Maurizio Sarri was only in charge at Juventus for one season. Reuters
Maurizio Sarri was only in charge at Juventus for one season. Reuters
Maurizio Sarri was only in charge at Juventus for one season. Reuters
Maurizio Sarri was only in charge at Juventus for one season. Reuters

Maurizio Sarri sacked by Juventus after Champions League exit, with Andrea Pirlo to be named next manager


  • English
  • Arabic

Maurizio Sarri was sacked by Juventus on Saturday, one day after the Italian club were eliminated from the Champions League last 16 by Lyon.

Despite Cristiano Ronaldo's double in a home 2-1 win on Friday, Juve fell 2-2 on aggregate to the French club, ending their quest for a title they last won in 1996.

It is the first time since 2015/16 that Juve have failed to at least reach the Champions League quarter-finals.

"Maurizio Sarri has been relieved of his post as coach of the first team," the nine-time reigning Serie A champions said in a statement.

Sarri, 61, replaced Massimiliano Allegri last season, after leading Chelsea to success in the Europa League.

"The club would like to thank the coach for having written a new page in Juventus' history with the victory of the ninth consecutive championship, the culmination of a personal journey that led him to climb all the divisions of Italian football," the statement said.

Andrea Pirlo, the former Juventus, AC Milan and Italy midfielder, is expected to be named the club's new manager, according to Italian media reports.

Pirlo was appointed the Juventus Under-23 manager on July 30, but the exit of Sarri looks set to elevate 41-year-old to the first team dugout. It will be Pirlo's first managerial position.

Despite leading Juve to a ninth straight Scudetto, his first as a manager, Sarri paid for the club's failure on the European stage.

Juve also lost in two finals this season, the Italian Cup – where they were beaten on penalties by Napoli – and the Italian Super Cup, courtesy of an emphatic 3-1 victory for Lazio in Riyadh.

Although victorious in Serie A, Juventus were at their least convincing under Sarri, accumulating their lowest points total of any of the nine successive titles.

Hired on the basis of his trademark "Sarriball" that made Napoli one of the most exciting teams in Europe during his three seasons in Naples, Sarri's Juve failed to fully convince.

For a team famed for its defence, Juventus conceded 43 league goals, while a manager with a reputation for attacking football saw his side end the season as only the fifth-most prolific team in Serie A, despite being able to call on the services of the world's best striker in Ronaldo.

_______________

Juventus 2 Lyon 1 in pictures

_______________

The writing was on the wall for Sarri on Friday after Juve president Andrea Agnelli expressed his disappointment at his club's underperformance in the Champions League.

"This season's balance is bittersweet, we had a great result winning the ninth championship, but the performance in the Champions League has been disappointing for everyone," he said.

"The Champions League is not a dream, it's an objective. We need to be disappointed to exit the competition like this, we will take a few days to evaluate how to restart with fresh enthusiasm.

"We have a few goals that need to be met, both domestically and internationally. We will need to make a few evaluations to understand how to start the next season with the will to work and win on any pitch."

Lazio manager Simone Inzaghi is the favourite to fill the vacancy, while Mauricio Pochettino, who has been out of work since being sacked by Tottenham Hotspur in November last year, has also been linked with the role.

Have you been targeted?

Tuan Phan of SimplyFI.org lists five signs you have been mis-sold to:

1. Your pension fund has been placed inside an offshore insurance wrapper with a hefty upfront commission.

2. The money has been transferred into a structured note. These products have high upfront, recurring commission and should never be in a pension account.

3. You have also been sold investment funds with an upfront initial charge of around 5 per cent. ETFs, for example, have no upfront charges.

4. The adviser charges a 1 per cent charge for managing your assets. They are being paid for doing nothing. They have already claimed massive amounts in hidden upfront commission.

5. Total annual management cost for your pension account is 2 per cent or more, including platform, underlying fund and advice charges.

The specs

Price, base / as tested Dh135,000

Engine 1.6L turbo

Gearbox Six speed automatic with manual and sports mode

Power 165hp @ 6,000rpm

Torque 240Nm @ 1,400rpm 0-100kph: 9.2 seconds

Top speed 420 kph (governed)

Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)

Results

Female 49kg: Mayssa Bastos (BRA) bt Thamires Aquino (BRA); points 0-0 (advantage points points 1-0).

Female 55kg: Bianca Basilio (BRA) bt Amal Amjahid (BEL); points 4-2.

Female 62kg: Beatriz Mesquita (BRA) v Ffion Davies (GBR); 10-2.

Female 70kg: Thamara Silva (BRA) bt Alessandra Moss (AUS); submission.

Female 90kg: Gabreili Passanha (BRA) bt Claire-France Thevenon (FRA); submission.

Male 56kg: Hiago George (BRA) bt Carlos Alberto da Silva (BRA); 2-2 (2-0)

Male 62kg: Gabriel de Sousa (BRA) bt Joao Miyao (BRA); 2-2 (2-1)

Male 69kg: Paulo Miyao (BRA) bt Isaac Doederlein (USA); 2-2 (2-2) Ref decision.

Male 77kg: Tommy Langarkar (NOR) by Oliver Lovell (GBR); submission.

Male 85kg: Rudson Mateus Teles (BRA) bt Faisal Al Ketbi (UAE); 2-2 (1-1) Ref decision.

Male 94kg: Kaynan Duarte (BRA) bt Adam Wardzinski (POL); submission.

Male 110kg: Joao Rocha (BRA) bt Yahia Mansoor Al Hammadi (UAE); submission.

Specs

Engine: 51.5kW electric motor

Range: 400km

Power: 134bhp

Torque: 175Nm

Price: From Dh98,800

Available: Now

The bio

Job: Coder, website designer and chief executive, Trinet solutions

School: Year 8 pupil at Elite English School in Abu Hail, Deira

Role Models: Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk

Dream City: San Francisco

Hometown: Dubai

City of birth: Thiruvilla, Kerala

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League final:

Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports

The Freedom Artist

By Ben Okri (Head of Zeus)