Andrea Pirlo

Rarely has a coach's job depended on the Italian Super Cup, but rarely has Juventus got off to a worse start to the season over the past decade. The match showcasing the Serie A and Italian Cup champions is normally regarded as little more than a friendly. It used to be the traditional season curtain-raiser in August but has been played in December or January several times over the past few seasons. Anything but a convincing win for Andrea Pirlo's Juventus over Napoli could spell the beginning of the end of his brief time in charge. Eyebrows were raised when the 41-year-old Pirlo was given the reins at Juventus at the start of August, handing the former midfield maestro his first-ever coaching job. And for now, the doubters are being proved right. Pirlo was tasked with turning Juventus into a more attractive side and ending the club's quarter-century wait for Champions League success. The Bianconeri were not expected to falter in Serie A, which they have dominated for the past ni

If Zinedine Zidane was football's version of the Bolshoi Ballet, Pirlo was unquestionably its Rolls Royce: Smooth and effortless