Ivan Zazzaroni in Corriere dello Sport poses a key question: “In nine and a half weeks, can a new coach have a bigger impact than Kim Basinger?”
Since last Monday, rumors have been circulating that the coach will be sacked imminently, possibly this weekend, certainly before the Genoa game. The talk is that the team is against Thiago Motta, can’t stand him anymore, with names of dissenting players being whispered, though I won’t reveal them out of discretion and respect.
However, from Juventus’ headquarters, there are only denials, with a hint of irritation masked by a polite smile: “The same question every day.” As if we enjoy bothering people in difficulty. It’s our dirty job.
Mancini and Tudor are reportedly on standby, and everyone knows it now. The situation smacks of emotional decisions and desperation to avoid being excluded from something important. These are the strongest available candidates, even if they are as different as Kim Basinger and Mickey Rourke.
What can they possibly invent? How many points can they realistically gain in the games from Juventus-Genoa to Venezia-Juve, including matches against Roma, Lecce, Parma, Monza, Bologna, Lazio, and Udinese? And Mancini? In terms of titles and experience, there’s no contest: he wins hands down. He hasn’t coached in Serie A for nine years (Inter, 2016), but he knows football like few others, and for Juventus, he might even accept a contract for just a year and four months. Is Juventus willing to commit for that long?
I’ll just touch briefly on the Motta issue: for the fans, he has become the Devil after long being considered an Angel (…).