Verona coach says job safe despite nightmare four days
MILAN (Reuters) - Verona coach Andrea Mandorlini has brushed aside suggestions that he could be fired after a nightmare four days which saw his team concede 10 goals in two games against Juventus.
Verona were thrashed 6-1 by Juve in a Coppa Italia tie on Thursday and then crashed 4-0 in Sunday's Serie A match.
"We're disappointed with two very bad results but my future is not an issue and there is no problem with the club," he told Sky Sport Italia.
"It just can't be that everything changes in one week. At the moment, Juventus are just an insurmountable mountain as far as we're concerned."
However, Mandorlini admitted that there was a heated atmosphere in the dressing room after Sunday's setback.
"At the end of the game, myself and the lads had a big discussion, it hurts to lose like that."
Mandorlini is one of Serie A's longest-serving coaches, having taken over in November 2010 when Verona were in Serie B.
His side won promotion in 2012-13, ending an 11-year absence from Serie A, and finished a respectable 10th last season. They started brightly this season although they have now dropped to 14th on 21 points from 19 games.
(Writing by Brian Homewood in Berne; Editing by John O'Brien)
