Nevio Scala

Italian football player and manager (born 1947)

Nevio Scala
Scala in 2002
Personal information
Full name Nevio Scala[1]
Date of birth (1947-11-22) 22 November 1947 (age 76)
Place of birth Lozzo Atestino, Italy
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
Milan
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1965–1969 Milan 11 (0)
1966–1967 → Roma (loan) 28 (1)
1969–1971 Vicenza 59 (2)
1971–1973 Fiorentina 50 (6)
1973–1975 Inter 26 (1)
1975–1976 Milan 23 (0)
1976–1979 Foggia 85 (2)
1979–1980 Monza 14 (0)
1980–1981 Adriese 23 (1)
Total 319 (13)
Managerial career
1988–1989 Reggina
1989–1996 Parma
1996–1997 Perugia
1997–1998 Borussia Dortmund
2000–2001 Beşiktaş
2002 Shakhtar Donetsk
2004 Spartak Moscow
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Nevio Scala (Italian pronunciation: [ˈnɛvjo ˈskala]; 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 was a third-place finish during the 1994–95 Serie A season. He left Parma in June 1996.[2]

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.

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. 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, and then went on to serve as head coach for Ukraine's FC Shakhtar Donetsk where he won Ukraine Champion and Cup 2002 and Russians Spartak Moscow winning the Russian Cup 2003, the latter being his last head coaching experiences to date.

He currently lives in his hometown city of Lozzo Atestino, where he is member of the local city council since 2007,[3] after running unsuccessfully as mayor in 2007.[4] 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.[5]

In the early 2010s, Scala expressed a desire to return to coaching, being linked with Motherwell F.C.[6] and later with A.S. Roma[7] in 2010.

In July 2015, he was confirmed as new chairman of a refounded Parma, after the original club folded due to financial issues,[8] while former player Luigi Apolloni was chosen as head coach.[9] Parma managed to return to the professional Italian leagues that season, and clinched promotion from Serie D into Lega Pro on 17 April 2016.[10] 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.[11]

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.[12][13][14][15][16] 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.[12][13][17][18] He used this system at almost every club he managed, except Spartak Moscow,[13] and is credited as being a pioneer of this formation, which later became highly popular in Serie A.[19] 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.[12][13][14][20] 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.[12][16][21][22][23][24] 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 switch of play to stretch their opponents.[25] His style was not only spectacular, but also successful.[26]

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.[13][16] 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.[13][27] 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 Thomas Brolin into midfield, in order to accommodate for the Italian in the role of second striker.[28] Scala's style even served as an inspiration for Zola as a manager.[29]

Honours

Player

Milan

Managerial

Parma

Borussia Dortmund

  • Intercontinental Cup: 1997

Shakhtar Donetsk

Spartak Moscow

See also

References

  1. ^ "Nevio Scala". Turkish Football Federation. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  2. ^ Dave Taylor (5 March 2015). "When Parma ruled Europe". Football Italia. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  3. ^ "Lozzo Atestino (PD)" (in Italian). NonSoloCap.it. Retrieved 10 July 2009.
  4. ^ "Comune di LOZZO ATESTINO" (in Italian). Corriere della Sera. 27 May 2007. Retrieved 10 July 2009.
  5. ^ "Rai: Ritorna 90° Minuto, Appuntamento Storico Sul Piccolo Schermo" (in Italian). Yahoo! Italia TV. 29 August 2008. Retrieved 23 August 2009. [dead link]
  6. ^ "Nevio Scala quick to throw hat into ring for Hibs job". The Scotsman Newspaper. 4 October 2010. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  7. ^ "Football Italia". 9 March 2010. Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 22 April 2016.
  8. ^ "Parma, inizia ufficialmente l'era Barilla: "Sarà una storia diversa, mai vista"" (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. 1 July 2015. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  9. ^ "New club Parma Calcio 1913 approved to play in Serie D". ESPNFC.com. ESPN (UK). 27 July 2015. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  10. ^ "Parma promoted into Lega Pro". Football Italia. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  11. ^ "Parma, via Apolloni, Minotti, Galassi. Scala lascia. "Amareggiati, altro che calcio diverso"". La Repubblica (in Italian). 22 November 2016. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  12. ^ a b c d "The Parma story: Hernan, Hristro, Gigi and the dairy dream gone wrong". fourfourtwo.com. 24 June 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  13. ^ a b c d e f "Nevio Scala, il non-maestro: "I giovani? Bisogna lasciarli liberi di esprimersi, senza indottrinarli con troppi discorsi tattici"". Il Fatto Quotidiano (in Italian). 20 March 2022. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  14. ^ a b Fontana, Mattia (18 May 2015). "La storia della tattica: da Sacchi a Guardiola" (in Italian). www.eurosport.it. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  15. ^ Guagneli, Walter (19 September 1991). "Ditegli sempre gol" (PDF). L'Unità (in Italian). p. 29. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  16. ^ a b c "Nevio Scala: "Il mio Parma stima reciproca e tanta intensità"" (in Italian). www.guerinsportivo.it. 22 November 2022. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  17. ^ "Nevio Scala, dalla campagna ai successi in Europa col Parma". corrieredellosport.it (in Italian). 21 November 2019. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  18. ^ "Favola" (in Italian). L'Ultimo Uomo. 14 April 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  19. ^ "Breve storia del grande Parma". Il Post (in Italian). 28 February 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  20. ^ "Quasi leggenda: il primo ballo del Parma". L'Ultimo Uomo (in Italian). 25 March 2019. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  21. ^ EMILIO MARRESE (20 October 1994). "SCALA HA FRETTA DI GOL" (in Italian). La Repubblica. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  22. ^ EMILIO MARRESE (15 August 1993). "PECCHIA, SARA' FAMOSO?" (in Italian). La Repubblica. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  23. ^ "Maglia Azzurra Stregata" (in Italian). La Stampa. 10 October 1995. p. 31. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  24. ^ Marco Ansaldo (26 February 1995). "Peruzzi. La mia sfida con Zenga". La Stampa (in Italian). p. 33.
  25. ^ Hodges-Ramon, Luca (22 November 2016). "The insatiable rise of Parma in the 1990s". These Football Times. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  26. ^ "Nevio Scala, dalla campagna ai successi in Europa col Parma" (in Italian). www.guerinsportivo.it. 30 March 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  27. ^ "The Rise and Fall of Parma". Breaking The Lines. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  28. ^ Hall, Richard (31 May 2016). "When Calcio Ruled the World: Tomas Brolin -". Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  29. ^ Standard, Ken Dyer, Evening (13 April 2012). "Zola is fashioning his team in style of Scala". Evening Standard. Retrieved 23 May 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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