Top guns eye continuity amid widespread changes

For the second year running, a spate of coaching changes is dominating the close season in Serie A.

It seems that over the years, Italian club presidents have come to rely more on the advice of their coaches with regards to the acquisition of new players.

In some instances, coaches are said to have a free hand to lead the club's transfer campaign. However, the tendency of most clubs to constantly change their coach hardly helps continuity and stability.

Juventus, Milan and Inter, the three teams expected to battle it out for the 2005/06 Scudetto, hope to achieve continuity by keeping their present mentors in charge.

Juventus, in particular, are pinning their hopes on Fabio Capello to stretch their dominance beyond Italy's shores by conquering Europe via the Champions League.

It will not be easy for the Bianconeri to make their presence felt on the continent but, with the arrival of Patrick Vieira (Arsenal), Giuliano Giannichedda (Lazio) and Robert Kovac (Bayern Munich), they have to be considered as genuine contenders for the coveted European Cup.

Moreover, Capello seems to have convinced his superiors not to let any of Juve's key players leave.

On the contrary, the three arrivals so far seem to represent only the starting point for Capello as he wants to sign at least two other players to increase his options, particularly in defence.

Milan and Inter are moving along the same lines. Persistent rumours about Carlo Ancelotti possibly quitting his job after the team's debacle in the Champions League final against Liverpool were immediately quashed by club supremo Adriano Galliani.

Ancelotti would probably have stepped down had he led Milan to glory in either the Serie A or Champions League or both last season. His would have been a glorious farewell but Ancelotti would never leave Milan empty-handed.

History seems to be repeating itself for Milan. In 1994/95, they finished the season without a trophy and then coach Capello stayed to prove a point. He delivered on his promise by guiding the Rossoneri to their fourth Scudetto in five years.

Next season will be crucial for Milan, particularly for their mentor.

Failure to win any silverware in two back-to-back seasons would be a catastrophe for a club of Milan's stature.

Roberto Mancini will also be under tight scrutiny. Last month, the former Fiorentina and Lazio boss led Inter to cup success for the first time since 1998 with a clear triumph in the Coppa Italia.

Considering the immense potential of the squad, winning the Italian cup was no extraordinary feat. One thing is sure... much more is expected of Mancini and his players in 2005-2006.

Inter should try to maintain the momentum they found in the second round of the last Serie A season. It was only then that Mancini seemed to have finally found a rotating system that suited his players best.

The squad is strong. The set-up is running smoothly at last and the coach has been confirmed. On top of that, with the arrivals of David Pizarro (Udinese) and Santiago Solari (Real Madrid) and possibly those of Walter Samuel and Luis Figo (both from Real Madrid), Inter should finally challenge for honours on all fronts.

New pastures

One may ask - how could Luciano Spalletti and Francesco Guidolin leave Udinese and Palermo respectively after such a positive season?

But history has repeatedly shown that a coach should always leave on a high.

For sure, Spalletti and Guidolin left Udine and Palermo because in their opinion, the chances for these two teams to repeat last season's performances are very remote.

How can Udinese and Palermo improve their positions after the notable departures of Marek Jan-kulovski (Milan), Pizarro (Inter), Per Kroldrup (Everton) and Luca Toni (Fiorentina)?

One wonders why Guidolin accepted to take over at newcomers Genoa. Not only does club president Enrico Preziosi have a reputation of being impatient with coaches but Genoa's Serie A status is not yet confirmed due to alleged match-fixing irregularities.

Will Guidolin stay if Genoa are demoted to a lower division?

Even Spalletti has taken a risk by accepting the Roma coaching job.

Their fanatic supporters are thirsty for success but the club's coffers are empty. They have very few possibilities of bolstering a team which salvaged its Serie A status only on the penultimate day of the season.

Furthermore, one should not forget the internal rifts in Roma's dressing room. Last season, Rudi Voeller, Luigi Del Neri and Bruno Conti all failed in their quest to control Roma's prima donnas.

Also, Cesare Prandelli, having stepped down from Roma's hot seat for family reasons, decided against a return to the capital and instead joined Fiorentina.

In Florence, he has an opportunity to build something of his own. The Della Valle family are using their financial wealth to build a strong Fiorentina team. The arrival of Stefano Fiore (Valencia), Toni (Palermo), Sebastian Frey (Parma), Christian Brocchi (Milan) and Alessandro Gamberini (Bologna) amply testify this.

If Fiorentina could shore up their weak defence, then they would have what it takes to mount a serious quest for a UEFA Cup berth.