Lecce coach Eusebio Di Francesco has been given a vote of confidence despite his team's poor start to the season. Sunday's 2-0 defeat against Cagliari dropped Lecce to 18th in Serie A.

They have won just once and lost four times in their past five games and reports in Italy have suggested the club are considering potential replacements for Di Francesco. However, Lecce club administrator Renato Cipollini rubbished the rumours.

"Since the start of the campaign we knew we needed to be patient," Cipollini told Corriere dello Sport. "I thought that at this stage of the campaign we would be in a higher position in the standings than where we are now, however, that does not mean that we should throw away the work done by our coach.

"It's right to give our coach time and no one has thought of replacing him." Lecce visit Genoa after the international break before hosting defending champions AC Milan on 23 October.