Born in Naples on 10/03/88, graduated in Philosophy and Politics at the Oriental University of Naples. He has been working for TMW since 2008, he was deputy director for 10 years. Correspondent following the National Team
Serie A, which started with thirteen new coaches out of twenty, has started to provide its first indications after four matchdays, although without making any drastic decisions. A year ago, at this time, Empoli’s number one Fabrizio Corsi had already decided to fire Paolo Zanetti to make room for the (unfortunate) return of Aurelio Andreazzoli. It won’t be the same this time, even if the first round of games after the break has begun to insinuate some serious doubts about what the summer choices were.
Di Francesco must change. Fonseca, one swallow does not make a Spring
There is still time to make amends, of course, but in Venice Eusebio Di Francesco will soon have to give some answers if he does not want to waste the opportunity that the lagoon club offered him after the relegation with Frosinone. The last match lost at San Siro was disheartening: not because Venice could not lose at Milan’s home, but for how the defeat came. After half an hour the game was already over, in the 29th minute directly from the penalty spot Tammy Abraham was scoring the goal of the final 4-0.
After the match at San Siro, Di Francesco earned the trust of his club. A nice sign of esteem, but the Pescara coach knows that he will have to change his tune with Genoa. A bit like Paulo Fonseca did after Lazio-Milan 2-2. The day after the draw at the Olimpico, the club rallied behind him, reaffirming their full trust in the Portuguese manager. In the locker room, with microphones on.
The first response to the recovery was comforting but more convincing and reliable confirmations will be needed to state with certainty that yes, Fonseca is the right coach for this Milan. In this sense, the next two games will provide us with clearer indications: if he comes out well from the challenges against Liverpool and Inter, the former Lille player will be able to calmly continue on the path he has just undertaken. If he comes out bruised, the controversy over the choice made in the summer by Cardinale and his managers will be even more arid and heated.
Doubts between Bologna and Florence
After four league games, Vincenzo Italiano’s Bologna and Raffaele Palladino’s Fiorentina are still looking for their first league win. The Emilian team that will make its Champions League debut tomorrow against Shakhtar Donetsk suffered Thiago Motta’s decision to say goodbye after a historic fourth place and chose Vincenzo Italiano to lead Bologna in the most beautiful and complicated season.
The start, however, was disappointing, far from more exciting expectations. Of course, Italiano will still have time to instill his ideas in the rossoblù group and there is no lack of mitigating circumstances after the farewells of the two most important players of the last championship. So we are not at an ultimatum but, having specified this, after four days the standings say three points: the draw in the debut against Udinese the best performance, then three games that brought two points and still many, too many question marks.
Raffaele Palladino has also been unconvincing so far in his new adventure with Florence. The important transfer market operated by the management in the summer is not going hand in hand with the performance on the field: the switch to a three-man defense has so far created more confusion than resources.
There are eight Scudetti in the pits. And not only that…
As mentioned, there is still time to fix it. But it is also true that, more than ever this year, very cumbersome coaches who have already won in Serie A in many cases have been left in the pits. Max Allegri, five Scudetti with Juve and one with Milan, has shown in his negotiations with Benfica after Schmidt’s dismissal that he is ready to get back in the running immediately. There are those who have hoped for his return to the Rossoneri after Fonseca’s poor start: for now, no unofficial or official contact, but his name is there. It hovers in the shadows.
Last Wednesday Maurizio Sarri said he was ready to return to the saddle even before January and the same goes for his successor on the Lazio bench, Igor Tudor. Ivan Juric was spotted on all the Serie A pitches last weekend: he followed Como-Bologna and Milan-Venice, then Atalanta-Fiorentina and also Parma-Udinese.
Finally, there is Stefano Pioli. Sought in Saudi Arabia first by Al-Ittihad and then by Al-Nassr, the Emilian manager would prefer to stay in Italy. After Genoa-Roma 1-1 his name has already been linked to the Giallorossi bench: not such a far-fetched hypothesis, even if De Rossi – despite the disappointing start – still enjoys significant credit.