Why do we do the things that we do? What compels us- ambition? hunger? obsession? nature? A combination of all of the above? In order to really understand Sarri's appointment we need to go back a decade, in the dark days when Secco, Blanc & Gigli were perched at Vinovo #Sarri
Those were dark times- only thrice in her history had the Old Lady faced a crisis like what loomed ahead back then. The supporters were disillusioned, the management was in complete disarray & the squad was one of the weakest, most overpaid ever. And yet, here we are today #Sarri
So what changed? The obvious answer is the arrival of Andrea Agnelli, but, really, what changed? Look back again at the European soccer scene, and look at it now. Do you see it? #Sarri
Fundamentally, the same big clubs ruled the game back then, in financial & sporting terms, & the same big clubs are ruling the continent now,with obviously one big exception, us. But it is here that you will find the most crucial difference- we succeeded INSPITE of Serie A #Sarri
If you look at the other big clubs today, they have a lot of macro advantages - popular, well marketed leagues, recognizable superstars, huge TV revenue monopolized by the big clubs, great spectacle. Serie A cannot compete on any of those terms. So how did we succeed? #Sarri
We succeeded by playing a different game than every other Italian club. Juventus, under Andrea Agnelli, have been run unlike any other football club in Italy (and dare I say, in Europe). Apart from winning on the pitch, AA has been obsessed on building a modern J brand #Sarri
And what is the J brand of Andrea Agnelli? He is saying "look, don't confuse us with the rest of the plebs of Serie A - we are a modern, independent, forward looking sporting company with world class facilities, top players and global appeal." #Sarri
The two basic and fundamental steps for establishing a brand like that are these - sporting excellence, achieved by continuous domestic domination and, conversely a stable revenue source that is shielded and as invulnerable as possible from the sporting results. #Sarri
And that strategy has worked... till now. As a club, Juventus had reached a glass ceiling, most beautifully represented by the acquisition of Cristiano Ronaldo. #Sarri
It is a perverse thought,CR7 representing a glass ceiling, but it is true. He represents the limit of where the current Juve strategy can take us. We have signed the best player in the world- what more do you want? But remember, AA is playing a different game than the rest #Sarri
Where other clubs see CR7's acquisition as a pinnacle, for AA, it is a launchpad for truly scaling up and truly breaking the shackles imposed by Serie A. Even winning the CL is but a milestone in this bigger objective. Here is why. #Sarri
You see, it is important to understand why we like something. As a Creative Director this is something we spend a lot of time upon. Winning is good as a start - but what resonates stronger with audiences is identification with an EMOTIONAL VALUE that the brand represents #Sarri
This emotional value is what marketing folks across the planet burn their midnight oil to create and maintain. In football, there are 3 clubs that have successfully created such an emotional hook that transcends sporting results-Barcelona, Liverpool & Manchester United #Sarri
What we are witnessing is Andrea Agnelli trying to build an image of the club that goes beyond the Fiat inspired ethic of "Fino Alla Fine" & "Vincere non e importante..." and aspires the sexiness of a Ferrari or a Maserati. Style without compromise on performance #Sarri
And just like when another Agnelli expanded Fiat into the performance sports line by acquiring the Ferrari factory, Andrea is also looking at an acquisition. Now clearly, that Ferrari acquisition is best represented by Guardiola - a global brand unto himself. #Sarri
But one of the first things that any businessman is taught is to identify points of failure. If your strategy is dependent on hiring one specific individual, well, then its not much of a strategy then is it? European football is becoming more attacking, more technical #Sarri
Guardiola is the high priest of this movement, but the ideas he spawned have caused a revolution in which there are many protagonists. One such protagonist is Sarri. Season after season he has evolved his vision of calcio - with great successes and ugly failures #Sarri
It is undeniable that at Napoli, Sarri had successfully created a football team that tugged at certain emotions universal to football fans everywhere. It is even more important that he did not remain a hipster manager, but went to Chelsea and won the EL #Sarri
Sarri's appointment is to be seen as a bridge - between the classic italjuve mentality and the modern, fast calcio that can win silverware in europe and more importantly, hearts all over the world. It is thus disingenuous to frame it as favoring style over substance. #Sarri
"vincere non e importante, ma l'unica cosa che conta" - this is still the basic expectation. But more than results, Sarri's success will depend on the intangibles that cannot be quantified. On him falls the responsibility to erase the "italian" tag from the football of Juventus
This is the biggest bet that AA has taken during his tenure at the helm of Juve. It has the potential of going spectacularly wrong. But what is undeniable is the vision to become the number one football brand in the world. And that my friends, is something worth playing for. Fin
