Cosmi takes Palermo hot seat

Former Livorno boss Serse Cosmi has been unveiled as the new coach of Serie A club Palermo after Delio Rossi was sacked on Monday.

The change at the top comes after Palermo were humiliated 7-0 at home against Udinese on Sunday.Palermo remain eighth on the Serie A table, but three straight losses, including the disaster against Udinese, prompted temperamental club president Maurizio Zamparini to replace Rossi.”Palermo announce that Serse Cosmi has been named coach,” the Serie A club said in a statement without giving details on the length of his deal.”The Perugia-born coach will train the team (Tuesday) in Rome and will be unveiled later that day.”Rossi’s time at the Stadio Renza Barbero appeared to be up almost immediately after the loss, with Zamparini making no secret of his displeasure.”He has ruined my Palermo. Rossi has destroyed this team,” the club owner told reporters after Sunday’s defeat, where Udinese were 5-0 up at half-time and Alexis Sanchez scored four goals.Cosmi, who is known for his baseball cap and excitable behaviour on the touch line, may only be in the job for the remainder of the season, with media reports in Italy suggesting Zamparini wants Giampiero Gasperini to take over next season after he was sacked by Genoa in November.After beginning his managerial career with Arezzo in the lower leagues of Italian football, Cosmi made his name in a five year stint with Perugia, who he guided to the UEFA Intertoto Cup title in 2003.The 52-year-old has since had short stints at Genoa, Udinese and Brescia, before being resigning from his most recent coaching role at Livorno more than a year ago after just four months with the Tuscan club.Cosmi’s first match in charge of Palermo will be a challenging road trip to the Stadio Olimpico to face Lazio on Sunday.