[Viewpoint] The pit dug by the melon stream must be filled in by the Italian ancestors

Text/Jing Pu

The Italian coach's change is a natural result. Being a coach can no longer gain trust - all-round trust, from his superiors, to players, and then to public opinion, he must be dismissed.

Sparetti is very clear about this. Norway 0-3, triggering a comprehensive crisis of trust, and reality should also wake him up. With Italy's financial resources, the first place in the group is probably over, not to mention the playoffs, and it is almost over, not to mention that he can't do anything.

It is also natural that the Italian public is calling for Ranieri's outing, followed by Pioli.

Why do people so concentrated on identifying Ranieri (and Pioli)? Why did Spaletti fail? Is this failure expected?

The answers to these questions are coherent.

Sparetti's failure is inevitable. As the head coach, he has had the concept and practice of success, but his personality is too sensitive and emotional, and he is extremely unstable. When he defeated Allegri for the first time in his life, he chased the other party and asked the other party to shake hands to congratulate him. He clashed with Milan in the Champions League, and was sentenced by Maldini, "You have won the league firmly, so why are you talking about?", which immediately ran away, reflecting his fragile and inferior heart.

The team coached by Spaletti was deeply influenced by the coach's personal temperament. The most famous one was the night when he was taught 7-1 by Ferguson's Manchester United in the 2006-07 season. This temperament has brought it to the national team, and it is Italy, which has been in a very unsatisfactory situation recently. The European Cup has shown Italy's true family fortune. After a whole season of Norway, his subordinates were tired and even unwilling to fight. There was a storm of Archerby's open refusal to fight. All the signs pointed to Spaletti, and the 0-3 tragedy was just a natural result. When Haaland passed the goalkeeper and pushed the third goal, all the Italian players had stopped and even lost their willingness to chase the goal line.

In contrast, when Ranieri took over, Rome had completely failed to herd sheep. The pot-firing maker slowly gathered the team, reunited people's hearts, and gradually recovered his combat effectiveness. He was one step away from the first four, but finally qualified for the Europa League, which was generally regarded as a miracle.

And it is not accidental that Rome was so sad that the public basically agreed that it was impossible for Ranieri. What is rare is that everyone has faith in Ranieri and he will definitely come back to life, just like this time he is called to save Italy.

The pot maker of the past has become a recognized pot god today. Although Ranieri has clearly retired, the Football Association and even the media have morally kidnapped him out through his inner enthusiasm for football that has not yet completely faded.

Ranieri, who has few champions, has a general reputation for coaching career. From the pot-making maker who was ridiculed and sarcastic in the early stage to the pot-killer who is unanimously recognized today, it reflects the profound changes in the public's perception of football. Ranieri, who was confronted by Lippi, Capello, and Ancelotti in the same era, was set off by the champions. It was not until the later stages of coaching that people slowly appreciated his goodness.

Like other football families, the Italian coaching circle has long been divided into two factions. One is keeping up with fashion trends and advocating scenes. Their concept is close to the Spanish melon-style transmission and control system. It is quite popular with Italian football celebrity Saki, and he is usually whispered by his articles.

Sparletti is this category, and similar ones are Surrey and Plandelli.

The other type is the traditional conservatives who stick to the ancestral ideas of Italy. All defense is the priority, not seeking the scene, but seeking the truth, and practicality is the main focus. The game is often extremely dull. This type is regarded as outdated, but the team is huge, and Allegri, Ranieri, and Pioli are all representatives.

In plain language, the former type of beautiful football should be praised, and the latter type of ugly football should be criticized.

However, in Italian history, the latter category has extremely tenacious vitality, with many famous coaches, and the champions are far more than the previous category. Moreover, many famous coaches who have been listed in the first category have actually been transformed into the second category, such as Ancelotti, Mancini, Inzaghi, Ancelotti Milan in the early stages, and the "Fourth 10" design made him enter the ranks of beauty in one fell swoop, but in fact, he is an old school in the bones. Real Madrid's second-phase Champions League, especially the first in the second phase (his personal fourth), almost completely relied on defending, hoping to fight back quickly, or a superstar's inspiration appears. When Mancini coached Italy, he claimed to be following the European pass and control, but in fact he still relied on his own ancestral skills to save his life at the last moment, especially Spain and England in the last two European Cup games, which was to standby and delay the ball and get it done.

Italian football has been exploring the way to survive by weak and strong in professional competition for a long time. The mainstream among Italian coaches has absorbed the essence of this school of thought and cultivated generations of famous defenders at the historical palace level. Until the 2021 European Cup, Italy still enjoyed the remaining heat of the last two world-class central defenders Chiellini and Bonucci when he won the championship.

is the first type of beauty school. In addition to playing some famous scenes, it has also left many big scores. Spaletti's 1-7 is hard to surpass. Plandelli's European Cup final against Spain 0-4, and it cannot last longer. The latest is Mota, who is too theoretical, has only theory, but has no choice but to be at a loss for the ever-changing team.

But under the clamor of "pursuing advanced trends", Italy, which has lost its defense line education foundation, has rarely contributed top defenders. Even for practical people, it is difficult for them to find a few reliable Italian defenders at hand. Under the premise that there is a lack of comprehensive talents in the midfield and frontcourt, Spalletti has no one to help him realize his technical and tactical skills. In Naples, he has Kim Min-jae behind him, Osimone and Kvara in front, helping him realize his technical and tactical ideas, while in the Italian team, he does not have any star at the level.

So Spaletti's failure is destined, but the pot god Ranieri, although his ability to manage bad teams is widely recognized, after all, the soldiers he has at hand are no different from Spaletti. This time he saved Rome, only one step away from the Champions League line. Don’t forget that the last time he saved Rome, "nearly saved the fire to win the championship", was only one step away - he took over Rome after two rounds of the 2009-10 season. In the situation where he had surpassed Mourinho, he failed and was reversed, which became a lifelong regret for Ranieri. Even though he later went on the eve of Leicester's title, what he never forgets most was the painful history of Rome.

The two pot gods saved Rome, and they were only one step away from the miracle. It is difficult to guarantee that this time they would not reappear. In the end, Italy has improved, but the hole in Norway was too big to 3, and it was not filled in the end.

By the way, in the 2009-10 season, Roma lost two consecutive times, so he asked to take the blame. At that time, he was replaced by...Sparletti! In the dark, isn’t this a coincidence of history?