Vittorio Pozzo

Football player infobox
playername= Vittorio Pozzo


fullname = Vittorio Pozzo
height =
nickname =
dateofbirth = birth date|1886|3|2
cityofbirth = Turin
countryofbirth = Italy
dateofdeath = Death date and age|1968|12|21|1886|3|2|mf=y
cityofdeath = Ponderano
countryofdeath = Italy
position =
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years = 1905-1906 1906-1911
clubs = Grasshopper-Club Zürich Torino
caps(goals) =
nationalyears =
nationalteam =
nationalcaps(goals) =
manageryears = 1912 1912-1922 1924-1926 1928 1929-1948
managerclubs = Italy Torino A.C. Milan Italy Italy

Vittorio Pozzo (March 2 1886 in Turin, Piedmont, Italy – Ponderano (Biella) December 21 1968) was an Italian football (soccer) coach who was most famous for leading the Italian national team to victory in the 1934 FIFA World Cup and 1938 FIFA World Cups; managed the side that won the 1930 and 1935 editions of the Central European International Cup, as well as the 1936 Olympic football gold medal and the 1928 Olympic football bronze medal. He oversaw the famous unbeaten run of the Italian side from December 1934 until 1939 and was also famous for creating the "Metodo" tactical formation. He is the only coach to ever win two FIFA World Cups.

Background (1886-1928)

Affectionately known as "Il Vecchio Maestro" - 'The Old Master' and described as both an Anglophile (he once purchased, never used and never parted with the ticket of a journey to England) and authoritarian [ [http://www.hinduonnet.com/tss/tss2921/stories/20060527001002800.htm] ] , Pozzo's time as national coach coincided with the period in which Benito Mussolini governed Italy and it has been written that Pozzo was a beneficiary of that era in that he was able to command a type of control over players not permissible in the aftermath of that time.

In his formative years Pozzo (who had come from a reasonably comfortable background) travelled widely. His primary interest was always football and he travelled to England at the turn of the century where he met Charlie Roberts, the half-back who played for Manchester United and Steve Bloomer the Derby County inside-left. Pozzo also played in Switzerland (for the Grasshopper-Club Zürich during the 1905-06 season) and France before returning to Italy where he was instrumental in the development of Torino football club playing in the side from 1906 to 1911 and, thereafter, acting as the team’s coach from 1912 to 1924.

In 1912 he took charge of the Italian Olympic side at the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm. Italy lost 3-2 to Finland in the first round match at Traneburg (in a game refereed by Hugo Meisl); after which Pozzo took up a post with the Pirelli organisation as a manager and served with Italian forces in the Alpines during the First World War. Pozzo was also the coach of the Italian Olympic side at the 1928 Summer Olympics held in Amsterdam. During that tournament Italy were awarded the Bronze medal after having lost a tight semi-final to Uruguay after added time only by the odd goal in five.

Coach of the National side (1929-1948)

He returned to coach the national side on a permanent basis from December 1929 [http://rsssf.com/tablesi/ital-intres1920.html] ] onwards on the basis that he would accept no money for the position; the early pointers were encouraging. Italy won the 1930 version of the Central European International Cup (defeating Hungary 5-0 in Budapest where, otherwise, Hungary had won all their games) from Meisl’s Austrian side, the so-called Wunderteam (who won the 2nd edition of that competition). As a memento of the first victory Pozzo would always carry a chip off the Central European International trophy. The trophy, made of Bohemian crystal, was dropped when Italy first won it; smashing into so many pieces that it could not be fixed. Where defeat arose, decisions were taken. Following the 1930 defeat to Spain, Pozzo dropped Adolfo Baloncieri, his captain; an international of ten years standing. [ [http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/orsi-intlg.html] ]

In the lead-up to the 1934 tournament, however, the auguries were not good. In 1932 Austria beat Italy, as did the Czechs; a defeat to the Hungarians was only averted because of a missed penalty. This led to Pozzo bringing back the Bologna player Angelo Schiavio who had been a regular goalscorer for his club side but in February 1934 with the World Cup looming, Austria defeated Italy in Turin by 4 goals to 2 [http://www.playerhistory.com/Default.aspx?page=player_details&playerID=114705] ] . Again Pozzo felled the axe on the team captain Umberto Caligaris.

The Metodo

Pozzo’s reign as Italian national coach was characterised by three matters. The first was the tactical development of the ‘metodo’ formation. This was not Pozzo’s original idea but one spawned of his two famous contemporaries. In London, Herbert Chapman and in Vienna, Hugo Meisl had both seen the need to encourage more attacking play following the change in the off-side law in 1925. Whereas previously formations had remained the same since the 1890s (the 2-3-5 formations) the change in the off-side law saw Chapman use a forward-lying ‘stopper’ (in the Arsenal team of the 1920s this was a role adopted by Herbie Roberts, a slow runner but good passer of the ball). By having the centre-half playing just behind the inside forwards Chapman was able to have Roberts tackle the opposing centre-forward and then deliver the ball smartly in order to set up attacks. There was also greater onus on the wingers attacking the goal more. Cliff Bastin was a key component of the Arsenal success story in the 1930s; a free scoring winger. Later Pozzo evolved the formation into the "Sistema" (2-3-2-3 formation), which created a stronger defence. The relative strength of Chapman's and Pozzo's ideas was put to the test in 1933 during their European tour, when England (led by Herbert Chapman (the first coach to take full control of the national side)) drew 1-1 with Pozzo's Italian side.

Oriundi

The other matter that Pozzo benefited from was ‘oriundi’ (that is foreign-born Italian ‘nationals’) which permitted Italy to take huge advantage of those players from other countries who could claim some type of Italian ancestry. In the 1900s Pozzo had been immersed in the chivalry of the English footballer: physically committed to the game but fair. In the 1930s he was able to call on Luis Monti a notoriously tough-tackling midfielder (who had appeared for the Argentinians in their 1930 World Cup final defeat) and who was a vital part of the success of the team in the 1934 World Cup. (Chapman's Roberts was Pozzo's Monti).

About the criticisms receipts to call on oriundi players in the victorious world cup of 1934, reporting to the fact that them same served in the army, he said: "If they can die for Italy, they can also play for Italy". [cite web| url = http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/soccer/07/05/glanville.ws/index.html | title = Luck or judgment? Managerial choices at Euro 2004 raise eyebrows | date = 2004-07-05| accessdate = 2006-11-05 | author = Brian Glanville | quote = "If they can die for Italy then can play for Italy!" thundered Italy's commanding chief Vittorio Pozzo. | publisher = Sports Illustrated/CNN ]

He was also a fan of Raimundo Orsi, a fellow Argentinian who he was able to prize away from Buenos Aires after an undistinguished stint in the Argentinian shirt. Orsi, never a prolific goalscorer, would reward Pozzo’s faith with a freakish goal in the 1934 World Cup final. Not that he dispensed with home-grown talent. His penchant for attacking play is demonstrated by the fact that as well as Schiavio, Pozzo was successful in converting Giuseppe Meazza, who was captain in 1938, from a striker into an inside forward; indeed Pozzo’s reign is linked closely to the success of his strikers.

Fascist salute

The other matter was the historical period. Brian Glanville has stated that Pozzo was not a fascist; he did, however, work alongside Giorgio Vaccaro - a general from the fascist militia during that first World Cup campaign.

The third edition of the FIFA World Cup took place in France, where numerous refugees who had escaped the fascist regime in Italy booed the Italian national team. In the first match of the Italian national team, against the Norwegian national team, among the twenty-two thousand spectators there were three thousand escaped antifascist Italians that heavily contested “the Mussolini's national team”. Pozzo replied to the demonstration with a memorable episode. To the presentation of the teams in field, "gli azzurri" had made the fascist salute as it was custom. They were overwhelmed by the whistles. He feared that that reception demoralized the players. When the whistles diminished, because "gli azzurri" lowered the arm, Pozzo that was lined up with them to the center of the field ordered a new Roman salute. He said then: “So we won the intimidation.”

The coach Pozzo ordered the players to continue with the fascist salute during the national anthem. Afterwards he declared: "Our players don't even dream to make some politics, but the fascist salute is the official flag of the moment, it's a sort of ceremony and they must show allegiance to it. I have my ideas, but I know what my duty is. When we take to the field we are solemn and deafening hisses attend us. And we don't lower the hand until the hisses are stopped. The action of intimidation has not succeeded". The quarter-final, in Paris against France, saw Italy play in the infamous all-black strip (m It is open to conjecture as to the reason for this decision although some ideas have been mooted: to intimidate the French; to antagonise the refugees and anti-fascist patriots in the crowd. No single idea has succeeded.

One thing is certain, Italy played tough, attacking football during that period; the grace of Orsi, Meazza and Schiavio was backed up by Monti and Locatelli.

uccesses during the 1930s

During the 1934 World Cup, Pozzo benefited from whatever was going on behind the scenes during a physically excessive tournament. The game against the Spanish side in the quarter-finals raised questions against the performance of the referee Louis Baert in the first, drawn, match. In the second Rene Mercet, the Swiss referee, did not escape criticism either; banned upon his arrival back in Switzerland by his parent Football Association. A clear foul on Ricardo Zamora for the equaliser in the first went unpunished; another on Joan Josep Nogués in the replayed game earned Italy a semi-final place.

Italy benefited as well from the tough quarter-final played elsewhere between Hungary and Austria; by the time of the semi-final Johann Horvath was absent and Italy won by another disputed goal; Enrique Guaita, another Argentinian, scoring from close range after Meazza had fallen over goalkeeper Peter Platzer. On the back of the World Cup success, Pozzo was awarded the title of "Commendatore" for greatness in his profession and his tactical acumen was respected throughout the sport.

The excesses of the side, however, boiled over at the Battle of Highbury in December 1934 against a tough English side led by Arsenal's uncompromising Wilf Copping.

Italy won the 1935 Dr Gero Cup and entered the 1936 Summer Olympics on the back of a run which had seen them lose only to the Austrians and English since October 1932. The Italians, all registered as students, won the Olympic Games, defeating Meisl’s Austrians in the final by 2 goals to 1. Annibale Frossi, the myopic striker who Pozzo had discovered from obscurity in Serie B, led the front-line through out the tournament.

By the time of the 1938 World Cup Italy remained undefeated; Silvio Piola, first playing in 1935 became an instant success, scoring regularly for the national side; a magnificent partner to Meazza. Italy duly won their 2nd World title in a free-scoring game against the Hungarians in Paris.

End of coaching (1939-1948)

There were slight wobbles with the side just after the advent of the 2nd World War; Pozzo remained in position throughout the hostilities. England won their famous game in Turin in May, 1948 just prior to the Olympic Games of 1948; a defeat in which an Italian side packed with the Torino club players was found wanting. At the Olympic Games Pozzo’s last match as Italian coach came; a 5-3 defeat to the Danes in the quarter-finals of the competition (a game played at, of all places, 'Chapman's' Highbury Stadium). Pozzo finished with a record 64 wins, 17 draws and 16 defeats from 97 games. His percentage of victories is equal to the 65,97% of the played games: this one record among the Italian national team coaches also.

Later Life (1949-1968)

Following this, Pozzo became a journalist, reporting on the 1950 World Cup; he would pass away the year Italy were next to win a major international honour in 1968.

Trivia

About the semi-final Brazil was cocksure to beat Italy and play the final in Paris for the conquest of the title. For this it had requisitioned the only airplane from Marseille to Paris on the day after the match with Italy. Pozzo went to the Brazilians that sunbathed in Côte d'Azur and he asked them to surrender him the aerial bookings in case of Italian victory. The Brazilians arrogantly answered: “It is not possible because to Paris we will go, because we will beat you in Marseille”. And they offered the ironic hospitality to take him on board of the airplane with them to go to Paris and to see them play in the final.Pozzo reported to the team what the Brazilians had told him emphasized it to rouse the pride of the players. It was the psychological premise for the revenge in the match.

Honours

International

Italy
*FIFA World Cup: 1934, 1938
*Central European International Cup: 1927-30, 1930-1935
*Men's Olympic football:
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References

* [http://www.fifa.com/classicfootball/coaches/coach=61560/quotes.html Vittorio Pozzo - What they said]

External links

* [http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/p/cc/ita/pozzo.html Biography of Vittorio Pozzo]
* [http://rsssf.com/tablesi/ital-intres1920.html]
* [http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/orsi-intlg.html]
* [http://www.playerhistory.com/Default.aspx?page=player_details&playerID=114705]
* [http://rsssf.com/tablesi/ital-intres1930.html]