Legendary Italian striker
Alessandro Del Piero believes his old teammate Andrea Pirlo can ‘do even better than Zinedine Zidane’ in his new role as Juventus manager.
While the decision to fire Maurizio Sarri wasn’t entirely surprising after a Champions League Round of 16 exit to Lyon, the choice of replacement certainly was.
Pirlo has no managerial experience and was only unveiled as the new coach of the Under-23 side, which plays its football in Serie C, last week.
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And speaking to Sky Sport Italia, a surprised Del Piero said:”To be honest, I wouldn’t have bet on him becoming the coach. It’s a surprise for me too.
“I was already pleased for him taking the Under-23 role and thought that was the right move for him, but he’s skipped ahead, so I can only wish him luck.
“I think the general perception of former players who become coaches is changing in Italy. Before, there was this need to go through a long process in the lower leagues to learn the trade, but in recent years we’ve seen Filippo and Simone Inzaghi succeed, plus Gennaro Gattuso. They were great players and started straight away with great teams.
“It’s not a fair comparison, because Zizou had already worked with the Real Madrid youth team and then was Carlo Ancelotti’s assistant manager, but Pirlo has everything it takes to do even better than Zidane.
“He already knows the club, the players, the directors, so I think they communicated in a very clear way.”
Zidane won three consecutive Champions League trophies on the Real Madrid bench.
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Quote of the day –
“I think the general perception of former players who become coaches is changing in Italy. Before, there was this need to go through a long process in the lower leagues to learn the trade, but in recent years we’ve seen Filippo and Simone Inzaghi succeed, plus Gennaro Gattuso. They were great players and started straight away with great teams”.
Pirlo with zero managerial experience whatsoever, has been appointed manager at Juventus. Some people on CSN will commence hunger strike when they see this 🙂 🙂 🙂
In my opinion, experience before a big role is ideal. However, some individuals are equipped to perform, even without prior experience. We see it regularly in the corporate world, and it is now being seen in football as well.
However, do I detect a bit of sarcasm in Del Piero’s tone? To expect Pirlo to outperform Zidane is strange, especially when he admitted that Pirlo’s appointment was a surprise. Hmmmm.
@Pompei …. Managerial skills without prior experience is a risk that can either fail or Pass . We just have to be patience to see his outcome . Pirlo, who has not had a coaching job and only took over as Juve’s Under-23s boss last week, was handed the reins in Turin on Saturday in the wake of Maurizio Sarri’s dismissal.
Below are some quote by Gennaro Gattuso regarding Pirlo appointment .
” Gennaro Gattuso warned Juventus head coach Andrea Pirlo that his illustrious playing career will count for little in his new job ”
“He’s lucky to be starting at Juventus, but this profession is one where a great playing career is not enough.
“You have to study, to work hard, and you don’t get much sleep.”
https://www.goal.com/en/news/hes-screwed-now-gattuso-welcomes-former-milan-team-mate/1trj00ou38kdi1prce4d0j5hoh
Nevertheless there’s sarcasm in Del Piero words as no one expect Pirlo to Outperfom Zidane in his first few years of being a coach.
Wish Juventus and the Pirlo the best of luck in his managerial quest .
God bless Nigeria
I do agree @Pompei that there are those out there with innate immense abilities that could do favourably well without acquiring experience in a particular field ;that thread is high risk.
Ironically, most that go down that route, always tend to learn on the job and that could be self defeating and a total derail of purpose.
Just because Real madrid went down that route with Zidane and succeeded doesn’t mean everyone else would.
We must not forget that Zidane worked closely with Mourinho during the latter time at Real Madrid, learning the ropes similarly as Arteta did with Guardiola.
Zidane was also in Charge of Real Madrid Castilla before his appointment as Real Madrid; so already knows the working and system of the club and the job at hand. That’s enough experience.
To say Fillipo Inzaghi succeeded is not fully true.
After acquiring enough experience as coach of Ac Milan primerva squad, he was appointed full time coach but he was dismissed from his first stint as Ac Milan coach because he lost the dressing room after few matches( though after wins ).
He was appointed to Venezia where he couldn’t take them to Serie A cause he lost to Palermo at the playoffs. Causing him his job.
He went to Bologna winning only 2 matches in 21 games. Then got booted out.
Now he is at Benevento still trying to cut his teeth and hold sway.
Though his younger brother at Lazio ; Simone has done fairly better but he hasn’t really taken Lazio beyond where they were before his appointment. I dare say, this season was his best, finishing in the top 4, in fact he could have finished higher even winning the title (in a season Juventus was terrible). One would argue that , towards the end of the season , Simone totally lost steam due to his lack of managerial experience losing grip of Juventus foot, capitulating and finishing way down below Atalanta.
Not forgetting Gattuso; who actually tried to start from the bottom albeit never having it easy. Sacked at both Sion in Switzerland and Sacked in Palermo. Never really a success in Cyprus. Went back to Pisa to learn the ropes. Got to Milan. Sacked at Milan. Now building his self up gradually in Napoli.
That said, it is also vital to state that all these young coaches (Including Andrea Pirlo) have one thing in common; they all have a coaching License.
They are all expert in this field as coach.
They are not just hired only because of their illustrious careers but because they have the required licence to do the job. They are experts in their own right as it relates to coaching and they have their certificate to prove that.
Finally, it should also wise to see that , all went through a process of cutting their teeth and gradually building their way to the top. In other words, whatever success they have achieved , they earned it through rigorous experience.
Merit anytime.anyday…
Yes Mr. Hush, it remains a hot button topic. I agree that hiring an inexperienced person is fraught with risk. But as you also mentioned, some are able to deliver on the job without prior experience. Juventus hired Pirlo because they know him, and he knows them inside out. I believe that a comprehensive knowledge of the organization and the industry in which it operates is just as desirable to a prospective employer as working experience. Pirlo will likely not achieve the dizzying heights that Zidane reached, but many will agree that he is a great choice.
@Pompei
I guess time would tell.
Always a fan of Pirlo the player.
Have a soft spot for the old Lady.
So I really hope this works out ..
Guys, let’s get this thing right.
Reports we’ve read about Pirlo goes this way: He has a License to certify him as a Professional Coach. The only thing lacking is that he has not yet experimented his knowledge from the Class on the Field of play. So the shocking thing about his announcement as Coach of Juve is that he’s going to be experimenting with the Almighty Juventus! Simple and Clear.
But,
Here we have our own Joseph YOBO that has nothing like a Coaching license apart from Driver’s license. He has Fashion shows experience 100 Caps for Nigeria. And yet he has been placed on the hot sit as the Assistant Coach of the Almighty Super Eagles. If he had the Coaching license and he was asked to come and Assist Rohr. I would be the happiest for him because that’s like a reward for his quest to become a Pro Coach too and it will pay us big time. It will just be like him continuing the learning process under Rohr with the Knowledge he already has in Class. That will be great for the Super Eagles but Yobo has nothing! How do we reconcile this??
@ Mr Bush and Pompei, Does this appointment of Andrea Pirlo by Juve make a case for NFF and Yobo’s appointment as Rohr’s assistant, ? The only difference I see here is that Yobo hasn’t any Coaching diploma prior to his appointment, but feelers say Yobo is currently in the latter stages of his coaching certification, morover he is just an assistant which is also a further learning process. Does it mean that we harshly castigated this appointment by NFF, ?? Frankly I think we were so extreme in dissing Yobo and NFF as if it has never happened before .Guys I need your opinions on this please.
@Emecco
In my humble opinion;
I think only time will tell.
But you don’t put the cart before the horse.
We don’t want to set the wrong precedent.
But we wait and see.
For Nigeria’s sake;I hope this trial with Yobo becomes a success.
Well Juventus wanted to take a risk like some clubs did. His wealth of experience is speaking volume for him both has a national team player and club player. So are we now saying Yobo is not qualified to be on the bench of the National team as an assistant. Yobo has almost the same experience as pirlo. So please lets wait and see what he needs to offer before crucifying him. Afterall, the noise about UEFA pro licence is about managing a game and not about the teaching of the game. By the way Pirlo is yet to get his UEFA pro licence, so he is not yet qualified to coach Juventus. J
@Ade … Pirlo got his UEFA A Licence in 2018 but still needs his Pro Licence ( he’s yet to have a pro licence )
Pirlo does have the UEFA A Licence, but that is only enough to manage in the third tier of Italian football, or to be an assistant higher up.
Being enrolled to complete his Pro Licence means he can sit on the Juventus bench, but Pirlo will not be able to make any bureaucratic decisions until he is fully qualified.
It is understood that Roberto Baronio, Pirlo’s assistant, will be in charge of managerial duties until Pirlo returns to Coverciano to submit his thesis in October.
So, in effect, Pirlo is nothing but a glorified assistant until he gets his thesis done and obtains the Pro Licence.
https://talksport.com/football/743978/andrea-pirlo-uefa-pro-licence-juventus/
Nevertheless , Yobo is not qualified to be on the bench of the national team as an assistant as he doesn’t have any coaching licence and Pirlo is nothing but a glorified assistant until he gets his thesis done and obtains the Pro Licence
God bless Nigeria
Like someone stated earlier that yobo is in the process of getting his licence, and part of the requirement is being attached to a team. So what qualifies the other assistant coaches in the national team. Please tell me what licence they have to be on the bench. SO are you saying yobo high level of training and exposure in europe doesn’t warrant being on the bench of the national team.
@Ade … The difference is other assistant coaches in the national team already have their licence BEFORE the appointment and Yobo is just applying for his own licence AFTER the appointment .
I hope you understand the difference now . I think the right candidate should have been Findi George , Olofinjana and Co because they have their coaching badges and just need to learn more with the National team or any clubs .
But then Life itself is a risk and it’s too early to condemn Yobo . We just have to be patience with him and see what he offers the team and bring to the table ( National team ) .
God bless Nigeria
Thanks @ Hush. You have said a whole lot of what I would have said. The appointment of Pirlo as Juve manager has been greeted in Turin with some deafening but diplomatically concealed skeptism compared to his announcement as the U23 last week contrary to what it would have been if an allegri or a pochettino was announced. Most people who have spoken so far have done so with both sides of their lips so as not to be seen as “bad belle” or “enemies of progress”. The last time I checked Pirlo ALREADY HAS A UEFA A license which qualifies him to Coach at Juve and as such HE IS A QUALIFIED COACH. He will be submitting his UEFA pro licence thesis in October (2 months away) so he is as good as already having a Pro license. That further cements his status AS A QUALIFIED COACH. Simply put…..he didn’t earn any of the Juve U23 or senior team jobs simply because he had 116 caps for italy, or because he is a former WC or UCL winner or because he has over 700 appearances for world class teams like Milan and Juve….he was appointed because HE IS QUALIFIED COACH. And it is interesting that he didnt wait at home for 6 years before receiving a calling from the ‘holy spirit’ to become a coach. He only retired in 2018 and by 2020 he will already have a pro license holder (a journey of about 4-5 years). Those of us against Yobo’s appointment have nothing against his person, but have everything to worry about the process and the appointment itself….the question is why Yobo…?? Why leave all the many eminently qualified ones (both in terms of playing and coaching experience and badges…the Olofinjanas, the Egbos, the Gbolahans, the Henry Makinwas and even the Finidis of this world) who applied for the job and without a clear cut process go for one who didnt even have a vision nor the mental preparedness to become a coach. I very much doubt Yobo even applied for the job in the 1st place.
Its one thing to have a vision to be a coach and start working on it years before you retire from football…its another thing to want to become a coach only after some godfathers have foisted the idea into your head and you now taking it up as an afterthought SIX WHOLE YEARS after retirement from football and to start where…? in the national team…LMAO….and its the national team we are even talking here, not even a club-side where you have 7 days weekly to test and re-test, try and retry, learn and unlearn till you get it right and develop from there. It is even more laughable that Yobo had to go and commence his training AFTER he was appointed…LMAO. The difference between the Juve/Pirlo scenario to the NFF/Yobo scenerio is a clear as day and night. Some people even said yobo does not need coaching training since he had 100 caps….so how come even WC and UCL winners saw the need to go back to the classroom to learn the art of coaching and have even confessed that your playing experiences often goes flying through the window the moment you have to make 23 players play the way YOU want…??? As they say in local parlance, Yobo jebi…..e for nor go enrol for coaching school na, e kuku has 100 caps…thats enough according to Mr Odegami…NFF has shoved the job on him…lets see if they will be the one to teach him the job too. We can all but wish him well. I’ve never heard in any sphere of the corporate world where someone is just picked off the streets without prior experience to sit at the helm of affairs….anyone can pls share references if they have some.
Pirlo is one hell of a player I revere so much, awesome footballer with bags of intelligence. But like Giggs, Seedorf, Gattuso and the rest before him, all players of like generation but far superior class than our own Fashionista, it will very much likely dawn on him and the Juve heirarchy that this might be just one job too soon. That Juve will have a successful season next year will in-spite of him rather than because of him….and that is why the skepticism that has greeted his appointment so far is very very “unjuve” like. As a HR personnel, When you have to start giving explanations on why you have made an appointment, then know that you most likely have got it wrong this time…! It will remain for time and providence to prove you right or wrong and I hope, just for the sake of Pirlo’s career, that time and providence proves skeptics and realists like me wrong on this one.
As old an lady fan, I was displeased when sarri was appointed as a coach but now more displeased with pirlo appointment. Don’t get me wrong, pirlo is one heck of a player I adored so much. I remembered watching him, lampard and villa played several times live at Yankee stadium, I did what was against the policy of my job by taken his picture while on duty. That shows the extents of my love for him but to be quite honest I don’t think he is ready yet.
Well I wish him the best of luck!
If getting a coaching licence is a must before you sit at the bench, even as an assistant coach, then Nigeria would be banned by FIFA once Yobo acts as assistant in any SE match before his final coaching certification, also, Calling Yobo a fashionista is derogatory, He has been in the football business even after his retirement from active playing, he is a pundit which we all know and also runs a football academy in Rivers State, he can chose to flex his had earned money anyway he likes and its nobody’s business.The fact is he has been appointment, we as Nigerians only have to wish him well and wait for how he fares, just as Juve is waiting to see how Pirlo would fare.
@Emecco,I don’t think there is a certificate requirement to work as an assistant coach in African. However to be a national team coach in any African country, you must have CAF “A level” license or equivalent. This was introduced some years back.
On Yobo, being in football business (punditry or otherwise) does not qualify him as a coach until he is licensed (but in Nigeria anything is possible).
Directives from FIFA, and CAF (under the club licensing protocols) stipulated certain levels and qualifications coaches and their assistants should get before they can even handle clubs, talk more of national teams. At the CAF level there are 3 major levels.
CAF C
It’s a two weeks course coach and participants who gain the credentials MUST PRACTICE FOR AT LEAST 2 YEARS BEFORE GOING FOR CAF B.
CAF B
This is the second highest level coaching courses as per CAF and is undertaken for two weeks under a certified CAF and FIFA instructor. After successful completion, one is required to PRACTISE FOR AT LEAST A YEAR BEFORE UNDERTAKING CAF A.
CAF A
This is the highest level of coaching license currently attainable in Africa. In accordance with CAF, only ‘A’ license holders are required to handle proceedings in CAF competitions – CAF Confederations Cup and CAF Champions League.
Thanks for bringing this up @drey,the question now is if NFF understand this directive as regards to Yobo and where does he fits into in the SE setup. Hopefully Yobo can get his acts together before the next SE match.
I just pray someone will not make the mistake of accrediting Yobo as the SE asst coach and make him sit on the bench as the SE asst coach in any of our qualifiers till he bags at least a CAF A license which will probably take about 3 years. Otherwise just like Algeria capitalized on our fielding an ineligible player in the 2018 WC qualifiers and we forfeiting 3 pts & almost getting kicked out of our hard fought 2018 WC race (if not for our prior 5 point unassailable lead) our opponents too might just “capitalize” on us fielding an “ineligible asst coach” and get us sanctioned. Maybe and just maybe, the scales will fall out of our eyes and we will have sense.
The lesson I can grab from all these stuffs is that we as Nigerians or Africans always wait for Europeans to confirm an action or a process before we can accept it or even give it trial.Mark my words, Juve chose to give Pirlo a chance not because he has a cerificate but because they feel that his immense football experience could somehow aid his ability to succeed as a Coach, that’s the fact , Prior to this, Pirlo has done absolutely nothing as a coach, Forget classroom studies, Coaching is 90 % practical, and 10 % thoery, anything you put downn on the pitch and you succeed, it has worked for you, you can put the same tactics another day under the same circumstance and you fail, it means the tactics failed, great coaches conjure ideas mainly from there their inner intelligence and also from previous practical experiences, ( not theory) great coaches are not created from the classroom, A certificate is required as a Coach just for documentation and regulatory purposes, clubs and nations understand this, so condemning someone vehemently (Yobo) for not having a license which he is close to getting , is not proper, what we have to ask has he the intelligence and the nerve to do the job, The answer is, ” Let’s try him and find out”
It is not a paper that makes an individual a qualified professional…its the training an individual has undergone can demonstrate and reproduce, that confers on the individual the skill sets to be counted as a professional. Thank God you said yourself that COACHING (NOT PLAYING FOOTBALL) IS 90% practical. The certificate is an attestation that the individual has undergone the training, has learnt and been taught the art and science of the profession and has passed all the necessary tests and examinations and can is proven to have the capacity to function as a professional in that field. Most of us who have professional certifications and operating licenses had to prove that we have been TRAINED and show portfolios and evidence of YEARS OF EXPERIENCE in the field and prove that we are not quacks, before we were certified and licensed. Show us Yobo’s evidence of training or experience AS A COACH before he was appointed as the Asst Coach of the Senior National Team of Nigeria
Most of what students do during coaching courses are practical, hence the need for them to be attached to a team while undergoing the training program. If Zidane, Guadiola, Arteta, Lampard, Gerrard etc (all far more accomplished footballers, who played under the BEST MANAGERS IN THE WORLD than Yobo) did not “forget classroom studies” why should we also “forget classroom” studies because yobo is involved. You cant tell us to “FORGET JUST LIKE THAT” what it takes people 4-6 years to complete. That is to tell you its no childs play….its not just mere paper qualification…it is serious and intensive business. Those 4-6 years were not just spent drinking coffee and playing video games and then some papers where thrown at the participants afterwards just for “documentation and regulatory” purposes. If the likes of Scott Parker, Genaro Gattuso and Gerrard have come out to confess that your abilities as a player goes to the dustbin once you begin to coach
“…Being a player and being a coach is really not the same thing at all, It’s a totally different profession, Gattuso added…..”
Scott Parker says…“I would be lying if I said that my playing career didn’t give me A BIT of an advantage,” he says. “Whether you are stepping into a changing room or gaining respect from your peers, I am sure it does. But ultimately it comes down to the work you do on the training field and the results you get really. That is going to be key. This course was about getting the ball rolling, learning as much as I can, and it’s taken me six years to get in the position I’m in now. You go through the various badges, but now you start to realise just how different this job is. I’ve played so many games, big games, but coaching is something else. And difficult, to be fair. There is an art to getting your message across, relaying the little things you have learned. What comes instinctively on a football pitch can be quite difficult to try to teach to someone else….”
Then we have the right to be worried that someone who had not even gone for even the most basic coaching course nor has never practicalized coaching even at U10 level was appointed as Asst coach of our most important National team, where there are people who already have even the highest coaching training licenses in the world and are already coaching at various levels in professional clubs in Europe.
Juve gave Pirlo the job because he is a QUALIFIED COACH. If he had not gone for his training, passed his assesments and been awarded his badges, he wouldnt have been offered the job. The seat was vacant last year before Sarri was appointed…Pirlo was available then, why didnt they give him the job then..? Did he not have this “…immense football experience which could somehow aid his ability to succeed as a Coach…” last year…? Of course he did. But the single most important factor in hiring coaches…that which make you a coach was missing.
Most of the biggest coaches in the world today are were not even overtly fantastic players as a matter of fact, I cant count the number of “great players” who have had disastrous coaching careers…that an indication that ‘immense football experience’ is not the panacea for great coaching experience but a combination of the level of education, information, innovation and adaptation you have acquired before your big break as a coach.
The biggest level is never a trial ground, especially in the face-paced business minded world we are in today and that is the reason for skepticism pervading the air around the grounds of the Old lady today.
100% agree.
A certificate does not make you a doctor; it is a document that certifies the training you’ve received.
If playing football at the highest level makes you qualified for the job, then on what basis did the N.F.F leave out JJ Okocha, Finidi George and Nwankwo Kanu while handing the job to Yobo.
The problem is that as Nigerians we come up with these “after the fact” excuses and explanations, when we want to explain away our parochial and mediocre choices. We see these sentiments in the choice of people manning critical institutions in our country today. Many of whom have run these institutions to the ground.