The Turin giants avoided catastrophe by qualifying for the Champions League on the final day of the Serie A season
Giorgio Chiellini said Juventus players were happy for first-year manager Andrea Pirlo after qualifying for the Champions League on Sunday with a win over Bologna. The veteran defender considers Pirlo’s job “not easy” and believes some of the criticism levied on the boss has been harsh.
The Bianconeri were on the brink of missing the top four before a run of three straight victories to close the campaign narrowly put them back in Europe’s top competition. Chiellini admitted that a couple of weeks ago he thought a Champions League berth was an “impossible result to achieve” – which has only added to the sense of satisfaction the team feels now.
However, it remains unclear whether the late-season salvage job will be enough to keep Pirlo employed, with rumours swirling that the Turin club is already looking toward potential replacements.
What has been said?
“We are happy for the coach, it was his first season and it was not easy,” Chiellini told DAZN.
“We breathe a sigh of relief as fifteen days ago, after the defeat against Milan, I thought this was an impossible result to achieve.
“If we had had this commitment for the entire season, we wouldn’t have been in this situation, we can’t have regrets, Inter deserved to win the title.
“We won two trophies this season and we can play the Champions League in the next campaign. Today we were playing for two seasons. This one and half of the next one.”
Dramatic final matchday
Juventus required assistance on Sunday and got it in the form of a Napoli draw with Verona that pushed the Bianconeri into fourth place. Elsewhere, AC Milan toppled Atalanta to finish in second.
In addition to their Champions League qualification, Juventus also claimed a Coppa Italia title in the final stretch of the season.
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