It is official – the Rudi Garcia era is over and the second Luciano Spalletti era has begun.
The ever-popular Tuscan returns to the capital with the club in a much better state than when he left it in 2009. Though the brand as a whole may be on the rise, the team is yearning for a fresh start. Spalletti brings much tactical prowess with him, with club executives already claiming that he knows how to “fix” the club.
Welcome Home, Luciano Spalletti
Any manager at the start of a new regime certainly faces doubting and expectant supporters. This appointment definitely follows the trend, but the stakes are even higher for the Tuscan. It’s hard to top Rudi Garcia’s work in Rome, but to top your previous stint with a club? Spalletti is a Roman legend. This spell could erase his etchings from the graffiti that dots the city. Yet it also has potential for further statues to be erected, pending how he plays the supporters. With a couple of tough fixtures ahead including the likes of Juventus and Real Madrid, anything can happen in a matter of days. Such is the state of affairs in Rome.
In a previous article, it was discussed just how Luciano Spalletti would be the ideal manager of Roma. The following is an excerpt from that article regarding his previous stint with the club:
A specialist with low-budgeted sides, Luciano Spalletti brought Udinese to the upper echelons of Italian football a decade ago before joining a Roma side in financial ruin. With limited resources, he brought them two Coppa Italia’s and a Supercoppa on top of several second place finishes. His 54% winning ratio with Roma is 2% higher than that of Rudi Garcia, but with nearly twice as many matches in charge. Needless to say, his track record is much better. He is also known for playing a similar style to Garcia, that wouldn’t necessarily be drastically different for the squad. During his time in Rome he brought many players from the Primavera side into the first team, something that Garcia has failed to do. He made home grown players like Alberto Aquilani, Daniele De Rossi, Aleandro Rosi as well as relatively unknown Italians like Simone Perrotta, Marco Cassetti, Max Tonetto and Matteo Brighi into first team players. He also gave Marco Motta, Alessandro Crescenzi, Marco D’Alessandro, Stefano Okaka and Gianluca Curci their first starts in the top division. Spalletti knows how to make a team great – he just needs time to address the issues.
