EXCLUSIVE: Ternana boss Breda talks Mancini, facing Salernitana and celebrating Delio Rossi

And for the Salernitana hero, stringing together positive results needs more than simply a big budget when coaching in Serie B.

"Serie B is always the same, it's a difficult league to compete in," Breda told Flashscore partner Tribalfootball.com. "Maybe this season there aren't so big names like Cagliari or Genoa but it remains a very difficult league.

"For the moment Parma is more the favourite than anyother, but also there's teams like Palermo and Venezia. I expect also teams like Spezia and Cremonese to return to the position they deserve.

"Then there's Sampdoria. They've made a team with young players. In my opinion, to be promoted to Serie A is not only about the players but also the organisation inside the club, the club structure, etc."

And Breda should know, the 54 year-old has spent over 12 years working in Serie B. Livorno, Vicenza and his beloved Salernitana, where he played over 200 games over two spells, among the clubs he's managed. But beyond the senior posts, Breda admits it was his break with Reggina's youth team that he regards as the most critical job of his career.

"The most important has been the first one at Reggina with the Primavera team and from there they gave me the chance to coach the first team. I have spent some years in Serie C and the others in Serie B as a coach," Breda recalls.

"I think if it had not been for Reggina as an opportunity I wouldn't have had the career I had."

As for influences, while he is a favourite of Salernitana fans, Breda did achieve title glory during his playing career with both Sampdoria and Parma. By his own admission, "I was never a protagonist", but working with Samp great Vujadin Boskov and Parma's former coach Alberto Malesani was an experience he still leans on today.

"These two are coaches of major contrasts. Boskov was more like a manager in a football that hadn't changed yet. Malesani was a coach different from the others at that time and he was always very prepared.

"But the coach who made the difference in my career was Delio Rossi. He was very organised with a unique kind of training style and he was the person who made me think of going into coaching."

Capped at U21 level by Italy, Breda was much coveted as a young midfielder and enjoyed his time at Serie A level, "(Zinedine) Zidane was without doubt my toughest opponent. He was incredible".

"The most beautiful period was with Sampdoria," he recalls. "At 15 years old I left home to go and play there and at 18 years old I made my debut in Serie A.

"At that time Sampdoria was a strong team, had players like (Roberto) Mancini and (Gianluca) Vialli and in those years the club won two titles.

"Also at that time there was a a wonderful president at the club, (Paolo) Mantovani, who created a wonderful atmosphere and built a team with a high level of morale.

"Another beautiful experience in which I was lucky was with Parma. I went there and played with players like (Gianluigi) Buffon, (Fabio) Cannavaro and (Lilian) Thuram.

"We won different titles in that period and in that experience, I was more mature as a player and I was more involved."

But as mentioned, it was with Salernitana where Breda put down roots. Not only playing for the club over two periods, he also was head coach immediately after that first senior post with Reggina.

Now watching on from afar, Breda is amazed how his old haunt have managed to remain in the top-flight for three seasons.

"The Serie A is a difficult league and to stay in the league every year is not easy at all. The fact that Salernitana is there for a third year in a row demonstrates that they have done a good job.

"(Paulo) Sousa last year did a good job over a few months, but this year they started badly due to the contact he had with Napoli - and for other reasons.

"Now with (Pippo) Inzaghi, I know him well because I have played against his teams at different times in Serie B. I can say he is very humble, a hardworking guy, and puts a lot of effort into his job.

"He has a lot to offer and I hope that he will be the right man to give what is needed so Salernitana will not be in this position at season's end."

Certainly given his early impact, it does seem Ternana have also found the "right man" in Roberto Breda. It's been over 48 years since Ternana have competed in Serie A, could Breda be the man to finally return the club to Italy's elite?