Arrigoni's great dream needs flying start to prevent Cesena nightmare
It appears that Cesena’s new man at the helm of technical matters is not the first choice of those in power at the club. Davide Ballardini and Gigi De Canio turned down the job before Daniele Arrigoni agreed to take charge of the club that currently sits at the bottom of Serie A.
It’s difficult to imagine any worse circumstances for Arrigoni to begin what he has called his “great dream” of managing Cesena. When questioned as to his reasons why he turned the job down, Ballardini stated that he couldn’t face the embarrassment if he failed to avoid relegation with a club he loves. Arrigoni, like Ballardini, is a Cesenati native and has opted to take the leap of faith into a team still searching for a first win of the season.
Appointing a native of a club is always a move that evokes safety and above all identity, especially when a club is struggling like the Cavallucci Marini are. As a player, Arrigoni spent the first three years of his professional career plying his trade for them, two of those in the Italian top-flight. His coaching career continued along the lines of his playing career, modest but never convincing at a higher level. There have been some impressive moments with the best coming in the forms of good seasons with Cagliari, Livorno and Bologna. These have kept the tactician within the recycling system of Italian higher-tier coaches as since his spell at Bologna ended in 2008, he led Triestina to relegation from Serie B before a disappointing short tenure in charge of Sassuolo.
In total, Cesena will be Arrigoni’s ninth job since 2001 and such a record is likely to bring some pessimism to the minds of Cesenati tifosi especially with his poor recent record. Supporters will have good memories of his playing days but they’ll soon be forgotten if Arrigoni doesn’t hit the ground running.
It will be hoped that his homecoming will lead to a revival not just for the club but also the man himself. Tactically, while Arrigoni has spoken of star man Adrian Mutu being a second striker, it is likely that he will deploy a counter-attacking style of play in a 4-4-2 set-up with a centre forward being supported by the Romanian.
There would seem to be sufficient talent at his disposal for such a system to work and with players like Marco Parolo and Antonio Candreva as options, there is room for optimism if Arrigoni can provide the template as well as the required motivation for the players to express their abilities to their maximum.
Caution might be something that the tactician would do best to avoid in at least their next game if not the following match. Cesena’s next two games see Arrigoni take on a direct relegation rival in Lecce before facing a familiar name in Bologna. The Cavallucci Marini desperately need to pick up points soon to avoid being cut adrift at the foot of the table. Whether Arrigoni is the man to lead them to safety is debatable. Should a first victory of the season continue to elude the Cesenati following their next two fixtures, then Arrigoni’s “great dream” may become a great nightmare.
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