Ever-improving Sassuolo Continuing European Push Under Di Francesco
At a charity tournament back in his playing days, Eusebio di Francesco spotted an opportunity he couldn’t pass up. His namesake, the great Portugal and Benfica striker, was also taking part and the ex-Roma midfielder absolutely couldn’t let him go without getting a picture taken with him. Arnaldo, his father, would be delighted. He was one of Eusebio’s biggest fans back in the day and had argued and argued with his wife Silvana to name their son after him. Unfortunately for di Francesco senior, his son accidentally deleted the photo. “My dad took it really badly,” he told Il Corriere dello Sport.
Arnaldo has moved on. After all, he has got plenty to be proud of. Not only for what di Francesco achieved on the pitch, winning the Scudetto with Roma in 2001, but on the bench as well. The job he has done at Sassuolo leaves observers in little doubt that, at 46, di Francesco is one of the most promising coaches in Italy. They have improved every year under his tutelage. A historic promotion to the top flight, the first in the Neroverdi’s history, was followed by survival then consolidation. This season they are in with a chance of qualifying for Europe.
Sassuolo are currently seventh, seemingly poised to overtake Milan and close in on fading Inter and Fiorentina. They are 12 points better off than they were a year ago and have scored more (+3) and conceded fewer (-6) goals. Unbeaten at the Mapei Stadium until the end of January, the reputation of di Francesco’s team as Ammazza-Grandi - or Giant Killers - fatal in particular to Milan, has only grown. They have shocked Juventus, Inter and Napoli this season, found themselves 2-0 up against Roma and held them and Fiorentina to draws. If the season were a mini-league played only against the teams ahead of Sassuolo, they would be third.
Behind it all is a stable, coherent project. The team is that perfect blend of experience and youth. Sassuolo have a clear identity. Captain Francesco Magnanelli has been at the club since they were in the fourth division and is able to pass on what it means to represent the Neroverdi. “He’s our soul,” di Francesco says, and with the exception of right-back Sime Vrsaljko and striker Gregoire Defrel, the team is all-Italian.
Much of the focus naturally falls on wunderkind Domenico Berardi, but after making a name for himself in the last couple of years, he hasn’t been quite as productive or decisive this season. Instead, Nicola Sansone has stepped up and with seven games remaining he is only a goal short of his personal best for a campaign. Alfred Duncan is another developing talent. He has come on a lot under di Francesco’s stewardship.
It’s this ability to teach and progress the next generation of footballers that makes Sassuolo’s manager so highly thought of. Marco Verratti owes di Francesco a debt. He was the one to persuade him to play in front of the defence at Pescara instead of as a No.10. So does Simone Zaza who is now playing for Juventus.
During the international break, di Francesco gave La Gazzetta dello Sport two hours of his time to explain his philosophy. “My football is playing it forward and getting in behind,” he said. “I’m always telling my players that two sideways passes are already too many.” What they do without the ball is just as important “because football is time and space.” Knowing which movement to make and when to make it is something he spends hours on in training. “Repetition is fundamental.”
His preference is for 4-3-3. “It’s only downfall is how hard it makes marking an opponent.” What di Francesco means by that is, for instance, in a 4-2-3-1, you have an extra line or band. The 10 or False 9 can mark the deep-lying playmaker. In a 4-3-3, it’s often the case that your own regista has to be brave, step up and go after him instead. “Other than that, 4-3-3 is spectacular,” he reveals. “I never work on an alternative system in training.” Why would he when his players’ are best suited to this one?
His influences are many. “Gigi Cagni gave me a lot,” he explained in a tu per tu with Walter Veltroni. The likes of Marcello Lippi, Corrado Orrico and Eugenio Fascetti aren’t forgotten either. But the coach he learned the most from - and it perhaps shouldn’t come as a surprise as a former player of his and devout 4-3-3ista - is Zdenek Zeman. It’s why di Francesco is often called Zemaiano. “He’s the coach who left the biggest impression on me,” he admits.
However, di Francesco has never wanted to be typecast as a Zeman disciple. He is his own man. “I am di Franchesciano instead,” he argues. “Zeman’s teams attack in every action. That’s fine but you can’t always do it. At times you have got to be more measured.” If one full-back pushes up, di Francesco insists that “the other stays back, close to the centre-backs.” Magnanelli sits and protects the defence.
Another difference is in the team’s fitness and conditioning. “With Zeman, we used to do 1000m runs, 10 times a day four days in a row,” di Francesco recalls. “Then up and down the steps with sacks on our backs. I like my players too much [to inflict that on them],” he laughs. And yet you could be forgiven for thinking that Sassuolo go through the same regime because they come out of the blocks fast and have stamina. Only Roma (29), Napoli (28) and Fiorentina (26) have scored more goals in the opening 45 minutes than Sassuolo (25) this season, while no team has scored more goals in the final 15 minutes of the first half (12).
Where di Francesco does remind you of Zeman is how he coaches his team to attack. We’ve mentioned the emphasis on vertical rather than horizontal passing. Then there is the movement of his attacking players. “The front three have got to move in a coordinated manner,” he explains, “and Berardi is the No.1 when it comes the interpretation of what movement to make. Sansone runs him a close second.” The profile of forward he seeks corresponds to the following criteria: “good in 1v1 situations, able to beat their man and go for goal.”
Directness is key. Asked about what he expects of his centre-forward, di Francesco said: “He mustn’t get too wide. I don’t want him to cross. He isn’t the one supposed to be giving us width. That’s the job of the full-backs and midfielders.” On the days Sassuolo get it right, they play some of the most exciting football in Italy. It explains why di Francesco is being linked with some of the biggest jobs in Italy at the moment.
After Cesare Maldini’s funeral on Tuesday, Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi invited chief executive Adriano Galliani and Arrigo Sacchi back to his place for lunch. La Gazzetta understand they spoke about the future of the club. After discouraging Berlusconi from sacking Sinisa Mihajlovic, it’s believed Sacchi put di Francesco’s name forward in the event that Milan do need a new manager. Berlusconi wants a young and Italian Milan and the job di Francesco has done at Sassuolo makes him perfect for the brief. Asked about his next move, di Francesco said: “I will not go where there is confusion” and, truth be told, confusion reigns at Milan. He has distanced himself from it.
Meanwhile it would be remiss of FIGC president Carlo Tavecchio not to give di Francesco serious consideration as a successor to the departing Antonio Conte. Although it might feel too soon, he does seem tailor made for it. Downplaying the speculation, di Francesco said: “It’s all just gossip.” But if he keeps Sassuolo punching above their weight, people are not going to stop talking about him. He has to be in the conversation for the most prestigious posts in the land.
Can Eusebio di Francesco guide Sassuolo to a European finish this season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below
