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Maurizio Sarri can no longer be wrong. That seems to be the most credible message that has been circulating for days within the Juventus boardroom.
The team has more holes than Swiss cheese and continuously concedes goals. For the first time, the club won the Scudetto while conceding more than 30 goals, an unconvincing record that did not please Sarri’s bosses.
So how can Juventus find a way to win their most highly-anticipated match of the season?
SARRI STRUGGLES TO MANAGE MEDIA RELATIONS
Friday’s Champions League roung of 16 match against Lyon is a crossroads of Sarri’s season. In the pre-match press conference, the Juventus coach clearly explained his mood: ‘I am not worried and I am sure that my future here does not depend on the 90 minutes against Lyon.
‘The club had 13 months to evaluate the my job and in Juventus there are no amateur managers.’
Sarri maintains he is not afraid and dismisses the words of the Italian media who are convinced that he is at risk of dismissal.
Winning a Scudetto at the first attempt and after 8 years of long success is a magnificent achievement, and yet the fear of failure against Lyon could rewrite an historic season.
Sarri is a sensitive coach and an introverted character despite his pleasure for sarcasm. He was suspended during the final day defeat against Roma and communicated with his staff from the stands via text message, preferring older methods to newfangled Whatsapp.
Sarri assisted his players from a special room in the Allianz Stadium, initially texting his assistant Giovanni Martusciello and then calling during the half-time interval.
In an interview with Vanity Fair 12 months ago Sarri said: ‘What surrounds my football is a pastime. My nephew makes me read the Facebook page “Sarrismo e Revolution.” They have fun, I’m anti-social , I have never used whatsapp.
According to Tuttosport, Sarri continues to send text messages and nobody at Juventus has abandoned the older system. To Sarri, communication is everything and he does not like to entrust his thoughts to tweets or short messages.
Immediately after winning the Scudetto with Juventus he sent each player and staff member a personalized message of thanks for the great work done during the season, asking everyone to concentrate on the upcoming task against Lyon.
HOPES REST ON HIGUAIN
Juventus will again hang their hopes on Gonzalo Higuain this weekend. According to ‘Gazzetta’ and ‘Tuttosport’ Juve are ready to say goodbye to their striker who wants to return to Argentina to be close to his mother. Offers have been received from River Plate and DC United, a club where his brother Fernando is the assistant manager in the MLS. Sarri has missed the goals of the player and his desire is to guarantee a grand finale in the Champions League before saying goodbye to Italy.
Sarri intends to inspire the striker to write his own happy ending before he says goodbye. At 33, Pipita has endured a slow but steady decline and the club has already decided to replace him with Milik. The Polish striker of Napoli will inherit the role of central striker from Higuain.
FAIL TO PREPARE…
Juventus have championed great athletic trainers in the past such as Giampiero Ventrone and Bangsbo Andersen, Danish physiotherapist and protagonist of the miracle Atalanta. Sarri has not been able to improve the endurance of his players this season and this lower standard of physical fitness seems to mirror the lack of cohesion within the club.
Juventus did not like the continuous performance problems experienced by many players including Ramsey, De Sciglio, Khedira and Douglas Costa.
Sarri and his staff should have studied a bespoke programme to help those who suffered with incessant injuries, but all four have never managed to improve athletically. Now they are each becoming a financial burden for the club. Ramsey is an emblematic case: physical problems are added to problems in Juventus’ tactical chessboard.
The Welshman has not reached his full potential and his sale at the end of Serie A seems to be increasingly likely. The midfielder has not been an influential player since he arrived in Italy: he has never found match fitness, nor has he found the best position in midfield and in Sarri’s 4-3-3.
NEDVED AND PARATICI ARE ALSO UNDER SCRUTINY
On Thursday Nedved and Paratici were present at the training ground. The chiefs attended the training session and spoke individually to many players, including Buffon. Their presence is essential to load the team and try to win a game that guarantees Juventus more than 15 million euros. According to ‘Dagospia’ Nedved and Paratici have begun to fear President Agnelli could make wholesale changes at the end of the season.
The contract of the sports director Paratici expires in 2021 and even if Agnelli has repeatedly reiterated his desire to extend the contract until 2024, he could be replaced by Gigi Buffon or replaced by another internal manager such as his assistant Cherubini, now responsible for youth development.
SARRI CUTS ANXIOUS FIGURE WITH CIGARETTES IN THE STANDS
When a person is under pressure in Italy it is said that life ‘chews bitter in the mouth’. When Sarri is nervous, the number of cigarettes he smokes rises to 60 per day. During training, he never leaves his baseball cap in the changing room. With the Juventus players there were two briefings on Thursday and Sarri hope that the players can overcome the fear of failing and conquer their opponents. His certainty is that the team will fight until the last minute but he is afraid that the physical condition , and the air of uncertainty at the club, could betray the team.
THE SHADOW OF PAULO SOUSA AND SIMONE INZAGHI
According to ‘Repubblica’, a strategy has been devised and two coaches have been identified in case Juve fail in Europe. The first would be Paulo Sousa, former Juventus player and Fiorentina coach of Bernardeschi, now Juventus player.
Sousa would be the club’s first choice due to his history in Turin and his popularity among the playing staff. The Portuguese coach was an attacking midfielder in Marcello Lippi’s team, while as a coach he has shown that he knows how to structure more attacking sides, fielding his teams in 3-5-2 and 4-2-3-1 formations.
The second profile is Simone Inzaghi, the current Lazio coach. who may not renew his contract with Lazio in search of a new adventure in a top European club. Paratici and Inzaghi are friends and have known each other for many years, having both grown up in Piacenza. Inzaghi belongs to that clique of coaches that would have excellent references in Turin. Both would have already responded positively to some indirect contacts with Italian intermediaries who would have overseen negotiations.
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