Andrea Pirlo is happy with his start at Juventus, but clarifies: "It will take time until we learn all my ideas" • His players sound calm: "We enjoy the season more than the previous one"
Pirlo with Ronaldo.
Just as he was on the field as a player, so is he as a coach
Photography:
Reuters
It was only the first game, in the first round, with a few injuries and against an opponent who finished last season in 15th place, but Juventus' 0: 3 win over Sampdoria last week is the closest a football game has come to the thesis.
The greatest experts in the field have broken down these 90 minutes into factors, analyzing every delivery, every ball of width and every change in the lineup of the old lady.
For a week now newspapers and websites have been trying to figure out what exactly was there, how it happened, why it happened and what it means, and everyone's conclusion is one: Andrea Pirlo passed the test successfully.
It was the second test that Yuba's new coach has successfully passed in the last month.
The first test was the one that he eventually received from the UEFA Pro Rhe Sion, for which he submitted his personal thesis that included 30 pages describing in detail the philosophy of the game with which he stands for his coaching career. And so on, but it was one sentence that stood out in the introduction and immediately caught the eye: “The central idea of my football is based on the desire to create, control the ball and attack the opponent.”
This sentence, as well as the fully published thesis in the Italian media, made the opening against Sampdoria a game It was not customary to dig like that in the first game of an inexperienced 41-year-old coach, but the combination of variables - the identity of the coach, the identity of the team, the philosophy written in black and white - made this game's analysis far exceed statistics and end result.
Ramsey. Getting used to Pirlo's new ideas // Photo: AFP
Because 0: 3 with 66% on the ball and 20 kicks to the goal may tell a lot about the old lady's superiority, but in this case they do not tell enough about the changes Pirlo managed to apply to Yuba in his first game in the role.
The old lady looked vibrant, dynamic, focused and ruthless - completely different from the team coached by Maurizio Sari last season.
The Gazzetta dello Sport also sailed with compliments and chose the title "Pirlo, what a gem".
Arrived ready
what was particularly impressive was that this gem included a surprising and young composition.
Among the 11 were 20-year-old Jean Kolosevsky, 21-year-old Gianluca Prabuta and 22-year-old Weston McKenny - a trio only the first of which was rumored to start in the squad.
While the ability and goal of the Swede who played for Parma last year did not surprise anyone, the ability of the young left-back who replaced the injured Alex Sandro and especially of the American midfielder added many points to Pirlo.
McKinney, who arrived this season from Schalke, was favored in the squad over Rodrigo Bentcour and Arthur and gave Yuba significant power in midfield, defensively and offensively.
Another surprise was the ability of Arun Ramsey, who completed an excellent 90 minutes and cooked up Cristiano Ronaldo's goal.
"We have a new coach with new ideas and all the players are involved in what is happening," he said at the end of the Welsh midfielder, adding his stark conclusion: "I think we are enjoying the season more than last season."
A little weird to say this after nine consecutive championships, but Pirlo came for it too.
To shake Yuva, to inject her with new blood, to bring her smile back to her face.
A lot of eyebrows were raised when he was the one selected for this task after the defeat against Lyon in the Champions League, but Pirlo proved already in his first game - and regardless of the result against Roma in the second round (Sunday evening) - that he did his homework and came into the season as a student.
"I do not want to copy other people's ideas, I have my own ideas," he stressed this week, adding: "But it will take time until we learn everything."
In the meantime, he has added striker Albero Murata to the squad, who will have to quickly learn Pirlo's thesis, which requires his players to do exactly what he demands of himself - the best.