Ashley Cole entered the dugout for the first time as Cesena manager on Wednesday, tasked with turning the Italian side’s form around to finish in the play-offs.
Cesena’s players have been described as “fish out of water” (Image: Image Photo Agency/Getty Images)
Ashley Cole had a nightmare start to his managerial career as his new team Cesena lost 3-0 to Mantua on Wednesday. Cole, 45, was appointed manager of the Italian second division club last week.
Cesena only managed one win in 10 games, sacked coach Michele Mignani, and were on the verge of being eliminated from the Serie B play-offs. England legend Cole, who was appointed on Sunday, had just two training sessions in preparation for his first game, a visit to mid-table Mantua.
Experienced centre-back Giovanni Zaro scored an own goal to put the home team ahead with six minutes remaining. It remained that way until the one-hour mark before Andrea Meloni doubled Mantua’s lead.
Cole tried to find a route back into the game by making all five substitutions in quick succession. However, this change did not help and Leonardo Mancuso ended the match in stoppage time.
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Cole’s side remain eighth in Serie B with seven games in hand, but their next four games will be against teams who are also in the play-off mix. Cesena host fifth-placed Catanzaro on Saturday.
Following Wednesday’s loss, some in the Italian media criticized Cole’s decision to deviate from Cesena’s tried-and-true 3-5-2 formation. Local newspaper Cesena Today wrote in its match report: “Cole immediately tried to change the formation, introducing a 4-2-3-1 formation that was clearly difficult to master after just two practices.”
National site Tuttomercatoweb called it a “terrible start” for the 45-year-old, saying: “Considering the very short time they had to prepare for this match, the too hasty tactical change meant the team had a very difficult time building their play.”
“Cesena found himself almost completely at the mercy of Mantua. It was an unforgettable 90 minutes at the Martelli for the Bianconeri and the worst start to his coaching career for the former Chelsea player.”
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Ashley Cole changes Cesena’s formation to 4-2-3-1 (Image: Image Photo Agency/Getty Images)
Corriero Magna also questioned Cole’s formation changes and was scathing, naming the trio of players who were “like three fish out of water.” “The English manager should be acknowledged for some mitigating circumstances, including the absence of several key players (first and foremost Michele Castagnetti) and, of course, lack of time to make an impact,” they wrote.
“But in this very sense, the call ended up causing another short circuit. Since we didn’t have the time to coach consistently in the first week, what’s the point in upending everything?”
“Matteo Guidi, Tommaso Corazza and Cristian Spendi looked like a trio in the first half, but even Tommaso Berti on the right wasn’t a great idea, not to mention Marco Olivieri on the other side.”
Cesena’s captain admitted it was “not easy” to adapt to the formation, but that should not be “an excuse”. Andrea Cioffi told the club media after the match: “The last few days have brought different demands to what we are used to. And all I can say is that we have a lot of work ahead of us. First and foremost is getting to know the new manager and what he wants from us.”
The loss against Mantua leaves Cesena in 8th place in Serie B (Image: Image Photo Agency/Getty Images)
“There are still seven games left, but one thing is for sure: we need to work hard, because today’s performance was definitely not acceptable and we have to do more. When changing formations, we have to try to understand all the requirements, which is not easy in just two days.”
“This is not an excuse for today’s result, nor is it meant to be, because in any case we did not play well either. But we have a long way to go and above all we must try to understand quickly what the manager wants. He is a man who believes in us and is ready to work hard.”
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