Despite the Italian season suffering a belated start, six games are yet to pass but one of the favourites for the Scudetto have already sacked their coach.
On Wednesday morning, barely hours after a humiliating defeat to newly-promoted minnows Novara, Gian Piero Gasperini earned the unenviable achievement of becoming the first coach, only three months after assuming control, to be given his marching orders by Inter Milan President and firer-in-chief Massimo Moratti.
It was hardly unexpected: the Nerazzurri had failed to register a win in his five games in charge, including a Super Cup defeat to rivals AC Milan and, in the Champions League, an all-round dismal display led to Turkish outfit Trabzonspor – only in the competition after cheating Fenerbahce were disqualified – gazumping them 1-0.
Ever since Portuguese maestro Jose Mourinho, before leaving for Real Madrid, led Inter Milan to the treble, unprecedented in Italy until May 2010, standards have remained the same but results and outcomes have slipped. First came Rafa Benitez, Mourinho’s successor and an apparent “Champions League expert”, who didn’t even make it to December.
Then there was Leonardo, the charismatic and intelligent Brazilian, fresh from his previous management job at Inter’s Milanese neighbours. He was more successful, stabilising the team and leading them to a 2nd place finish last May; but oil-stained dollar bills … sorry, “affection for the city” attracted him to position of Sporting Director at Qatari Investment Authority’s newly-acquired Paris Saint Germain.
Then, on to freshly-supplanted Gasperini. A decent track record (namely gaining promotion, and then European qualification, for Genoa) but eyebrows were raised when it was noted he had little experience in leading one of Italy’s “big” teams. And so, despite selling Samuel Eto’o and bringing in the South American duo of Diego Forlan and Mauro Zarate, it proved founded; the pressure was too much.
But, whilst “Gasperson” (nicknamed so for his apparent similarities to Sir Alex Ferguson, rather than his penchant for methane) attempts to gather up the smithereens of his reputation, it is necessary to look at – although this will prove scant consolation for Moratti, who was supportive of the castigation of Gasperini’s tactics – whether the man from northern Italy is truly to blame.