Empoli Make First Sacking of the Season to Hire Familiar Face

Empoli’s thumping 7-0 defeat to Roma was the final straw for coach Paolo Zanetti, who has been fired by the Azzurri management to become the first coach to be sacked this Serie A season. For the first time in the club’s history, Empoli conceded seven goals in a Serie A match, as they extended their 100% loss record to four games.

Empoli have officially decided to summon back former club tactician Aurelio Andreazzoli, who recently called it a day at chaos-filled Ternana. He has signed a one-year contract, with an additional year depending on Empoli’s survival in Serie A.

In what is a full circle, Andreazzoli was replaced by Zanetti at the end of the 2021/22 season, when he helped them avoid relegation by a comfortable margin. It looks like the task will be no different this time either.

Andreazzoli will return to Empoli for a fourth time in his career, having coached them across three spells before, towards the end of the previous decade. During his first spell in charge of the club, he helped them lift the Serie B title and gained promotion to the top flight for the 2018/19 season.

The 69-year-old has coached Empoli through 87 games in his long career, with 34 victories in the process. His first test, however, will be quite the challenge, as in-form Inter visit Stadio Carlo Castellani next weekend.