Inter's new man

Former AC Milan coach Zaccheroni takes reins after Cuper's sacking

MILAN, Italy (Reuters) -- Former AC Milan and Lazio coach Alberto Zaccheroni will replace Hector Cuper at Inter Milan, the Serie A club said on Sunday.

Argentine Cuper was sacked as Inter coach on Sunday, six games into his third season at the club.

"Zaccheroni will be coach of Inter from Wednesday," an Inter spokesman said, adding that details of a contract were yet to be finalised.

Cuper's former assistant coach Corrado Verdelli, who has enjoyed success with Inter's youth team, takes charge temporarily for the Champions League game against Lokomotiv Moscow on Tuesday.

Zaccheroni was one of the few options avaliable to Inter president Massimo Moratti given that Italian coaches are allowed to take charge of only one side in each season.

The 50-year-old, known in Italy as 'Zac', had been out of work since he was sacked by Lazio at the end of the 2001-2002 season.

Zaccheroni began his career as a coach in Italy's fourth division, Serie C2, with Cesenatico in 1983 but entered higher level football when he took Venezia into Serie B in 1991.

He made his debut in Serie A as coach of Udinese in 1995 and took them to one of their best ever seasons when they finished third in 1998 before he left to take charge of Milan.

Milan won the title in Zaccheroni's first season in charge but managed only third place in his second year and he was sacked in March 2001 after Milan failed to make it beyond the group stage of the Champions League.

He took over at Lazio in September 2001, following Dino Zoff, but never established himself at the Rome club and was replaced by Roberto Mancini at the end of the season.

Zaccheroni is likely to change Inter's tactical approach, preferring a three-man defence and five-man midfield, as opposed to Cuper's commitment to 4-4-2.

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