Maurizio Sarri SACKED by Juventus after Italian side crashes out of UEFA Champions League

Juventus have sacked head coach Maurizio Sarri following the Serie A side's UEFA Champions League exit at the hands of French side Lyon on Friday night.

Sarri took over the helm at Juve in June 2019, with the Naples-born manager stepping into the hot seat following the departure of Antonio Conte, but suffered a tricky start after being diagnosed with pneumonia before the start of the 2019-20 Serie A season.

He went on to capture the Scudetto for "The Old Lady" in July this year, but for a club that has dominated Serie A for the past decade, success on the domestic front wasn't enough to keep Sarri at the helm.

Sarri's pragmatic style of play, dubbed "Sarri-ball" failed to win over the fans, and the boss reportedly struggled to establish positive relationships with some of his key players.

And after his side crashed out of the UEFA Champions League on away goals Friday night following a 2-1 home win against Lyon, Sarri told reporters he didn't expect the club's bosses to make a knee-jerk decision.

Referencing his managerial future at the club, he said: "I don't think top-level executives decide based on a single game. I think they make wider evaluations – whether they be for or against."

However, the top brass at Juventus took swift action as they axed Sarri less than 24 hours after the game.

"Juventus Football Club announces that Maurizio Sarri has been relieved of his post as coach of the First Team," the club said on its website.

"The club would like to thank the coach for having written a new page in Juventus' history with the victory of the ninth-consecutive championship, the culmination of a personal journey that led him to climb all the divisions of Italian football." 

Attention will now turn to his likely replacement, with Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino thought to be a front-runner for the job. A return for former boss Antonio Conte is also a possibility. Lazio boss Simone Inzaghi is also thought to be a strong contender.

Sarri departs Turin having set the record of being the oldest manager to win the Serie A title, aged 61 years, 198 days. Now it remains to be seen where he will land next.