Ferruccio Valcareggi

Ferruccio Valcareggi (Italian pronunciation: [ferˈruttʃo valkaˈreddʒi]; 12 February 1919 – 2 November 2005) was an Italian football player and coach, who played as a midfielder.

Ferruccio Valcareggi
Personal information
Date of birth (1919-02-12)12 February 1919
Place of birth Trieste, Italy
Date of death 2 November 2005(2005-11-02) (aged 86)
Place of death Florence, Italy
Position(s) Midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1937–1940 Triestina
1940–1943 Fiorentina
1944 Milan
1944–1947 Bologna
1947–1948 Fiorentina
1948–1949 Vicenza
1949–1951 Lucchese
1951–1952 Brescia
1952–1954 Piombino
Teams managed
1952–1954 Piombino
1954–1959 Prato
1959–1962 Atalanta
1962–1964 Fiorentina
1964–1965 Atalanta
1966–1974 Italy
1975–1978 Hellas Verona
1979–1980 Roma
1979–1984 Italy B
1985 Fiorentina
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Playing career

Valcareggi was born in Trieste, on 12 February 1919. A right–sided, offensive–minded, central midfielder – known as a mezzala in Italian football jargon –, he had a successful playing career, playing for nine different teams, including clubs such as Fiorentina, A.C. Milan, Bologna, and his home-town club Triestina, with whom he began his career in 1937, ending his playing career in 1954 with Piombino. He won the Coppa Alta Italia with Bologna in 1946. He scored 73 goals in 403 matches, 59 of which came in Serie A, in 270 appearances. He was never capped at international level, however.[1][2]

Managerial career

Valcareggi is widely remembered for his success as a coach, in particular with Italy national football team. He began his coaching career as a player–manager with Piombino in 1952; after managing several Italian club sides (including Prato, helping the club to the 1956–57 Serie C title and Serie B promotion, as well as Atalanta and Fiorentina), he was named the Italian team's coach, replacing manager Edmondo Fabbri – under whom he served as an assistant – initially alongside Helenio Herrera, and later independently. He was in charge of the Italian national side between 1966 and 1974, guiding them to victory in the 1968 European Championship on home soil, and to the final in the 1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico. Under Valcareggi, Italy lost only six games in eight years.[1][2][3][4]

Despite his success with the national side, Valcareggi is also remembered for devising the infamous "staffetta" (relay) match strategy during the 1970 World Cup. Due to his focus on defensive stability, as well as the presence of two pure, prolific goalscoring strikers, Riva and Boninsegna, Valcareggi felt that it would not be possible to field Italy's two most revered advanced playmakers at the time, Gianni Rivera, and Sandro Mazzola, alongside each other. He believed the two creative players to be incompatible with each other, due to the rivalry between their respective clubs, and as he felt that deploying both players alongside the forwards would offset the balance within the starting line-up, in particular as Rivera, unlike Mazzola, was not renowned for his athleticism or defensive work-rate. He therefore conceived the plan, which essentially consisted of Mazzola playing the first half of each match, whilst Rivera would play the second half. Despite Italy's victory at the 1968 European Championship and their second-place finish at the 1970 World Cup, the tactic was widely criticised by the media, in particular due to Italy's negative performance during the group-stage and in the final defeat to Brazil, despite demonstrating their ability to successfully apply a more offensive, exciting style of play with Rivera in the semi-final against West Germany. The two players only played together briefly in the final, when Rivera came on for Boninsegna for the last six minutes of the match.[1][5][6][7]

Valcareggi also helped Italy to qualify for the 1974 FIFA World Cup; although they were considered among the favourites to win the title, they were knocked out in the first round of the tournament, which led to Valcareggi stepping down from his position as Italy's head coach; during the tournament, he had an infamous falling out with Giorgio Chinaglia, who insulted Valcareggi upon being substituted. Following his international career, Valcareggi worked as a club coach in Italy with Hellas Verona and Roma, as well as the Italian youth B Team; he also briefly served as a pundit. He later also worked for Fiorentina's technical sector; he was inducted into the Fiorentina Hall of Fame in 2013.[1][8]

Style of management

With the Italian national team, Valcareggi's rigid tactics were largely inspired by the Italian catenaccio system that had been popularised by Inter manager Herrera during the 1960s, as demonstrated by his use of a sweeper behind two man–marking central defenders and a full-back, and his use of a strategy based on heavy defending and stability. Italy were known for their ability to grind out results successfully under his tenure, and defend narrow leads after scoring, due their ability to concede few goals, which led to criticism in the Italian media over the team's lack of goals and dull gameplay, but also proved to be an effective strategy. Despite the team's more defensive playing style, they also demonstrated their offensive capabilities under Valcareggi during the 1970 World Cup; due to the altitude, his team favoured a slower gameplay, avoiding excessive sprints, which highlighted the technical ability of his players. Valcareggi was also known for this infamous staffetta policy, which involved him using his two star, talented, and skilful playmakers – Mazzola and Rivera – for one half each during matches, so as not to offset the balance within the team. The more athletic, dynamic, and direct Mazzola would start matches, while the more creative but less mobile and hard-working Rivera would come on when the opponents would begin to tire, which would allow him to dictate the game in midfield with his passing.[1][3][6][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17] His team adopted a more attractive playing style leading up to the 1974 World Cup, but struggled in the final tournament, and suffered a disappointing first–round elimination, which Valcareggi attributed to a lack of a united team in the dressing room, and his own inability to manage the group of players he was coaching at the time effectively.[10][15] In addition to his tactical intelligence and coaching ability, he was known for his ability to instill a sense of calme in his team, and for developing a close relationship with his players, despite his reserved character; he was also known for his fair-play approach and honesty, as well as his elegant attire.[1][3][14]

Personal life

In September 1943, Valcareggi married Anna Peruzzi, with whom he had three children.[1]

Death

Valcareggi died in Florence on 2 November 2005, at the age of 86.[18]

Honours

Player
Bologna
  • Coppa Alta Italia: 1945–46

Club
Prato

International
Italy[3]

Individual

References
  1. Foot, John. "VALCAREGGI, Ferruccio" (in Italian). Treccani: Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani - Volume 97 (2020). Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  2. Polverosi, Alberto. "VALCAREGGI, Ferruccio" (in Italian). Treccani: Enciclopedia dello Sport (2002). Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  3. Brian Glanville (5 November 2005). "Obituary: Ferruccio Valcareggi". theguardian.com. The Guardian. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  4. "Calcio: è morto Ferruccio Valcareggi". corriere.it (in Italian). Il Corriere della Sera. 2 November 2005. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  5. "Messico 70 e quei sei minuti di Rivera" (in Italian). www.storiedicalcio.altervista.org. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  6. "Ferruccio VALCAREGGI (I)" (in Italian). www.magliarossonera.it. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  7. Stevenson, Jonathan (12 May 2010). "The story of the 1970 World Cup". BBC Sport. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  8. Andrea Claudio Galluzzo; Gianfranco Lottini. "Ferruccio Valcareggi protagonista della storia violazzurra". museofiorentina.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  9. Smyth, Rob; Murray, Scott (25 October 2016). "World Cup final 1970: Brazil v Italy – as it happened". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  10. "VALCAREGGI Ferruccio: una vita nel pallone" (in Italian). storiedicalcio.altervista.org. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  11. Molinaro, John F. (21 November 2009). "1970 World Cup: Pele takes his final bow". CBC Sports. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  12. Viner, Brian (13 July 2009). "Great Sporting Moments: Brazil 4 Italy 1, 1970 World Cup final". The Independent. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  13. CROSETTI, MAURIZIO (3 November 2005). "Esce Mazzola, entra Rivera così la staffetta ha fatto storia". La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  14. "1970: Quando perdemmo le… staffette" (in Italian). storiedicalcio.altervista.org. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  15. Risoli, Mario. "Mondiali Memories - Mexico 70". Football Italia. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  16. BRERA, GIANNI (30 May 1986). "VIGILIA MUNDIAL PENSANDO AL ' 70". La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  17. "CALCIO - LA STORIA DEL CALCIO" (in Italian). Treccani: Enciclopedia dello Sport. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  18. "Former Italy coach Valcareggi dies". espnfc.com. ESPN FC. 2 November 2005. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  19. "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] (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. 27 October 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  20. "IV Hall of Fame Viola: Toldo, Chiarugi e non solo entrano nella galleria degli onori" (in Italian). violanews.com. 8 December 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2016.

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