Juventus going nowhere in current state, says Sportitalia CEO

Andrea Pirlo's first season as Juventus boss has not gone according to plan

CEO of Sportitalia Michele Criscitello was critical of Juventus and took aim at the players after they lost 1-0 to Benevento on Sunday.

With Juventus chasing their tenth straight Scudetto this season, they have not been able to match the standards they had set in the past. Juve are now ten points behind Inter Milan, with 11 games left to play this season. With every passing game, it looks like their grip on the Serie A title is slipping.

Even against Benevento, Juventus should have won the game. They created enough chances to win by a comfortable margin, but Adolfo Gaich's 69th-minute winner decided the game in Benevento's favour.

Juventus are already out of the UEFA Champions League as well. They lost to Porto on away goals in the Round of 16, to make it four straight seasons without even making it to the final four in Europe.

A bigger concern for Juventus would be that in the last three years, they have been eliminated from Europe by Ajax, Lyon and Porto - all clubs that they should be beating.

Criscitello was critical of the current Juventus team, saying that the current group is incapable of replicating the success that Juventus fans have become used to over the years.

Juventus problems not limited to one individual, says Criscitello

Juventus have had a torrid season, and find themselves ten points behind league leaders Inter Milan

Criscitello also tweeted saying the problem doesn't lie with one particular individual or the tactics, but that Juventus' current mess is a collective problem and they cannot continue in a similar fashion next season.

Non è un problema di Champions, di tattica o di mercato. Il problema è l’insieme. Questa Juve non ha futuro. Senza gioco, mister giudicabile tra 5-6 anni dopo un minimo di gavetta e troppi calciatori sbagliati sul mercato. Sarebbe grave continuare così anche la prossima stagione
— Michele Criscitiello (@MCriscitiello) March 21, 2021

Criscitello was critical of the whole structure of the club, and said there is no future if they continue to operate in such a manner.

Andrea Pirlo was appointed as the Juventus head coach in the summer, after Maurizio Sarri lost his job following the Champions League defeat to Lyon. When Pirlo was appointed, Juventus made it clear that they wanted to steer the club in a different direction by injecting youth into their squad.

However, if the Serie A title defence finishes in failure, and the Coppa Italia final against Atalanta ends in defeat, it is difficult to see how Pirlo's job remains safe.

Juventus's first game after the international break sees them face local rivals Torino in the Turin Derby.