Francesco Farioli’s OGC Nice
Few had heard of Francesco Farioli when he was announced as Nice's head coach this summer. A brave appointment from the Cote D'Azur club – hiring an unknown 34-year-old! But Friday night's 3-2 win away to Paris Saint-Germain was a glimpse of the what the young coach is capable of!
Farioli began as a goalkeeping coach in the lower leagues of Italy, before moving to Serie A with Roberto De Zerbi… and subsequently making his first steps into management as he impressed in Turkey.
Slow start
The Italian was thrown in at the deep end with OGC Nice, facing a tricky start against three of last season's top half in the form of Lille, Lorient and Lyon. That saw three draws, bringing criticism of over-playing and a lack of goals: 50 shots frustratingly produced just two strikes.
"It's the coach's way of playing," club captain Dante told the Ligue 1 Show. "That's what he asks of us, that's how we train and that's how we're going to continue to progress. That's the way we play. It's up to us to work on putting those balls away and making things easier for ourselves."