The end had long looked nigh for Montero. Loss after loss, the Nextgen sinking ever deeper until finally they hit rock bottom. The decision many of us had been pleading for arrived, with the former Juve hardman stopper dismissed from his post. And in his place returned Brambilla after an ill-fated short stint at Foggia, the same side whose defeat of the Juventus B team bizarrely opened the door for our former coach to return to Turin.
The reasoning behind Montero’s promotion from the U19 coach to the NextGen boss last Summer we will never know, though I was somewhat perplexed at the time. Given the haphazard nature of the results and performances of the primavera last season under the Uruguayan’s guidance, I couldn’t help but feel his promotion was a case of rite of passage, and/or ‘he should do’ rather than any serious recruitment process taking in applications from many with glowing resumes. Whoever made the decision needs to be reprimanded if not beaten like a gong, for that largely successful project which the club management often point to as a shining achievement now teeters on the edge of oblivion>>>
Montero’s league record for his first stint managing a senior side reads played 14, 1W, 4D, 9L. We have the worst defence in the league, which is the one area we might assume the former CB menace could be relied upon to imbue into the players organisation and balance, but nope. Not in the slightest. We are also amongst the lowest scorers and have lost the most amount of games. Poor Paolo was also put to the sword in the one coppa italia in August!
It would be a disaster for the project if we were to get relegated to Serie D, where the full time professionals gives way to the semi-pros. Not where we need to place our budding youngsters on their journey into senior football. Speaking of which, I had hoped we would have been promoted by now, after launching the B team in 2018. The coppa title won by Fabio Pecchia remains the high water mark, though we have reached the promotion play-off stage four times (2nd-10th place gains entry)
Whilst our current position might look easily salvageable at first glance the curious format of Serie C makes this not quite the case. The basement dwellers will be gunned down, no questions asked. After which two play-off games emerge setting 16th v 19th and 17th v 18th. If the teams are then tied on aggregate over a two leg affair, the lowest ranked team is relegated. Also if the higher ranked team is 9 points or move above their opponent the relegation play-off need not take place at all.
What this means for Brambilla is that his return to the club finds his season starting with an 8 point deficit to make up in order to even reach safety. Thankfully he has 24 matches to achieve this, also the Winter mercato window and it should be added, he was in a similar situation last season and yet managed to pull through and even reach the promotion play-offs by season end with a respectable 7th place achieved. Add to this that he has only been away for 6 months, after serving two years in the same role, relationships already long established with staff and players should stand him in good stead to hit the ground running.
Ideally, we will have clawed out way back towards safety by the new year, and if so, perhaps there may still be time for a dash for the promotion play off spots! Regardless, the most important aim is to ensure we do not drop through the trapdoor.
23/24 Nextgen league campaign uner Brambilla – more of the same please. (league position vertical)
The comeback commences Sunday November 24th away to Crotone…In boca al lupo, Massimo!
