More sackings in the pipeline after coaches lose job

The surprise return of Roberto Donadoni to Livorno last week, following the sacking of Franco Colomba, was one of a spate of coaching changes in the Serie A midway through the season.

Luigi Simoni also lost his job to Luigi De Canio who has now taken up the challenge to help second-from-bottom Siena avoid the drop.

Apart from Colomba and Simoni, other coaches are thought to have their days numbered in the Serie A.

Rudi Voeller, of Germany, was the first to be shown the backdoor as Roma were off to a poor start. The sacking of Voeller came as no surprise as it was a known fact that the former World Cup winner was not popular with his players.

Roma committed a serious blunder in appointing Voeller. He had no experience at club level and this reflected in his mediocre record at the Olympic stadium. Beyond doubt, it would have been more opportune for Roma to have appointed Luigi Del Neri from the outset.

Roma still have to show their best under Del Neri though. But, at least, there are signs of recovery even though the new coach in charge would be considered an under-achiever if Roma fail to book a Champions League berth come May.

Fiorentina have been a flop so far. In summer, they signed a number of quality players but results on the field have been far from satisfactory.

Today, Fiorentina are closer to the relegation trapdoor than the UEFA Cup zone and only if they put together a string of successive matches can they push themselves to higher quarters in the standings.

Emiliano Mondonico was deemed too defensive-minded but the change of coach - Sergio Buso appointed - did not bring the desired change in fortunes. The Viola, it seems, are still craving for a coach to complement the awesome team that they have so meticulously built in summer.

It was always going to be difficult for Andrea Mandorlini and Mimmo Caso - both novices to the division - to survive in the top flight. Atalanta, despite boasting some of the best emerging talent in Italy, still have to find their feet as they remain firmly anchored to the bottom of the standings with virtually no chances of escaping the drop.

Under new coach Delio Rossi, Atalanta are playing better but staving off the relegation threat will be difficult indeed. Atalanta badly need to bolster their side in each and every department with the acquisition of experienced players with a proven pedigree in the top division.

I guess, only the presence of such players can lift Atalanta's hopes.

Caso was never going to succeed with Lazio. A flying start to the season was only a blessing in disguise. His rotation policy was wrong. He was dropping Paolo Di Canio out of his line-up much too often and without any reason. Even in the UEFA Cup, Lazio never got going.

At first, club supremo Claudio Lotito was considering Gigi Maifredi as Caso's successor but that would have probably been a bad choice.

Apart from a successful stint with Bologna, Maifredi has never attained good results wherever he coached.

Parma, meanwhile, are strongly getting back in business with two consecutive wins and a draw in their first three outings of 2005.

Former coach Silvio Baldini was a huge disappointment at Parma.

Now, under Pietro Carmignani, Parma are bound to improve and show quality play as they did in 2002 when they went on to beat Juventus in the Coppa Italia final.

Serie A statistics

0 Lecce wins against Parma since December 16, 1984 (1-0 in Serie B). In a vital basement clash at the Tardini stadium, Parma had the last laugh as they scored in the last minute to extend their positive streak to three games. A balanced opening period was the prelude to an exciting second half in which Parma went in front and then conceded a late equaliser. When the two sides seemed heading to their first drawn result in three years, Alberto Gilardino hit home from close range to give Parma's salvation chances a lifeline. Zdenek Zeman's Lecce have not won any of their last five outings. In the first match of the weekend, Brescia and Fiorentina shared the spoils in a dull game. Touted to be next in the line to receive the sack, coaches Gianni De Biasi and Sergio Buso opted for cautious tactics. In the second round, these two teams need to improve drastically if they are to reach their objectives.

1 st league upset for Lazio since Giuseppe Papadopulo took over from Mimmo Caso as the outgoing Coppa Italia holders were soundly beaten by Palermo in Rome. The home side dominated the early exchanges and could have easily built an assuring lead. However, for some reason or another, Lazio did not take the chances that came their way. Francesco Guidolin's team first equalised through Luca Toni before the end of the first half, and then hit twice after the break to cruise to only their second win in Rome - their first since January 24, 1982 (3-0 in Serie B). Moreover, this was Palermo's second away win of the term. Before Sunday's victory, the Sicilians had conquered Brescia's Mario Rigamonti stadium on November 28 (2-0). In a highly-contested encounter at the Granillo stadium, Inter could not go beyond a goalless draw against 10-man Reggina. Inter are the only unbeaten side in the Serie A whereas Reggina are undefeated in their last three outings (one win and two successive draws).

4 th straight away league defeat (vs Inter 0-5, Sampdoria 0-1, Cagliari

1-2 and Livorno 1-3) for crisis-hit Messina, who tonight play their game in hand against Atalanta, as they went down to Livorno at the Armando Picchi stadium. Under new coach Roberto Donadoni, who was making his debut in Serie A, Livorno seemed a transformed side and trounced Messina, who continue to travel badly after such a brilliant start to the season. Messina have a poor record in Livorno, where they have never won. All they have to show in 13 visits are three draws - the most recent of which on September 29, 1985 (0-0 in Serie C1). Even relegation-threatened Siena showed signs of improvement under new coach Luigi De Canio as they came from behind to win a precious point at Atalanta. It is worth noting that in four league meetings in Bergamo, Atalanta and Siena have always shared the spoils. Chievo, meanwhile, interrupted their bleak run of three consecutive defeats by securing a 2-2 home draw with Roma. Chievo were leading 2-0 and Roma seemed heading to their first defeat in four visits to Verona. But, the unthinkable happened as the visitors got back on level terms to share the spoils with Chievo for the first time since May 17, 2003 (0-0).

6 years had to pass for Sampdoria and Bologna to share the points again as the hosts failed to break down Bologna's tight defence and eventually had to settle for a goalless draw which still kept them in the hunt for a UEFA Cup berth. The result saw Bologna, who last conquered the Luigi Ferraris stadium on March 29, 1998 (3-2), prolonging their positive run to four games (two wins and two draws). Runners-up Milan came from behind to beat Udinese at the San Siro for the first time in three years. The visitors ventured forward in the opening minutes and deservedly took the lead through Antonio Di Natale. Last season Udinese won 2-1 at the San Siro but this time Milan turned the tide in their favour to go just two points behind winter champions Juve. The most recent of 11 draws in 30 Serie A meetings between Milan and Udinese dates back to February 11, 1998 (0-0). Long-time leaders Juve forfeited a narrow lead against Daniele Arrigoni's Cagliari to figure in their first draw at the Sant'Elia since February 2, 1997 (0-0).

25 goals were scored on the 19th day: 14 coming from the hosts and the remaining 11 from the visitors, who managed only one victory. Foreigners contributed with only five goals. There were nine first-half goals. Total number of goals scored so far amount to 477. Luca Toni (Palermo) and Vincenzo Montella (Roma) grabbed a brace each to help their respective sides recover from shock starts against Lazio and Chievo respectively. Montella currently tops the scorers' list with 16 goals. Three players - Luigi Di Pasquale (Brescia), Mirko Vucinic (Lecce) and Igor Protti (Livorno) - came on as substitutes and found the net. Udinese's Marek Jankul-ovski committed the only own goal of the day and Reggina's Colucci was the only red-carded player. Meanwhile, no penalties were scored as the two that were awarded in favour of relegation-threatened Parma were both missed. Alberto Gilardino saw his effort blocked by Lecce's Vincenzo Sicignano whereas Domenico Morfeo had to repeat his execution twice. Contrary to his first attempt, Morfeo's second effort went wide.