Juventus seemed to be on the brink of disaster. To call their performance against Milan a disappointment would be a massive understatement. Their 3-0 loss to the rival Rossoneri in a must-win home game was nothing short of an utter embarrassment, with the players showing up without life and their manager left exposed after a bevy of questionable decisions.
Throughout the 2020-2021 season, Andrea Pirlo has come under fire. He came into this job with literally zero coaching experience to speak of, and it has shown. The criticisms of Pirlo have not been without justification. He absolutely has gotten many things wrong and has had to learn lessons the hard way on the job.
But the key is, he’s learning. There is tangible growth present, specifically in the aftermath of the aforementioned drubbing at the hands of Milan in the top-four race.
Because Juventus didn’t just recover. They didn’t just rebound. They exploded. Pirlo’s Juve defeated Sassuolo 3-1. Then outlasted Inter 3-2 in the Derby d’Italia. And then they exacted revenge upon Atalanta with a 2-1 triumph in the Coppa Italia, playing gorgeous second-half football to bring the prestigious trophy – Pirlo’s second of the season – home.
Juventus played as Andrea Pirlo intended at the end of the season
Then to close the season, without Cristiano Ronaldo in the lineup, Juve picked apart Bologna in a 4-1 win that showcased arguably the finest attacking play we have seen from the Bianconeri this season.
These last few games have shown that Juventus is capable of playing Pirlo’s expressed brand of football, which focuses on tight passing in central areas, fluid transitions out of defense, and an emphasis on accentuating the individual skills of the players. Paulo Dybala, Federico Chiesa, and Dejan Kulusevski certainly shined at the very end of the campaign.
Pirlo looked like a dead man walking after the 3-0 loss to Milan. But after these wins over Sassuolo, Inter, Atalanta, and Bologna, I have to say that he has done enough to convince me that he can build on what he’s done in his tricky first season as a manager.
Maybe more importantly than the attacking fluidity, however, is the fact that the dressing room stood by him. The team did not stop fighting despite facing serious odds after the debacle vs. Milan. They all gravitated towards Pirlo in their celebrations, a tacit backing of their constantly criticized rookie manager. Ronaldo showed no signs of discontent when Pirlo subbed or benched him. There were no signs of annoyance from any of the players who were not necessarily central to plans. They all focused on the task at hand and the common goal.
Now I need to make something clear to you. Just because Pirlo did enough to save his job, doesn’t mean he actually will save his job. Pirlo clearing a threshold of sufficiency may not preclude Juve from jumping at an option they believe is better, such as Max Allegri or, maybe more likely, Zinedine Zidane. Therefore, the Real Madrid managing situation is one to watch closely, because a reunion with Zidane could tempt Juve enough to make a change, under the notion that Zizou is one of the very few possible upgrades.
That said, even if Pirlo still loses his job, how he and the team responded at the end of the season is important to his future as a manager. Because he does have a future at this. With the experience that he hasn’t accrued yet, Pirlo can become a truly strong manager.