Juventus May Live to Regret Overlooking Mauricio Pochettino in Favour of Andrea Pirlo

Let's be honest, it was simply a miracle that Juventus secured their ninth Scudetto on the bounce this season. An absolute miracle.

Maurizio Sarri managed a pretty woeful football team often bailed out by the genius of Paulo Dybala and sheer productivity of Cristiano Ronaldo. The ridiculous handball law worked in their favour one too many times as well – and a bunch of zebra-looking shirts hoisted a piece of golden glory aloft, draped in confetti.

However, despite the Old Lady securing the Italian title amid growing threats from Milan, Rome and a plucky but overwhelmingly brilliant underdog emerging in Bergamo, there was a sense of inevitability regarding the departure of manager Maurizio Sarri.

It'd be insulting to even mention Sarri's 2019/20 Juve outfit in the same breath as his 2016/17 Napoli side; an insult to even put them in the mere shadows of the scintillating collective brilliance on display in Naples. That must feel like a lifetime ago now.

His latest iteration of 'Sarriball' was turgid at best, and following Juve's away goal defeat at the hands of Lyon - no, it doesn't matter that they have three great midfielders, they still finished seventh in the Ligue 1 - in the Champions League round of 16, the end for the chain-smoking ex-banker was nigh in Turin. There was no coming back and for Andrea Agnelli and co, it was the sort of result they were waiting for.

Sarri was sacked on Saturday lunchtime, barely 14 hours removed from the Bianconeri's not-so surprising exit from Europe's premier competition.

Agnelli acted decisively, with his already strained relationship with the manager broken beyond repair. Senior players were alerted of the Italian's dismissal early on Saturday morning and focus moved to finding a successor.

However, much like Tottenham's rapid-fire changing of the guard from the much-loved but fading Mauricio Pochettino to Jose "I could never manage Tottenham" Mourinho, the Juve hierarchy moved swiftly to draft in the man they believe capable of spearheading a new era at the Allianz Stadium.

Pochettino and Zinedine Zidane were both strongly linked, while the returns of Massimiliano Allegri and Antonio Conte weren't off the table. Four elite managers but in the end, the Bianconeri opted for *checks notes* Andrea Pirlo?!?!? That Andrea Pirlo.

That's right, the man with little to zilch coaching experience who was hired as the head coach of their Under-23's side nine days earlier is the new string-puller in Turin.

It's a bold move to say the least, and one which, in the eyes of many, may have come half a decade too soon. Nevertheless, there is a method behind the madness.

Agnelli's hopeful that Il Maestro can 'follow in the footsteps' of Pep Guardiola and Zidane, who progressed from Barcelona B and Real Madrid Castilla respectively to become Champions League winners in the top job and rejuvenate an outfit devoid of creativity, innovation and 'enthusiasm'.

Nevertheless, despite Agnelli's hope, it feels like Juve have missed a huge opportunity here.

Sure, it would have been tough to prise Zidane or Conte - despite the political situation at Inter - from their respective clubs, but erm...hello? Mauricio Pochettino's right there for snaffling!

Despite reports in Italy suggesting the Old Lady had made contact with the former Spurs boss, The Athletic's James Horncastle has noted that the club haven't been particularly interested in bringing him to Turin.

The situations at Juve in 2020 and Tottenham in 2014 - when Pochettino arrived in N17 - are deceptively similar. Sure, the ultimate goals are levels apart and it'll be Cristiano Ronaldo questioning the Argentine's authority as opposed to Lewis Holtby, but when push comes to shove, the present Juve squad is in need of – as Agnelli puts it 'rejuvenation' – much like the Lilywhites of 2014. 2014, back when they'd just endured 18 months of Andre Villas-Boas' reckless high defensives lines and physical Tim Sherwood attacks via a gilet.

Despite the pretty disastrous end to a glittering five-year reign as Spurs boss, Pochettino nonetheless thrust little old Tottenham into the fringes of Europe's elite. He turned Spurs into title challengers and Champions League finalists, all while emphasising a style of play that turned the north Londoners into the neutral's favourite, respected all around the continent.

Unlike fairly rigid structure, which leaves little scope for variation, freedom and unpredictability, Poch's attacking mantra is all about fluidity and rapid interchanges between creators to befuddle opposing defences. The Argentine's superbly-drilled high-press serves as much of a playmaker to his system as the archetypal number ten in his heavily-used 4-2-3-1.

If Juve are still intent on a stylistic shift away from the notorious grinta established by Conte and built on by Allegri in favour of superior aesthetics, Pochettino seemed like the obvious choice. Of course, Pirlo's way of seeing the game from a managerial perspective remains to be seen, but it's hard to envisage the suave Italian instilling the kind of pragmatism on display during Allegri's reign. Nor should we expect Marcelo Bielsa levels of footballing ideals. Somewhere in between seems logical.

Nevertheless, for Poch - now ten months unemployed - this is a vacancy he would've pounced upon in a heartbeat.

Ahead of Spurs' Champions League round of 16 tie with an imperious Bianconeri back in 2018, the Argentine described the Old Lady as 'a massive club; and spoke of Spurs' 'dream to reach the level of Juventus'.

Of course, a move to Turin would've finally granted the 48-year-old the chance to work with compatriot Paulo Dybala, a talent he came so close to signing while still Spurs boss last summer in a potential job-saving deal. The ultimate foundation layer as part of the Argentine's 'painful rebuild' in N17.

"Dybala is a great player. He's Argentinean. Of course, the formation of Juventus is a little bit different when playing with Dybala and not playing with Dybala. He's that type of player, like Messi, Neymar and Cristiano. They have the capacity to give to the team a different option," Pochettino said back in February 2018.

"Of course, it's difficult for Juventus because Dybala is a fantastic player, but there's a lot of players than can play and maybe they change a little bit. Of course, we've watched a lot of games with and without Dybala. It's about the quality of the players on the pitch."

The possibilities for Poch and Dybala are endless. In his favoured 4-2-3-1, there's scope for the 26-year-old to serve as the false nine or anywhere behind the front man due to the interchangeable nature of the creative triumvirate. It's a combination we deserved to see but unfortunately, it won't be in Turin. Argentina national team, anyone?

Nevertheless, the joys of unemployment continue for Pochettino, with Juve raising the eyebrows of the entire footballing world with the sudden appointment of a former great.

Only time will tell whether the decision to overlook Mauricio Pochettino in August 2020 will be one the Bianconeri live to regret.