ROME: Cristiano Ronaldo’s brace and 130th Champions League goal did not suffice for Juventus to remain in the event, leaving the Portuguese ace to share the Saturday front pages of Italian newspapers with his beleaguered coach Maurizio Sarri.
Juve rallied to beat guests Lyon 2-1 late Friday at the Allianz Stadium, but saw the French advance to the quarterfinals on the away-goal rule.
The elimination boosted criticism of Sarri, who some consider bound for dismissal despite the Serie A title lifted last week on his first season in Turin.
“Sarri out,” headlined the Turinese Tuttosport, as Rome’s Corriere dello Sport followed suit with “Adieu Maurizio” and La Gazzetta dello Sport titled “Darkest night,” with Ronaldo pictured on his knees and a quote from club president Andrea Agnelli saying: “Now we have to evaluate.”
Options to replace Sarri had been named already before the match, ranging from Zinedine Zidane, a Juve hero in the 1990s who also exited the event at the helm of Real Madrid, to Lazio’s Simone Inzaghi; also mooted, but less likely, have been Sarri’s predecessors Massimiliano Allegri and Antonio Conte, now at Inter Milan.
Sarri built a reputation at Napoli and Chelsea, where he won last year’s Europa League, for his fast, attack-geared game, which was what Juve were seeking after five years under the cautious and utilitarian Allegri.
But Sarrismo, as the coach’s approach has been named, never materialized with the Bianconeri, who missed the Super Cup and the Italian Cup before clinching a ninth straight Scudetto with two games left in a season disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.
“”onight, we played a great match,” Sarri said, “the penalty could have driven us out of our minds, but we drew level and then we took the lead, and at 2-1, we created three or four chances.
“If I weren’t morally devastated by the elimination, I would be happy with tonight's performance, because we brought out so much energy and the team responded with character and showed that they have recovered in the last few days.”
Most commentators, however, begged to differ and ratings were low as usual for the whole squad, with the exception of Ronaldo, who, according to France Football could consider joining Paris Saint-Germain after two seasons in Turin.
Juve reportedly feel confident that the Portuguese will remain, but their trust in Sarri may have been dented as he has failed to deploy the full potential of the squad, while again missing the continental trophy Juve last won in 1996.
Some observers, however, warned on his arrival that adapting to his tactical tenets would not happen overnight, and others noted that new signings like Aaron Ramsey or Adrien Rabiot have seldom lived up to expectations, while veteran Gonzalo Higuain and Federico Bernardeschi have disappointed through most of the season.
As president Agnelli said, it is now to time for evaluation, which can lead to either a strengthening of the current course or to a wide-ranging renovation. – dpa
