On Sunday, Juventus will take on Udinese in an "all Bianconeri" derby, and if reports are to be believed, this could be the last chance saloon for beleagured coach Andrea Pirlo.
The 2006 World Cup winner and former Bianconeri midfielder has endured a tough debut season on the tactician's bench as he's seen Juventus crash out of the Champions League, and more worrying, fail to successfully defend their Scudetto crown. Although the Turin giants did beat Napoli in the Supercoppa Italiana to earn him his first piece of silverware as a senior manager, it doesn't look like that's going to be enough to save his position in charge of La Vecchia Signora.
Juventus are the favorites to win the Coppa Italia as they're set to face Atalanta in the final next month, but La Dea will be desperate to win that trophy, and as things stand, it's the Bergamo outfit who are surprisingly in second spot and looking secure to clinch a Champions League berth. The same can't be said for Juventus, who sit in fourth, and are in a three-way scrap with Napoli and AC Milan for two remaining Champions League spots.
To that end, the Italian press has been abuzz over the past few months about who could possibly replace Pirlo in the hot seat. Juventus will come into their next game having dropped points during a very frustrating one-all stalemate against Fiorentina, and although Udinese sit in 11th spot, the pressure will be on La Vecchia Signora to pick up all three points from that contest.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the man who could step in and relieve Pirlo of his duties is none other than Igor Tudor. Tudor, who formerly coached Croatian side Hajduk Split as well as, interestingly, upcoming side Udinese, is presently part of Pirlo's technical squad.
Igor Tudor could be the man drafted to replace Pirlo after this weekend's match. He'd come in as a temporary option until the end of the season
And that's where things get even more dicey. Why? Because, according to another publication, La Stampa, Tudor and Pirlo aren't exactly the best of friends at the moment due to differences in working styles.
Juventus will face a very tough run-in to close out the season, as they will have to take on Milan on May 9th and then Inter on May 15th. Will Pirlo still be in charge at that point or will Tudor be the man responsible for helping try to guide the Bianconeri through two of their most difficult fixtures before the Coppa Italia final against Atalanta on May 19th?
