Maurizio Sarri Reveals Why He Has ‘No Good Memories’ of Juventus Spell

Maurizio Sarri is set for an emotional return to Turin this Sunday as his Atalanta side take on his former club Juventus, and the veteran coach has been open about how tough that spell in charge actually was.

Sarri led Juventus to the Serie A title in the 2019-20 season, but his time there ended after just one year, and by his own admission, it's not a period either side looks back on fondly. Now settled in at Atalanta, his focus is fully on the project he's building in Bergamo.

Much of what soured his Juventus experience came down to timing. His season in Turin coincided with the outbreak of the Covid pandemic, which forced football to a halt and later resume in empty stadiums, something Sarri says left a lasting mark.

"It was a strange season with the stadiums practically empty from March onwards due to the pandemic, and perhaps that is one of the reasons why I don't have good memories of that experience," he told Sky Sport Italia.

Still, despite the abrupt ending, Sarri isn't dwelling on regret.

"In any case, I have no regrets," he said.

At Atalanta, Sarri is now in the middle of reshaping the team, moving away from the three-man defence that had defined the club for the better part of a decade. It hasn't been the smoothest transition so far, with three wins, a draw and two defeats across all competitions this season, but Sarri says slow starts are nothing new for him.

"I'd say it is a similar experience to the one I had at Empoli," he explained. "After nine rounds, we were bottom of the table, but we went on to feature in the promotion play-off final. At Napoli, we had two or three points after four rounds. These are difficulties I have run into constantly over the course of my career. The only positive start I had was at Chelsea, but for the rest it was always difficult."

He also pointed out why these rocky starts tend to happen.

"The reasons are obvious, the more the previous playing style was completely different to mine, the more difficulties I'd run into at the start. It is a year of construction, both the director of sport and the club have not set any specific targets for the short-term, they are talking about building for the long-term."

Sarri has stressed that fans need to be patient as the squad adjusts to a very different tactical approach, but he does have the full support of the club's hierarchy behind him. Atalanta's board and sporting director have deliberately steered clear of setting short-term goals, choosing instead to back a longer-term rebuild.

Attention now turns to Sunday's game in Turin, kicking off at 17:00 WAT, where Sarri will be hoping his evolving Atalanta side can make a statement against the club he once led to a title.