Leeds United have brought in set piece specialist Gianni Vio.
Leeds United lost 2-1 at home to Derby County on Tuesday night, meaning they have now suffered defeat in six of their last eight Championship outings.
The Whites took the lead through Pierre-Michel Lasogga’s goal, but a double from Sam Winnall handed Derby all three points, leaving Thomas Christiansen searching for answers.
Intriguingly, Christiansen was joined in the dugout by a new face, with Italian coach Gianni Vio sitting alongside him for Tuesday’s defeat.
Christiansen told the Yorkshire Evening Post’s Phil Hay that the possibility of bringing in Vio was presented to him, and given that he wants the best coaches around him, he accepted the offer.
Vio is far from a household name in England, but he has earned a reputation over the years for being a ‘set-piece specialist’, working with clubs such as Fiorentina, AC Milan and even Brentford in recent years.
Christiansen may now be hoping for a boost on free kicks and corners – both attacking and defensive – especially given some of the praise directed at Vio.
Walter Zenga
Former Wolverhampton Wanderers boss Walter Zenga worked with Vio at Catania, and spoke to Sky Sports about him in 2016, suggesting that he is like having a 20-goal striker.
Zenga noted that actual 20-goal strikers can get injured, but Vio’s work on set pieces can help in every game, praising him for managing to help players score goals when otherwise they wouldn’t – and Christiansen will be hoping for an instant impact from Leeds’ new man.
“He isn’t just a free-kick wizard. He is like having a 15 or 20-goal striker in the team,” said Zenga. “A 20-goal-a-season player can get injured. He can get suspended. But there are set-pieces in every game. Always. And he knows how to exploit them best. He’s very skilled at it. He manages to get players scoring who otherwise wouldn’t score.”
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