Why under-fire Sarri may not be the issue at Juventus
The pressure is mounting on Maurizio Sarri at Juventus but the Old Lady’s issues could be out of his control.
It is worth pointing out that Juventus remain in the thick of the Serie A title race along with Inter Milan and dark horses Lazio, but the very fact they are not dominating like previous seasons means the fans are not happy.
There have been calls for his head with #sarriout trending on Twitter, and last week’s shock defeat against Hellas Verona saw the pressure ramped up even more.
Replacing Massimiliano Allegri was always going to be a huge task for whoever was handed the job, but the knives were out almost as soon as Sarri was appointed, with the fans not impressed.
Following the departure of Allegri they were hoping for a bigger name. Sarri isn’t a nobody, however, as he was in charge of Napoli when they ran Juve close for the title, before he was lured away by Chelsea, who he guided to Europa League glory.
Nevertheless, with speculation suggesting that Pep Guardiola could be lured away from Manchester City to take the Juve job, the fans were a touch disappointed when it became clear that Sarri would be their next coach.
The animosity towards him has grown steadily as the season has progressed, but a case could be made for it not being entirely his fault. A bit like the situation at Manchester United, where maybe the decisions behind the scenes regarding transfers and signing the right players could be the issue – not the manager.
It has been suggested that Sarri has inherited a midfield that has been in decline for some time and the right players have not been brought in to bolster it.
The great Juve teams of the past have seen Arturo Vidal, Paul Pogba and the Andrea Pirlo boss the midfield, but they are no longer here and never been replaced.
The sporting director Fabio Paratici and Beppe Marotta before him have tried to fill the void by signing free transfer midfielders that have not worked out.
Emre Can arrived from Liverpool and has since left the club on loan. Adrian Rabiot arrived from Paris Saint-Germain and has yet to fulfil his potential.
The latest attempt to bolster the midfield saw Aaron Ramsey sign on a free from Arsenal, but again the Welshman has failed to impress, although injuries have not helped.
According to La Repubblica, Andrea Agnelli could sack Maurizio Sarri & bring Max Allegri back who's still under contract at the club. pic.twitter.com/VtQngKxtB9
— Forza Juventus (@ForzaJuveEN) February 10, 2020
Sarri is clearly aware of the need to bolster his midfield as reports have surfaced suggesting he wants his tried and trusted midfield general Jorginho on board in time for next season.
Whether he is still in charge to get his wish remains to be seen but like Manchester United it would appear that chopping and changing manager will not help until they get their recruitment of players sorted out.
