Bulk of clubs opt for a new coach

The adage that, in Italy, coaches are not given sufficient time to prove themselves is very much true. In the close season, the coaches' musical chairs was at its best as 11 of 20 Serie A sides changed their coach.

Jose Mourinho has done the right thing, leaving Inter on a high after leading the club to an unprecedented treble of league, cup and Champions League titles. The Portuguese tactician concluded that he had taken Inter as far as he could and relished a new challenge with Spanish giants Real Madrid.

Fabio Capello, Guus Hiddink and Sinisa Mihajlovic were all linked with the vacant managerial post at Inter but president Massimo Moratti decided to hand the job to Spaniard Rafa Benitez. Moratti wanted an experienced coach who had the credentials to fill the huge gap left by Mourinho.

Inter are still on course to emulate Barcelona's six-trophy haul in 2009 as they will contest the Italian Super Cup, the European Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.

Like Mourinho, Benitez is a former Champions League winner, having led Liverpool to the top European club honour in that famous final against Milan in 2005.

But, whereas the 'Special One' had won back-to-back English Premier League titles with Chelsea, Benitez failed to end Liverpool's painful wait for domestic success.

At Inter, Benitez is working with a strong squad brimming with confidence. The Spanish mentor has to make sure that complacency and over-enthusiasm do not dent Inter's chances of lifting more silverware next season.

Last summer, Juventus and Milan tried to copy Barcelona by appointing up-and-coming coaches in Ciro Ferrara and Leonardo respectively.

The two coaches experienced mixed fortunes as Milan finished third under Leonardo and Juve a disappointing seventh.

Ferrara was replaced by Alberto Zaccheroni midway through the season as Juve lost the plot following a bright start.

Although Leonardo did not achieve the same success Pep Guardiola had with Barcelona in 2008/09, the Brazilian still did a good job as the Rossoneri were in the hunt for the scudetto for most of the season.

Last month, Juventus appointed 60-year-old Luigi Del Neri as their first-team coach.

With the help of Beppe Marotta, his ally at their former club Sampdoria, Del Neri is meticulously rebuilding Juve's squad in a bid to end the club's trophy drought.

Domenico Di Carlo, who like Del Neri is a former Chievo coach, is the new man in charge at Samp. Di Carlo, a dynamic midfielder in his heyday, will lead Sampdoria in their first Champions League campaign since their 0-1 loss to Barcelona in the 1992 final at Wembley.

Stefano Pioli, who had a short spell at the helm of Parma in 2006/07, has been given the onus of replacing Di Carlo at Chievo.

Massimiliano Allegri earned the admiration of many during his two-year stint with Cagliari. Several big clubs were linked with Allegri who chose to take charge of Milan.

Towards the end of last season, Cagliari chief Massimo Cellino sacked Allegri after accusing him of losing his focus in light of reports of interest from top clubs.

However, Cellino's refusal to release Allegri from his contract meant that Milan had to wait several weeks before they unveiled the former Cagliari man as Leonardo's successor.

In line with the club's austerity measures, Milan are not expected to spend big in the close season. This will put Allegri under more pressure because club owner Silvio Berlusconi expects instant success.

After going two seasons without winning a major title, it is pretty evident that Milan need at least three high-quality signings to bridge the gap with Inter - Italian champions for the past five seasons.

Berlusconi pressure

Berlusconi's vocal criticism of first-team decisions was the main reason behind the departures of Carlo Ancelotti and Leonardo.

Allegri needs time to adapt and build a competitive side. He also needs the support of the club's administration to reach his objectives. If Berlusconi continues to interfere, Allegri's chances of striking success will be as good as nil.

Pierpaolo Bisoli, who has led Cesena to promotion to the Serie A after a 19-year gap, has replaced Allegri at Cagliari. Bisoli, like his predecessor, was a mainstay of Cagliari's midfield in the early 1990s.

Massimo Ficcadenti is Cesena's new coach. For the ex-Torino midfielder, this will be his second stint with a top-flight club after his unsuccessful spell with Reggina in 2007.

Parma and Udinese have swapped coaches. The 1999 UEFA cup winners have appointed Pasquale Marino whereas Francesco Guidolin quit Parma to return to Udinese where he enjoyed significant success in season 1998/99.

After being sacked by Siena last season, Marco Giampaolo will try to revive his coaching career with relegation-battlers Catania.

Mihajlovic has taken the reins of Fiorentina after Cesare Prandelli quit to become Italy coach, taking over from Marcello Lippi who left after the Azzurri's disastrous World Cup campaign.