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The power of a brand: Andrea Pirlo's Juventus is one of the big puzzles of the season
No one knows how the genius connection will function as a coach, because his practical experience is zero round, but the whole world is looking forward to his debut, because he is one of the most fascinating and beloved figures in the world of football.
Pirlo has built a unique brand on the pitch, now Juventus want to take advantage of it to their advantage
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Juventus
Andrea Pirlo
Michael Yochin
Sunday, September 20, 2020, 3:30 p.m.
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Pirlo.
What goes through your mind when you hear that word?
What associations does it create?
You may recall the marvelous long dedications or tremendous kicks for connections, perhaps the Panenka-style penalty against England in the Euro 2012 quarter-finals, but it is more likely that the initial connection will not be directly related to football.
Elegance, style, nonchalance, charisma, a smile under the mustache, maybe even the mythological image with a glass of wine.
Because Pirlo is not only a phenomenal footballer but also a brand.
He nurtured this brand wisely, as if effortlessly.
Because with Andrea Pirlo, everything came effortlessly.
That's his motto.
"I do not feel pressure. I do not care about him. On July 9, 2006, I spent the afternoon sleeping and playing PlayStation. In the evening I went and won the World Cup," he wrote in his autobiography.
is it true?
Only Pirlo himself knows, but this is exactly the impression he tried to broadcast every minute on screen.
It really was no accident.
In the same book, in whose sophisticated name - "I think, that's why I play" - deep thought was invested in cultivating the specific brand, Pirlo also wrote these lines: "I would bet one cent on becoming a coach. I am not attracted to this job. She is. "It's too stressful, and the lifestyle is too similar to that of an actor. I did mine, and in the future I would like to regain at least an eye of private life."
The autobiography was published in 2013, and of course a person can change his mind and aspirations, but at least as of the moment of publication there was a sense that this was an honest announcement.
Because the coaching job is particularly demanding, and Pirlo's brand is just the opposite.
He hated efforts.
He even called the warm-up before the games "masturbation for fitness trainers."
Despite this statement, the public has longed to see Pirlo as a coach - simply because there are no such coaches.
His high level of intelligence is undisputed, but that's really not the point.
Many football fans' dream was to see Pirlo's brand on the bench - elegance, style, nonchalance, charisma, a smile under the mustache, maybe even a glass of wine in hand.
Someone sitting there, calm and relaxed, looks with endless serenity at the horizon and says to his players: "Come on, now we win. Delivery here, then there, then kick to the net. That's all. Go and do it."
Then they go and do it, exactly as planned, while Pirlo rejoices, sips his aromatic drink, and his thoughts run away to a new winery that can be set up in Tuscany.
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Pirlo (Photo: GettyImages)
Juventus appointed this dream as coach.
She did not choose Pirlo because of his skills, because no one has any idea what his real skills are in the complex and varied role of top team coach.
The old lady management chose it because of the brand.
Net media-wise, he is the perfect candidate.
Pirlo is one of the most beloved and beloved characters in the entire football world.
He is not just a genius, but a genius who is in consensus.
Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have many haters.
Try to find someone who despises Pirlo.
In extraordinary art, he managed to position himself as arrogant, without provoking antagonism.
It is very easy to identify with him, and with Pirlo on the lines, Yuva immediately earns many points.
This fits in well with the strategic objectives redefined several years ago.
Juventus prefers, clearly and in stark contrast to the past, international branding over local tradition.
This is why it controversially differs from the good old logo to something defined as modern.
The strategy director of the advertising agency that devised the move dealt mainly with the question of how to market the club to people who are not necessarily interested in football.
Delusional, but a fact.
This is why the striped shirts were neglected last season - some even claimed that it happened because they were too similar to the football and baseball referees in the United States, so sales in the American market were unsatisfactory.
This explanation is ridiculous, but not entirely unfounded given the global line of interest to management.
This is why it was thrown into the trash can of the old principle that "there is no great player from the club", and Cristiano Ronaldo was signed at the age of 33 to be great from the club by definition.
When it comes to coaching, the old lady has a hard time finding the right direction within this strategy.
She was not happy with Massimiliano Allegri on the branding level, despite the excellent results on the pitch, and was looking for something completely different.
Thus was born the strange appointment of Maurizio Sari, even though the whole world and his wife shouted out loud that he was not suitable for the club.
The former banker who wears a tracksuit, chews cigarette butts and is remembered mainly for blatant anti-Juventus remarks did not surprise badly, but was just who he is.
A few months later, the intensity of the mistake was internalized, and the club waited patiently for the end of the season to say goodbye to the man on the lines - even if a ninth consecutive championship was finally promised.
The relegation in the last eight of the Champions League by Lyon provided a fantastic excuse for a move that would have gone ahead anyway.
But then it turned out that there was no ready-made alternative, and Pirlo was pulled off the sleeve at record speed.
Pirlo is the complete opposite of its predecessor, and that only adds to its charm.
Sari did not play professional football, Pirlo was a superstar.
Sari objected in principle to Juventus before signing, Pirlo is identified with Juventus after four amazing seasons at the club.
The new boss is young, non-smoking, fashionable, he doesn't even have glasses.
He is different from Sari in everything, but he has no basic experience.
It was clear to everyone that the connection between Sari and Juventus would not work (Photo: GettyImages)
To understand that the appointment was not planned in advance, it is enough to remember that Pirlo signed as the coach of the young team only nine days earlier. He was just about to finish a coaching course, and the club apparently planned to let him acclimatize and gain some mileage before he gets the reins on the senior team. Pep Guardiola worked for a year in the Barcelona reserve team before advancing. Zinedine Zidane also studied at Real Madrid's reserve team, and even served as Carlo Ancelotti's assistant, before taking over. If this is the model, then some consistency would not be harmful. However, Andrea Aneili and Pavel Nedved were swept away by the optimism that accompanied the return of the maestro. His arrival aroused much interest, and his presentation at the press conference attracted special attention - far beyond any previous youth coach. So the urge to enjoy the benefits of Pirlo's brand surpassed all other considerations, and he jumped at the chance.
Professionally this is, of course, a particularly big gamble. Everything is possible, from a dizzying ascent to a colossal fiasco. Marcello Lippi, who knows Pirlo well from the national team, insists: "Andrea is capable of anything, and the same is true of training. He will succeed in everything. He is younger than Gigi Buffon, and can talk like a teammate with Cristiano Ronaldo or C "Giorgio Chiellini. Zidane had a similar influence at Real Madrid. He did not initiate revolutionary innovations, but brought industrial quiet to the locker room, and used the stars at his disposal correctly. Perhaps Juventus need someone with similar qualities at the current time."
This is possible, but it is not worth forgetting the previous recommendation of Lippi, who relied on the closed eyes of Chiro Ferrara. The former brakeman, who was very popular with Juventus and radiated quite a bit of style himself, worked after his retirement as Lippi's assistant in the national team - before joining Juventus in 2009. The old lady was still looking for her way back then in an attempt to recover from the Calcupoli affair, and Ferrara's inexperience did not alert. The adventure ended very badly, and his entire career as a coach was unsuccessful. So even Lippi's words should be taken with a limited guarantee. He is not a prophet either.
In fact, Lippi himself was at the time a considered and intelligent appointment of Yuva - a young and promising coach who proved himself in smaller teams. That was the case at the time with Giovanni Trapatoni. So it was with Antonio Conte, and so with Allegri. Pirlo is not suitable for this pattern, but it seems that Juventus are no longer interested in this pattern. As part of its efforts to cultivate an international brand, it is betting on the man who will bring it the desired exposure. Because Pirlo's brand goes before it all over the world. The global sympathy for the old lady said when he played in its ranks, and that may be the impact this time as well.
With a hand on heart, do you want Pirlo to fail? Isn't that right? Is it true that you are eager to watch his debut against Sampdoria tonight? Is it true that expectations are already high now, even though you know nothing about his abilities as a coach? This is the power of a brand, and it makes Juventus one of the most intriguing stories in the world in the new season. Pour yourself a glass of wine and enjoy.
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