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| Thursday 5 June, 2008 |
| Blog: Right man, wrong time |
| Chelsea's search for a new Coach has stopped in Italy and Richard Godden believes that they are finally looking at the right man for the job |
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According to the English Press, Chelsea will appoint an Italian as their next Coach after Mark Hughes opted for a switch to Manchester City and Portugal boss Luiz Felipe Scolari refused to make a decision before Euro 2008. Carlo Ancelotti's recent commitment to Milan means that he is no longer in the running - unless he betrays the club he claims to love - so that would leave former Inter boss Roberto Mancini as the only contender, right?
Well it seems that the Blues have finally decided to make a move for a man who many, myself included, rate as one of the best tacticians in the world. That person is Roma Coach Luciano Spalletti, the brain behind the 4-2-3-1 formation which seems to have become as popular a system as a standard 4-4-2 was in the 1990s.
Given the resources at his disposal - or, perhaps more importantly, his rivals - some could argue that the ex-Udinese man has taken the club as far as he can. The Chelsea job would be his next step up the ladder and allow him the opportunity to regularly compete for the big prizes, something which doesn't seem so assured in the Italian capital. Would any Giallorosso deny him that opportunity, considering the minor miracle he was worked at the Stadio Olimpico? Hopefully they won't have to.
I must admit to having split loyalties. My English club, as you might have guessed, are Chelsea. But I consider myself to be a football fan first - and for that reason I hope Spalletti stays put. He has built something truly spectacular at a club who tend to implode at the first sign of trouble. The 49-year-old has managed to get the best out of Francesco Totti, unlike so many of his predecessors, while he also seems to have given his players the confidence to play without their skipper. In an injury prone season for Er Pupone like the one just passed, it's remarkable that La Magica managed to take a vastly superior Inter squad all the way in the title race. For an hour on that final day it even looked as though Lo Scudetto would be heading south again.
I'm also intrigued by the prospect of Spalletti pitting his wits against Inter new boy Jose Mourinho for the first time, rather than filling the hot seat he vacated last September at Stamford Bridge. The duo are arguably the most talented young Coaches you can find, so it will be fascinating to see who comes out on top in that battle. But then there is a Juventus side who have already strengthened their squad after last season's impressive third-place finish, not to mention Milan buying big for a Scudetto run.
The next Serie A season has the potential of being the most fascinating in years, so let's hope that Spalletti can turn down Roman Abramovich's rubles to keep it that way…
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Roma play the most beautiful football in the world because of him!!!
Mikkel, Denmark
Oh yeah sure, what a manager. All those Coppa Italias and 2nd places, what a world class manager he truly is. And lets not forget HE was the man that took Sampdoria to Serie B, despite having a squad that should have clearly stayed up. No, no, lets not forget that Spalletti is indeed a very mediocre manager and if he had taken the Chelsea job the whole world would have finally got to see this. Spalletti has not made any real progress with Roma, bar a couple of Champions League upsets against Lyon and Real Madrid. So lets not praise him when quite frankly, he doesnt deserve it. His Roma will be 4th next season and will waste our time in the Champions League yet again.
Simon L
With the exodus of Italian players from the peninsula, including Liverpool's completely unnecessary signing of Dossena from Udinese which will effectively end is career, hopefully the managers will show a bit more loyalty. It was great to see Ancelotti turning down the Chelsea job hopefully talented managers like Spalletti and Prandelli will take his lead. Italy will need all the talented coaches they can get to compete with the Premiership cash cow.
Frederick Finiguerra |
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