ATALANTA have have parted company with head coach Ivan Juric less than a week after he had a public confrontation with Super Eagles forward Ademola Lookman.
Incidentally, Juric and Lookman settled their rift (in which he grabbed and shoved the Nigeria internationational following a sunstitution), but results in Serie A did not improve as they lost 3-0 at home to Sassuolo yesterday.
“Atalanta BC announces that Ivan Juric has been relieved of his position as head coach of the first team, along with his closest members of staff, namely Matteo Paro, Miguel Veloso, Pablo Barbero, Stjepan Ostojic and Michele Orecchio,” the club said in a statement on their website today.
“Atalanta thanks Ivan Juric and his staff for their efforts, and wishes them all the best for the future.”
Juric, who was appointed as the successor to Gian Piero Gasperini over the summer, leaves Atalanta in 13th place in the Serie A table, with just two league wins from 11 matches.
Atalanta lost their last two matches in Serie A, which followed a run of six consecutive draws in the league.
There was already speculation that Juric’s job was on the line, as he was reportedly told that his last two matches, against Marseille in the UEFA Champions League and against Sassuolo in Serie A, would be decisive for his future.
Despite beating Marseille on Wednesday, the coach still made the wrong headlines with his spat with Ademola Lookman on the touchline.
And then, having lost 3-0 against Sassuolo at the weekend, the situation became untenable.
Coincidentally, Juric was also sacked by Roma on this day one year ago: December 10, 2024.
It is widely reported that former Monza and Fiorentina boss Raffaele Palladino will be the man to replace Juric as head coach of Atalanta.