Andrea Pirlo is ‘not concerned’ by debate on his Juventus future. ‘The team is fully aware this is a difficult moment,’ but he’s ‘not influenced’ by media speculation.
There are growing reports Max Allegri will return to Turin two years after he was sacked, as Maurizio Sarri and now Pirlo failed to maintain his standards.
Andrea Pirlo is ‘not concerned’ by debate on his Juventus future. ‘The team is fully aware this is a difficult moment,’ but he’s ‘not influenced’ by media speculation.
There are growing reports Max Allegri will return to Turin two years after he was sacked, as Maurizio Sarri and now Pirlo failed to maintain his standards.
Sarri at least won the Scudetto, whereas Pirlo is in a battle simply to qualify for the Champions League, so when Agnelli family chief John Elkann visited the training ground this week, the rumour mill went wild.
“I am fine, I spoke to the owners the other day, as often happens. It certainly wasn’t the first time,” assured Pirlo in his press conference.
“We had a chat about everything, as always. I am not concerned when it comes to my work. I only hear rumours from you reporters. I am relaxed and concentrated on what I need to do, I’m not influenced by all these rumours.
“I am so concentrated on what I need to do that I don’t have time to read the newspapers.”
Even Pirlo’s son was targeted on social media with death threats, just days before many clubs, leagues and media outlets announced a social media blackout.
“Having been in this world for many years, I know what it means to be a public figure. I see nothing new in these insults from people who hide behind a keyboard.
“I’m sorry for my son, because he has nothing to do with it, and I explained to him that he just has to ignore it. This is a social problem. We must eliminate it with calm, hoping we can change the world for the better.”
Meanwhile, the reports continue to suggest Pirlo will be fired if Juventus don’t qualify for the Champions League, and could even be replaced by assistant Igor Tudor in the short-term if things don’t improve rapidly.
“The team is fully aware that this is a difficult moment. We talked about it, there are five games with 15 points up for grabs, then the Coppa Italia Final with Atalanta.
“It’s a delicate time, we must try to get points to qualify for the Champions League and every match is important, starting tomorrow with Udinese.”