Udinese sacks Del Neri, hires Oddo
Udinese has decided to dismiss Luigi Del Neri after their poor start to the 2017-18 Serie A season.
Published : Nov 21, 2017 20:01 IST
Luigi Del Neri has been sacked as Udinese head coach after the club lost eight of its first 12 Serie A matches.
Former Italian international Massimo Oddo was on Tuesday appointed coach of struggling Serie A club Udinese hours after Luigi Del Neri was fired.
The 67-year-old Del Neri was hired in October 2016 after Udinese's poor start to the 2016-17 campaign, eventually leading the club to a 13th-placed finish, as it escaped the drop.
Del Neri was given a new one-year contract for keeping Udinese up, but it has underwhelmed again at the start of the new season, collecting just 12 points from as many games, with a 1-0 home defeat to Cagliari on Sunday proving the last straw.
That loss leaves Udinese just three points above the bottom three and it faces in-form league leader Napoli this weekend.
The 41-year-old Oddo -- a World Cup winner with Italy in 2006 -- previously coached his hometown club Pescara to Serie A before being sacked last season.
"Udinese Calcio can confirm that first-team head coach Luigi Del Neri and assistant Giuseppe Ferazzoli have been relieved of their duties," the club said on Twitter.
"The club would like to thank Del Neri and Ferazzoli for their dedication over the last 13 months and wishes them all the best for the future."
Oddo -- who played for Napoli, Lazio, AC Milan and Bayern Munich -- is set for a baptism of fire as Udinese entertain league leader Napoli on Sunday.