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With Lippi's announcement that he will be leaving Juventus at the end of the season, and therefore the end of a 10 year cycle in which the 'Old Lady' practically won all there was to win, including 5 Scudettos, 1 Champions League and 1 Intercontinental Cup, the race is hot for who will be sitting on the bench of the bianconeri next season. The main candidates are Cesare Prandelli of Parma and Didier Deschamps of Monaco who both were former Juventus players and therefore know the environment and pressure that would await them in Turin.
Both coaches have proved their worth during the season by obtaining some excellent results both domestically and in Europe which have propelled them among the best young coaches on the European football scene. They both have their pros and cons which obviously the Juventus directors are analyzing methodically before deciding on their next coach and since this is a very important decision, with which they hope to open a new successful cycle, Moggi and the rest of the triad are taking things slowly.
Cesare Prandelli was handed a mammoth task when Parma had to sell some of their best players in January, including Adriano, and few would have expected that the gialloblu would have lasted the pace for the last Champions League spot; and yet here they are, 2 matchdays away from the end of the season, 2 points above Inter and Lazio. Prandelli's side not only obtained important results, but they also did so by playing attractive football and launching youngsters like Gilardino, Ferrari and Bonera who have extremely impressed in Serie A.
On the other hand, Didier Deschamps' squad was expected to challenge for the French title, but few gave them much chance of even making it to the last 8 of the Champions League, let alone arriving up till the final, defeating (and at times even crushing) on the way much richer and stronger on paper teams like Deportivo, Real Madrid and most recently Chelsea. Therefore in theory Deschamps can still win the French league and the Champions League to mark a triumphant season for this young coach, whose tactical knowledge has been highlighted by most pundits and his quality of bringing the best out of his players has earned him the respect of his fellow coaches. In fact, players like Giuly, Rothen, Prso, Evra and Squillaci have improved under his firm hand and with Morientes re-capturing his best form after a season on the bench with Real Madrid.
As mentioned before, both Prandelli and Deschamps have their pros and cons which the Juventus directors are weighing in order to take a final decision which they will hope will be a long partnership that would benefit both the coaching career of the chosen one and the club's fortunes in terms of silverware for the coming seasons...