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New Juve boss Pirlo is destined for greatness – Paratici

Juventus are confident Andrea Pirlo is "destined for greatness" and a natural fit for the club, says chief football officer Fabio Paratici.

By Patric Ridge
Pirlo - cropped

Turin, Aug 8: Juventus are confident Andrea Pirlo is "destined for greatness" and a natural fit for the club, says chief football officer Fabio Paratici.

Pirlo named new Juventus head coach</a> | <a class=Juventus appoint Pirlo: Returning heroes - the hits and misses" title="Pirlo named new Juventus head coach | Juventus appoint Pirlo: Returning heroes - the hits and misses" />Pirlo named new Juventus head coach | Juventus appoint Pirlo: Returning heroes - the hits and misses

Juve dismissed Maurizio Sarri on Saturday in the wake of their Champions League exit at the hands of Lyon on Friday.

Sarri spent just one season at the club, winning the Serie A title but failing in the Coppa Italia and Champions League and his replacement was surprisingly announced just hours later.

Pirlo, who rejoined Juve as the Under-23s coach last week, has signed a two-year deal.

However, despite the job being Pirlo's first in senior coaching, Paratici – whose future is also reportedly in doubt – has full faith in the former midfielder.

"The decision for Pirlo was very natural, in the Juventus style, because he is someone who played with us, has always been in contact with everyone here and it felt natural," Paratici told Sky Sport Italia.

"We also believe he is destined for greatness. He was as a player and we think with confidence he can do the same as a coach."

Paratici reiterated Juve's decision to relieve Sarri of his duties was based on the entire 2019-20 campaign, not just the Champions League exit.

"We had already said, one game does not decide the future of a coach. Our evaluations were based on the whole season and not just a single match," Paratici added.

"A season is long, there are many moments and situations that then add up. There wasn't any spark.

"We simply came to this consideration at the end of a very long season, even after winning the Scudetto. It's not just Europe that decides on success or failure.

"We are in unexplored territory, because nobody has won nine consecutive Serie A titles before. We achieved it with several eras, really, because they tend to last three to four years. We are at our third era in a row of success, it's almost inexplicable."

Story first published: Sunday, August 9, 2020, 2:41 [IST]
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