The Scudetto won with Juve “was taken for granted and not celebrated”. “The management of Cristiano Ronaldo is difficult”. “From October I knew I was going home.” “Either Juve focuses on Dybala or sells him”. Maurizio Sarri, Lazio coach for a few weeks, breaks a long silence and Sportitalia, among the various themes, returns to the Juventus adventure: only one year in black and white embellished with the Scudetto and closed with an exemption. “The Scudetto won with Juve was taken for granted on the outside and perhaps a little on the inside. We won it without even celebrating it: everyone went to dinner on their own. Now I have seen that they celebrated a fourth place , this is the right year to go to Juve, after fourth place “, says Sarri. The relationship with Juve never took off. “In mid-October” 2019 “I had a meeting with the staff and asked to make a choice: let’s go straight on our way and go home in 20 days or make some compromises and try to win the championship knowing that we will go to home? We have chosen to try to win the championship. “
At Juve, “Ronaldo’s management is not easy: he is a multinational, there are personal interests that must be reconciled with those of the team. It is a difficult situation to manage. I consider myself a coach and not a manager, I enjoy much more. on the pitch. Ronaldo has more than 200 million followers on social media, it is something that goes beyond the individual club and the team. Then, of course, Ronaldo at the end of the year brings the numbers. ” Would Sarri have given up on Ronaldo? “If there are budgetary requirements and you need to lower the wage bill, it is better to give up just one player and not 5-6. Then, if Ronaldo is there, a team that is very suitable for Ronaldo must be created.”
At Juve, Sarri was able to count on an excellent Paulo Dybala. The Argentine, this year, did not make an impact with the black and white shirt. “Dybala is a champion, I don’t think it is difficult to recover him. Now he has had a year full of injuries, he has never been in 100% physical condition. The time has come when Juve either bet on Dybala or give him up”, He says. With the Juventus managers “there were normal discussions. I didn’t like that the team gave up after winning the Scudetto. The team absolutely had to shoot at the maximum until the end of the championship to be ready for the Champions League match” with the Lyon.
“Unplugging was a mistake and I told everyone: managers and players.” After Sarri’s exoneration, Juve chose the rookie Andrea Pirlo, who was torpedoed after just one season: “The Guardiola effect has done so much damage, an exception has become the rule: you risk burning guys who are between 2-3 years would be great coaches with a bit of more experience. On the choice of Pirlo, you have to ask the Juventus managers. “
Did you have fun at Juve? “I had a lot of fun in Naples and the last few months at Chelsea”. Leaving London in the summer of 2019 “was a sensational mistake. Abramovich could not return to England that year, the situation was complex. When I left, the club bought young players that I could coach: Werner, Havertz, Zyech , Mount. All young dynamic and technical, suited to my way of playing. Mine was a sensational error of assessment. “
The thought goes to the 2017-2018 season, with the scudetto touched against Napoli. Juve won the tricolor thanks also to a 3-2 win against Inter in the final tournament. Years later, there is still talk of Pjanic’s non-expulsion which would have distorted the match: “As I went up from the TV room to the hotel room” after Inter-Juve “I saw some players cry, it was as if a dream had ended for Napoli on those questionable episodes “
Now Sarri is back on the bench after a season off. “This year with the empty stadiums it was difficult to find the enthusiasm to return. Being out did not weigh on me, now the spectators are returning to the stadium and the desire is back”. Is it true that Napoli sought him out in January for a sensational second marriage? “There weren’t many prerequisites. To all the clubs that looked for me in January I said the same thing: I was available for July. In January, there was no real negotiation with Napoli.”
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