´Coach of the year´ Allegri becomes latest Serie A casualty

Massimiliano Allegri became the 16th coaching change of the season in Serie A’s 20-team league as he was fired by minnows Cagliari on Tuesday only two months after he had been voted coach of the 2008/09 season by his peers.

Allegri has been replaced by youth team coach Giorgio Melis.

The 42-year-old – who received 40percent of the vote fromn his fellow coaches for the coach of the year award – was almost two years into a three-year contract but was seen as one of the bright young prospects in the top flight.

In his first Serie A job, he guided Cagliari to an impressive ninth place finish last season and for large parts of this term they were challenging for European qualification.

But they had not won in their last nine games and Cagliari released a brief statement thanking him for his work and wishing him the best in the future.

Last season there was talk of Allegri – previously in charge of lower division outfits Grosseto (2005-2007) and Sassuolo (2007-2008) – taking over from Carlo Ancelotti at AC Milan before Leonardo was given the job and he is believed to be in the running for the Juventus post next season.