Editorial

Calcio Debate: Are Serie A Coaches Sacked Too Suddenly?

After Palermo's Walter Zenga became the latest coach to feel the force of Maurizio Zamparini, Zac Lee Rig wonders whether bosses in Serie A are sacked all too easily...

Nov 24, 2009 3:00:49 PM

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Walter Zenga - Palermo (Getty Images)

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Since June of this year, 15 Italian Serie A coaches have found dreaded pink slips in their mailboxes upon going to work.

The latest in a long line of early firings fell to Palermo tactician Walter Zenga.

In that same six month time period, English Premier League clubs have fired exactly zero managers, seven clubs found new leadership in Spain's La Liga, and 10 German Bundesliga coaches got the sack.

Suffice to say coaching jobs in Italy aren't a sure thing. That's 75 per cent of Serie A clubs that have made a change in half a year.

Even so, Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini has a reputation for ruthlessness with his coaches. Since 1987 when he entered the soccer scene, he has fired 27 coaches, 15 at previous club Venezia and eight with Palermo.

Zamparini's impatience and Palermo's lacklustre performances this year mean that Zenga's dismissal came as no surprise. The club sits in 12th place with a disappointing 17 points from 13 games, despite boasting the talent to challenge for Europe. Winless in four, the most recent 1-1 draw with Sicilian rivals Catania sealed the deal.

Still, Zenga can feel hard done by. The charismatic coach had only a few months in the hot seat in which to work. Known for his tight polo shirts with short sleeves to expose his bulging biceps and bearing the imprint "WZ" on the chest, Zenga has worked his way up from the bottom. The former Inter goalkeeper kicked off his managerial career with the New England Revolution before rising in prominence in Romania with a series of clubs.

Given a chance in Serie A with Catania, Zenga delivered, staving off relegation in his first year and building up to a midtable finish his second. When he joined Catania's fierce derby rivals Palermo, it raised quite a few eyebrows. (Perhaps ironically, then, Catania ended Zenga's Palermo reign.)

Before the season began, he boldly asserted that his goal with the Eagles was the Serie A title. Instead, his career with Palermo ends with the dreaded pink slip.

Former Lazio coach Delio Rossi has replaced Zenga in the Palermo hot seat. But how long until Zamparini sends Rossi packing too?

Zac Lee Rigg, Goal.com

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