Gianfranco Zola admits to being ‘surprised’ by Andrea Pirlo’s appointment as the new Juventus coach. ‘It’s a courageous move from the club.’
Just over a week since he was unveiled as the coach of the Under-23 team, which plays in Serie C, Pirlo was suddenly promoted to the head coach role.
He is replacing Maurizio Sarri, who Zola worked with as an assistant manager at Chelsea last season.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t surprised by this,” Zola told Sky Sport Italia.
Gianfranco Zola admits to being ‘surprised’ by Andrea Pirlo’s appointment as the new Juventus coach. ‘It’s a courageous move from the club.’
Just over a week since he was unveiled as the coach of the Under-23 team, which plays in Serie C, Pirlo was suddenly promoted to the head coach role.
He is replacing Maurizio Sarri, who Zola worked with as an assistant manager at Chelsea last season.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t surprised by this,” Zola told Sky Sport Italia.
“It’s fascinating and if the project works, it’ll go down as a huge success story for the club. It’s not an easy job, though, as Juventus are asking to win in a certain way.
“This is a courageous move from the club and based on the quality of the man, but Pirlo will need their support going forward. It’s not simple, but I do think he can have real success.”
Pirlo will be coaching some of his former teammates, including Gigi Buffon, who is older than his new boss.
“This has to be set aside straight away. The players need to see him as a coach and Pirlo must immediately feel comfortable in that new guise,” added Zola.