Former Lazio defender Sinisa Mihajlovic on Tuesday took up his first coaching position at Bologna, dismissing fears over his inexperience.
''I understand the skepticism about me but it will go away,'' said the 39-year-old, former understudy to Roberto Mancini in three championship-winning seasons at Inter Milan.
''The first thing I'll do will be to work on the psychology (of the team), trying to improve things quickly,'' said the ex-Lazio and Sampdoria star, who replaced Daniele Arrigoni on Monday after a 5-1 loss at Cagliari that left Bologna in 19th place, one point above bottom club Reggina.
''I am certain that we will avoid relegation''.
''I played for 20 years and I tried to get the best tips from all the coaches I had''.
Mihajlovic, who had a very close relationship with Mancini first as a player at Lazio and later on the Inter bench, had high praise for the coach Inter sacked to make way for Jose' Mourinho in the summer.
''I think that no one is superior to Mancini as far as work on the field is concerned,'' he said.
Before aiming for a career in management, Mihajlovic won 63 caps for Yugoslavia/Serbia from 1991 to 2003 and played for four Italian clubs between 1992 and 2006.
After AS Roma in 1992-94, he played for Samp from '94 to '98 and Lazio from '98 to 2004, where he scored 22 goals in 125 games, most via his trademark long-range free kicks.
He spent two twilight playing years at Inter before moving to the coaching side, scoring his 27th career free kick goal, an absolute record, at Ascoli in April 2006.
The Serbian hero, who won the scudetto with Lazio in 2000 and with Inter in 2006 as well as the European Cup with Red Star Belgrade in 1991 and the UEFA Cup with Lazio in 1999, is one of three Serie A coaching replacements this year and the first of two in two days.
On Tuesday, a day after Mihajlovic was named, Chievo sacked Giuseppe Iachini and replaced him with former Parma boss Domenico Di Carlo.
The axe fell after Sunday's 3-0 loss at Palermo, the Verona side's sixth defeat in 10 games.
Newly promoted Chievo lies third from bottom on six points, one spot above Bologna on goal difference alone and one point below the safety zone.
New coach Di Carlo, 44, was sacked by Parma in March but the club was still relegated.
Iachini led Chievo to a Champions League berth two years ago and out of Serie B last year.
The first Serie A axing came on the first day of the season, when Palermo's 'coach-eating' chairman, Maurizio Zamparini, fired Stefano Colantuono and brought in Davide Ballardini.
