Rainier Plahar


Once regarded as the best and most exciting league in Europe, currently viewed as a retirement home for the world’s most famous players, Italy’s Serie A is back for the 2009/10 season with the aim of restoring itself to former glories. How it achieves that when it has exported its two brightest stars to La Liga remains to be seen. When Barcelona, who did not sit still whilst Real Madrid splurged cash on stars, paid cash plus Samuel Eto’o for Zlatan Ibrahimovic, fans were left wondering where Serie A’s star appeal had  disappeared to.
 
Ironically, the three most powerful clubs in Italy all have rather young coaches at the helm. Indeed Ciro Ferrara and Leonardo Araujo, both expected to relaunch Juventus and AC Milan to former glories respectively are both rookies. Everyone knows Jose Mourinho, however his achievements and experience shouldn’t be confused with age.
 
Ciro Ferrara, the 42 year-old former Napoli and Juventus stopper heads into his first full Serie A season as a coach with a lot of expectant fans willing him to win the Scudetto. Ferrara is eager to put his stamp on Juve’s playing style and he has already made it clear that his team will shift from the flat 4-4-2 used consistently by his predecessor Claudio Ranieri to a more attacking and fluid 4-3-1-2 system. The new coach feels that is a formation intended to bring out the best in the creative players in the Old Lady’s line-up, especially new signing Diego.

With all eyes cast upon the city of Milan, where the the biggest stars in either half were engulfed in intense transfer negotiations, Ferrara has quietly fulfilled his main objectives in the market. In addition to Diego, Juventus beat strong competition from Arsenal for the signature of combative central midfielder Felipe Melo. The new coach also displayed strong resolve when he brought Fabio Cannavaro back to Turin despite vocal opposition from the Tifosi.
 
Ferrara knows the terrain well, he has assisted legendary Marcelo Lippi to win trophies with both Juventus and La Nazionale. He knows the players he is working with, having retired from football only four years ago he played with most of the senior players in the squad. And is also very familiar with youngsters like Sebastian Giovinco and Claudio Marchisio because he worked with them as director of the youth sides prior to becoming coach of the senior side.
 
Ciro Ferrara is a very likeable person too by all accounts, and has so far displayed good relationship building skills with his charges as well as the media. Unlike Claudio Ranieri, Ferrara is unlikely to lose the trust of the playing staff and fans alike, so should the team hit a rough patch then he has bought himself patience and belief in his project. The coach’s work with the club’s youth sides also means immense talents of the likes of Giovinco, Marchisio and Paolo De Ceglie will not be ignored.

So far coach Ferrara has built a solid, attacking unit and from all indications Juventus look to be the Italian team most likely to go furthest in Europe as well as that which can put an end to Inter’s four year stranglehold on Serie A.

At the Rossoneri not much is read into pre-season games, otherwise the best anyone could predict for Leonardo’s Milan would be a mid-table finish. It’s been a rather frustrating transfer window for Milan fans. With the retirement of Paolo Maldini and departures of Kaka and Carlo Ancelotti it’s clear an era has come to an end.
 
Compared to Milan’s purchases in the transfer market, the choice of Leonardo as coach is hardly surprising. After all Milan’s proud family values are known to most fans.
 
Not much is known about Leonardo the coach though besides that he is a good looking former Brazil and Milan star with a nice personality.

Judging from his interviews and pre-season friendlies the Brazilian is likely to play attacking football with two strikers and Ronaldinho in the hole, just behind the foward-line. Milan’s less than inspiring transfer dealings however means that the 39 year-old former technical director will have a rather shallow squad to deal with. The pre-season games where Leonardo has overseen more losses than wins suggests that the rookie coach is in for a baptism of fire in his first season. The man himself however is very optimistic and believes fans should view the final pre-season game, a shootout win against Juventus as the real precursor for the season, and the opening day win at Siena backs this statement up.
 
The sale of Kaka may mean that Leonardo has a weaker side than Ancelotti had a year ago to work with, and the coach has inherited a midfield that lacks pace. Given that clearly experience and creativity is what Leonardo wants to rely on to bring success. Hardly surprising for a former player who is renowned for his classic playmaking skills. It’s worth noting too that Leonardo did not have much pace himself.
 
To whom much is given much is expected, and not many people think Leonardo has been given enough to work with. This offers him some kind of protection and excuse should things go wrong. Unfortunately the lack of depth at Milan means that Leonardo’s success may largely depend on how motivated the core of his team are. Ronaldinho readily springs to mind, others like Andrea Pirlo, Alessandro Nesta and Gennaro Gatusso must find the will to repeat what they have done so many times in their career before.
 
Leonardo is a part of the Milan family, and is familiar with most of the squad already. Whether or not his first season is a success, only time will tell. One thing is certain however, if things go wrong, he cannot be held entirely responsible.

Both Ciro Ferrara and Leonardo will be watched closely over the first weeks of the season. Is Juventus and Milan’s faith in their rookies misplaced? We will know soon enough as time is not usually associated with coaching jobs in Serie A.

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