From new beginnings in the capital, to the Milan managerial merry-go-round and big decisions ahead at Juventus, the climax of the Serie A season has brought about big change in the managerial market, with multiple big hitters changing the men at their helm. Let’s take a look at what it means for the men involved, and the clubs they’ll be hoping to guide to success next season.
A new era in Rome
After 9 years, the Love story between Gianpiero Gasperini and Atalanta has come to an end, with the 67-year-old set to make the jump to the Giallorossi over the summer. Whilst with Atalanta, Gasperini took the club from languishing in mid- table to an immediate fourth placed finish in his first season, before building on that with consistent top four finishes culminating in the victory over Bayer Leverkusen in the 23/24 Europa League final that secured the club their first piece of European silverware. Gasperini will try his luck in Europe’s secondary club competition again next season with Roma following their strong end to the season under Claudio Ranieri.
What makes him the right choice to take this new role though? One key reason for his success with La Dea was his ability to make the most of the players in his squad, and his talent of turning previously average European players into ones at the top of most statistics. In particular, he has a talent for getting the most from his forward players, as he proved over multiple iterations of his team. Just last season Mateo Retegui put up 25 goals in Serie A, earning himself the Capocannoniere, in a campaign that saw him boast 0.94 goals per 90 as well just 96 minutes per goal on average. His form, coupled with the electric talent of Ademola Lookman who managed 135 shot creating actions in Serie A last year with 15 goals, are just two examples of excellent Gasperini forwards.
Whilst in his new role, Gasperini will get to hopefully extrapolate the form of the likes of Lookman or even Duvan Zapata or Josip Ilicic into his new forward line. This involves younger talents such as Matias Soule or more experienced ones (which is indeed what he is more used to working with) such as Paulo Dybala and Artem Dovbyk. Ultimately, Roma fans will hope that his ability to get the best out of his players alongside with suffocating press will return the glory days to Rome. He even has the backing of former Roma star and manager Daniele De Rossi, as the Ex- Italian international stated that “If people start doubting someone like Gasperini, then we can no longer even talk about football”.
Another face at Milan, but not a new one.
Two managers, no European football, and fan walk outs. It was a season to forget for the Rossoneri as they slumped to their worst finish since 14/15 under the stewardship of Sergio Conceicao which ultimately cost him his job. The Portuguese manager had only been appointed in December and in January won the side the Italian Supercup after victory over their rivals Inter, a start to his tenure that fans believed would set them up for a strong second half of the season. However, a champions league exit to Feyenoord and the subsequent missing out on European qualification led to ultimate dismissal. Alongside the trophy, Conceicao also coached some strong seasons for his forwards. Christian Pulisic put up 11 goals and 11 assists in Serie A alone and despite a poor season by his own standards, Rafael Leao posted 8 goals and assists.
Who is to take over the Milan outfit then? A young face? A serial winner? Well Milan have opted to appoint Massimiliano Allegri as their new man, as he returns to the club for the first time since leaving in 2014. After two separate spells as Juventus boss in which he was dismissed from the second spell at the end of the 23/24 season, the Italian returns to management with the aim of getting Milan back into Europe.
A Proven winner, Allegri will be tasked with getting the forward players to continue to perform but mainly by addressing the defensive issues that have plagued many Milan managers in recent years. In many ways, this makes him one of the best men for the job as, especially in his first stint with Juve, he was known for his strong defensive shape and style. Towards the end of Conceicao’s reign Milan generally opted for a 3 at the back approach; a style that it is expected Allegri will continue with. This should allow him to make use of the current strength at centre half with the likes of Tomori, Gabbia and Thiaw, whilst allowing Theo Hernandez to utilize his attacking skills as a wing back, should the Frenchman stay without European football of course.
Overall, Allegri’s Milan will be an interesting team to keep an eye on next season as he tries to impose his defensive style on the side and still allow the forward talent to flourish as he aims to return the Rossineri to the summit of Italian football.
A Bitter end for the Nerrazurri.
On Monday night the news broke that following his sides Mauling in the Champions League final at the hands of PSG, Inter Manager Simone Inzaghi is set to leave the club for Al Hilal. Inzaghi’s tenure, which saw him win one Serie A, two SuperCups and reach two Champions League finals seems to have reached its denouement following the loss on Saturday as the 49 year old cuts ties with the Milan outfit.
Whilst at the club he oversaw the rise of stars such as Lautaro Martinez, who now has 115 goals for the club, as well as Italian talents such as Nicolo Barella and Alessandro Bastoni. Whomever Inter choose as his successor will need to replicate his ability to get the most out of the squad and to try and emulate his success in Europe. His tactics were revolutionary, rarely do we see such interchangeable lines. His team, the perfect balance, every player hand crafted to Inzaghi’s system. It will take potentially huge scale change for Inter to bounce back from this loss.
A returning face at the Olympico
Roma weren’t the only capital club to change management now the season has ended, as after only one year away, Maurizio Sarri makes his return to Lazio, as he hopes to return the outfit to Europe. On Monday, the club announced the return of the 66 year old with a video that showed his trademark smoke appearing into a hallway lit with the club colors. In his first spell Sarri won 65 of his 137 matches with an average of 1.7 points per game, a record that is identical to outgoing manager Marco Baroni.
The ultimate aim of Sarri’s appointment by President Claudio Lotito will be for not just a return to Europe, but also to galvanize the fans and to make the most out of the players, many of which he worked with in his previous spell. Sarri will get to once again work with both Pedro and Valentin Castellanos, both of whom hit 10 goals in the league this season, as well as Mattia Zaccagni, who provided 8 goals and 6 assists in Serie A. The returning man will aim to build on the form of his key players and lift the side up the table, hoping to take advantage of the clubs around them also undergoing tumultuous summers.
Decision Time in Turin.
It’s rarely a quiet time at Juventus, and this summer once again looks like it’s going to be an active one. It has started with changes in the higher up roles as on Monday the club announced the appointment of Damien Comolli as the new general manager alongside former player Giorgio Chiellini as Director of football strategy. The pair will aim to replace the seemingly outgoing Cristiano Giuntoli, who experienced an ultimately unsuccessful time as DoF and came under criticism from fans for his transfer market failings.
The changes at the top are important for the managerial situation at the Old Lady as they will need to make a decision on current manager Igor Tudor. The Croat and former Juve player took charge in March, replacing Thiago Motta, and solidified the side’s place in next season’s Champions League. Tudor has been praised for his end to the season that saw his team go unbeaten in the last five games and seem to win over the players and should he succeed next season he would become only the third non- italian manager to win the Scudetto. Whilst there are reports that the new management are fond of keeping him, there are strong links between the Bianconeri and other managers on the continent, including Fulham’s Marco Silva.
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