Retired Slovenian great Zlatko Zahovic has blamed the decline of countrymen Josip Ilicic and Armin Bacinovic at Palermo on Coach Devis Mangia.
Retired Slovenian great Zlatko Zahovic has blamed the decline of countrymen Josip Ilicic and Armin Bacinovic at Palermo on Coach Devis Mangia.
Ilicic and Bacinovic signed for the Rosanero just over a year ago from Maribor, where Zahovic acts as sporting director.
Despite impressing in their first year in Serie A, neither player is enjoying the best of spells at the moment, and 40-year-old Zahovic is in no doubt as to who is to blame.
"It all depends on the Coach, it is his fault. I think that this negative period is the fault of Devis Mangia.
"Did we gain well [from selling them]? No, they are two champions. The Coach is not deploying them well. Delio Rossi, however, was a great Coach because he had Bacinovic and Ilicic providing great performances.
"But now…Ilicic is not used in his best position. Bacinovic does not even play."
After two consecutive defeats, Palermo President Maurizio Zamparini met with sporting director Sean Sogliano to discuss the team's performances.
Mangia's future was understood not to be on the agenda, with his position as Coach currently thought not at risk.