Andrea Pirlo seems to be on his way out as the manager of Juventus. At least, that was the prevailing belief following a disastrous 3-0 loss at home to Milan, in which Juve never really looked like scoring.
Federico Chiesa had the least touches of any starter on the team, Cristiano Ronaldo took just two shots, and the manager waited until after an hour to make changes. And he only made two substitutions in the loss.
It was a train wreck of a loss for the Bianconeri. The belief among Juventini was always that Pirlo would be fired, regardless of the previous confidence in him from the club over the long term, if Juve failed to make the Champions League.
And now, Juve are in fifth and in serious trouble of not qualifying, which would be disastrous from both a sporting and economic perspective. Cristiano Ronaldo, for example, could leave if they are Europa League-bound.
Juventus express confidence in Andrea Pirlo despite Milan loss
According to Goal.com’s Romeo Agresti on Twitter, Juventus confirmed their trust in Andrea Pirlo during a meeting on Monday morning following the blowout loss to their Red and Black rivals to the south.
It’s a surprising conclusion from the Bianconeri’s brass, because many fans thought that with John Elkann in attendance for the game, serious changes would be in order. And many even felt Pirlo could be fired before the season ended.
However, it may be wise for Juve to wait until the season ends. They clearly like Pirlo, who seemed to be Andrea Agnelli’s choice to lead the next stages of the Juventus project. Plus, the Old Lady could still yet qualify for the Champions League. They are not out of it yet, as Atalanta, Napoli, or Milan could slip up themselves.
But Juve put a serious dent in their hopes with such an awful loss to Milan. The loss came on the heels of a Cristiano Ronaldo bail-out in Udine, and Juventini have not forgotten about the poor performance against Atalanta either.
For now, Pirlo is the manager. He is not safe, however. A top-four finish must be achieved.