Tattica: Montreal's final piece of the calcio puzzle?
It lasted only one season in Canada for head coach Jesse Marsch after the Montreal Impact management announced he’s done as head coach after a 12-16-6 record. It’s not that Marsch wasn’t good enough, but simply that between himself, Sporting director Nick De Santis, and team president Joey Saputo, they did not share the same soccer philosophy.
See also: Can Rennie make more of 2013?
Rumors from media sources note that Montreal could bring on a European coach, more suited than Jesse Marsch to the European culture the Impact’s ownership embraced in Canada. With other skillful Italian players currently on trial and ready to come to Montreal, bringing on an Italian head coach would be a logical step.
Italian head coaches usually have knowledge and methodology to adapt themselves to a completely different soccer world. Also, an Italian coach could earn that respect that the Italian Impact players did not concede to Marsch.
So, here is a short list of other some potential candidates that would be a good fit for Montreal:
Stefano Pioli
The former coach of Marco Di Vaio at Bologna, Pioli could rejoin his former protégé in Canada. Not safe at Bologna due to supporters high expectations, Pioli teaches an easy brand of soccer not requiring a big learning curve. 4-4-2 or 3-4-2-1 are systems he can introduce. On the other end though, his teams’ playing style never was brilliant. But whether fans like or not this style of play, Pioli has succeeded almost everywhere he's coached.
Luigi Apolloni
The former Azzurri centre back - who started some games in 1994 FIFA World Cup - came from a season where his team was relegated from Serie B to Legra Pro - the third professional division in Italy. However, the relegation was unavoidable due to team’s lack of quality. Also, he had not started the season with the club and was brought on at mid-season, when the situation were already compromised. A 3-4-1-2 expert, Apolloni could produce an entertaining style of play featuring two forwards and an attacking midfielder up top.
Giovanni Stroppa
He recently resigned after a decent start with newly promoted Pescara, but after falling into the bottom of the table left the club. He’s a fan of both 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1 with a high defensive line. He puts emphasis on the tactical side, pressing and keeping his team short and tight. A former player under head coaches such as Zdenek Zeman and Fabio Capello, Stroppa likes an offensive style play but also tries to pay attention on the defensive side of the ball - although it didn’t happened this season, as Pescara allowed 24 goals in 8 games.
Benito Carbone
An attacking player during his playing days with Inter, Parma, Torino and Napoli, Carbone started his coaching apprenticeship on lower tiers of Italian soccer. He’s young and bright and could be a candidate to fill the vacant spot. However, he could be a major risk: his only experience with a good level club, at Varese in Serie B, ended prematurely and his record of 1-3-3 is far from impressive.
Pierluigi Casiraghi
Angel faced - teenage girls idolized him during his playing career, incredibly he is out of a job despite his work with U-21 Italian National Team. Under him, the Azzurrini played a brilliant offensive soccer like never before. A 4-3-3 expert, he would have to adapt to the MLS world, but he knows English from his days at Chelsea so this hire could made sense.
Michele Tossani is a football tactician with a Ph.D. in History. Michele resides in Florence, Italy and is a tactical analyst for Futbol-Tactico.com
|