New coaches set for tough debut

In line with recent years, the majority of Serie A clubs changed their coach in summer, giving further proof that in Italy they are on borrowed time and, usually, the first ones to pay with their jobs when things go wrong.

In Italy, instant success is the name of the game.

Continuity is seldom given its due importance as club owners keep their coaches on their toes and put them under pressure at the first mistake they commit.

Last season, Gianpiero Gasperini was sacked by Genoa in autumn after four years in charge of the team. Gasperini is now in a position to bounce back and revive his career by helping his new club Inter win silverware and dethrone Milans for the scudetto.

Up to now, Gasperini has coached minnow clubs Crotone and Genoa. Like his predecessor Leonardo, he is an attack-minded coach. Club supremo Moratti still has to make a major signing but with the current crop of players Gasperini has, he can still do well.

Luis Enrique is one of a few coaches making their debut in the Serie A next season as the Spaniard takes over at Roma.

Despite the fact that Enrique did well with the Barcelona B team between 2008 and 2011, leading Roma to glory will be another story.

Eusebio di Francesco, a former Roma midfielder, hopes to repeat what he achieved with Serie B outfit Pescara last season when leading Lecce from the sidelines in 2011-12.

Siena, after Bari in 2008/09, became the second club led by Antonio Conte to win promotion to the top flight.

Next season, Conte has an arduous task in helping Juventus end a trophy-less era after two successive seventh-place finishes.

The Bianconeri cannot afford another disappointing campaign.

Two years ago, Conte was on the verge of making a headline-grabbing return to the club he served so admirably between 1992 and 2004 but at the time, the ‘Old Lady’ preferred Ciro Ferrara.

At Siena, Conte will be replaced by Giuseppe Sannino, who had been in charge of Varese since 2008. Meanwhile, newly-promoted Novara kept faith with Attilio Tesser who led the club to successive promotions from the Division Three to the top flight.

Elsewhere, Massimiliano Allegri should ensure that Milan keep on winning... lifting the Champions League will be the main objective for the Rossoneri.

Sinisa Mihajlovic gets a second chance to prove himself at Fiorentina.

The Viola misfired badly in the first half of the 2010-11 campaign. But with some of their injured players back, they upped their game to finish better and next season they should continue to show more progress despite the threat of losing some of their best players.

Walter Mazzarri, Francesco Guidolin and Edy Reja were among the most inspiring coaches of last season.

As expected, they have all retained their jobs, albeit Mazzarri was on the verge of quitting Napoli after a fall-out with club owner Aurelio De Laurentiis.

Alberto Malesani did well at Bologna but now he has to start all over again with Genoa as Vincenzo Montella was not retained by Roma despite a promising end to the season.

Montella’s new challenge is to charter Catania to safe waters.

As always, the million dollar question is who will be the first coach to be shown the backdoor next season?

Last year, it was Franco Colomba. He was axed by Bologna before the first kick of the ball!