The Next Step
Having inherited a team soon-to-be-promoted to Serie A, the next step in my managerial career began in earnest. Knowing that I wouldn’t have much of a Transfer Budget to throw around, I sent scouts all over Europe with Bosman on their brains.
Unlucky for some…
13 Free Transfers all told. Some players would instantly step into the First Team, others were signed to bolster stocks in a squad that would have been decimated if exposed to the common cold.
The little money I was afforded by the Board was spent, with €2.6M spread over another 4 players.
I have chosen a newly transferred player from each area of the pitch (GK, Defender, Midfielder and Attacker) to highlight with screenshots below. (Click to enlarge)
Marwin Hitz – signed on a Free Transfer from Roma
- Ignacio Fideleff – Centre-Half signed on a Free Transfer from Napoli
- Savvas Gentsoglou – Defensive Midfielder signed on a Free Transfer from Sampdoria
- Bruno Fornaroli – Striker signed on a Free Transfer from Sampdoria
Bombs over Baghdad
As well as managing a club side, I have also been plying my trade on an International level.
Having short spells with Jamaica (and winning a Caribbean Championship), before moving on to a very short and equally unsuccessful stint with my very own Australia, I am now under the employ of the Iraqi Football Federation.
Before Cittadella’s matches turned from Pre-Season friendlies to matches of more hostility (and importance), Iraq had a Friendly encounter of their own, hosting India.
As expected, the Home Nation dominated the match from start to finish, the Final Score of 4-1 being the clearest indicator.
Belying the less-than-stellar opposition, this match produced some fine goals. 2 absolute belters and a precisely worked “Team-Goal” as shown on a highlights package below.
What’s My Name Again?
Before the International match could even kick-off, I noticed the appointed Chinese referee had quite an interesting name. Suffice to say, I was hoping none of my Iraqi players made him angry… (Click to enlarge)
You wouldn’t like him when he’s angry…
Gentlemen, Start your engines
My first competitive match at the helm of Cittadella was to be the Italian Cup 3rd Qualify Round clash, playing host to Serie B side Cesena.
The bookies heavily favoured us, but Cesena turned up with other plans. It took an Extra-Time penalty, but in fairness we never deserved anything from a match that saw us struggle to hold the ball, finishing the 120 minutes with 40% possession. All this in front of a Home crowd too!
The result and performance left me with no doubt that my formation and style of play needed some tweaking. I had been trying to stay away from a flat 4-4-2, but perhaps it would be a good place to start…
Below is my original formation.
A bit light-on in Midfield
You can’t win ’em all
The disappointment of the premature exit from Italian Cup competition didn’t have long to settle, before the Serie A opener rolled around.
Heading to Lazio would be an immense test of this fresh squad’s fortitude. The possession was far more even in this match, finishing 55-45 in Lazio’s favour. The scoreline was vastly different.
Getting hit on the break from a (unsurprisingly) superior team was the order of the day, the scoreboard reading 3-0 in under 30 minutes. Making some changes to the formation and style of play seemed to ease the pain, as did a Half-Time team talk focusing on an improved performance by all.
It seemed all was not lost when we pulled one back 3 minutes into the 2nd Half. A carefully whipped ball into the back-post from a Free Kick was met by a strong header from our Centre-Half.
Conceding a goal only served to spurn Lazio on, as they mirrored their strong start with a powerful finish – Final Score; Lazio 5-1 Cittadella.
Soul Searching
Even though it’s only 1 League match into the season, I am already confounded with tactical issues and potential solutions.
I didn’t expect otherwise, but this start has only served to confirm; this is going to be a long, hard season.
Next Month, Next Blog
As August gives way to September, Cittadella can look forward to 4x Serie A matches, including a Wednesday night fixture playing host to Inter Milan, before traveling to face AC Milan 3 days later.
A busy month for Iraq, with a World Cup Qualifier hosting China, Friendly matches welcoming both Indonesia and Oman to Baghdad, before ending September with the challenge of a West Asian Football Championship campaign, with group matches against Bahrain and Lebanon.
LifeoFManager 