In Monza, Ivan Jurić has got back on track, but there is still a long way to go

About a year ago, on 11 November 2025, Ivan Jurić was sacked for the third time in 365 days by three different clubs: first Roma, then Southampton and finally Atalanta. His career seemed destined for mediocrity, but Monza decided to put their faith in him. In the first four league matches, he picked up just one point – a result that was far from deserved. The team scores fewer goals than it creates chances and concedes more than it should. The match that epitomises this dynamic is perhaps the one against Lazio. Despite being a man down for almost sixty minutes of play, Monza managed to cause the Biancocelesti serious problems in the second half, even scoring a goal. So much so that Rino Gattuso, in his post-match press conference, was clear: “We were lucky today.”

Yesterday, however, the fixture was against Fabio Pisacane’s Cagliari, another major surprise of this Serie A season and, until a few hours ago, the league’s best defence. This time, it seems everything went to plan and the scoreline leaves no room for interpretation: four–nil. In fact, in the first twenty-five minutes, there was a real risk of falling behind had it not been for at least two superb saves by Noel Törnqvist. This was not enough for Pisacane, who apologised to the fans after the match, despite the team being six points off the top: “I’d like to start by apologising to the 1,400 fans who came here on Monday at 6.30 pm, organising their family and work commitments to witness such a shambles.”

Monza have seven points in the table, which is still not enough to breathe a sigh of relief, but of the bottom seven in the league, Jurić’s side seem to be the ones most likely to climb out of the relegation zone quickly. The impression is of a well-structured team that is even better managed. The strike partnership comprising Gustavo Varela, who is just over twenty and scored a brace yesterday, and is the league’s second-top scorer with six goals and one assist (second only to Frosinone’s Antonio Raimondo on seven), alongside Jay Robinson, born in 2007 and on loan from Southampton (two goals in Serie A), seems to be working perfectly: plenty of pace and technical ability – a lethal combination for the Sardinians yesterday. Then there are the signings picked up from across Europe. The first was Foe Ondoa, signed from the Portuguese club Estoril Praia for one and a half million, who has brought dynamism and physicality to midfield. Ricardo Mangas arrived from Sporting Lisbon for the same fee; he has already bagged a goal and two assists, acting as an additional attacking threat. Finally, there’s also room for Eddy Kouadio, on loan from Fiorentina, who scored yesterday after a lightning-fast run down the right flank and was recently called up for the first time by Italy’s manager Roberto Mancini.

The fixture list is now becoming very challenging, with a run of matches from next weekend until 2 January that even Inter would struggle to cope with: Torino, Napoli, Bologna, Atalanta, Fiorentina, Roma, Como, Juventus, Venezia and Milan, all in quick succession. Jurić’s task is still fraught with obstacles and devoid of certainties, but the path taken is the right one. The next two months will tell us a great deal about how far this team can go.