Juve Confirm Lippi Appointment
Sunday 17th June 2001
Juventus confirmed on Sunday that former coach Marcello Lippi will replace Carlo Ancelotti at the Stadio Delle Alpi. "I am very disappointed considering all the points we won this season," Ancelotti said. He also revealed that he was informed of the decision after Juve's 1-0 win over Perugia on May 27.
As onefootball.com reported last week, Monaco coach Didier Deschamps revealed that Lippi would take over after saying that Narciso Pezzotti had turned down the chance to be Lippi's assistant coach in Turin to join the Principality side.
And Juve's honorary president Umberto Agnelli confirmed on Sunday: "The reason for Ancelotti's departure is that it is hard to work in a city where a large part of the fans and the press are against you."
Juve claimed second place in Serie A for the second successive season on Sunday after a 2-1 win over the Atalanta, but it wasn't enough to save the job of Ancelotti who was named coach in the spring of 1999.
"I am proud that we had a chance of winning the title on the final day, but I want to look to the future now," Ancelotti, who signed a two-year extension on his contract earlier this season, said.
"I have been satisfied rom a technical point of view and also from the atmosphere in the squad. But we paid the price for dropping so many points earlier in the season although we fought back well to claim 40 points after the break."
But failure in the Champions' League, in which Juve were knocked out in the first group stage, proved to be Ancelotti's undoing as the club's managing director Roberto Bettega revealed.
"We took everything into account and that included the Champions' League," he said. "We made a decision about the future direction we wanted take the club and have made a reasoned decision at a difficult time."
Lippi enjoyed a successful first spell in charge of Juventus between 1994 and 1999, guiding them to three Scudettos and the European Cup in 1996.
He took over the hot-seat at Internazionale after leaving Turin, but was sacked after just one game this season after the Nerazzurri lost to Reggina on the opening day.
"Lippi has a great desire to do the job," Agnelli said.
Sunday's win over Atalanta was marred by a second-half pitch invasion, but the players were soon back on the pitch to complete the game.
French striker David Trezeguet and Alessio Tacchinardi scored for the home side, with Marco Nappi getting a goal back for the visitors.
