Floundering Pisa and Hellas Verona Turn To New Coaches | OneFootball

Pisa and Hellas Verona will head into Friday’s relegation struggle showdown with new gaffers, as they pulled the plug on Alberto Gilardino and Paolo Zanetti. They are tied in last place with 14 points, four shy of Lecce, which sit above the bottom three.

The Nerazzurri thought outside the box with their new hire, appointing Oscar Hiljemark. He has some Serie A experience, having played for Palermo and Genoa. He retired at just 28 due to injury. The former playmaker started his career on the bench as an assistant at Aalborg and then guided them for one season. Afterward, he managed Elfsborg for two campaigns, finishing 7th and 8th. They have signed a slew of players from abroad in January: Rafiu Durosinmi, Oscar Loyola, Rosen Bozhinon, Samuel Iling-Junior, and Filip Stojikovic.

Verona are going with an even less proven coach than Pisa, as they have promoted Primavera boss Paolo Sammarco for now. He’ll helm them in the next match with the chance of earning the job. The former midfielder starred primarily for Chievo and Sampdoria and has been at the club since 2022. According to Alfredo Pedullà, they tested the waters for Roberto D’Aversa, but he didn’t accept.

The Gialloblù lost two of their best players in January, Giovane and Unai Nunez, and replaced them with Kieron Bowie and Andrias Edmundsson, and also added Sandi Lovric.

Our Take on Pisa and Verona

It’d be tough to argue that the managers were the main responsible, especially in the second case, but the results are what they are. Looking at the big picture, assuming Fiorentina will eventually get it going, both teams and Lecce are in big trouble and will need to go on major runs to catch Cremonese, Parma, or Genoa.