Maurizio Sarri sacked by Juventus just one year after leaving Chelsea

Less than 24 hours after getting eliminated from the Champions League at the Round of 16 stage by Olympique Lyonnais, Juventus have sacked head coach Maurizio Sarri.

The former Chelsea boss had been in the job for just one season, and while he led the team to their ninth consecutive Scudetto, the manner of the title win impressed no one and the team failed to improve on their European progress. Carrying a 1-0 deficit from the first leg in Lyon, Juve managed to win only 2-1 in the second leg, and thus were eliminated at the same stage as last year. Since making the final in 2016-17, the Old Lady have not advanced beyond the quarterfinals, which clearly remains a problem for their front office.

Juve’s official statement relieving Sarri of his duties is hilariously short and perfunctory.

Juventus Football Club announces that Maurizio Sarri has been relieved of his post as coach of the First Team.

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.

-Juventus FC statement

While Sarri’s personal achievement of winning the top division is commendable and certainly puts a Hollywood ending on his three-decade-long rise up the ranks of Italian football, he failed to live up to overall expectations in Turin. (Without getting into it too much, the problems and criticisms were basically the same as at Chelsea: slow, uninspiring, methodical football; lack of bonding with players; lack of engagement with fans.)

Sarri’s sacking probably also means the end of Juventus’ Jorginho pursuit, which was reportedly at the request of the now-former head coach. The two main candidates linked so far with the vacancy, Mauricio Pochettino or a returning Max Allegri are unlikely to push for the same.