Calcio II: Catenaccio Reloaded

**Deisler26** · 08-11-2011 09:30

“The perfect game of football would end in 0-0” - Gianni Brera

The Brief: The world of football has moved on inexorably. 2-3-5 gave way to 4-4-2 which gave rise to 4-5-1 which, in turn, gave rise to the current 4-3-3 that is in vogue. Now and then, you get coaches and teams appear with systems that break the mold or reinvent the wheel. Roles such as the trequarista, the false Number 9 have sprung up in order to make sense of the fast-changing tactical world of football. However, I propose to try to go back in time and try to take a Serie C2 side all the way up to Serie A, using the famous Catenaccio method designed by Karl Rappan and popularised by Inter's manager Helenio Herrera in the 1960's. I will attempt to play with a sweeper, but if none can play, I shall use a flat back system. I will also borrow from LLM, in that I will advertise ALL jobs for the club and only sign players I have scouted and/or trialled. Forza Italia!

The Goal: The goal is simple. Reach Serie A using the Catenaccio method. I will start as a young Italian manager who never got past the semi-pro stage. Once I reach Serie A, I will need to stay up for at least one season. Then I will consider my options. The ultimate goal overall is to win a Scudetto with Torino, in honour of the great side that was sadly lost to us. I will also try to keep the club as Italian as possible overall. Every time I'm sacked, I can only consider jobs at the same level or below in Italy.

The Setup: Austria, Belgium, England, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Portugal, Spain & Sweden, all fully loaded with a large database

**deltablue** · 08-11-2011 09:32

Interesting aim, should be fun.

**Deisler26** · 08-11-2011 09:37

Thanks man. Was really inspired by the book 'Calcio' to try and emulate it all!

**Deisler26** · 08-11-2011 10:05

Santarcangelo Calcio

Santarcangelo Calcio is an Italian association football club, based in Santarcangelo di Romagna, Emilia-Romagna. The club currently plays in Lega Pro Seconda Divisione (Serie C2). The ASD Santarcangelo sports association founded in 1926 is the most popular football in the area of Santarcangelo di Romagna as the team found a good following among local audiences who follows them fanatically. In the 2009/10 Serie D championship, Santarcangelo was placed in fifth position and the very next season, was promoted to Serie C2. The team plays in yellow and blue. These colours appear also in the badge. The team's symbol is the famous Cockerel of Romagna.

The stadium where the team plays home matches, is dedicated to the memory of Valentino Mazzola, the legendary Torino player killed in the Superga tragedy on 1949. Taking into account all sectors, the stadia has a capacity of 3000 seats; the size of the field are 65m x 105m.

(information from Wikipedia)

**Adelaidean** · 08-11-2011 10:44

Fantastic aim! I was enthralled by the tale of catenaccio and la grande Inter in Inverting the Pyramid, but I haven't got around to reading John Foot's book yet, hoping to soon though.

Good luck with this!

**SnakeXe** · 08-11-2011 10:48

Will be interested to see how you implement Catenaccio in the FM tactical system, good luck!

**noikeee** · 08-11-2011 11:40

This sounds awesome, I have a irrational thing for italian football. <3 What happens to your Leiria career though, giving up on it?

**aaberdeenn** · 08-11-2011 12:08

I won the Scudetto with Verona on 2010 after 18 seasons in charge using an entirely Italian born squad.

I only ever signed one non-Italian in my entire reign who was Croatian goalkeeper Matej Delac as there was a serious lack of decent Italian goalkeepers at the time and he filled the spot for years.

If I remember correctly though he finally moved on a few years before the triumph which also included winning the Coppa Italia for the first time during that same season.

Undoubtedly my finest season on FM.

---

Good luck with this, the Italian lower leagues are in my opinion the most fun on the game. Certainly beats the monotony of the English and the slog of the Brazilian.

**Raware** · 08-11-2011 12:48

Fantastic! Old school Italian football is back!

I've always loved the catenaccio way of playing and always try and pride myself on defensive shut outs when playing. Like Adelaidean, I've not got round to reading John Foot's book yet but hoping to soon.

This should be very interesting. Will be happy to follow this

.

**Deisler26** · 08-11-2011 16:38

Originally Posted by noikeee

This sounds awesome, I have a irrational thing for italian football. <3 What happens to your Leiria career though, giving up on it?

It's on hold at the minute, simply as I am having a lot of trouble trying to balance the team out

**crouchaldinho** · 08-11-2011 17:11

Very, very nice thread Deisler.

As you know, I love John Foot's Calcio and have always had a penchant for Italian football.

Good luck with this! Will be following & cheering you on!

**iseemonsters1** · 08-11-2011 17:38

Sounds great! Looking forward to this one! Pretty sure spending most of the 90s watching James Richardson on Football Italia has made me an Italian football fan for life.

**Raware** · 08-11-2011 18:02

Originally Posted by iseemonsters1

Sounds great! Looking forward to this one! Pretty sure spending most of the 90s watching James Richardson on Football Italia has made me an Italian football fan for life.

My reasons too for loving Italian football. Man, I really wanted his job!

**Deisler26** · 08-11-2011 18:19

Thanks for the support guys! I'm really looking forward to trying this and implementing some of the strategies involved. I've always loved good defences, my FM11 Leiria once conceded a paltry 7 goals in an entire season, but this will be an entirely new challenge!

**AK22** · 08-11-2011 20:29

Good luck Deisler, this has the potential to be a great thread. I'll be following, even more so if you can bring a sweeper-formation to success (never got it to work personally)

**Deisler26** · 08-11-2011 20:29

A (small) History of Catenaccio

Catenaccio, or to give it it's Italian pronuciation, Kate-nattshio is a tactical system in football with an emphasis on defence. In Italian, catenaccio means "door-bolt", meaning that there is a highly organized and effective backline which doesn't tend to leak many goals.

The system was made famous by the Franco-Argentine trainer Helenio Herrera of Internazionale in the 1960s who used it to grind out 1–0 wins over opponents in their league games.

The Catenaccio was influenced by the verrou (also "doorbolt/chain" in French) system invented by Austrian coach Karl Rappan. As coach of Switzerland in the 1930s and 1940s, Rappan played a defensive sweeper called the verrouilleur, who was highly defensive and was positioned just ahead of the goalkeeper. In the 1950s, Nereo Rocco's Padova pioneered the system in Italy where it would be used again by the Internazionale team of the early 1960s, the Il Grande Inter side.

Rappan's verrou system, proposed in 1932 when coach of Servette, was implemented with four fixed defenders, playing a strict man-to-man marking system, plus a playmaker in the middle of the field who played the ball together with two midfield wings.

Rocco's tactic, often referred to as the "real" Catenaccio, was shown first in 1947 with Triestina: the most common mode of operation was a 1-3-3-3 formation with a strictly defensive team approach. With catenaccio, Triestina finished the Serie A tournament in a surprising second place. Some variations include 1-4-4-1 and 1-4-3-2 formations.

The key innovation of Catenaccio was the introduction of the role of a libero, or sweeper, a player positioned behind the line of three defenders. The sweeper's role was to recover loose balls, nullify the opponent's striker and double-mark when necessary. Another important innovation was the counter-attack, mainly based on long passes from the defence.

In Herrera's version in the 1960s, four man-marking defenders were tightly assigned to each opposing attacker while an extra sweeper would pick up any loose ball that escaped the coverage of the defenders. The emphasis of this system in Italian football spawned the rise of many top defenders such as Claudio Gentile and Gaetano Scirea in the 1970s, Giuseppe Bergomi and Franco Baresi in the 1980s, the famous all-Italian Milan defensive four of Baresi, Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Costacurta and Mauro Tassotti of the 1990's and 2006 World Cup winners Fabio Cannavaro and Alessandro Nesta and many others in 2000s for which the Italian national team would become famous for.

----------------------------------------------

So, basically my team must defend deep, have a sweeper and man-mark. We must also play on the counter with long passes. With another nod to the old Italian systems, I will use a Fantasisti/Mediano combination in the middle, this being a midfield playmaker and a 'water-carrier'. Looking at the above formation diagram, it'll be very hard to copy and transfer this into FM, so I will try a 1-3-3-3 formation.

**Raware** · 08-11-2011 20:38

Originally Posted by Deisler26

A (small) History of Catenaccio

Catenaccio, or to give it it's Italian pronuciation, Kate-nattshio is a tactical system in football with an emphasis on defence. In Italian, catenaccio means "door-bolt", meaning that there is a highly organized and effective backline which doesn't tend to leak many goals.

The system was made famous by the Franco-Argentine trainer Helenio Herrera of Internazionale in the 1960s who used it to grind out 1–0 wins over opponents in their league games.

The Catenaccio was influenced by the verrou (also "doorbolt/chain" in French) system invented by Austrian coach Karl Rappan. As coach of Switzerland in the 1930s and 1940s, Rappan played a defensive sweeper called the verrouilleur, who was highly defensive and was positioned just ahead of the goalkeeper. In the 1950s, Nereo Rocco's Padova pioneered the system in Italy where it would be used again by the Internazionale team of the early 1960s, the Il Grande Inter side.

Rappan's verrou system, proposed in 1932 when coach of Servette, was implemented with four fixed defenders, playing a strict man-to-man marking system, plus a playmaker in the middle of the field who played the ball together with two midfield wings.

Rocco's tactic, often referred to as the "real" Catenaccio, was shown first in 1947 with Triestina: the most common mode of operation was a 1-3-3-3 formation with a strictly defensive team approach. With catenaccio, Triestina finished the Serie A tournament in a surprising second place. Some variations include 1-4-4-1 and 1-4-3-2 formations.

The key innovation of Catenaccio was the introduction of the role of a libero, or sweeper, a player positioned behind the line of three defenders. The sweeper's role was to recover loose balls, nullify the opponent's striker and double-mark when necessary. Another important innovation was the counter-attack, mainly based on long passes from the defence.

In Herrera's version in the 1960s, four man-marking defenders were tightly assigned to each opposing attacker while an extra sweeper would pick up any loose ball that escaped the coverage of the defenders. The emphasis of this system in Italian football spawned the rise of many top defenders such as Claudio Gentile and Gaetano Scirea in the 1970s, Giuseppe Bergomi and Franco Baresi in the 1980s, the famous all-Italian Milan defensive four of Baresi, Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Costacurta and Mauro Tassotti of the 1990's and 2006 World Cup winners Fabio Cannavaro and Alessandro Nesta and many others in 2000s for which the Italian national team would become famous for.

----------------------------------------------

So, basically my team must defend deep, have a sweeper and man-mark. We must also play on the counter with long passes. With another nod to the old Italian systems, I will use a Fantasisti/Mediano combination in the middle, this being a midfield playmaker and a 'water-carrier'. Looking at the above formation diagram, it'll be very hard to copy and transfer this into FM, so I will try a 1-3-3-3 formation.

Excellent!

**Deisler26** · 08-11-2011 21:16

OK, first two in the door were scouts. Not of a great standard, but they answered the ad and had JPP/JPA of 9/8, so they weren't utterly useless. This means I can finally set about the transfer market!

**Deisler26** · 08-11-2011 21:21

2011-12 Coppa Italia Lega Pro, Group H
-----------------------------
Renate
Rimini
Santarcangelo
San Marino
Sambonifacese

I'm really not expecting anything from this, in fact, finishing bottom won't phase me at all and the board just want us to enjoy the opportunity of participating. Clearly they have as much confidence as I...

**deltablue** · 08-11-2011 21:24

Apt stadium name given you want to end up following in the footsteps of the great Torino side.

**Deisler26** · 08-11-2011 21:26

Originally Posted by deltablue

Apt stadium name given you want to end up following in the footsteps of the great Torino side.

It was one of the main reasons why I chose them. To have a link to that great side.

**B.W.G** · 08-11-2011 22:05

This looks like a very interesting save in which I hope you find success.Good luck

**Deisler26** · 08-11-2011 22:14

Originally Posted by B.W.G

This looks like a very interesting save in which I hope you find success.Good luck

Thanks man, appreciated!

**Deisler26** · 08-11-2011 22:16

This was the first signing I made on my scouts recommendation, on a free

Matteo Bartolini

I have three goalkeepers, but none of them are really up to the task, where as this guy can backstop us for a season or two!

**Deisler26** · 08-11-2011 22:26

I applied to my board for a parent club. I was given a choice of the following; Modena, Juve Stabia, Hellas Verona and Reggina. All in Serie B, but I picked Reggina as they had an established youth network. Hopefully, I can take their youth and give them their first steps in football and improve myself at the same time.

I applied to the board for an increase in funds to the junior coaching and was denied it, along with an increase in the youth recruitment network. Gonna have to slog a bit, I see! I also sold a reserve defender for £7k which was good. There has been interest in my Fitness/Goalkeeping Coach roles and also the Ass Man role, but they either wanted too much or weren't good enough.

**Deisler26** · 08-11-2011 22:39

Oops... I sent Ferri back to his parent club because I needed his £550 p/w wages back. This was the same with 90% of all the loans, as they were good, but I needed the wages freed.

**MattSpurs94** · 08-11-2011 22:46

Looking forward to this

Also, do I see 5,000 posts for Deisler?

**Deisler26** · 08-11-2011 22:46

This guy will be my fantasisti. SHOCKING physical stats, but he's only 19 and could really help me grow as a team and keep to the principles.

**Deisler26** · 08-11-2011 22:47

Originally Posted by MattSpurs94

Looking forward to this

Also, do I see 5,000 posts for Deisler?

5,002

m

**Deisler26** · 08-11-2011 23:15

My first game!

Santarcangelo Calcio 1 - 3 Portosummaga
Well, this was an expected defeat. Portosummaga are expected to be mid-table in C1/B and I've got to fight relegation in C2/A. However, their first two goals came from defensive assignment breakdowns which, once cured, didn't happen again. The third was a free-kick which was blocked by the wall, but then rammed in on the rebound. There was some sunshine late on, when a long ball out of defence set Ivan Graziani on his way down the right. He skipped past a defender and cut the ball back for Filippo Baldinini to side-foot home late on.

We played with this formation as a start of catenaccio

**Deisler26** · 08-11-2011 23:38

Oh...

**noikeee** · 09-11-2011 00:04

I know they broadcast some very random football stuff (J-League? U-17 women soccer?), but Eurosport are interested in the fourth tier of italian football now?

Beatrizzotti may have great mental and technical attributes, and mental attributes are key in this game, but I wouldn't trust him at all with those physicals. There is a bare minimum of physicals to be able to play football, even at that level. Hope I'm wrong, but I'd expect him to be a total flop.

**Deisler26** · 09-11-2011 00:17

Originally Posted by noikeee

I know they broadcast some very random football stuff (J-League? U-17 women soccer?), but Eurosport are interested in the fourth tier of italian football now?

Beatrizzotti may have great mental and technical attributes, and mental attributes are key in this game, but I wouldn't trust him at all with those physicals. There is a bare minimum of physicals to be able to play football, even at that level. Hope I'm wrong, but I'd expect him to be a total flop.

I'm not a massive fan of his lack of physicals, however I think I can tutor him to 8-9 which will help overall. Obviously if he doesn't, I'll get shot, but you don't get that much quality down here.

**iseemonsters1** · 09-11-2011 00:23

Originally Posted by Deisler26

Oh...

At least it doesn't mention anything about you being replaced by the potential new chairman!

**Deisler26** · 09-11-2011 00:37

Originally Posted by iseemonsters1

At least it doesn't mention anything about you being replaced by the potential new chairman!

Well, no. Hopefully they won't!

**Deisler26** · 09-11-2011 02:08

And it starts...

**Deisler26** · 09-11-2011 02:18

So, I finally got my first staff member in, a day after local businessman Luigi Blasi took over the club. However, he has no plans to invest in the club... Great.

Paolo Bonucelli

He's not great, but he was the only one who wanted to sign up for less than £450 p/w.

**Deisler26** · 09-11-2011 03:15

So, my first two competitive games..

Santarcangelo Calcio 1 - 0 Rimini (Coppa Italia Lega Pro, Group H)
This was a good game. I'd managed to pick up a wonderful striker on trial after seeing him in the Italian Trial Day and he murdered the first two friendly teams I played. So I broke the bank to offer him a contract, but he signed for Piacenza. Sigh. However, our unorthodox formation served us well in this match, Ivan Graziani netting the only goal with a snap shot from the edge of the area.

Santarcangelo Calcio 2 - 1 San Marino (Coppa Italia Lega Pro, Group H)
This game was brilliant. We were given no chance to win and went down early to a diving header from a cross, which'll be something to work on. However, Ivan Graziani netted a penalty after being hauled down in the area on 22 mins. Cosmo Bruno was playing in Paolo Beatrizzotti's spot, due to his fitness issues, but Paolo came on on 70 mins for a struggling Bruno. And it was his 90+4 min whipped free-kick from 40 yards that found sweeper-in-training Angelo Gregorio for him to bullet a header into the roof of the net.

**Deisler26** · 09-11-2011 04:28

Santarcangelo Calcio 3 - 0 Sambonifacese (Coppa Italia Lega Pro, Group H)
This wasn't even a contest. Ivan Graziani netted the opener after good work down the left on 37 mins. Barely a minute after HT, he headed home from a deep free-kick to double our lead. Finally, on 90+1 mins, Claudio Cola headed home via the far post from a wickedly inswinging corner

That 3-0 win led to...

**hursty2** · 09-11-2011 04:45

Good luck with Canavese, Italy's lower leagues can be hellish.

Something that someone posted in one of my older threads and it fits well here.

They are hell but very enjoyable!

**ArsenalMetro** · 09-11-2011 04:52

Interesting approach. I'll be following!

**Deisler26** · 09-11-2011 05:36

Originally Posted by hursty2

Something that someone posted in one of my older threads and it fits well here.

They are hell but very enjoyable!

Well, I'm definitely enjoying it

**Deisler26** · 09-11-2011 05:37

Originally Posted by ArsenalMetro

Interesting approach. I'll be following!

Thanks dude!

**SnakeXe** · 09-11-2011 10:12

Originally Posted by hursty2

Something that someone posted in one of my older threads and it fits well here.

They are hell but very enjoyable!

Hellishly brilliant, like Homer in the machine being force-fed donuts going "More! More! More!"

**deltablue** · 09-11-2011 10:15

Excellent, given you didn't expect much from that group.

**Deisler26** · 09-11-2011 20:14

Good, but I had to fight for it and there's still a long way to go.

**Deisler26** · 09-11-2011 20:16

Originally Posted by deltablue

Excellent, given you didn't expect much from that group.

It was! And an early justification of my plan.

**Deisler26** · 09-11-2011 21:17

Santarcangelo Calcio, September 2011 Review

Results
04.09.11
Santarcangelo Calcio 0 - 0 Mantova (Lega Pro Seconda Divisione C2)
A good start to the league season as we created little, but we defended well and our fledgling system seemed to hold up well against their attacks.

07.09.11
Santarcangelo Calcio 1 - 1 AS Renate (Coppa Italia Lega Pro, Group H)
We took the lead just after HT with a wonderfully judged looping header by Luca Riberto, one of the few signings I had actually made from a Beatrizzotti flick. However, they equalised ten minutes later, thanks to a horrifically unlucky deflection off our defender's heel, which fell invitingly for the Renate striker to slam home. We also lost Cosimo Bruno to strained knee ligaments for 8 weeks.

11.09.11
Santarcangelo Calcio 1 - 2 San Marino (Lega Pro Seconda Divisione C2)
San Marino got their own back on us in this league encounter as two defensive assignment lapses meant we were behind the gun at HT. Paolo Beatrizzotti netted a cute cutback from the edge of the box on 74 mins and we applied some late pressure, but nothing came of it.

18.09.11
Santarcangelo Calcio 0 - 0 Poggibonsi (Lega Pro Seconda Divisione C2)
A good tonic from the last game as we were strong and held up well, despite numerous attacks.

25.09.11
Santarcangelo Calcio 0 - 2 Cuneo (Lega Pro Seconda Divisione C2)
A horrible match, however, some small comfort was taken in that both goals conceded were defensive errors in that the first was a penalty after Davide Addona, another new signing, barged over the striker in the area. The second was a long, weak, hospital pass back from the centre circle by Beatrizzotti which was promptly seized on and scored..

28.09.11
Santarcangelo Calcio 2 - 0 Pro Patria (Lega Pro Seconda Divisione C2)
We bounced back well in this match with a few adjustments. Ivan Graziani netted the first, a cool finish from a long through-ball by Scarpa. Scarpa was again involved in the second as he was bundled over in the area by the defender and Alex Lodovisi netted the resulting penalty

**deltablue** · 09-11-2011 22:14

Hopefully you can get up to speed soon.

**SnakeXe** · 09-11-2011 22:32

Well done on taking your first league win.

**Deisler26** · 09-11-2011 22:34

Originally Posted by deltablue

Hopefully you can get up to speed soon.

Thanks man. It'll take a season or two, I reckon to be honest.

**Deisler26** · 09-11-2011 22:36

Originally Posted by SnakeXe

Well done on taking your first league win.

Cheers! We just need a little more luck really. We only conceded one goal so far that was in open play as a result of the opposition's play, not defensive error.

**deltablue** · 09-11-2011 22:41

Originally Posted by Deisler26

Thanks man. It'll take a season or two, I reckon to be honest.

I meant being able to have at least a reasonable season after what looks like a slow start.

**Deisler26** · 09-11-2011 23:08

Santarcangelo Calcio, October 2011 Review

Results
02.10.11
Santarcangelo Calcio 0 - 3 Giacomonese (Lega Pro Seconda Divisione C2)
A total abomination of a game. A defensive breakdown, ANOTHER hospital ball resulting in a goal and an offside goal made up this match. It was terrible.

05.10.11
Santarcangelo Calcio 0 - 2 Tritium (Coppa Italia Lega Pro 1st Round)
A valiant struggle, but we were always second best against a high flying Serie C1 side.

09.10.11
Santarcangelo Calcio 0 - 0 Rimini (Lega Pro Seconda Divisione C2)
Our third match in 7 days and, with a squad that's only 23 players big from youth to first team, it showed in this game as we fought a good rearguard action to keep it 0-0

16.10.11
Santarcangelo Calcio 0 - 1 Alessandria (Lega Pro Seconda Divisione C2)
A credible defeat against the league leaders. They were relegated last year and the gulf in class showed.

23.10.11
Santarcangelo Calcio 1 - 3 Montichiari (Lega Pro Seconda Divisione C2)
Luca Riberto put us in the lead on 35 mins with a crisp shot, however, it all fell apart in the second half as, again, two defensive errors contributed to the three goals conceded.

26.10.11
Santarcangelo Calcio 3 - 1 Virtus Entella (Lega Pro Seconda Divisione C2)
We tore out of the traps on this one. Filippo Baldinini stabbed home from a corner on 17 mins. Ivan Graziani netted a simple through-ball on 25 mins and we were going full steam ahead! However, they pulled one back on 35 mins and it took til the 80th minute to make safe as Michele Mingiani headed home from another corner

30.10.11
Santarcangelo Calcio 0 - 3 Bellaria (Lega Pro Seconda Divisione C2)
Awful. Next.

**Deisler26** · 09-11-2011 23:49

Santarcangelo Calcio, November 2011 Review

Results
06.11.11
Santarcangelo Calcio 3 - 0 Treviso (Lega Pro Seconda Divisione C2)
A romp home against an ex-Serie A side tipped for promotion. We went in front, thanks to Angelo Gregorio's header on 11 minutes and kept it that way till half-time. However, Davide Addona made up for conceding a penalty earlier on in the season by netting one on 51 mins after Graziani had been fouled. Finally, Gregorio headed home his second on 61 mins from a great corner.

13.11.11
Santarcangelo Calcio 0 - 1 Lecco (Lega Pro Seconda Divisione C2)
Ugh, this ultra-defensive formation does suck sometimes. We concede a fluke goal, then can't break them down.

16.11.11
Santarcangelo Calcio 0 - 0 Valenzana (Lega Pro Seconda Divisione C2)
This match, combined with the other, were against teams below me and I really need to win these in order to be able to stay up in this division.

20.11.11
Santarcangelo Calcio 2 - 0 Casale (Lega Pro Seconda Divisione C2)
An unexpected win against mid-table Casale! Ivan Graziani set us on our way with a stabbed effort on 74 mins and his replacement, Luca Riberto, made the game safe on 86 mins with a well-judged header

27.11.11
Santarcangelo Calcio 0 - 2 Savona (Lega Pro Seconda Divisione C2)
The good times didn't last so well as we lost our next game. Something needs to be done.

**Deisler26** · 10-11-2011 00:26

Santarcangelo Calcio, December 2011 Review

Results
04.12.11
Santarcangelo Calcio 0 - 1 AS Renate (Lega Pro Seconda Divisione C2)
Sigh. We're just not hitting the right notes at the minute and the defence is a minefield. Another defensive error gave this game away

11.12.11
Santarcangelo Calcio 4 - 1 Borgo a Buggiano (Lega Pro Seconda Divisione C2)
BOOM! We broke out in this game. Paolo Beatrizzotti netted a long range screamer on 15 mins. Then, on the stroke on HT, a BaB player was dismissed for his second yellow in 10 mins. Just after HT, Buggiano equalised with an easy tap-in and we were rocking. But Alessandro Fabbri forced in from a corner on 65 mins, setting the stage for Ivan Graziani who netted a double on 71 and 94 mins to see us run out 4-1 winners

18.12.11
Santarcangelo Calcio 1 - 0 Sambonifacese (Lega Pro Seconda Divisione C2)
Wow. For the first time this season, we ran up back-to-back league victories! Ivan Graziani (who else?) netting after being sent free by Beatrizzotti on 20 mins.

-------------------------------------
This meant we got to the winter break in 15th place! Fully out of the relegation by one place and one point! We've not played badly this first half of the season I think this formation will need a massive tweak in the offseason and properly looked at from all angles, but I'm pretty sure, what we have is enough to save us.

**Deisler26** · 10-11-2011 00:55

There is my best goal from the first half of 2011-12

**Deisler26** · 10-11-2011 04:22

"La Grande Inter" (The Great Inter)

La Grande Inter (Great Inter) is the name given to the Internazionale team led by Helenio Herrera that won back-to-back European Cup wins in 1964 and 1965, victories but were spotted in the light of a series of revelations published in recent years. The team have dominated the Italian Serie A during the 1960s when they won 3 scudetti. Finally, they are also known as the team that brought Catenaccio, a tactical system in football, to a new level.

In 1960, Helenio Herrera joined Internazionale from FC Barcelona after falling out with the Catalonian club. From FC Barcelona, he brought his midfield general Luis Suárez who would win the European Footballer of the Year in the same year for his role in FC Barcelona's La Liga/Fairs Cup double. He would transform Internazionale into one of the greatest teams in Europe. He modified a 5-3-2 tactic known as the Verrou (door bolt) to include larger flexibility for counter attacks. The Catenaccio system was invented by an Austrian coach named Karl Rappan. Rappan's original system was implemented with 4 fixed defenders, playing a strict man-to-man marking system, plus a playmaker in the middle of the field who plays the ball together with two midfield wings. Herrera would modify it by adding a fifth defenders, the sweeper or libero behind the two centre backs. The sweeper or libero who acted as the free man would deal with any attackers who went through the two centre backs. Internazionale would finish 3rd in Serie A his first season, 2nd the next year and first in his 3rd season. And then followed a back-to-back European Cup victory in 1964 and 1965. Herrera earned the title "ll Mago" which meant the magician. The core of Herrera's team was the fullbacks Tarcisio Burgnich and Giacinto Facchetti, Armando Picchi the sweeper, Luis Suárez the playmaker, Jair the winger, Mario Corso the left midfielder and Sandro Mazzola who played the inside-right.

**Deisler26** · 10-11-2011 05:01

This league is ridiculously tight. With 17 games to go (a long way, I know), just 9 points separate 5th from 16th...

**Deisler26** · 10-11-2011 06:19

Santarcangelo Calcio, January 2012 Review

Results

08.01.12
Santarcangelo Calcio 2 - 1 Mantova (Lega Pro Seconda Divisione C2)
Luca Riberto thundered us ahead with an acrobatic snapshot after 2 mins and Ivan Graziani settled the match with a nice finish on 72 mins. Mantova got one back late on, but we rode it out

15.01.12
Santarcangelo Calcio 1 - 1 San Marino (Lega Pro Seconda Divisione C2)
We didn't disgrace ourselves against the league leaders, taking the lead on 27 mins with a penalty by the new left-back César. However, San Marino equalised after a mixup in the defence and, despite heavy San Marino pressure and a red card for Silvio Scarpa, we ground out the 1-1 draw. Luca Riberto sustained a torn ligament in this match which would see him out for the rest of the season

22.01.12
Santarcangelo Calcio 1 - 1 Poggibonsi (Lega Pro Seconda Divisione C2)
A frustrating draw, as we took the lead on 14 minutes through Ivan Graziani's eighth league goal of the season. However, ten minutes later, a mad dash from goal by Bartolini saw him stranded as the shot was blocked and rebounded to a Poggibonsi player with a wide open goal. Even though Poggibonsi had a man dismissed for a last-man tackle, we couldn't find the breakthrough

29.01.12
Santarcangelo Calcio 0 - 0 Cuneo (Lega Pro Seconda Divisione C2)
We hung on for dear life here as the league leaders battered us, but couldn't score

------------------------------------------------------------------
Transfers

Incoming to the club were DM's Kuami Agboh, a former Togo international, now also my youth coach, from Stade Auxerre and Zé Lopes from Vizela, both on free's. Also coming in was D/WB/ML César on a free. He would give us some experience and class down the left. With Scarpa suspended and Riberto injured, I was down to 1 fit striker, so I signed ST James Pucci as a 6 month cover. He struggled through his first game, earning a 6.00 rating. However, the next day ST Andrea Piccone arrived on loan from parent club Reggina, so I free-transferred Pucci.

Outgoing were D/WBL Nicoló Bachiocchi for £18k to Giulanova and club appearance record holder, GK Michele Nardi, also for £18k to L'Aprilla both were bitching about no game time.

I also tweaked the formation so it looked more like this

**Adelaidean** · 10-11-2011 08:03

Solid results against San Marino and Cuneo.

**deltablue** · 10-11-2011 11:38

Not bad unbeaten month

**1967** · 10-11-2011 12:48

This is always something that I have wanted to try since reading the books mentioned. A few things worry me, namely your defensive errors. Therefore it will be interesting to see how quickly you can start regularly shutting out opponents using the level of player that you have at your disposal or if you need a better calibre of defender. Of course then you'd be up against better attackers but if it's the players that are a problem and not the system it could be very satisfying! Can't wait for the December update!

Also loving the posts about history and tactics, very fresh! I'd love something about the finances at this level.

**Deisler26** · 10-11-2011 14:27

Originally Posted by 1967

This is always something that I have wanted to try since reading the books mentioned. A few things worry me, namely your defensive errors. Therefore it will be interesting to see how quickly you can start regularly shutting out opponents using the level of player that you have at your disposal or if you need a better calibre of defender. Of course then you'd be up against better attackers but if it's the players that are a problem and not the system it could be very satisfying! Can't wait for the December update!

Thanks man! I think it is more about trying to solve the problem of facing two strikers along with my defenders simply not being very composed. Better defenders and some experimentation needed! As for finances, I'll sort something out about that.

**Deisler26** · 10-11-2011 15:51

Santarcangelo Calcio, February 2012 Review

Results

05.02.12
Santarcangelo Calcio 0 - 0 Pro Patria (Lega Pro Seconda Divisione C2)
Another good defensive performance. The changes I've made seem to really help, however we still need better players

05.02.12
Santarcangelo Calcio 1 - 2 Giacomense (Lega Pro Seconda Divisione C2)
We went ahead on 4 mins through Andrea Piccone. But two defensive breakdowns in 4 mins lead to us losing the game 1-2.

05.02.12
Santarcangelo Calcio 1 - 0 Rimini (Lega Pro Seconda Divisione C2)
Ivan Graziani hit the winner in this match, set up by a good ball from Bruno

05.02.12
Santarcangelo Calcio 2 - 1 Alessandria (Lega Pro Seconda Divisione C2)
A good win against top 5 opposition. Andrea Piccone put us on our way with a cool finish on 51 mins and Michele Mignani headed home on 60 mins to put us two up. However, Alessandria pulled one back with a looping header from a corner.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

The changes that I made have helped a lot, but the problems still are players aren't good enough.

**noikeee** · 10-11-2011 17:23

Looks like you're sort of having the same problem I had when trying to make a "tactical" save (albeit Barcelona tiki-taka and catenaccio are almost diametrically opposed systems!) - it's all great in theory but when the results don't come, it's time to make changes and you may progressively move away from your theoretical tactical goal.

Nevertheless the few changes you made have not departed from the core values of the system, and the results have improved, it may simply be a case of having the patience to stick to it, while slowly improving the squad through transfer market management.

As a side-note that Zé Lopes guy is very good in my FM11 save, I don't want to spoil too much but he was able to play at an higher level than that.

**deltablue** · 10-11-2011 17:30

Still, definitely improving.

**ManUTactician247** · 10-11-2011 18:27

Kuami Agboh was a quality player for my S.C. Praiense team in an old career of mine, he should do well for you!

**Deisler26** · 10-11-2011 21:56

Originally Posted by ManUTactician247

Kuami Agboh was a quality player for my S.C. Praiense team in an old career of mine, he should do well for you!

He's far and away my best player, which is not saying much...

**Deisler26** · 10-11-2011 22:43

Just had my youth candidate intake. Which really wasn't worth bothering with...

Except for these two gems...

Luca Gianni

Giovanni Bianciotto

I'm REALLY excited for Bianciotto. He'll be a staple for the next few seasons, or until I sell him.

**deltablue** · 10-11-2011 22:51

Looks dangerous

**Deisler26** · 10-11-2011 22:55

Originally Posted by deltablue

Looks dangerous

He'll need to be. I've struggled without my top two forwards recently...

**B.W.G** · 10-11-2011 23:13

Showing signs of improvement,hope Bianciotto can eventually fire you to glory or at least make you a decent profit

**Deisler26** · 10-11-2011 23:38

Santarcangelo Calcio, March 2012 Review

Results

04.03.12
Santarcangelo Calcio 0 - 2 Montichiari (Lega Pro Seconda Divisione C2)
We lost Ivan Graziani early on to injury and the game never got better.

07.03.12
Santarcangelo Calcio 0 - 2 Virtus Entella (Lega Pro Seconda Divisione C2)
Without Riberto or Graziani, we were nothing. The replacements were sub-standard and the defence decided to disintegrate.

13.03.12
Santarcangelo Calcio 0 - 4 Bellaria (Lega Pro Seconda Divisione C2)
My worst defeat so far. We blundered so much, I thought we were in an Inspector Clouseau film. Two penalties conceded by Angelo Gregiori and a suicide pass giving the striker an open goal made up most of the goals. We're sinking without good strikers.

04.03.12
Santarcangelo Calcio 0 - 0 Treviso (Lega Pro Seconda Divisione C2)
A slight steadying of the ship. Graziani will be back next game, so I'm hoping for better.

**Deisler26** · 10-11-2011 23:53

We are in crisis. 6 games left. We can't score, we can't stop shipping silly goals and we're now 'bottom' (There's a team already relegated)

**iseemonsters1** · 11-11-2011 00:27

Uh-oh! I'm sure you can turn it around! Any chance of a screenshot of the league table? Just so we can see how dire the situation is.

**Adelaidean** · 11-11-2011 00:34

That doesn't sound good.

**Deisler26** · 11-11-2011 00:45

Corriere de Santarcangelo di Romagna

Grazie-iani!

04.03.12
Santarcangelo Calcio 1 - 0 Valenzana (Lega Pro Seconda Divisione C2)
We bossed this game. I held a team meeting before and, for once, the team all got behind me and were fired up for the match. We just couldn't score. Bianciotto was most guilty, shooting straight at the keeper on a number of occasions. Valenzana rattled the bar from 25 yards and I feared it wouldn't be our day, but Ivan Graziani's hassling of the fullback meant that he was all alone on a tight angle and just thumped it in on 81 mins for a priceless win

After that win, the table looks like this...

**Deisler26** · 11-11-2011 00:48

Originally Posted by iseemonsters1

Uh-oh! I'm sure you can turn it around! Any chance of a screenshot of the league table? Just so we can see how dire the situation is.

Originally Posted by Adelaidean

That doesn't sound good.

It's not good... and there's your table!

**Adelaidean** · 11-11-2011 01:01

Originally Posted by Deisler26

Well, there's your problem!

**Deisler26** · 11-11-2011 01:09

Corriere de Santarcangelo di Romagna

Casale, Folks!

07.04.12
Santarcangelo Calcio 1 - 1 Casale (Lega Pro Seconda Divisione C2)
This game was much the same as the last, we fought, we pushed and on 73 mins, Giovanni Bianciotto got the goal his work-rate deserved. Ivan Graziani rode one challenge on the edge of the box and set Bianciotto free just inside to roll the ball wide into the corner. We were ecstatic. The catenaccio was working! But then, utter heartbreak on 92 mins...

The table, with 4 games to go...

**Deisler26** · 11-11-2011 01:58

Corriere de Santarcangelo di Romagna

Sav-Oh-No-A!

18.04.12
Santarcangelo Calcio 0 - 1 Savona (Lega Pro Seconda Divisione C2)
Just...ugh. A garbage goal to concede as a long cross hoisted into the area was met by the head of the Savona striker. His header hit an unfortunate Zé Lopes and deflected into the net on 18 minutes. Three minutes later, Savona were down to ten via a straight red. Both Cosimo Bruno and Luca Riberto made their long-awaited returns from injury, but to no avail

Just 3 to go...

**Deisler26** · 11-11-2011 02:07

Corriere de Santarcangelo di Romagna

Renate-a Gas!

22.04.12
Santarcangelo Calcio 0 - 2 Renate (Lega Pro Seconda Divisione C2)
A run-of-the-mill defeat against a playoff chasing side.l

**Deisler26** · 11-11-2011 02:32

Corriere de Santarcangelo di Romagna

Buggiano Out!

29.04.12
Santarcangelo Calcio 2 - 0 Borgo a Buggiano (Lega Pro Seconda Divisione C2)
Wow. A gripping win over the already relegated Borgo side! We took the lead on 34 minutes with Angelo Gregorio's header from a corner. Borgo should why they've been relegated with a terrible display. We sealed the deal with a carbon-copy goal scored by Michele Miganini

So it's come down to this. Our last game? Against the team just above. Winning is the ONLY way I don't get relegated straightaway.

**Adelaidean** · 11-11-2011 02:54

Tense finale there. My face muscles are worn out from cringing at your puntastic headlines.

**iseemonsters1** · 11-11-2011 03:04

Aaarghhh! I can hardly take the tension!!

Love the punny headlines!

**Deisler26** · 11-11-2011 03:44

Corriere de Santarcangelo di Romagna

La Grande Fuga!

29.04.12
Santarcangelo Calcio 4 - 1 Sambonifacese (Lega Pro Seconda Divisione C2)
Holy jumpin', what a match...Knowing only a win would do, I pumped up the team's tires with a team meeting. I then told them they could do it in the pre-game show, then sent them out. And a raking long ball saw Giovanni Bianciotto outpace his marker and slam the ball under the keeper! 1-0. This propelled us out of both the relegation zone and the relegatuon playout as all three catchable teams above me at the start of the game were down. Giovanni Bianciotto was everywhere with his hustle and because of that, he robbed a defender and then slammed the ball past the keeper again on 36 mins. Two minutes later, Ivan Graziani headed home from a corner and we were 3-0 up and cruising. Sambonifacese hit back on 40 mins with a scruffy tap-in from a corner and, even worse, Filippo Baldinini saw a straight red for a two-footed challenge. At HT, we were 3-1 up and a man down. Halfway through the second half, we were down to 9! Two-goal hero Giovanni Bianciotto receiving his marching orders for a second yellow for diving. I panicked, but Alessandro Fabbri headed home from a pinpoint Beatrizzotti free-kick from deep. 4-1 and we rode out the game and the win to stay up!

Final table

**Adelaidean** · 11-11-2011 03:49

That was Sambonifac-easy!

Great work staying up by the skin of your teeth, hope for a better showing next year!

**iseemonsters1** · 11-11-2011 03:54

SantarcangelOMG, what a finish to the season!

How do you rate your chances of improving next season?

**Deisler26** · 11-11-2011 04:06

Originally Posted by Adelaidean

That was Sambonifac-easy!

Great work staying up by the skin of your teeth, hope for a better showing next year!

Originally Posted by iseemonsters1

SantarcangelOMG, what a finish to the season!

How do you rate your chances of improving next season?

Thanks guys, but leave the puns to the Master

And I have no idea on next season yet.

**Deisler26** · 11-11-2011 05:03

Santarcangelo Calcio, 2011-12 Season Review

We finished 15th in our first season in Lega Pro Seconda Divisione C2. Our first team was close to being able to compete, but below that, we struggled mightly. We scored the lowest number of goals in the league this seaspn, but had the 5th best defence, so it's not all doom and gloom! Ivan Graziani was our top scorer with 15 overall and 11 in the league. He was also top on assists with 5 and took home the Supporter's Player Of The Year. Sweeper Angelo Gregorio took home the most MoM's with 5. I've also applied for a new parent club, hoping I can do better than Reggina...

Plans for the off-season include re-modelling the defence and fine-tuning the formation. Cup-wise, we did brilliantly in making the First Round of the Coppa Italia Lega Pro and I'd be delighted with the same this season!. Before the start of the pre-season, I got my budget. £8.75k wage budget and £0 transfer budget. This sucks, because I have a £9.5k wage budget already.... We also landed sponsorship deals to the tune of £70k, when our previous was £35k. It's a start....

**abulezz** · 11-11-2011 05:05

Wow what an enthralling finish to the season! You are right about that boy Bianciotto, he looks class!

**B.W.G** · 11-11-2011 09:04

Congrats on securing survival

**deltablue** · 11-11-2011 09:56

Should be able to make a bit of progress now.

**SnakeXe** · 11-11-2011 11:53

Fantastic result to stay up! What a finale!

**noikeee** · 11-11-2011 12:16

Pure entertainment there, I may have just said in my discussion thread that I generally dislike match-by-match reports, but the tense summary of every match leading to a seemingly inevitable relegation was enthralling. Very well done to pull it off in the end.

Is it time to revise the tactical system again, however? May have been an entertaining end of the season, but I imagine the fans, while delighted with that final game, won't have enjoyed such suffering.

**1967** · 11-11-2011 12:32

Absolutely gripping stuff, well done Deisler!

**Deisler26** · 11-11-2011 14:07

2012-13 Coppa Italia Lega Pro, Group E
-----------------------------
Carrarese
Rimini
Santarcangelo
San Marino
Virtus Enella

Rimini and San Marino were the same as last year, Virtus and Carrarese are the new boys. Again, I'm not expecting anything

**Deisler26** · 11-11-2011 14:07

Thanks for all your kind words, guys!

**Deisler26** · 11-11-2011 20:42

Gonna be trialling a new formation this season, designed to eradicte some of the problems from last year's (semi)-successful trial

This will allow me to man-mark ALL forward players in keeping with the ideals of catenaccio

Search

Thread: Calcio II: Catenaccio Reloaded

Thread Tools

Display

Calcio II: Catenaccio Reloaded

Bookmarks

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions