Inter's managerial merry-go-round

Almost 16 months to the day since Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan lifted the Champions League to complete an historic treble, the club on Tuesday announced that they had dismissed coach Gian Piero Gasperini following a poor start to the new Serie A season.

Gasperini's demise, after just five games at the helm, makes him the third coach to leave the club since Mourinho quit to join Real Madrid at the end of the 2009/10 campaign.

Rafael Benitez, Leonardo and now Gasperini have all tried and failed to reach the heights of the mercurial Portuguese, leaving Inter president Massimo Moratti on the lookout for his fifth coach in less than two years.

Here, Press Association Sport takes a look at how Mourinho's successors fared.

RAFAEL BENITEZ (June 2010 to December 2010)

Benitez arrived at the club following six years at Liverpool, during which time he secured his reputation as an Anfield legend by leading the club to a Champions League triumph over AC Milan in 2005. Benitez's star waned towards the end of his time on Merseyside, but was nevertheless entrusted to replace Mourinho and continue Inter's period of success. His tenure began promisingly with victory in the Italian Super Cup, but his side stuttered in Serie A, and a derby defeat to city rivals Milan in November left the club sixth in the table and the Spaniard under pressure. Despite victory in the Club World Cup in December, Benitez was sacked later that month after a "back-me-or-sack-me" ultimatum backfired.

LEONARDO (December 2010 to June 2011)

Inter's decision to take on the former Brazil international was seen as controversial by some, the World Cup winner having enjoyed two spells as a player for city rivals Milan and a former coach of the Rossoneri to boot. Leonardo took over on Christmas Eve 2010 - the day after Benitez's exit - and immediately oversaw an upturn in form. But defeat to Schalke in the Champions League quarter-finals was a surprise loss that did not impress Moratti, while Milan ultimately proved out of reach in the Serie A title race. Leonardo did guide the club to a successful defence of the Coppa Italia, but he left at the end of the season to become director of football at Paris St Germain.

GIAN PIERO GASPERINI (June 2011 to September 2011)

The former Genoa boss became Inter's third coach in a year in June but immediately found the demands of the job too much to handle. His ill-fated reign kicked off with defeat to Milan in the Italian Super Cup, and things only got worse from there. A surprise home loss to Trabzonspor in the Champions League had some fans calling for his removal, but it was lamentable league form that ultimately cost him. Gasperini lost two and drew one of his three Serie A matches, the solitary point coming a goalless stalemate with Roma. The final straw came with a 3-1 loss at newly-promoted Novara.