No survival promises from Rossi

Delio Rossi has been handed the task of guiding US Lecce out of the Serie A relegation zone, following his appointment as successor to sacked coach Alberto Cavasin.

No guarantee
However, the 41-year-old former Salernitana Sport coach admitted he could not guarantee survival for his new club at a press conference on Tuesday. "I do not want to revolutionise the team, but I will look at the players and decide which formation to use," said Rossi. "I do not make any promises but I hope the team stay in Serie A, considering the quality of the players. Lecce are the only team from the south of Italy who are in Serie A and I would do anything for us to remain in Serie A."

The right man
Lecce have not won a match since 18 November but club president Mario Maroni is confident he has got the right man in the 41-year-old Rossi, whether he saves the club from relegation or not. "Delio Rossi is precisely the manager we wanted," he said. "We want to give him time and therefore he has a contract until June 2003."

Beaten by Brescia
Rossi will replace Cavasin who had been in charge of the club for two-and-a-half seasons but was dismissed after Lecce's 3-1 home defeat by Brescia Calcio on Sunday, their ninth loss of the current campaign. After two successive 13th-placed finishes in Serie A, Lecce - without a win since November - are currently third from bottom.

Two promotions
Rossi made his name at Salernitana, the Naples club who, in two separate spells, he led to promotion to Serie B in 1994 and then Serie A in 1998. He had been a free agent since his release by Pescara last summer after they finished rock bottom of Serie B with just three wins all season.