Venezia sack coach Giovanni Stroppa after sixth straight defeat leaves them on zero points
Venezia dismissed coach Giovanni Stroppa on 13 October, a day after a 3-1 defeat at Atalanta left the club bottom of Serie A on zero points. Davide Nicola is reported to be ahead of Paolo Zanetti in the race to replace him.
Club confirms dismissal after sixth straight defeat
Venezia FC officially dismissed head coach Giovanni Stroppa on Tuesday, 13 October, a day after a 3-1 defeat at Atalanta in Bergamo left the club at the bottom of Serie A with zero points from six matches. It was the sixth consecutive league defeat for Venezia. Stroppa had led the club to promotion to Serie A as Serie B champions last season, and the club had recently extended his contract until 2029. The announcement came in a note from the club, whose president is Francesca Bodie, thanking Stroppa and his staff:
The club arancioneroverde wishes to thank Giovanni Stroppa and his staff for the work done, the professionalism, dedication and commitment shown during their time at arancioneroverde.
A 3-1 defeat at Atalanta
Atalanta took control early in Bergamo on Monday, 12 October, scoring twice in the first six minutes through Kessie and Krstovic. Krstovic completed a personal brace at the half-hour mark to make it 3-0. Hainaut reduced the deficit for Venezia before the interval. Venezia dominated play in the second half, but two shots hit the woodwork and a series of missed chances kept them from a comeback. Atalanta, who had won their previous three matches, rose to 9 points with the result.
- Atalanta beat Venezia 3-1 in Bergamo, the sixth consecutive league defeat
- Venezia officially announce the dismissal of Giovanni Stroppa
Bottom of the table
Venezia sit last in Serie A with zero points after six matchdays, while Atalanta have nine. The defeat extended Venezia's losing run to six league matches without a single point gained. The figures show a club that has not yet found a win in the season, even after finishing the previous campaign as Serie B champions and being promoted.
- Atalanta
- 9 pts
- Venezia
- 0 pts
Search for a replacement
Venezia's managing director Antonelli has been working on a replacement since the evening of 12 October, according to ANSA, which cited informed sources. Davide Nicola is reported to be in pole position, ahead of Paolo Zanetti, who coached Venezia from 2020 to 2022 and won promotion to Serie A with the club. Adnkronos wrote that the club is more inclined toward Nicola, a specialist in mid-season takeovers and relegation escapes, who was at Cremonese last season. ANSA added that surprise moves with other candidates have not been ruled out. At the time of reporting, Venezia had not yet named a replacement.
A busy month for Serie A coaches
Adnkronos counted Stroppa's dismissal as the fourth Serie A coach sacked in just six matchdays. The earlier dismissals were Fabio Grosso at Fiorentina, replaced by Paolo Vanoli, Domenico Tedesco at Bologna, replaced by Raffaele Palladino, and Carlos Cuesta at Parma, replaced by Alberto Gilardino. Venezia's next fixture is at home to Napoli at the Penzo on Saturday, 17 October, with kick-off at 15:00. Adnkronos described that match as another very difficult test for the club.
