Sacchi’s defense system as inspiration for European top coaches
A number of top European clubs and coaches, including Jose Mourinho (F.C. Porto, F.C. Inter and Chelsea F.C.), Peb Guordiola (F.C. Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City) and Jörgen Klopp (Borrusia Dortmund and Liverpool F.C.), have been greatly inspired by Arrigo Sacchi and A.C. Milan’s game concept. And today, virtually all Serie A clubs use defensive formations with 4 players in line. In addition, the defenders’ individual technical skills today are at an extremely high level. This is especially true of the S.S.C. Naples, as pt. leads Serie A with 32 points and who has only conceded 4 goals in 12 matches – 7 goals less than A.C. Milan and 9 goals less than F.C. Inter, which must be considered the biggest favorites for the national championship – Il Scudetto.
A “saviour” brings titles and pride to a poor city
Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli (S.S.C. Napoli) was founded in 1926 and the club has since spent the vast majority of seasons in Serie A. The club has always been the football pride of southern Italy, being exclusively S.S.C. Napoli, who have been able to seriously challenge the top clubs in Rome, Milan and Turin. However, it was not until 1962 that the club won the first title – Coppa Italia. Since then, the club has won the Italian Cup 6 times, most recently in 2020. S.S.C. Napoli’s acquisition of superstar Diego Maradona from F.C. Barcelona in the summer of 1984 for the record amount of 80 million. DKK, however, changed everything for the Neapolitans. The first two seasons were a limited success for the little Argentine and his teammates, but in the 1986-1987 season, S.S.C. Naples for the first time “Il Scudetto” with the Brazilian Careca and the Italian national team players Ferrara, Crippa, Carnevale and De Napoli in the squard. In the 1989-1990 season, S.S.C. Napoli won the Italian championship, while it became two 2’nd places in 1987-1988 and 1988-1989. Also on the international football scene, Maradona and his teammates strode all the way to the top of the UEFA Cup in 1989. In the spring of 1991, Maradona tested positive for doping, with which a long and painful downturn, both sporting and economic, began for S.S.C. Naples. In 2000, the club was relegated from Serie A and only three seasons later, the club was declared bankrupt with a debt of 80 million euros and forcibly relegated to Serie C. Despite S.S.C. Napoli played Italy’s third best football series, nevertheless attracted the club an impressive number of spectators to their home matches – often more than 50,000 spectators. In the 2003-2004 season, S.S.C. Napoli – as a Serie C club – the third highest spectator average in all of Italy after F.C. Inter and A.C. Milan, but ahead of top clubs Juventus F.C., A.S. Rome and S.S. Lazio. In addition, the club also has many loyal fans outside of Italy.
S.S.C. Naples – Rebirth and championship favorite
A rapid financial reconstruction, primarily funded by film director Aurelio De Laurentiis and who today remains the main shareholder in the club, brought S.S.C. Napoli back – first to Serie B in 2005-2006 and two years later to Serie A. And in the last decade, the club has continuously been among Italy’s best, 4 times (2012-2013, 2015-2016, 2017-2018 and 2018-2019) as vice champions. The club has especially profiled itself on a very strong defense with Kalidou Koulibaly from Senegal as the biggest profile and the playmaker Lorenzo Insigne as the dominant attacking player.
Italy’s best defense vs. best attack
On Sunday, the S.S.C. Napoli on one of the season’s most difficult matches against another championship favorite – F.C. Inter from Milan. The match is not just a duel between Southern Italy’s football pride and one of Northern Italy’s economically strongest and most sporting winning clubs. It’s also a match between Serie A’s best defense – S.S.C. Napoli – against the league’s best attack – F.C. Inter – who in the first 12 games of the season have scored the most goals of all Serie A clubs – a total of 29. I look forward – together with my good mates Tino, Jørgen and Thorleif – to follow the match at the Stadio Guiseppe Meazza in Milan. It looks like a match with very few goals in advance, but football matches without goals can actually (also) be both interesting and very intense.
You can read more about Italian football and the two clubs here:
