After Cesena’s great coup in signing Adrian Mutu from Fiorentina in the summer window, they were all set for a season which promised much. That was echoed on their first game of the campaign, which saw them give Napoli a scare, even if they did in the end succumb to a 3-1 defeat.
Unfortunately, things didn’t get much better in the aftermath, losing seven of their opening ten games, failing to win a single one. It seemed like, despite their impressive dealings in the summer, they were set for a disastrous season, going the way of Bari who won just five games in their campaign last season, finishing rock bottom.
However, after their 2-0 loss to Parma, the club sacked their coach Marco Giampaolo. “The players gave a response today, but with the situation as it is, I felt it necessary to take steps in changing the management,” announced President Igor Campedelli. “We never wanted to reach this step, which is why we have not prepared a list of names to replace Giampaolo. Now we must get to work straight away in finding a new coach for this squad.”
And the man who was given the unenviable task of trying to keep the Cavallucci Marini up this season was Daniele Arrigoni, a defender who made over 50 appearances for his hometown Cesena in the early 80s. After a shaky start which saw them go down to a 1-0 defeat a fellow strugglers Lecce, things began to turn.
On Matchday 11 the team’s first win of the season came away at Bologna, with a goal five minutes before the final whistle courtesy of the club’s star midfielder Marco Parolo. A 2-0 win over Genoa followed, as did 1-0 win away at the Renzo Barbera, inflicting on Palermo their first home defeat of the year. Sandwiched in between the two was a 2-0 defeat to Juventus, although it was only a minor blip considering that the Bianconeritopped the table.
Arrigoni has changed Cesena from Giampaolo’s favoured 4-3-3 formation to a 4-4-2, and the results that have followed suggest that the switch was something of a masterstroke. Cesena have gone from prime relegation candidates to a team on the rise, and are on one of their best runs of form since being promoted to the top flight in 2009-10, after 19 years of absence.
It is probably nothing less than they expected after their summer signings, with the aforementioned signing of Mutu from Fiorentina shocking the calcio world. There is more quality in the Cesena team than their league standing suggests, with more than capable players all over the pitch.
Swiss international Steve von Bergen is an imposing centre-back, with Marco Parolo being key in midfield. Antonio Candreva also represents a piece of shrewd summer business, with the two-time Italian international being signed on loan from Udinese earlier this year.
Their recent success is not yet enough to see them out of the relegation zone, and despite the recent promise, the next few games will prove to be a stern test of the team’s character — and may well define their season. Cesena play host to Inter before travelling to Atalanta, Udinese and Napoli in the coming weeks, where any points gained must surely be seen as a bonus.
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