In December 2006, he joined Padova of Serie C1, leading them from the relegation zone to the battle for a spot in the promotion playoffs, then narrowly missed.

[2] He guided the neroverdi through their debut season in the Italian second tier, leading Sassuolo to an impressive seventh place.

On 15 September 2010, Andrea Mandorlini was sacked by CFR Cluj due to a poor start in the season; his dismissal was announced only days before his UEFA Champions League debut against FC Basel.

[5] On 9 November 2010 he was announced as new head coach of Lega Pro Prima Divisione fallen giants Verona, as a replacement for dismissed boss Giuseppe Giannini.

[7] In his Verona stint, Mandolini succeeded in winning two promotions, bringing the team back to Serie A from the third tier, and maintaining it in a safe mid-table position throughout their 2013–14 comeback season in the top flight.

[8] On 19 February 2017, Mandorlini returned into management as new head coach of Serie A club Genoa in place of Ivan Jurić, signing a one-and-a-half-year contract.