Nevio Scala Explained

Nevio Scala
Full Name:Nevio Scala[1]
Birth Date:22 November 1947
Birth Place:Lozzo Atestino, Italy
Position:Midfielder
Youthclubs1:Milan
Years1:1965–1969
Caps1:11
Goals1:0
Years2:1966–1967
Clubs2:Roma (loan)
Caps2:28
Goals2:1
Years3:1969–1971
Caps3:59
Goals3:2
Years4:1971–1973
Caps4:50
Goals4:6
Years5:1973–1975
Caps5:26
Goals5:1
Years6:1975–1976
Caps6:23
Goals6:0
Years7:1976–1979
Caps7:85
Goals7:2
Years8:1979–1980
Caps8:14
Goals8:0
Years9:1980–1981
Caps9:23
Goals9:1
Totalcaps:319
Totalgoals:13
Manageryears1:1988–1989
Managerclubs1:Reggina
Manageryears2:1989–1996
Managerclubs2:Parma
Manageryears3:1996–1997
Managerclubs3:Perugia
Manageryears4:1997–1998
Managerclubs4:Borussia Dortmund
Manageryears5:2000–2001
Managerclubs5:Beşiktaş
Manageryears6:2002
Managerclubs6:Shakhtar Donetsk
Manageryears7:2003–2004
Managerclubs7:Spartak Moscow

Nevio Scala (pronounced as /it/; born 22 November 1947) is an Italian football sporting director, coach and former player.

Throughout his footballing career, he played as a midfielder for several Italian clubs, and won several titles during his time with A.C. Milan. As a manager, he is mostly known for his role as head coach of Parma during the club's golden age of the 1990s, which saw him lead the team from Serie B to several European triumphs.

Playing career

Born in Lozzo Atestino, Province of Padua, Veneto, Scala enjoyed a successful career as a midfielder for several Italian top-flight teams — Roma, Milan, Vicenza and Internazionale — and subsequently played for lower-ranked clubs Foggia, Monza and Adriese in the final years of his career.As a player, with A.C. Milan, he won 1 Italian Championship (1967–68), 1 European Champions Cup (1968–69), and 1 European Cup Winners' Cup (1967–68).

Coaching career

As a coach, he led Calabrian third division club Reggina to Serie B in 1988, and then moved to Serie B club Parma. He held that position for six years, leading the Emilian club to its first promotion to the Italian top flight in 1990, and subsequently turned the team into one of the major clubs in the Italian Serie A, thanks also to the relevant financial backing from chairman and Parmalat founder Calisto Tanzi, winning several domestic and European titles. During his time at Parma, Scala won the Coppa Italia in 1992, the Cup Winners' Cup and the European Super Cup in 1993, and the UEFA Cup in 1995. He also managed runners-up medals in the Coppa Italia in 1995, in the Cup Winners' Cup in 1994, and twice in the Supercoppa Italiana in 1992 and 1995, while his best result in the league were third-place finishes during the 1992–93 and 1994–95 Serie A seasons. He left Parma in June 1996.[2] [3] [4]

During the 1996–97 season, Scala accepted an offer from Luciano Gaucci to become head coach of struggling Perugia, but did not manage to escape relegation to Serie B for his side, missing out on potential salvation by a single point.[3]

He successively pursued a number of experiences abroad, becoming head coach of German club Borussia Dortmund in 1997, with whom he won the Intercontinental Cup that season; he left the club in 1998. In 2000, he became another Italian coach after Giuseppe Meazza and Sandro Puppo to manage a Turkish team by accepting an offer from Beşiktaş; hs time at the club was not positive, however. He then went on to serve as head coach for Ukraine's FC Shakhtar Donetsk, where he won Ukrainian Championship and Cup in 2002, and Russians Spartak Moscow winning the 2003 Russian Cup, the latter role being his last head coaching experience to date.[3]

He currently lives in his hometown city of Lozzo Atestino, where he is member of the local city council since 2007,[5] after running unsuccessfully as mayor in 2007.[6] He is currently active as a football pundit for Rai Radio 1, where he regularly comments Serie A games and gives his answers to live phone comments and questions on Sunday late night show Domenica sport.[7]

In the early 2010s, Scala expressed a desire to return to coaching, being linked with Motherwell F.C.[8] and later with A.S. Roma[9] in 2010.

In July 2015, he was confirmed as new chairman of a refounded Parma, after the original club folded due to financial issues,[10] while former player Luigi Apolloni was chosen as head coach.[11] Parma managed to return to the professional Italian leagues that season, and clinched promotion from Serie D into Lega Pro on 17 April 2016.[12] Scala resigned from chairmanship in November 2016, in disagreement with the club owners' decision to sack head coach Luigi Apolloni and technical director Lorenzo Minotti, both former players of his during his days as Parma manager.[13]

Style of management

Scala was a pragmatic manager, who was known for his high-tempo, offensive–minded, possession–based style, which was inspired by Dutch total football; he was also influenced by the calm style of Nils Liedholm and the charisma of Nereo Rocco, under whom he had played. He was also influenced by Helenio Herrera and Giovanni Trapattoni. His tactical approach was in stark contrast to other styles popular in Italy at the time, which were either the gioco all'italiana inspired by the man-to-man marking of catenaccio, or Arrigo Sacchi's zonal 4–4–2.[14] [15] [16] [17] Scala instead used a fluid and innovative 5–3–2 formation, which could easily transform into a 3–5–2 formation when attacking, with the full-backs, such as Antonio Benarrivo and Alberto Di Chiara at Parma, frequently running into spaces to overload the flanks and give his team a numerical advantage.[14] [18] [19] [20] He used this system at almost every club he managed, except Spartak Moscow, where he did not have players suited to this formation and used a 5–2–3 instead.[18] He is credited as being a pioneer of this 3–5–2 or 5–3–2 formation, which later became highly popular in Serie A.[21] At Parma, Scala used a zonal marking system off the ball throughout most areas of the pitch, and a high defensive line, but also used elements of man-to-man marking in defence, with a non systematic use of the offisde trap. He also made use of a ball-playing sweeper – Lorenzo Minotti – flanked by two stoppers: Luigi Apolloni and Georges Grün. He also deployed an intelligent deep-lying playmaker in midfield, such as Daniele Zoratto.[14] [18] [15] [22] Scala also often used a sweeper-keeper, such as Cláudio Taffarel, Luca Bucci, or Gianluigi Buffon, who was adept with his feet, and who was also capable of rushing out of goal quickly to beat opponents who had beaten the offisde trap and clear the ball away from danger.[14] [17] [23] [24] [25] [26] Scala's Parma were known for being hard-working, compact defensively, and capable of scoring from swift counter-attacks. The team often made use of switches of play to stretch their opponents.[27] His style was not only spectacular, but also successful.[28]

Scala also believed in the importance of the psychological aspect of the game, and in discussing issues with his players, as well as creating a united dressing room environment through fun, leadership, and good humour.[18] [17] Known for his ability to develop youth talent, he also felt it was important to give his younger players freedom rather than indoctrinate them through tactical discussions.[18] [29] He also found ways to incorporate several talented players into his team; for example, upon the arrival of Gianfranco Zola at Parma, he successfully moved Swedish footballer Tomas Brolin into midfield, in order to accommodate for the Italian in the role of second striker.[30] Scala's style even served as an inspiration for Zola as a manager.[31]

Honours

Player

Milan

1967–68

1968–69

1967–68

Managerial

Parma

1991–92; runner-up 1994–95

1992–93; runner-up 1993–94

1993

1994–95

runner-up 1992, 1995

Borussia Dortmund

1997

Shakhtar Donetsk

2001–02

2001–02

Spartak Moscow

runner-up 2004

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Nevio Scala . Turkish Football Federation . 22 December 2020.
  2. Web site: When Parma ruled Europe. Football Italia. Dave Taylor. 5 March 2015. 22 April 2016.
  3. Web site: Il pallone racconta: Nevio Scala . AIC - Associazione Italiana Calciatori . it . 24 November 2017 . 28 May 2024 .
  4. News: "Il nostro progetto per la serie A", parola di Nevio Scala . la Repubblica . it . 8 December 2015 . 28 May 2024 .
  5. Web site: Lozzo Atestino (PD). NonSoloCap.it . it . 10 July 2009 .
  6. News: Comune di LOZZO ATESTINO. Corriere della Sera . it . 10 July 2009 . 27 May 2007 .
  7. News: Rai: Ritorna 90° Minuto, Appuntamento Storico Sul Piccolo Schermo. Yahoo! Italia TV . 23 August 2009 . 29 August 2008 . it .
  8. News: Nevio Scala quick to throw hat into ring for Hibs job. The Scotsman Newspaper. 4 October 2010. 22 April 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20110629171722/http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/hibernianfc/Nevio-Scala-quick-to-throw.6565156.jp. 29 June 2011. dead.
  9. News: Football Italia. 9 March 2010. 22 April 2016. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110723130721/http://football-italia.net/mar09s.html. 23 July 2011.
  10. News: Parma, inizia ufficialmente l'era Barilla: "Sarà una storia diversa, mai vista" . La Gazzetta dello Sport . it . 1 July 2015 . 1 July 2015 .
  11. Web site: New club Parma Calcio 1913 approved to play in Serie D. 27 July 2015. 27 July 2015. ESPNFC.com. ESPN (UK).
  12. Web site: Parma promoted into Lega Pro. Football Italia. 18 April 2016.
  13. Web site: Parma, via Apolloni, Minotti, Galassi. Scala lascia. "Amareggiati, altro che calcio diverso". La Repubblica. 27 April 2021 . 22 November 2016 . Italian.
  14. Web site: The Parma story: Hernan, Hristro, Gigi and the dairy dream gone wrong . fourfourtwo.com . en . 24 June 2015 . 23 May 2024 .
  15. Web site: Fontana . Mattia . La storia della tattica: da Sacchi a Guardiola . www.eurosport.it . 23 May 2024 . it . 18 May 2015.
  16. News: Guagneli . Walter . Ditegli sempre gol . 23 May 2024 . L'Unità . 19 September 1991 . 29 . it.
  17. Web site: Nevio Scala: "Il mio Parma stima reciproca e tanta intensità" . www.guerinsportivo.it . 23 May 2024 . it . 22 November 2022.
  18. News: Nevio Scala, il non-maestro: "I giovani? Bisogna lasciarli liberi di esprimersi, senza indottrinarli con troppi discorsi tattici" . 23 May 2024 . Il Fatto Quotidiano . 20 March 2022 . it-IT.
  19. News: Nevio Scala, dalla campagna ai successi in Europa col Parma . 23 May 2024 . corrieredellosport.it . 21 November 2019 . it.
  20. Web site: Favola . L'Ultimo Uomo . 23 May 2024 . it-IT . 14 April 2015.
  21. News: Breve storia del grande Parma . 23 May 2024 . Il Post . 28 February 2015 . it.
  22. Web site: Quasi leggenda: il primo ballo del Parma . L'Ultimo Uomo . 23 May 2024 . it-IT . 25 March 2019.
  23. Web site: SCALA HA FRETTA DI GOL. La Repubblica. Italian. EMILIO MARRESE. 20 October 1994. 28 October 2017.
  24. Web site: PECCHIA, SARA' FAMOSO?. La Repubblica. Italian. EMILIO MARRESE. 15 August 1993. 28 October 2017.
  25. Web site: Maglia Azzurra Stregata. La Stampa. 31. Italian. 10 October 1995. 28 October 2017.
  26. News: Peruzzi. La mia sfida con Zenga. La Stampa. Italian. 26 February 1995. Marco Ansaldo. 33.
  27. Web site: Hodges-Ramon . Luca . The insatiable rise of Parma in the 1990s . These Football Times . 23 May 2024 . 22 November 2016.
  28. Web site: Nevio Scala, dalla campagna ai successi in Europa col Parma . www.guerinsportivo.it . 23 May 2024 . it . 30 March 2021.
  29. Web site: The Rise and Fall of Parma . Breaking The Lines . 23 May 2024.
  30. Web site: Hall . Richard . When Calcio Ruled the World: Tomas Brolin - . 23 May 2024 . 31 May 2016.
  31. News: Standard . Ken Dyer, Evening . Zola is fashioning his team in style of Scala . 23 May 2024 . Evening Standard . 13 April 2012 . en.