Rome, 20 April 2024 – When he was on the pitch with the Pumas – best scorer of the 1999 World Cup as fly-half for Argentina – he was “Speedy Gonzalo”. He never lacks speed: in his first season as coach of Italrugby he immediately signed the best Six Nations in the history of the Azzurri (three useful results in a row, with two victories), multiplying dreams and confidence for our oval ball. And then, in a handful of months he learned Italian in an astonishing way.
Gonzalo Quesada, proudly Argentine and equally proud globetrotter, is very similar to the identikit of King Midas for our movement.
“Yes, we had little time to prepare for the Six Nations – he confirms –. The overall result was a great satisfaction for me. After my arrival I listened, discovered, spent time with the team and the staff. I proposed a new methodology of work, promoting our identity, a style of play. Everyone must be involved to develop a general idea.”
Italy seemed to take a double step forward in the last tournament.
“We found a way to defend, then to attack with the game on our feet, following a strategy without losing the team’s DNA. The real achievement: understanding that from challenge to challenge we could have done even better.”
Where can this national team go?
“Now it’s even harder, because we have to confirm ourselves and progress again. In the summer we will also have test matches against Samoa and Tonga, on their pitches which are difficult for everyone. I don’t know how much we will win, but I already know what we will have to improve in defense, attack, being more precise in the various phases of the game.”
The team seems to understand his directives well.
“I lived twenty-five years in Argentina and twenty-five in France. When I arrived here I barely knew a word of Italian. But as a coach, communication is very important. For me it’s a question of respect: if I have to lead Italy, then the language The Italian must always remain in the team. This is not always the case when there is a foreign coach. I am the one who has to adapt, not vice versa. During the two months of the World Cup, before starting my role, I immediately took many lessons “.
You also have a degree in economics.
“Yes, then in France I took a diploma in sports psychology, to be better prepared as a mental coach beyond the technical and tactical aspects of our sport. Leadership and management are topics that I really like. I have a vision Anglo-Saxon of work, but I am and remain Argentine, of Latin culture”.
What impression did our country make on you?
“I find that from a cultural point of view Italy is halfway between Argentina, where everything is always a bit messed up, and France, where life is more structured. I live near Milan to be able to go frequently to Parma and Treviso to follow the matches. My wife Liga has job opportunities here and also friends. I travel a lot and I observe that the Italians have a lot in common with the Argentines. I like how much they believe in friendship.”
He will have already chosen his favorite dish.
“Pasta immediately comes to mind, but it would be a cliché. So I say the cutlet: I tasted it in a dish with aubergines and cheese. A real bomb.”
What are the hobbies of a coach?
“Horses and polo, always. I should dedicate myself to them here in Italy too, but it’s not easy to organize the little time available. In general, riding a horse and playing polo has the effect of a psychologist for me. I can detach myself from so many thoughts.”
Why should a child start playing rugby?
“Because it is a school of life, it is a true method of human training. It is a sport for the education of boys and girls. It promotes true values and helps parents a lot in this. Those who play learn to act in a group, to be generous, to give more than to receive. Rugby has been the axis of my life, since I started at eight years old. Those I met on the field at that age have become my friends forever an incredible opportunity and I will never forget it.”
In accepting the job with Italy he certainly did not face an easy challenge.
“I have always chosen where I can grow as a coach and as a person. At the rebuilding Stade Français we returned to being champions. I agreed to go to the French second division, to Biarritz, for a new development mission. And so to the Jaguares, in Argentina , and again at the Stade Français which was last in the Covid period. It is an honor for me to coach Italy, a huge opportunity. I like being able to have an impact with my work. I immediately said yes to the project of the technical director Daniele Pacini and the federal president Marzio Innocenti”.
The strengths and weaknesses of Gonzalo Quesada.
“I don’t think they are such distinct aspects (smiles, ed.). My strong point is also my limit: I always want to act to the best of my ability and I am therefore very demanding of myself, and also of others. But I think it’s essential to grow and work well. I always put a lot of value into studying, I think it’s essential to create empathy in the group. Maybe I should be less of a workaholic and find some time for myself too “.
Tags: Work study friendship national team deserves
