Vittorio Pozzo
Torino manager in 1920 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Date of birth | 2 March 1886 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Turin, Kingdom of Italy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Date of death | 21 December 1968 | (aged 82)|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of death | Turin, Italy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Position(s) | Midfielder[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1905–1906 | Grasshoppers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1906–1911 |
Torino | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Managerial career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1912 | Italy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1912–1922 |
Torino | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1921 | Italy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1924 | Italy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1924–1926 |
Milan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1929–1948 | Italy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Vittorio Pozzo (Italian pronunciation: [vitˈtɔːrjo ˈpottso]; 2 March 1886 – 21 December 1968) was an Italian football player, manager and journalist.
The creator of the Metodo tactical formation, Pozzo is regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time,[2] and is the only manager to guide a national team to two FIFA World Cup titles as coach,[3] leading the Italy national team to victory in the 1934 and 1938 FIFA World Cups.[4] Nicknamed Il Vecchio Maestro ("The Old Master"),[5] he also led Italy to a gold medal at the 1936 Olympic football tournament, becoming the only manager to win both Olympic Games and World Cup, and managed the Italian championship squads of the 1930 and 1935 editions of the Central European International Cup.
Early life
Vittorio Pozzo was born in
Playing career
As a player, Pozzo played professionally in Switzerland for
Coaching career
Early career
Until the
Throughout his first term, the national team was guided by this diverse group of people. With the brief exception of Augusto Rangone (in 1925–1928) and Carlo Carcano (1928–1929), Pozzo was the only person to play the role of sole commissioner until the sixties. Pozzo would also serve with the Alpini as lieutenant during the First World War.[6]
In 1921, Pozzo was commissioned by the Football Association to study a draft reform of the league to address the tensions between the bigger and the smaller teams, because it was thought that the number of participants in the championship had to be reduced. The mediation failed resulting in the split between the
In 1924, for the occasion of the 1924 Summer Olympics, Pozzo was again appointed sole head coach. This time Italy were able to reach the quarter-finals, where they were defeated 2–1 by Switzerland. After this defeat, Pozzo resigned and returned to devote himself to his work and his wife, who shortly after died due to a disease. After the death of his wife, he moved to Milan, where he held his job at Pirelli, alongside his work as a journalist for La Stampa in Turin, which he continued almost until his death.[6]
Successes with Italy during the 1930s
First Central European International Cup title
Pozzo returned to coach the Italy national team on a permanent basis in December 1929.[13] Italy won the 1930 edition of the Central European International Cup, defeating Hungary 5–0 in Budapest.[14] They pipped the title from Meisl's Austrian side, the so-called Wunderteam, who went on to win the second edition of the tournament two years later.
Following the 1930 defeat to
1934 World Cup
During the
The Battle of Highbury, second Central European International Cup title, and 1936 Olympics
Pozzo also coached Italy in the Battle of Highbury on 14 November 1934 against England, led by Arsenal's Wilf Copping at the team's home ground, which ended 3–2 in favour of England.[24][25]
Italy defended their Central European International Cup title in 1935 under Pozzo,[26] going into the 1936 Summer Olympics on the back of a run which had seen them lose only to Austria and England; they went on to win the gold medal in the tournament, defeating Austria 2–1 in extra time.[27][28]
1938 World Cup
By the time of the
Between 1938 and 1939, Pozzo held the record for most consecutive wins for Italy, with nine, until the record was eventually broken in 2019 by Roberto Mancini.[36][37] From 24 November 1935 against Hungary until 20 July 1939 against Finland, Pozzo also led Italy on a record 30-match unbeaten streak, until it was surpassed in 2021.[38][39]
Later coaching career (1939–1948)
During World War II, Pozzo remained in position throughout the hostilities. At the
His last, excruciating, official act, in 1949, was helping with the recognition of the torn bodies of the players of the Grande Torino team, his friends and pupils, who died on 4 May in the Superga air disaster from which he escaped himself for not being able to go with the team to Lisbon.[6][42][43][44][45]
Style of management
The Metodo system
Until the 1930s, a common tactic in football was the so-called pyramid of Cambridge, which is a
Pozzo and Meisl developed the idea of an array with two defenders as
Pozzo was also known to be a pioneer in his use of pre-tournament training camps.[53] He is regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time.[2]
Oriundi
The other matter that Pozzo benefited from was the
In response to the criticisms surrounding his decision to call upon oriundi players in the victorious World Cup of 1934, he said: "If they can die for Italy, they can also play for Italy", referring to the fact that they had also served in the Italian army.[6][55][56]
He was also a fan of
Controversies
Brian Glanville has stated that Pozzo was not a fascist;[57] he did, however, work alongside Giorgio Vaccaro during the 1934 World Cup campaign – a general from the fascist militia, who was also the head of the Italian Football Federation at the time.[29][58] According to Gian Paolo Ormezzano, Pozzo was neither a fascist nor anti-fascist, while Giorgio Bocca considered him to be an officer of the Alpini and a reluctant fascist of the regime by association, "...one who appreciated punctual trains, but could not stand squadrismi, who paid homage to the monument dedicated to the Alpini, but not to the fascists' memorials."[50] Following the Second World War, however, Pozzo was excluded from Italian football, due to being accused of cooperating with the fascist government, and of participating in the Italian Social Republic; as such, the new Turin stadium was not dedicated to him. Despite his associations with fascism, however, he was not a member of the National Fascist Party, and documents demonstrated that he collaborated with the National Liberation Committee as of September 1943.[50][59][60]
The 1938 edition of the FIFA World Cup took place in France, where numerous refugees who had escaped the fascist regime in Italy were strongly against the Italian national team's participation in the tournament.[61] In the first match of the Italian national team, against the Norwegian national team, among the 22,000 spectators there were 3,000 escaped anti-fascist Italians who opposed "Mussolini's national team," and jeered at them in protest. Pozzo replied to the demonstration with a memorable and highly controversial episode. During the presentation of the teams on the field, the Italian players had made the fascist salute, as it was custom for them to do at the time. As a result, they were overwhelmed by the jeers and whistles of protest from the crowd. Pozzo feared that that reception would demoralise the players. When the whistles diminished, after the players had lowered their arms, Pozzo, who was lined up with the team in the centre of the field, ordered them to perform another Roman salute. He later commented on the incident, stating: "Having won the battle of intimidation, we played."[29][31][53][59][62]
Pozzo ordered the players to continue with the
After football
Pozzo became a journalist with
Death and legacy
After watching
Honours
Manager
- Italy[6]
- FIFA World Cup: 1934, 1938
- Central European International Cup: 1927–30, 1933–35
- Men's Olympic football Gold Medal: 1936
Individual
- Italian Football Hall of Fame: 2011[67]
- World Soccer Magazine 13th Greatest Manager of All Time: 2013[68][69]
Orders
- Stella al Merito Sportivo[70]
See also
- Jill Ellis, the first woman manager to win two consecutive FIFA Women's World Cup coaching one team.
References
- ^ Vittorio Pozzo at WorldFootball.net
- ^ a b Jamie Rainbow (4 July 2013). "The Greatest manager of all time". World Soccer. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- ^ "Record e Curiosità". La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 6 May 2016.
- ^ a b "Vittorio Pozzo – 'Old Master' helped make Italian football". FIFA. Archived from the original on 20 March 2016. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- ^ a b "Sportstar : Thursday, March 22, 2012". Hinduonnet.com. Archived from the original on 3 May 2011. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "MUSEO VITTORIO POZZO: BIOGRAFIA" (in Italian). museovittoriopozzo.it. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
- ^ Mondadori, Oscar (2004). Calcio e fascismo – Lo sport nazionale sotto Mussolini. Milano.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ ISBN 8830409189.
- ^ "Vittorio Pozzo – Quando il calcio parlava italiano". lastoriasiamonoi.rai.it. Rai Italia. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
- ^ "CT Nazionale Maschile" (in Italian). FIGC.it.
- ISBN 8815087648.
- ^ Nolan, Kevin (23 November 2014). "Calcio's failed Pozzo Project". thesefootballtimes.co. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ^ a b "Italy – International Matches 1920–1929". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
- ^ Reyes, Macario (21 April 2011). "1st International Cup". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
- ^ "Raimundo Bibian Orsi – Goals in International Matches". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
- ^ Reyes, Macario (21 April 2011). "2nd International Cup". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
- ^ a b Molinaro, John F. (24 November 2009). "1934 World Cup: Italy wins for Il Duce". CBC Sports. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
- ^ Jack Dennison (20 January 2013). "Football and Fascism: The 1934 World Cup". goldengenerations.wordpress.com.
- ^ Baker 1988:248
- ^ Wilson 2009:71
- ^ a b Ashdown, John (19 April 2018). "World Cup stunning moments: Austria's Wunderteam go close". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ^ Parkinson, Gary (19 June 2018). "Rated! The greatest sides NOT to win the World Cup". ca.sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ^ Kelly, Jon (25 February 2015). "What happened to the Qatar World Cup's cooling technology?". BBC. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
- ^ "From the Vault: England and Italy do battle at Highbury in 1934". The Guardian. London. 12 November 2008. Retrieved 2 May 2010.
- ^ "England 3 Italy 2 – Report". englandfootballonline.com. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ^ Reyes, Macario (21 April 2011). "3rd International Cup". RSSF.com. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
- ^ Doyle, Paul (24 November 2011). "The forgotten story of … football, farce and fascism at the 1936 Olympics – Paul Doyle". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015.
- ^ "MATCHES". FIFA. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
- ^ a b c d e "World Cup: 25 stunning moments … No8: Mussolini's blackshirts' 1938 win". The Guardian. 1 April 2014.
- ^ "Da Leonidas a Montpellier, 70 anni di Italia-Brasile" (in Italian). tuttosport.com. 9 February 2009. Archived from the original on 14 October 2012.
- ^ a b "1938: un aereo tra Brasile e Italia" (in Italian). Napoli.com. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
- ^ Molinaro, John F. (24 November 2009). "1938 World Cup: Italy repeats as champions". CBC Sports. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- ^ Molinaro, John (9 June 2018). "History of the World Cup: 1938 – Italy repeats as champions". Sportsnet. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ^ Schaerlaeckens, Leander (7 July 2019). "Jill Ellis was vindicated at this Women's World Cup". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
- ^ McIntyre, Doug (7 July 2019). "What does the future hold for USWNT coach Jill Ellis after World Cup?". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
- ^ "Mancini equals Pozzo record". Football Italia. 15 October 2019.
- ^ "Italy: Dominant display in Bosnia". Football Italia. 15 November 2019. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
- ^ "Pozzo, Vittorio" (in Italian). Italia 1910. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
- ^ "Italy need extra time to beat Austria". BBC Sport. 26 June 2021. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
- ^ "CT" (in Italian). nazionaleitalianacalcio.it. Archived from the original on 30 August 2002. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
- ^ Saffer, Paul (21 May 2016). "The unsackables: Europe's longest-serving coaches". UEFA. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ^ Castelnovi, Giuseppe; Gregori, Claudio (4 May 1999). "Un grido: "E' morto il Torino"". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 22 October 2019.
- ^ "Le parole di Vittorio Pozzo sulla tragedia di Superga, e il riconoscimento di Menti" (in Italian). FIGC. 4 May 2017.
- ^ Brera, Gianni (4 May 1989). "Gianni Brera: Superga, nel dolore il calcio cambiò" (in Italian). storiedicalcio.altervista.org. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
- ^ Colombo, Marco (4 May 2019). "Il Toro non c'è più – 2/4". Il Fatto Quotidiano (in Italian). Retrieved 22 October 2019.
- ^ Rice-Coates, Callum (15 February 2018). "World Cup Countdown: 18 Weeks to Go – Are Pozzo's Italy the Greatest National Team Ever?". 90min.com. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ^ Radogna, Fiorenzo (20 December 2018). "Mezzo secolo senza Vittorio Pozzo, il mitico (e discusso) c.t. che cambiò il calcio italiano: Ritiri e regista". Il Corriere della Sera (in Italian). p. 8. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
- ^ Wilson 2009:69
- ^ Wilson, Jonathan (26 October 2010). "The Question: Are Barcelona reinventing the W-W formation?". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
- ^ a b c Colombo, Marco (21 December 2018). "Vittorio Pozzo, 50 anni fa la morte del ct che vinse tutto nel periodo sbagliato. Così venne dimenticato, ma collaborò col Cln". Il Fatto Quotidiano (in Italian). Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ^ Owens, Joe (9 February 2018). "World Cup Countdown: 19 Weeks to Go – Vittorio Pozzo's 1934 Italian Tactical Revolution". 90min.com. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ^ "Storie di schemi: l'evoluzione della tattica" (in Italian). Storie di Calcio. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
- ^ a b Ford, Matt (12 June 2018). "Joachim Löw and the luxury of longevity". dw.com. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
- ^ a b "Azzurro oriundo, ma serve in un Mondiale?". gqitalia.it. GQ Italia. 9 June 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
- ^ Brian Glanville (5 July 2004). "Luck or judgment? Managerial choices at Euro 2004 raise eyebrows". Sports Illustrated/CNN. Retrieved 5 November 2006.
"If they can die for Italy then can play for Italy!" thundered Italy's commanding chief Vittorio Pozzo.
- ^ Jones, Grahame L. (4 June 1990). "Il Duce Demand Met in Overtime : The Last Time World Cup Was in Italy, Home Team Was Told 'Win . . . or Else'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ISBN 978-1-4721-1051-0. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ^ "1934: first World Cup win". FIGC. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ^ a b "UN MITO DIMENTICATO" (in Italian). enciclopediadelcalcio.it. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ^ Radogna, Fiorenzo (20 December 2018). "Mezzo secolo senza Vittorio Pozzo, il mitico (e discusso) c.t. che cambiò il calcio italiano: Fascismo e polemiche". Il Corriere della Sera (in Italian). p. 7. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ISBN 0-203-47658-1.
- ^ a b "Mondiali 1938: un Fascio di polemiche" (in Italian). storiedicalcio.altervista.org. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ^ Gallagher, Jack (11 July 2019). "Vittorio Pozzo: Metodo, Mussolini, Meazza & the Difficult Memory of a Two-Time World Cup Winner". 90min.com. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ^ Pizzigallo, Claudio (21 April 2016). "SPECIALE STADI TORINO: I 5 impianti esistenti in cui hanno giocato Juve e Toro" (in Italian). Torino Today. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
- ^ Pizzigallo, Claudio (21 April 2016). "Dall'Umberto I al "nuovo" Grande Torino, gli 11 stadi della storia calcistica torinese" (in Italian). Torino Today. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
- ^ "Inaugurato il museo dedicato a Vittorio Pozzo I cimeli raccontano la storia del calcio azzurro". La Stampa (in Italian). 29 April 2016. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
- ^ "Hall of fame, 10 new entry: con Vialli e Mancini anche Facchetti e Ronaldo" [Hall of fame, 10 new entries: with Vialli and Mancini also Facchetti and Ronaldo]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 27 October 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
- ^ Jamie Rainbow (4 July 2013). "The Greatest Manager of all time". World Soccer.
- ^ Jamie Rainbow (2 July 2013). "The Greatest XI: how the panel voted". World Soccer.
- ^ "La Stella al Merito Sportivo a Vittorio Pozzo". La Stampa (in Italian). No. 150. 25 June 1938. p. 2.
External links
- Biography of Vittorio Pozzo Yahoo.com
- Vittorio Pozzo – What they said FIFA.com
- Vittorio Pozzo International Statistics at Italia1910.com (in Italian)
Bibliography
- Baker, William Joseph (1988), Sports in the Western World, Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, ISBN 978-0-252-06042-7
- Wilson, Jonathan (2009), Inverting the Pyramid: The History of Football Tactics, London: Orion, ISBN 978-1-4091-0204-5