2/24/03 23:49
Good to see some people finally jumping off the crowded and creaking Roberto
Mancini bandwagon, even though he is going through one of the most important
stretches of his maiden season in charge of Lazio.
Next week there is a UEFA Cup return leg in Krakow, coming after the
disappointing 3-3 home draw with Wisla last Thursday. Then a second Italian
Cup derby with AS Roma, where again the Biancazzurri will be asked to make
up for a poor first-leg showing (a 2-1 home defeat - 'home' of course being
the very same Stadio Olimpico where they will play the Giallorossi again).
It was only three months ago that everybody was marvelling at how Mancini
had not only kept his squad together in the face of mounting financial
troubles and unpaid wages, but had actually taken them to the top of Serie
A after an extraordinary and seemingly effortless winning streak.
That most of those wins were coming in away games had been another intriguing
aspect. It appeared that Mancini had been able to knit the squad so close
together that they enjoyed the spirit of an away day - just like a bunch of
supporters.
As simplistic as that explanation was, Lazio nevertheless kept winning and
Mancini was praised for his tactical nous, displayed in such daring
experiments as successfully playing Jaap Stam as a right back.
But December and January passed and the Lazio novelty wore off, with news
off the pitch becoming more and more headline-worthy.
Parent company Cirio's financial troubles forced the resignation of owner
Sergio Cragnotti on January 3, leaving the club in control of a consortium
of banks.
Meanwhile, an old friend and director, Ugo Longo, took over with Parma
executive director (and Cragnotti business partner) Luca Baraldi, who was
brought in to cut costs and manage the debts.
The lone constant during those weeks of turmoil was Mancini, who had managed
to keep financial worries away from the Formello training ground - more than
can be said of security guards when it came to angry fans protesting against
Cragnotti last summer.
Mancini kept remarkable composure throughout and it now seems he has emerged
from an awkward stage of his career, convincing many he is not just a former
player who has skipped all the traditional formative stages and is lucky to
be in a top coaching job.
As a player, Mancini's intensity and strong personality made him a cult
figure at two different clubs, something you don't do very easily in
football.
His debut in Serie A was with Bologna in September 1981, when 'Mancio' was
only 16. Thirty appearances and nine goals later, after Bologna had gone
down to the Serie B for the first time in their history, controversial
president Tommaso Fabbretti sold him to Sampdoria for nearly two billion
liras.
It was the start of perhaps the happiest chapter in Mancini's career. He
stayed at Samp for fifteen seasons, bringing home an historic first ever
Scudetto in the 1990-91 campaign and taking the club to the European Cup
Final at Wembley the next year, when only a last-gasp free kick from Ronald
Koeman gave Barcelona a 1-0 win.
His relationship with another Sampdoria icon, Gianluca Vialli, meant the
team had a couple of extremely talented forwards; Vialli being the more
muscular type while Mancini was at home playing off his more active partner
and feeding him exquisite passes.
It was only when legendary Sampdoria owner Paolo Mantovani passed away in
1993 that Mancini began having second thoughts about the club, and more so
after Vialli had been sold to Juventus in 1992 as the team appeared to be
losing its family atmosphere.
Mancini didn't leave until 1997, when he followed Sven Goran Eriksson to
the sky blue half of Rome, where he became the team's spiritual leader,
taking Beppe Signori's place as the fans' favourite while using his strong
will to keep teammates in line.
Lazio cruised to their second ever Scudetto in 1999-2000 under Eriksson's
guidance and Mancini's leadership, but soon - like Eriksson - 'Mancio' was
on his way out, joining Leicester City briefly in January 2001.
Mancini's stay at Filbert Street was limited to four games (one as a sub)
before Fiorentina, already feeling the first effects of the financial crisis
which would wipe them out a year later, hired him - despite complaints from
rival coaches that he had already been involved with another Serie A club
that season.
And although Mancini showed he'd learned enough under Eriksson and former
Sampdoria coach Vujadin Boskov by leading the Viola to the Italian Cup in
2001, he was powerless amid financial chaos and left midway through the
following season as they sank towards Serie B.
Long-time admirer Cragnotti wasted no time in bringing him back to work with
Alberto Zaccheroni, who of course was soon out of the door, leaving 'Mancio'
in another Fiorentina-like situation as Cirio's cashflow problems began to
bite.
Mancini's secret through all this? He has managed to tread the fine line
betwen being a teammate and being the boss, and his coaching style on the
sidelines has already caught the eye and especially the ear of many.
While not resorting to theatrics and histrionic gestures, Mancini has been
known to be a constant talker, reminding players on the bench of tactical
points and lever letting anyone who's on the pitch pass by him without giving
him tips on where to go and what to do.
With a strong personality and youth on his side (he'll be 39 in November),
Mancini might well be on his way to great things - and even the national
team, where he could never establish himself in 36 games as a player.
But that's only if he is willing to subject himself to the second-guessing
and constant criticism that being leading the Azzurri involves...
Roberto Gotta,ESPN
--
"Life is a lot more beautiful when you have to
struggle and fight for something"
--
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