Aquilani’s sacking by Sassuolo and the problem of haste in Italian football

Time. It is one of the most frequently used words in recent years. There are those who waste it doing nothing, those who have none due to too many commitments, and those who feel it bearing down on them like a boulder. Perhaps Alberto Aquilani’s tenure at the helm of Sassuolo called for taking this word seriously, in its deepest sense: to stretch out, to extend. He was appointed in June by Giovanni Carnevali, the architect of the Emilia-based club’s technical project over the last twelve years, who – apart from the setback a few years ago that saw the team relegated to Serie B – has always brought a breath of fresh air to Italian football, often with excellent results. Carnevali then moved to Juventus this summer, becoming its chief executive. Aquilani arrived from Catanzaro, bringing with him an interesting style of play that had the Giallorossi making headlines despite being in the second tier. It was a gamble to put him to the test in Serie A, just as the decision to appoint Fabio Grosso last year had been. It was an idea, a vision. These may sound like grand terms, yet when you examine the world’s strongest teams, it is clear that the manager has now become the centre of gravity around which the club chooses to build its identity. Pep Guardiola for ten years at Manchester City, Jürgen Klopp at Liverpool, Mikel Arteta at Arsenal, Luis Enrique at Paris Saint-Germain. Extremely strong teams, certainly, but without ideas you won’t get very far. And sometimes results don’t come straight away – Arteta himself is a case in point – but how long does it take to build an identity? To be able to say, ‘This is who I am’?

In Italy, we lack patience, and the search for someone to blame – the thirst to throw someone to the wolves of public debate – clouds our judgement and stifles our thoughts.

Of course, there is also the flip side, which was well exemplified by Kosta Runjaić’s Udinese. The unreasonable stubbornness in trying to make the numbers add up despite the reality suggesting quite the opposite is also an enemy of the idea. However, it is fair to say that this has not always been the case.

We all remember the uncertainty the Atalanta management were facing when the team were struggling and Gian Piero Gasperini (before the successes and the Europa League) was on the brink of being sacked. One can only speculate what Bergamo would be like today without that determination to stick with Gasp. Nevertheless, numerous projects have gone up in smoke far too quickly. The most striking recent example was Daniele De Rossi at Roma, who was sacked after about a month of the league season.

So, what was expected of Aquilani? An inadequate transfer window, with defensive leader Tarik Muharemović sold, Fedde Leysen – also a defender – out with a cruciate ligament injury, and one of the toughest fixtures lists for a newly formed side to face. Over these eleven matchdays, Sassuolo have faced Juventus, Milan, Como, Atalanta, Lazio, Roma, Bologna, Fiorentina and Frosinone, not to mention Torino and Monza, who proved to be tough opponents. Perhaps they are three or four points short, but is that enough to throw it all away in November? In any case, the club has turned to Roberto D’Aversa, an experienced manager whom it is not yet worth commenting on, but who is drawing a line under everything Carnevali had envisaged. The fear of failure has prevailed. But does Sassuolo’s season make sense now? They have the quality to secure safety comfortably, without taking too many risks. And then? Once the fear of Serie B has been banished – which, even under Aquilani, was an unlikely scenario – where do we start from? Once again, with ideas.