Juan Antonio Pizzi has been announced as the replacement
Juan Antonio Pizzi has been announced as the replacement for Jorge Sampaoli, who has left his role as the national team manager of Chile.
Juan Antonio Pizzi has been announced as the replacement for Jorge Sampaoli, who has left his role as the national team manager of Chile.
After having enjoyed an immense playing career that saw him represent the likes of Barcelona, Valencia, and Villarreal, the 47-year-old has been a reasonably successful manager. He has left his post as the manager of Leon in order to take over Chile. This represents a major improvement in his job profile since he has not previously managed national teams before.Pizzi has signed a long-term contract that will see him remain in the job until the World Cup 2018.
After having recently been crowned as the Copa America champions, Chile were saddened to see the departure of Sampaoli. However, the success achieved by the former manager will be a huge pressure forPizzi. Apart from having to do well in the major tournaments like the World Cup 2018, the 47-year-old will also be in charge of smaller competitions like the 2017 confederations cup. The Copa America 2016 will take place in the United States and there will be expectation from Chile to do well in this tournament as the defending champions. Outside South American football,Pizzi has the experience of managing clubs like Valencia but such experience is limited.
“We are very pleased with the arrival of Juan Antonio Pizzi. A professional who gives us full confidence, has an established career, has been a champion in Chile and Argentina, in addition to good campaigns in Europe and Mexico. Pizzi is the right person to protect and continue the work of the Chilean national team, while maintaining the competitiveness shown in recent years,” said Chile federation president Arturo Salah. The first match forPizzi will be a big one against Argentina in the World Cup qualifiers in March.