5 Serie A Coaches Who May Lose Their Jobs in 2014-15
Serie A is not a safe place for managers. It's an unfortunate part of Italian soccer culture that a manager can end up unemployed if the team struggles even for a short amount of time.
Oftentimes replacements don't even get the chance to properly integrate their own systems before they too get sacked—sometimes being replaced by the men that they themselves replaced as little as a month before.
On the field this aspect of the Italian game is often counterproductive. No team can improve without continuity in the manager's office. But for people like us, it allows for some entertaining projection as to who will survive and who will fall. Today, we'll engage in that bit of gossip.
Which unfortunate coaches will get the axe this season? Let's take a look at five likely candidates, in order of least likely to go to most likely.
Roberto Donadoni
1 of 5
Parma finished an impressive sixth last season but were denied a spot in the Europa League after they failed to obtain a UEFA license due to unpaid debts.
The club have vowed to get themselves into Europe next year, but that's going to be easier said than done.
Unless new arrival Ishak Belfodil finally realizes his potential, the offense will lean heavily on Antonio Cassano. It's a big risk betting on a man who is both aging (he turned 32 in July) and mercurial.
The entire roster is aging, and the Crusaders didn't do much to address that problem during the transfer window. While they kept hold of Jonathan Biabany, they did little other than the acquisition of Belfodil to inject any youth into the team. When Football Italia graded the league's transfer activity last month, Parma received a C- mainly for this reason.
A shock loss to newly-promoted Cesena on the league's opening weekend may be a sign that things aren't going to be like last year. The pressure for that is going to fall on Roberto Donadoni.
The former national team coach has done a wonderful job bringing Parma back to the forefront of Italian soccer after the dark years following the collapse of Parmalat. But in the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately world of Italian soccer, if he doesn't perform up to the club's expectations he could find himself replaced.
I don't think that Parma will be trying to fight off the drop, but they may play just badly enough that the front office will need a fall guy. He's not Damocles quite yet, but if he doesn't rebound from the opening loss to Cesena the pressure will start to ramp up.
Probability: 35/100
Zdenek Zeman
2 of 5
Zdenek Zeman's damn-the-torpedoes coaching style has long engendered debate. He has set records in goal-to-game ratio, like the 90 in 42 games Pescara scored in Serie B three years ago. But he has also seen his teams get shredded in the back, which has cut many of his stays short.
Cagliari is the latest laboratory for the mad attacking genius. The Isolani may need the shot in the arm after losing Davide Astori and Mauricio Pinilla this summer—as well as Radja Nainggolan in January. But they were outplayed in their opener against Sassuolo. Despite having the edge in possession, the Neroverdi outshot Zeman's men and manufactured the better chances.
As mentioned before, Zeman's feast-or-famine approach has meant that his coaching stints are often short. If you look at his coaching history, you'll notice that he hasn't spent more than a season in any post since his first stint at Roma—which started in 1997 and ended two years later.
Zeman's systems could turn young attackers Marco Sau and Victor Ibarbo into true stars, but whether he can get the Isolani up the table is another matter. The top of the league is going to be highly competitive, and it's not out of the realm of the possibility that one too many heavy defeats against the likes of Juve, Roma or Fiorentina could mean his job.
Probability: 45/100
Maurizio Sarri
3 of 5
Empoli is arguably the least talented team in the league. They didn't do much in the transfer window—they were the only team Football Italia issued an F grade to in their transfer window roundup—and it will take a stroke of fate to keep them up this season.
That's bad news for coach Maurizio Sarri, who has been with the club since 2012. Newly-promoted teams who are struggling to stay up tend to make at least one managerial change over the course of the season. Sassuolo axed Eusebio Di Francesco before bringing him back to avoid the drop last year. Livorno also replaced Davide Nicola with Domenico Di Carlo before bringing him back in late April.
Sarri may finish the season with the team, but given Empoli's expected place in the table that won't be without a break in between.
Probability: 70/100
Giuseppe Iachini
4 of 5
Giuseppe Iachini makes this list by virtue of working for Maurizio Zamparini.
Zamparini managed to get Palermo back into the top flight for the first time in 31 years a few seasons after buying the club in 2002. But he has also garnered a well-deserved reputation as the most insane man in Italian soccer.
Zampa has made 28 coaching changes during his 11 years in charge. In 2011, Serse Cosmi was sacked after only four games. Two years ago, when the Rosaneri were relegated, the club changed managers four times.
Iachini himself took over midseason last year after Zamparini fired Gennaro Gattuso before the end of September.
Iachini is already in hot water despite dominating Serie B last year. A 3-0 home loss to second-division Modena in the Coppa Italia last month had the manager apologising to fans—and looking over his shoulder.
In the wake of the loss, Zamparini told Tuttosport (h/t Football Italia) that he had "unconditional confidence" in his coach while simultaneously warning "I want to see a different attitude and a different team against Sampdoria."
Unfortunately for Iachini, the monster in his boss can come out at any time. Any run of bumpy form puts him in danger—and the bumps will come.
Probability: 80/100
Eugenio Corini
5 of 5
Chievo Verona's Eugenio Corini is in trouble.
His team had a terrible preseason campaign, and to make matters worse they lost to Serie B side Pescara in the third round of the Coppa Italia last month.
At first glance, their 1-0 loss at home to open the season may look impressive considering that it came against three-time defending champions Juventus. If you look deeper, however, you see just how bad the Flying Donkeys are.
Chievo consistently allowed Juve's midfielders to drive the ball into yards of space without closing them down at all. The entire midfield looked discombobulated and unable to link up with the players up front. The defense was continually sliced apart by the Bianconeri. Had the woodwork not come to the rescue three times, the scoreline would have been laughable.
Corini left Chievo before last year by mutual consent, but was brought back to replace Giuseppe Sannino in November after the club found itself mired in the relegation zone. He managed to claw them back, but they come into this season tipped by many for the drop.
This team is going to struggle mightily, and Corini is going to be the one to take the fall. Unless he gets a miracle he's all but certain to lose his job, and may even be gone by Christmas.
Probability: 95/100
