over by the Texas-based Friedkin group, also finished strongly last season under Portuguese coach Paulo Fonseca.

    Meanwhile, Napoli, who have been Juve’s main challengers for the past decade, overcame a mid-season crisis and finished with a trophy after winning the Coppa Italia.

    With the feisty Gennaro Gattuso at the helm, they can certainly not be written off.

  • Juve made courageous move to appoint Pirlo – Zola

    Juve made courageous move to appoint Pirlo – Zola

    Gianfranco Zola admits Andrea Pirlo’s appointment as Juventus was a surprise.

    Sarri was sacked and replaced by Andrea Pirlo on Saturday after their Champions League elimination by Lyon.

    “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t surprised by this,” Zola told Sky Sport Italia.

    “It’s fascinating and if the project works, it’ll go down as a huge success story for the club. It’s not an easy job, though, as Juventus are asking to win in a certain way.

    “This is a courageous move from the club and based on the quality of the man, but Pirlo will need their support going forward. It’s not simple, but I do think he can have real success.”