A direct clash with a view to salvation. At least that’s what the ranking says. Tomorrow evening Mantova-Catanzaro is also an opportunity for the Giallorossi to guarantee continuity of the success against Palermo who interrupted a negative streak by bringing breath, enthusiasm and confidence back into the environment and above all into the team. But the challenge is also an internal comparison within a “school”, that is, in the same way of understanding and practicing football: a tug-of-war between “players”, if you really want to simplify it as much as possible. More in detail, the match is a face-to-face match between two coaches who see Roberto De Zerbi as one of their teachers, if not the main point of reference.
Alberto Aquilani has never made a secret of the common thread that links him to the current Marseille coach. The Brescia native opened a path in Italy that no one had practiced and there are still few who follow it with conviction. It is no coincidence that he himself has been abroad for years between Ukraine, England and now France. Catanzaro fans know well what we are talking about, given that Aquilani was wanted by the club to continue a tradition of possession and dribbling: the one that with Vivarini brought the Giallorossi closer to De Zerbi’s teams, made them successful and spectacular despite their differences, because we are not talking about simple epigones. However, the traits in common are not few and are evident, it was for Vivarini as they are for the forty-one year old who took command in the summer.
Not enough, Aquilani has two of De Zerbi’s “godchildren” as assistant coach and captain: Cristian Agnelli was his extension on the pitch at the time of Foggia, a “Spanish” team that in some ways looked like Guardiola’s Barcelona which had the undisputed striker in Pietro Iemmello. Even today Agnelli and Iemmello spend part of their holidays with their former coach.
As for Mantova, the “Dezerbian” meaning is even more marked because Davide Possanzini began coaching almost immediately on the staff of the Brescia player, of which he was technical collaborator and assistant for almost 200 matches between Foggia, Palermo, Benevento, Sassuolo and Shakthar. It’s impossible that those experiences didn’t leave a strong imprint on one’s playing style. It is no coincidence that two years ago Mantova dominated the Serie C group more or less as Vivarini’s Catanzaro had done in the previous season: possession and dribbling. And with the same recipe it survived without many problems last year.
The full article is available in the print and digital editions
