Leonardo Araújo replaces Rafael Benitez at http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Inter-c39567 Milan
Inter Milan have confirmed that Leonardo http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Araujo-c6435 has been signed to take charge as the club’s head coach. The Brazilian will replace Rafael Benitez, who was sacked by club president Massimo Moratti, ending the Spaniard’s short 6-month
term at the club.
Inter’s club website stated, “Welcome to Leonardo. It will be the Brazilian coach to lead the team from December 29. Leonardo has a contract that will bind him to Inter until 30 June 2012. For Leonardo, the most sincere and good
luck, we believe that he has the class and experience of a champion and his mentality will get the team together to get results."
Speculation of Leonardo’s arrival at the club had begun even before official news of Benitez’s sacking broke out. Leonardo, the former AC Milan coach, has signed a one and a half year deal with Inter. In his stay at Milan, which
lasted for just a year, Leonardo failed to impress, as his side was not able to bag any trophies under him.
The Brazilian is bound to face a stiff task, as Inter now stand seventh in the Serie A. They have won only 6 of their 15 league games this season. Leonardo has to instigate a major recovery in the club’s season and attempt to close
the 13-point gap between Inter and league leaders AC Milan.
In the Champions League, his team will be up against Bayern Munich, a side that they faced in the final, last season, under Jose Mourinho. Leonardo will surely be aware that it will be an uphill battle to compete with Mourinho’s
unprecedented treble of Champions League, Serie A and Coppa Italia titles, last season. However, he has been promised full support by Inter’s http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Javier-Zanetti-c18096.
He said, "I know Leonardo well. He is a very intelligent person, someone who is always on the ball. He has a lot to give as a coach thanks to the experiences he gathered as a player and as a man."
Leonardo’s first match as Inter’s manager will be against http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Napoli-c40003 on the 6th of January, in the Serie A.
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