The new Bianconeri boss picked up his UEFA badges just days before taking charge of his first match with the team
Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo has completed his UEFA coaching qualifications just days before taking charge of his first match with the Bianconeri.
Pirlo earned his UEFA Pro coaching licence and completed his final exams on Monday, before the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) gave the final approval on Wednesday.
A UEFA Pro licence is required in Italy for any manager taking charge of a team in Serie A or Serie B.
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The FIGC announced that Pirlo had scored 107 out of 110 on his final exam, making him the second-best student behind former Genoa boss Thiago Motta, who scored 108.
Pirlo was also required to write a thesis as part of earning his UEFA Pro licence, and the 41-year-old’s paper analysed the changing role of players on the pitch.
According to the FIGC: “Pirlo’s thesis analyses – using the terms written by the coach himself – the adaptation ‘to the increasingly liquid context of matches.’
“In modern football, in fact, ‘The meaning of a role is changing. It is no longer a fixed position that identifies the characteristics of a player, but more and more it is different functions and therefore the tasks that a player performs in the match to identify him.'”
Pirlo was appointed Juventus head coach last month after the club sacked Maurizio Sarri in the aftermath of a disappointing Champions League exit to Lyon at the last-16 stage.
Though he had no head coaching experience and had only just been named Juve’s U23 head coach, Pirlo was put in charge of the nine-time defending Serie A champions.
Pirlo will take charge of his first game on Sunday when Juventus host Sampdoria at the Allianz Stadium.
As Juve look to earn another Serie A title and a first Champions League trophy in 25 years, the club has been scouring the transfer market for a new striker after Gonzalo Higuain’s departure.
The Bianconeri have agreed personal terms with Barcelona striker Luis Suarez, but the Uruguayan’s move to Turin is in doubt due to concerns over a delayed process to secure an Italian passport.
Should Suarez’s move not go through, Roma’s Edin Dzeko is another possibility with the Bosnian likely to leave Roma as soon as an expected deal for Napoli forward Arkadiusz Milik is completed.
