Rome (AFP)

Maurizio Sarri already leaves Chelsea and England, after only one year, and returns to Italy by the very big door, that of Juventus Turin, of which he was named coach Sunday.

With Chelsea, Sarri won the Europa League, the first trophy of his very unusual career, started in the depths of the Italian lower divisions, on the sidelines of tiny Tuscan clubs which he attended at the same time he pursued his banker activity during the week.

He also finished 3rd in the very busy Premier League. His record in London is rather positive but the amalgam has never really seemed to be between the club neighborhoods and the technician to the tracksuit and cigarette.

The "Sarriball", his game of possession and combination, difficult to assimilate in one year only, was only seen intermittently at Stamford Bridge, where the fans never completely adopted it.

For his part, the former coach of Naples had reported there ten days in an interview with Vanity Fair how much Italy missed him. "For us Italians, the call of the house is strong, we feel a lack, it has been a difficult year," he explained.

- Rumor Guardiola -

The argument is repeated Sunday in the statement issued by Chelsea, in which Marina Granovskaia, the director of the club, refers to the request of the technician "to return to his homeland", including "for the welfare of his elderly parents."

On the Turin side, the wait was long, since Juventus announced on May 17 that Massimiliano Allegri would not be his coach next season after five seasons of great success in Italy (five scudetti and four Cups) but relative European frustration with two finals lost in the Champions League.

But the suspense was not huge. Very quickly, the track Sarri seemed the hottest, more in any case than those leading to Simone Inzaghi (Lazio) or Mauricio Pochettino (Tottenham).

The rumor of Pep Guardiola's arrival in Turin was also a time that pushed Juve's share price up and excited local specialists in the transfer window, but she did not seem to be relying on much.

It also reassured those many of the tifosi bianconeri who were not exactly excited about the prospect of a technician arriving in their club who, during his Neapolitan years, regularly pleaded against the supposed benefits (schedule, arbitration, etc.). .) granted to the Old Lady.

In Naples, too, where he is revered, it was hoped impossible marriage between Sarri and the club, the striker Lorenzo Insigne speaking even two weeks ago of "treason".

- "another story" -

Sarri's profile contrasts with that of his predecessor, Allegri having always clearly passed the result before the aesthetic pleasure. At his initial press conference, he had summarized his philosophy, in the form of a barely coded message.

"In life, there are categories and in football too, there are those who win all the time, those who never win, those who are never relegated, players, coaches, presidents." When someone never wins, there is a reason, and those who win are better than others. "

Sarri finally won at Chelsea and will now have to show that he can do it at Juve as well. But for him as for Allegri, the horizon is no longer in Italy but in Europe, with the Champions League in absolute goal and Cristiano Ronaldo as an instrument.

For an excellent connoisseur of the Turin club, the decision of the leaders bianconeri is in any case logical.

"The one who always makes the same choices always achieves the same goals: Juventus aims at the C1 and has chosen to try the path of discontinuity, on the assumption that the team is difficult to improve", explained Sunday Gianluigi Buffon in an interview with Corriere dello Sport.

"Sarri is neither a revolution nor a bet, it's a new idea, another story."

? 2019 AFP