Inside Modena: Mandelli’s Tactics, Transfer Window and Best Players

The managerial revolving door in Serie B seldom stops moving. On average a manager in Italian football’s second tier loses his job every two weeks, a staggering statistic that highlights both the trigger-happy nature of several club owners and the fact a lot of managers are simply passing through their clubs.

So far this season, eight managers have been sacked with Modena among the clubs who opted for a change of direction when they sacked Pierpaolo Bisoli at the beginning of November and promoted Academy manager Paolo Mandelli in his place.

Modena’s decision to get rid of Bisoli felt less like a knee-jerk reaction and more like a calculated gamble, as they had dropped to second-bottom in Serie B under the former Cagliari midfielder with just two wins in 12 matches.

It was an unexpected struggle for the Canaries, who finished 10th last season after Bisoli took over in April and racked up eight points in five matches, missing out on a play-off spot by just four points.

A summer of significant investment in which Modena spent over £2m on signing the likes of Ascoli midfielder Pedro Mendes, veteran Sassuolo striker Gregoire Defrel and AC Milan defender Mattia Caldara spoke volumes for the club’s ambitions.

But after picking up eight points from the opening six fixtures, the Canaries went six matches without a win and the defeat against Spezia in early November eventually cost Bisoli his job.

It is no coincidence that the wheels appeared to come off Modena’s season as they lost Mendes to a serious knee injury, which ruled him out for almost two months. The former Portugal Under-21 international had scored twice in his first six appearances and his absence left a creative void.

Optimism has returned under Mandelli, who has overseen a 2-0 win over Carrarese, a 1-1 draw against Cosenza and a 0-0 draw against Mantova in his first three matches in charge. The results have lifted Modena up to 14th in the table, just three points clear of the relegation zone but also only three points away from a play-off spot.

The win against Carrarese felt particularly significant as it marked only the second time this season Modena have managed to keep a clean sheet, a feat they managed to repeat against Mantova at the weekend.

Defensive solidity will be key to Mandelli’s chances of avoiding becoming the latest victim of Serie B’s managerial carousel.

Transfers: Modena spent with abandon in the summer transfer window, investing over €2.5m (£2.1m) on players, a significant financial commitment for a Serie B club. Almost all the outlay went on signing Ascoli midfielder Pedro Mendes, while Simone Santoro arrived from Perugia for €380,000.

Mattia Caldara and Gregoire Defrel joined from AC Milan and Sassuolo respectively and headlined a battery of free agent arrivals, which also included Michele Pezzolato from SPAL, Eric Botteghin from Ascoli and Giuseppe Caso from Frosinone.

Meanwhile, Alessandro Di Pardo and Alessandro Dellavalle arrived on loan from Cagliari and Torino respectively.

Best performers: Antonio Palumbo is Modena’s top scorer with three goals, while Fabio Abiuso and summer signing Mendes have two apiece, the latter in just six matches before being sidelined by a serious knee injury.

Caldara has been a regular starter since joining from AC Milan, while Santoro is already a key figure in midfield following his summer move from Perugia.

Tactics: Under Pierpaolo Bisoli, Modena switched from 4-5-1 to 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-2-1 and occasionally even to a three-man defence in the a 3-5-2 or 3-4-2-1 shape. In his first two matches in charge, Paolo Mandelli has maintained a similar degree of tactical flexibility, deploying a 4-2-3-1 formation for his debut fixture against Carrarese and then turning to a 3-4-3 for the draw against Cosenza.