Rolando Maran is the name that will sit on the bench of Albania after the Sylvinho era. A typical Italian coach, raised amidst crises, dismissals and comebacks, who has survived in the harsh football of Serie A and Serie B for almost 30 years.
The 63-year-old doesn't come with any major trophies on his CV, but he has a reputation as a coach who knows how to take teams in trouble and keep them in the game. From Chievo to Cagliari, from Catania to Genoa, his career has been a journey between the hottest benches in Italian football.
He peaked at Catania, where he had the best season in the club's history in Serie A, leading them to eighth place and setting records for points and wins. At Cagliari, he also had a start that ignited dreams of a Champions League place, before everything fell apart in the second half of the season.
But Maran is also a symbol of Italian football, where coaches live out of suitcases. He has been sacked several times, and on several occasions has even returned to the same club only to leave again a few months later.
Now his challenge is called Albania. And it is not small. After the enthusiasm that Sylvinho created, the Italian will have to convince Albanian fans that he can do more than simply manage a team: keep alive a national team that already seeks European dreams as normality.
