Serie A has a wealth of talented tacticians and three in particular have gone under the radar following their impressive work in the 2023-24 campaign.
Much has already been written about the top coaches in the Italian topflight, including Simone Inzaghi’s Scudetto winning work with Inter and Thiago Motta’s Cinderella story at Bologna, but looking further down the table there are a handful of other tacticians who’ve shined.
Three underrated Serie A coaches
With the 2023-24 season now drawing to a close in Serie A, which three coaches have quietly impressed this campaign?
1 – Ivan Juric (Torino)
First up on the list is Juric, who is ready to leave Torino this summer after failing to see eye to eye with club president Urbano Cairo. The 48-year-old has continued to shine in the Piedmont capital, doing well considering the limited resources available to him.
The Croatian is a tactically flexible coach, mostly deploying his side in a 3-4-1-2 formation, focusing on a tight press, fast counter attacks and build up on the wings, placing less attention on the centre of the pitch.
Juric is an ambitious and focused coach who is clearly ready for the step up in his career, and his departure will certainly weaken Torino heading into the 2024-25 campaign. With limited options availible in Italy, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Croatian coach head abroad for his next club.
2 – Raffaele Palladino (Monza)
Palladino was thrust into the limelight last season after Giovanni Stroppa’s and he quickly found a rhythm at Monza, giving them a strong foundation in their first season in the topflight. He’s followed that up with another impressive season in Serie A, keeping the Biancorossi safe once again.
The Italian tactician has done well to get the most out of talents like Andrea Colpani, Valentin Carboni and Michele Di Gregorio, playing a positive brand of attacking football with a 4-2-3-1 or 3-4-2-1 system.
Palladino has already started to attract attention from some more ambitious clubs and it wouldn’t be a shock to see him move up the ladder this summer, seemingly ready to have more resources at his disposal.
3 – Alberto Gilardino (Genoa)
Gilardino quickly impressed with Genoa in his debut season, guiding them back up to Serie A in his debut campaign, and he didn’t let the pressures of the topflight impact his positive style of attacking football.
The Ligurian outfit quickly impressed in Serie A this season, picking up early wins over Lazio and Roma, and the 2006 World Cup winner’s work allowed players like Albert Gudmundsson and Mateo Retegui to impress, keeping his side comfortable in the mid-table.
Gilardino recently agreed a new contract with Genoa, news that’ll come as a blessing to fans on the Ligurian coast, who should be excited to see what comes next under the former striker.