There is a football before and after Arrigo Sacchi. A man who wrote the history of sport, revolutionizing the role of the coach and the football philosophy of half of Europe. So much so that some of the most important coaches in the world have said on several occasions that they were inspired by him: from Guardiola to Ancelotti via Klopp, Pochettino and Sarri, to name a few. Who better than the poet of Fusignano to analyze the current moment in Serie A.
Let’s start with the Old Lady: Giuntoli focuses on Thiago Motta. Is it the right choice?
«I say yes. I like Thiago a lot. He was a good player and will become an excellent coach. In Bologna he did very well. He is a strategist in a country dominated by tacticians who play defensively and on the mistakes of others. Juventus has always had tactical coaches, with Thiago there will be a turning point in terms of play and ideas.”
What are tactical coaches?
«Those who make you spend a lot of money because they don’t believe in the game and in the team, so they only want the best players role by role to make up for the lack of ideas. Tacticians play a game that is not a real game. Football is an offensive and team sport that tacticians have transformed into an individual and defensive one.”
Milan fans are unhappy with Fonseca’s arrival.
«I’ve lost sight of Fonseca a bit in recent years, so I prefer not to go into specifics. Let’s hope he turns out to be a strategist at Milan, he also seems more like a tactician. He certainly isn’t a name I would have thought of.”
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Who would have looked good on the Rossoneri bench?
«De Zerbi. A boy who has always done well wherever he has been. He would have been the ideal coach for Milan. Roberto is one of the best technicians around. I’ll tell you something: I respected him so much that 5 years ago I helped him go to Sassuolo, reporting him to Carnevali.”
Gasperini made Atalanta great on an international level. Is he the best Italian coach?
«He is certainly one of the best in the world. This year I also mention Inzaghi among the top. Simone has evolved a lot, becoming more and more of a strategist. The leap in quality made by Inter in terms of play is there for all to see.”
Bologna is thinking of Italiano and Sarri. Who is best suited?
«I can see both clearly. I like Vincenzo a lot: it’s just a shame about the lost finals, but he has had a great journey. Sarri needs a club that supports him. I’ll tell you an anecdote…”.
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Please.
«When he went to Juve, I told him that he was wrong because it wasn’t the right club for him and he would have found many players who weren’t suited to his football strategy. Unfortunately, the facts proved me right.”
An emerging coach who deserves more consideration?
«I’ll mention Baroni: he performed a miracle with Verona, playing well and saving the team despite having sold everyone to him in January. Vanoli is in B: I know him well. When I was in charge of the national youth teams, Paolo was the coach of the Under 17s. Vanoli is a coach who tries to do things well, he has knowledge. Football at a high level, in fact, requires great knowledge: without that there is no courage and innovation.”
Is his disciple Ancelotti the best coach in the world?
«It certainly is together with Guardiola. Carlo is the best person in the world of football. Better qualities? The great knowledge of the game and the fact that he is a serious and very generous person.”
How do you see the national team at Euro 2024?
«Spalletti created a masterpiece in the year in which Napoli sold all their most famous players. Winning the Scudetto while dominating was something special. His Napoli didn’t seem like an Italian team. The attacker today is the first defender and the defenders must be the first attackers.”
Can he replicate the Napoli model in the national team?
«Our football is based on money and the quality of the individual, it becomes difficult for a coach, even a very good one like him, to give a game in a short time. How can he do it in just 3 training sessions?”.
What are the evils of football?
«We are how we live and we live badly. Ours is now a difficult and perhaps even impossible country. In Italy we try to do things where we earn more instead of doing things well and in the right way.”
Finally, a curiosity: is there a Serie A player you would like to coach?
«Marcus Thuram. The Frenchman impressed me a lot this year with his generosity, strength and desire to improve. I coached his father Lillian in Parma: a phenomenon as a player and a very intelligent person.”
