Should he stay or should he go?!- Monday, 19 May 2008

Welcome to what will hopefully become a regular section for us as we focus our attentions on those coaches whose time may be up. If they are feeling the heat of media condemnation, riding the waves of fan's criticism, or are feeling the pinch of a trigger-happy president, we will bring them before our mighty pens and look back over their time, weigh up i pro e i contro and truly decide if they should stay or go…

For our first entry into a section we can guarantee will be as busy as Francesco Totti’s medical team and as unpredictable as Milan’s home form, we look back over the past season and pick the top teams who could just as likely spend the summer searching for a new boss as watch the Azzurri win Euro 2008 (that will happen).

The season is over, and congratulations go to Inter Milan. The Coppa Italia is coming up next week and after that, summer holidays. Except no-one will be relaxed this year. Even though there will be a European Championship being contested in neighbouring Austria and Switzerland, club presidents across the peninsula will be desperately trying to wrap up transfer deals in yet another highly anticipated summer of change in Serie A. And some of the most important changes come at the managerial stage. The league’s big boys could all be looking for new tacticians over the coming months as a plethora of world-class coaches become available. Jose Mourinho, Frank Rijkaard and Marcello Lippi to name a few will all be chomping at the bit to try their hand at guiding Italy’s premier clubs to glory. Some have been there before (Lippi), others achieved as a player (Rijkaard) whilst some have brought success and built a huge name achieving success in other leagues and in Europe (Mourinho). All big names, all eyeing big jobs.

So where could they end up? Inter could very well soon find themselves without a head coach, whilst Roma, Juventus and Milan may choose to dispose of their respective tacticians and inject new life into next season’s title race. With all the mounting speculation due to dominate the back pages across Italy this summer, we introduce the first batch of what will surely be many coaches to be scrutinised in our new regular feature – Should he stay or should he go?!

Roberto Mancini - Internazionale - 1st, 85 points

i Pro

Roberto Mancini has been the most successful coach the Nerazzurri have had in recent times – three successive Scudetti, two Coppa Italia trophies and two Supercoppa Italiana. He has brought the club closer than ever to the days of La Grande Inter – a formidable Inter side of the 1960s who won three titles between 1963 and 1966 and were crowned back-to-back European Champions and Intercontinental Cup winners in 64 and 65. Mancini has built a side with strength not only in numbers, but in fire-power, determination and world-class ability. Impenetrable at the back, domineering in the centre and with glitz and glamour in attack, the Nerazzurri have been nigh-on impossible to stop in their quest for domestic glory. A large part of the credit has to go to the coach – before Mancini, Inter had gone through a baron patch, spending hundreds of millions on players only to fall short with their choice of head coach. Mancini has been able to get the best out of his players for the best part of his tenure, including resurrecting the careers of several mediocre stars such as Dacourt, Cambiasso and Julio Cruz.

i Contro

With the resignation and subsequent retraction after March’s 3-0 aggregate loss to Liverpool in the Champions League combined with a stuttering finish to the league campaign amid growing speculation that his time is up, Mancini’s position as Head Coach is looking more and more untenable. Given his frosty relationship with the media in recent weeks, including refusing to talk to them again after the Parma game that saw them clinch the 2008 title, coverage over the past few months has been as much about Mancini’s successor as his performance as coach. And as close as Inter have come to mirroring their past great side’s achievements in Italy, they have fallen short under Mancini when it has come to European glory. Disappointing exits in the past few years to Liverpool, Valencia, Villarreal and AC Milan have left the fans and president frustrated. For a side so dominate in their domestic league, the Nerazzurri’s European exploits have failed to live up to expectations and this is seen as the major reason for Mancio’s expected departure in the coming weeks.

Verdetto:

Mancini’s time is up, bring in Mourinho.

Luciano Spalletti - AS Roma - 2nd, 82 points

i Pro

Since Spalletti took the helm in the summer of 2005, Roma have shown a gradual, marked improvement both in terms of league position and performance. After a fifth place finish at the end of his first campaign (later upgraded to a Champions League qualification after Calciopoli), Spalletti’s men have been the closest thing to a title rival that Inter have come up against. The climax to this season saw Roma within 90 minutes of Scudetto glory, had results gone their way on the final day, and although they finished second last year, the Giallorossi can take much more away from 2008’s three-point gap behind the leaders as opposed the previous year’s massive 22-point ravine. Although a side light on experience and size, Spalletti has guided them to four Coppa Italia finals in a row, including winning the cup last year and has achieved respectable, consecutive quarter-final finishes in the Champions League (albeit 2007’s 7-1 defeat at Old Trafford hardly the most respectable of exits). Winning the Supercoppa Italiana in 2007 to follow on from the resounding Coppa Italia victory that included a 6-2 win over Inter in the home leg, Roma’s fans have been hoping their side would emulate the recent success of 2001 and bring the Scudetto south. After ten years of earning his stripes at smaller clubs, Spalletti has proven he can handle coaching one of the big boys and has brought renewed optimism to the Giallorossi faithful.

i Contro

Are consecutive second place finishes good enough for a side who have recently lifted the title under Capello? Spalletti’s men have been the nearly men of Italy, second in Serie A, consecutive Coppa Italia runners-up. Inter’s absolute domination of the domestic front has left the competition stunned and looking impotent. Perhaps Roma are just the “best of the rest” and are waiting for one of the superpowers of the past, namely Juventus and AC Milan, to sort themselves out and mount a serious challenge to Inter’s crown. Roma have fought gallantly to compete with the Nerazzurri but a lack of transfer funds has meant the side are light on their feet and forced to sell the occasional star player. This is out of Spalletti’s hands but on the pitch Roma have been fallen short in big games – perhaps the coach is out of his depth when it comes to the crunch. Key points dropped in crucial games, crumbling performances in big games and and over reliance on talisman Francesco Totti are all factors pointing towards a new regime being needed to bring new life to Roma. If Roma want to really compete with Inter, Juve and Milan next year, they will have to do so with a similar squad to this year – the only thing they can change is their mental and tactical approach to games, something that lies at the feet of the Head Coach. Another year of playing catch-up and the Italian media may start to question president Franco Sensi’s ambitions.

Verdetto:

Safe over summer, but a bad start next year could spell disaster for Spalletti.

Claudio Ranieri - Juventus - 3rd, 72 points

i Pro

After briefly threatening to go for the title only to drift back into a solid Champions League qualification, Claudio Ranieri has done what he and the board set out to achieve – bring respect back to the Old Lady. The Tinkerman’s ability to gel together youth, experience and new signings have seen them compete against sides that on paper have been stronger, and brush aside teams they would have otherwise considered of equal stature. Juventus are desperate to reclaim their status as Italy’s biggest club and are sprinting towards their goal at lightening pace. Many questioned the decision to release Didier Deschamps after his successful stint at the helm, may questioned the transfer policy, but thanks to Ranieri, this summer is one the Bianconeri fans can spend looking forward to a new season with European football and a shot at the title.

i Contro

Given last summer’s acrimonious departure of Deschamps, Ranieri will be looking over his shoulder nervously as the Juve board assess their financial and footballing competiveness. They may remain faithful with 56-year-old tactician, but should a world-class name become available over the summer months, Ranieri may well be shown the door in favour of a bigger name that would signal an even more ambitious league performance for 2008/09. Hungry for success and the new era at the Stadio Olimpico to begin in earnest with silverware, president Giovanni Cobolli Gigli and company may look to a coach with a proven track record when it comes to continued, consistent success as the Bianconeri strive to become a big club again.

Verdetto:

Ranieri’s position is not safe, despite his remarkable performance this season he could well be one of the high-profile casualties of an ambitious board looking to the future.

Carlo Ancelotti - AC Milan - 5th, 64 points

i Pro

It isn’t looking good for Ancelotti. The only things that will save his job after this season are his past and the future. He has done exceptionally well in Europe, guiding the team to three finals in the past five years and he delivered the Scudetto in 2004 and cannot help the fact the club were hampered competitively by the Calciopoli verdicts of 2006. The blame for this season’s performance cannot lie solely with Ancelotti and his coaching staff – he has been left with an aging group of players due to the club’s restrictive transfer policy of past seasons. Age has not been a problem in past seasons and judging some of the sparkling performances put on by the Rossoneri in the second half of the term, Milan are like a fine wine. Fitness has severely crippled the squad this year and it is not just the older players who have suffered. The squad is weaker in certain areas and smaller in comparison with their city rivals. Adriano Galliani has promised funds to replenish the squad and the noises coming out of the San Siro indicate that the board have faith in Ancelotti’s abilities. Having won the Scudetto in 2004, Ancelotti has the know-how, experience and tactical clout to ensure a strong title challenge, but he needs a squad hungry for success and fit enough to achieve it.

i Contro

5th place for AC Milan is not good enough. The Rossoneri were expected to challenge both domestically and in Europe and were out of both competitions much earlier than expected. A truly dismal start to the Serie A campaign saw Milan go without a home win until January. Out of the title race by October, Ancelotti once again had to focus his aging stars on the grand prize of retaining the European Cup. However, a poor second-leg performance at the San Siro saw a youthful Arsenal side out-play the Rossoneri and end their European quest in March. The only ray of light to emerge from the season has been the introduction of Pato into the fold. From the moment the young Brazilian made his debut in January’s 5-2 home victory over Napoli, Milan found a new momentum and began to pick up pace towards at least finishing in the top four. But the squad - blighted by injury and inconsistency affecting even the scorching talent of current FIFA World Player of the Year and Ballon D’Or holder Kaka - fell apart, needlessly dropping crucial points against lower league opposition and eventually conceding the final Champions League place to a well-deserved Fiorentina.

Verdetto:

AC Milan have looked for consistency towards progression and will look to hold onto Serie A’s longest serving coach. But, should the Azzurri come calling after Euro 2008, or a high profile manager become interested the top job at Milan, temptation could get the better and both parties may look to sever their ties.

Rob Paton