Andrea Pirlo suffered a chance of fire as Juve’s manager, but Claudio Marchisio believes he has seen signs of encouragement.
The decision to bet on Andrea Pirlo was courageous
The Bianconeri looked at a familiar face for inspiration after breaking up with Maurizio Sarri in summer 2020. Things didn’t play out as planned, with arch-rivals Inter snatching the Serie A title in a season that left Juventus scrabbling around for the top four to finish and qualify for the Champions League on the final day. It’s unclear if Andrea will be back in 2021-22, but Claudio expects progress to be made by someone who has shown he can make tough choices, including leaving Ronaldo on the bench for a crucial final day showdown with Bologna.
Bianconeri legend Claudio Marchisio said that leading a group of people is never easy. There are many external variables, all the more so in a difficult year like the one just ended. The decision to stake on Andrea was courageous. Pirlo became a coach right after taking off the boot of the great player he was. Would a few years’ experience be convenient? It may well be, but how can you say no when Juve calls you? However, according to Claudio, it seems clear to him that his first career as a coach was driven by circumstances that would have put even the most experienced of the ranks into trouble.
This season is a big lesson
As Andrea faces issues of his permanent presence, so does the five-time winner of the Ballon d’Or Cristiano – as he approaches the final 12 months of his current contract. The changes seem to be on the cards at Turin, and Claudio admits that neither side can take success for granted. The 35-year-old, who left the Juventus academy to make 389 appearances in 12 years, said that you can’t win forever, sooner or later it must. This year the team, out of position in the standings, lost a lot of points against the teams that were fighting to save themselves and this greatly influenced the final performance. This season, the big lesson to be learned is that perhaps many victories in a row have made people take for granted results that weren’t actually there at all.