Spal: De Rossi in the balance, Joe Tacopina returns to Italy

The fate of Spal’s bench will be decided in the coming days

Excited days for Spal, which has to deal with its third consecutive league defeat, the eighth of the De Rossi era. The Estensi’s coach, who took responsibility for the defeat in Venice on Saturday, sees his bench teetering and is awaiting the decision of the Ferrara club’s top management.

Owner Joe Tacopina, the one most targeted by fans in the protest staged in front of the Paolo Mazza on Saturday, will return to Italy on Tuesday to address the technical crisis in which the club is embroiled and decide whether to confirm the 2006 world champion or change course.

De Rossi’s 16 league matches have yielded just three wins, while Spal currently occupies the third-last place in the standings with 24 points.