Vittorio Pozzo
Encyclopedia
Vittorio Pozzo is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
– Ponderano
Ponderano
Ponderano is a municipality with 3833 inhabitants in the Italian province of Biella, in the region of Piemont. Neighbouring communes include Borriana, Gaglianico, Mongrando, Occhieppo Inferiore and Sandigliano....
(Biella
Province of Biella
The Province of Biella is a province of Italy located in Piedmont. It was created in 1992 and its capital is the city of Biella.It has an area of 913 km², and a total population of 187,249...
) 21 December 1968) was an Italian football coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
who was most famous for leading the Italian national team
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
to victory in the 1934 FIFA World Cup
1934 FIFA World Cup
The 1934 FIFA World Cup was the second FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in Italy from 27 May to 10 June 1934....
and 1938 FIFA World Cup
1938 FIFA World Cup
The 1938 FIFA World Cup was the third staging of the World Cup, and was held in France from 4 June to 19 June. Italy retained the championship, beating Hungary 4–2 in the final.-Host selection:...
s; managed the side that won the 1930 and 1935 editions of the Central European International Cup, as well as the 1936 Olympic football
1936 Summer Olympics
The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin, Germany. Berlin won the bid to host the Games over Barcelona, Spain on April 26, 1931, at the 29th IOC Session in Barcelona...
gold medal and the 1928 Olympic football
1928 Summer Olympics
The 1928 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the IX Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1928 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Amsterdam had bid for the 1920 and 1924 Olympic Games, but had to give way to war-victim Antwerp, Belgium, and Pierre de...
bronze medal. He oversaw the famous unbeaten run of the Italian side from December 1934 until 1939 and was also famous for creating the Metodo
Formation (football)
In association football, the formation describes how the players in a team are positioned on the pitch. Different formations can be used depending on whether a team wishes to play more attacking or defensive football....
tactical formation. He is the only coach to ever win two FIFA World Cups.
Background (1886-1928)
Affectionately known as Il Vecchio Maestro (The Old Master) and described as both an Anglophile and authoritarian, Pozzo's time as national coach coincided with the period in which Benito Mussolini governed Italy and it has been written that Pozzo was a beneficiary of that era in that he was able to command a type of control over players not permissible in the aftermath of that time.In his formative years Pozzo, who had come from a reasonably comfortable background, travelled widely. He studied in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
at the turn of the 20th century and met Manchester United half-back Charlie Roberts
Charlie Roberts
Charles "Charlie" Roberts was an English footballer.-Playing career:Born in Darlington, Roberts started his football career with Bishop Auckland, but soon moved to Grimsby Town....
and Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
's inside-left Steve Bloomer
Steve Bloomer
Steve Bloomer was an English footballer and manager who played for Derby County, Middlesbrough and England during the 1890s and 1900s. Bloomer remains a legend at Derby County and the club anthem, Steve Bloomer's Watchin', is played before every home game...
. An Anglophile, legend has it that later in life Pozzo once purchased and never parted with a ticket to England. Pozzo played professionally in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
for Grasshopper-Club Zürich
Grasshopper-Club Zürich
Grasshopper Club Zürich commonly referred to as simply GC, GCZ, or Grasshopper is a Swiss multisports club based in Zürich. The oldest and best known section of Grasshopper Club Zürich is its football team...
during the 1905-06 season and in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
before returning to Italy where he helped to found Torino FC on December 3, 1906, playing for the Turin side from 1906 to 1911. After a stint managing the Italian Olympic side
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
at the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, where Italy lost 3-2 to Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
in the first round match at Traneburg in a match refereed by Hugo Meisl
Hugo Meisl
Hugo Meisl , brother of the journalist Willy Meisl, was the multi-lingual football coach of the famous Austrian 'Wunderteam' of the early 1930s, as well as a referee.-Background:...
, Pozzo took charge of Torino from 1912-1924. During this time he took up a management post outside of football with the Pirelli
Pirelli
Pirelli & C. SpA is a diverse multinational company based in Milan, Italy. The company, the world’s fifth largest tyre manufacturer, is present in over 160 countries, has 20 manufacturing sites around the world and a network of around 10,000 distributors and retailers.Founded in Milan in 1872,...
organisation and served with Italian forces in the Alpines during the First World War.
Coach of the National team
Pozzo returned to coach the Italy national teamItaly national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
on a permanent basis from December 1929 onwards on the basis that he would accept no money for the position. Italy won the 1930 version of the Central European International Cup, defeating Hungary 5-0 in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
where Hungary had yet to fail to win a game. They pipped the title from Meisl’s Austrian side, the so-called Wunderteam
Austria national football team
The Austria national football team is the association football team that represents the country of Austria in international competition and is controlled by the Austrian Football Association ....
who went on to win the second edition of that tournament. As a memento of that victory, Pozzo would always carry a chip off the Central European International trophy. The trophy, made of Bohemian crystal, was dropped when Italy first won it, smashing into so many pieces that it could not be fixed.
Pozzo was remembered as a decisive leader. Following the 1930 defeat to Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
, Pozzo dropped Adolfo Baloncieri, his captain and an international of ten years standing. In the lead-up to the 1934 tournament, the auguries were not good. In 1932, Austria beat Italy, as did the Czechs, while a defeat to Hungary was only averted because of a missed penalty. This led to Pozzo bringing back the Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
player Angelo Schiavio
Angelo Schiavio
Angelo Schiavio was an Italian football player. Schiavio spent his entire career with Bologna FC, the club of the city where he was born and died...
, who had been a regular goalscorer for his club, but in February 1934 with the World Cup looming Austria defeated Italy in Turin 4-2, Again Pozzo felled the axe on the team captain Umberto Caligaris
Umberto Caligaris
Umberto Caligaris was an Italian international footballer who played, normally at left back, for A.S. Casale and Juventus. His 59 caps for the Italian national team stood as a record for many years....
.
Successes during the 1930s
During the 1934 FIFA World Cup1934 FIFA World Cup
The 1934 FIFA World Cup was the second FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in Italy from 27 May to 10 June 1934....
in their home country, Pozzo's Italian side benefited from controversy in the first tournament on European soil. The game against Spain in the quarter-finals raised questions against the performance of the referee Louis Baert
Louis Baert
Louis Andre Baert was an international football referee from Belgium, particularly active during the 1930s....
in the match, a draw; and in the replay, Swiss referee Rene Mercet
Rene Mercet
Rene Mercet was a Swiss international referee in the 1920s and 1930s who became infamous for his performance in the Italy v Spain replayed quarter-final in the 1934 FIFA World Cup....
did not escape criticism and was banned upon his arrival home by the Swiss FA. A clear foul on Ricardo Zamora
Ricardo Zamora
Ricard Zamora i Martínez was a Spanish footballer and manager. He played as a goalkeeper for, among others, RCD Espanyol, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. As an international he played for both the Catalan XI and Spain...
for the equaliser in the first leg went unpunished while another on Joan Josep Nogués in the replay earned Italy a semi-final place.
Italy benefited as well from the grueling quarter-final played elsewhere between Hungary and Austria. By the time of the semi-final, Johann Horvath
Johann Horvath
Johann "Hans" Horvath was an Austrian footballer.-Club career:One of Austria's most prolific strikers of the 1920's, Hansi Horvath played for several club teams in Vienna. He spent most seasons with 1...
was absent and Italy won by another disputed goal over Austria. Enrique Guaita
Enrique Guaita
Enrique Guaita commonly known as "Enrico Guaita" was an Italian Argentine footballer who played for both Argentina and Italy...
, one of the squad's Oriundi, scored from close range after Giuseppe Meazza
Giuseppe Meazza
Giuseppe "Peppino" Meazza , also known as il Balilla, was an Italian footballer playing mainly for Internazionale in the 1930s, scoring 242 goals in 365 games for the club. He led Italy to win two World Cups: in 1934 and in 1938, winning the Golden Ball Award in 1934. He is widely considered the...
had fallen over goalkeeper Peter Platzer
Peter Platzer
Peter Platzer was an Austrian football goalkeeper who played for Austria in the 1934 FIFA World Cup. He later played two games for Germany. He also played for Brigittenauer AC, Floridsdorfer AC, and FC Admira Wacker Mödling....
. On the back of the World Cup success, Pozzo was awarded the title of Commendatore for greatness in his profession.
The excesses of the side, however, boiled over at the Battle of Highbury
Battle of Highbury
The "Battle of Highbury" was the name given to the football match between England and Italy that took place on 14 November 1934 at Arsenal Stadium, Highbury, London...
in December 1934 against a tough English side led by Arsenal's uncompromising Wilf Copping
Wilf Copping
Wilfred "Wilf" Copping was an English footballer who played for Leeds United, Arsenal and the England national team.-Leeds United:...
.
Italy repeated as Central European International Cup winners in 1935, going into the 1936 Summer Olympics
1936 Summer Olympics
The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin, Germany. Berlin won the bid to host the Games over Barcelona, Spain on April 26, 1931, at the 29th IOC Session in Barcelona...
on the back of a run which had seen them lose only to Austria and England since October 1932. The Italians, all registered as students, won the Olympic Games that year, defeating Meisl’s Austrians in the final 2-1. Annibale Frossi
Annibale Frossi
Annibale Frossi was an Italian footballer.Frossi is perhaps best known for wearing correctional glasses during his playing years after suffering from myopia from when he was a child...
, the myopic striker who Pozzo had discovered from obscurity in Serie B
Serie B
Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...
, led the front-line throughout the tournament.
By the time of the 1938 World Cup, Italy remained undefeated in recent competition under Pozzo. Silvio Piola
Silvio Piola
Silvio Piola was an Italian footballer from Robbio Lomellina, province of Pavia. He is known as a highly prominent figure in the history of Italian football due to several records he set. Piola won the 1938 FIFA World Cup with Italy, scoring two goals in the final.Piola is third in the all-time...
earned his first cap in 1935 and became an instant success, scoring regularly for the national side and proving an effective partner for Meazza. Legend has it that ahead of the semifinal against Brazil, Pozzo learned that the Brazilians were so sure of themselves and confident of appearing in the final in Paris that they had requisitioned the only airplane from Marseilles to Paris on the day after the semifinal against Pozzo's Italy. Pozzo went to the Brazilians that sunbathed in Côte d'Azur and asked them to surrender him the aerial bookings in case of Italian victory. The Brazilians apparently arrogantly answered "it is not possible because to Paris we will go, because we will beat you in Marseilles". They then reportedly offered Pozzo the ironic hospitality of a plane ride to Paris to see them play in the final. Pozzo reported to the Italian side what the Brazilians had told him to rouse the pride of the players. It was the psychological premise for revenge in the match, which Italy went on to win 2-1. In the resulting final, Italy duly won their second world title in a 4-2 free-scoring game against Hungary.
End of coaching (1939-1948)
There were slight wobbles with the side just after the advent of the second World War, but Pozzo remained in position throughout the hostilities. At the Olympic Games in 1948, Pozzo’s last match as Italian coach came was a 5-3 defeat to Denmark in the quarterfinals at Highbury Stadium in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Pozzo finished with a record 64 wins, 17 draws and 16 defeats from 97 games. His percentage of victories is equal to 65.97% of the played games, a record among Italian national team
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
coaches.
Later Life (1949-1968)
Pozzo became a journalist with StampaStampa
Stampa is a former municipality in the Maloja district of the Swiss canton, Graubünden. It is now part of the municipality of Bregaglia.-Geography:Stampa has an area, , of . Of this area, 14.2% is used for agricultural purposes, while 18.8% is forested...
after retiring from football management, resuming a career he had worked in prior to his successes as coach of Italy. He reported on the 1950 FIFA World Cup
1950 FIFA World Cup
The 1950 FIFA World Cup, held in Brazil from 24 June to 16 July, was the fourth FIFA World Cup. It was the first World Cup since 1938, the planned 1942 and 1946 competitions having been canceled owing to World War II...
as part of his work covering Italian national team matches. After watching Italy win the 1968 European Football Championships, the successor to the Central European International Cup he had won twice with the Azzurri, Pozzo died that year.
The Metodo
Pozzo’s reign as Italian national coach was characterised by three matters. The first was the tactical development of the ‘metodo’ formation. This was not Pozzo’s original idea but one spawned of his two famous contemporaries. In LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Herbert Chapman
Herbert Chapman
Herbert Chapman was an English association football player and manager. Though he had an undistinguished playing career, he went on to become one of the most successful and influential managers in early 20th century English football, before his sudden death in 1934.As a player, Chapman played for...
and in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Hugo Meisl had both seen the need to encourage more attacking play following the change in the off-side law in 1925. Whereas previously formations had remained the same since the 1890s (the 2-3-5 formations) the change in the off-side law saw Chapman use a forward-lying ‘stopper’ (in the Arsenal team of the 1920s this was a role adopted by Herbie Roberts
Herbie Roberts
Herbert "Herbie" Roberts was an English football player.-Playing career:Born in Oswestry, Shropshire, Roberts first played as an amateur for his local club Oswestry Town, whilst working as a policeman. A tall, but quiet and unassuming right half, he was signed by Herbert Chapman's Arsenal in...
, a slow runner but good passer of the ball). By having the centre-half playing just behind the inside forwards Chapman was able to have Roberts tackle the opposing centre-forward and then deliver the ball smartly in order to set up attacks. There was also greater onus on the wingers attacking the goal more. Cliff Bastin was a key component of the Arsenal success story in the 1930s; a free scoring winger. Later Pozzo evolved the formation into the Sistema (2-3-2-3 formation), which created a stronger defence. The relative strength of Chapman's and Pozzo's ideas were put to the test in 1933 during their European tour, when England (led by Herbert Chapman, the first coach to take full control of the national side) drew 1-1 with Pozzo's Italian side.
Oriundi
The other matter that Pozzo benefited from was ‘oriundiOriundi
Oriundi is a 1999 movie starring Anthony Quinn about an Italian oriundo family in Brazil. Oriundo is an Italian word used to describe foreign-born Italian nationals, especially South Americans of Italian heritage....
’ (that is foreign-born Italian ‘nationals’) which permitted Italy to take huge advantage of those players from other countries who could claim some type of Italian ancestry. In the 1900s Pozzo had been immersed in the chivalry of physical and fair football. In the 1930s he was able to call on Luis Monti
Luis Monti
Luis Felipe Monti was an Italian Argentine footballer who played as a midfielder. Monti has the distinction of having played in two FIFA World Cup final matches with two different national teams. He played the first of these finals with his native Argentina in 1930, which he lost to Uruguay; and...
a notoriously tough-tackling midfielder (who had appeared for the Argentinians in their 1930 World Cup final defeat) and who was a vital part of the success of the team in the 1934 World Cup.
About the criticisms receipts to call on oriundi players in the victorious world cup of 1934, reporting to the fact that them same served in the army, he said: "If they can die for Italy, they can also play for Italy".
He was also a fan of Raimundo Orsi
Raimundo Orsi
Raimundo Bibiani "Mumo" Orsi was an Italian Argentine footballer who won the 1934 FIFA World Cup with Italy and the silver medal at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, Netherlands.-Club:...
, a fellow Argentinian who he was able to prize away from Buenos Aires after an undistinguished stint in the Argentinian shirt. Orsi, never a prolific goalscorer, would reward Pozzo’s faith with a freakish goal in the 1934 World Cup final. Not that he dispensed with home-grown talent, but his penchant for attacking play is demonstrated by the fact that as well as Schiavio, Pozzo was successful in converting Giuseppe Meazza
Giuseppe Meazza
Giuseppe "Peppino" Meazza , also known as il Balilla, was an Italian footballer playing mainly for Internazionale in the 1930s, scoring 242 goals in 365 games for the club. He led Italy to win two World Cups: in 1934 and in 1938, winning the Golden Ball Award in 1934. He is widely considered the...
, who was captain in 1938, from a striker into an inside forward; indeed Pozzo’s reign is linked closely to the success of his strikers.
Fascist salute
The other matter was the historical period. Brian GlanvilleBrian Glanville
Brian Lester Glanville is a leading English football writer and novelist.-Biography:Glanville was educated at Charterhouse School, where he played football to a high standard...
has stated that Pozzo was not a fascist; he did, however, work alongside Giorgio Vaccaro - a general from the fascist militia during that first World Cup campaign.
The third edition of the FIFA World Cup took place in France, where numerous refugees who had escaped the fascist regime in Italy booed the Italian national team. In the first match of the Italian national team, against the Norwegian national team, among the twenty-two thousand spectators there were three thousand escaped anti-fascist Italians who opposed “Mussolini's national team”. Pozzo replied to the demonstration with a memorable episode. To the presentation of the teams in field, gli azzurri had made the fascist salute as it was custom. They were overwhelmed by the whistles. He feared that that reception demoralized the players. When the whistles diminished, because gli azzurri lowered the arm, Pozzo that was lined up with them to the center of the field ordered a new Roman salute. He said then: “So we won the intimidation.”
The coach Pozzo ordered the players to continue with the fascist salute during the national anthem.
Afterwards he declared: "Our players don't even dream to make some politics, but the fascist salute is the official flag of the moment, it's a sort of ceremony and they must show allegiance to it. I have my ideas, but I know what my duty is. When we take to the field we are solemn and deafening hisses attend us. And we don't lower the hand until the hisses are stopped. The action of intimidation has not succeeded". The quarter-final, in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
against France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, saw Italy play in the infamous all-black strip (There has been much conjecture as to the reason for this decision, although some ideas have been mooted: to intimidate the French; to antagonize the refugees and the anti-fascist patriots in the crowd: No single idea has succeeded.)
One thing is certain, Italy played tough, attacking football during that period; the grace of Orsi, Meazza and Schiavio was backed up by Monti and Locatelli.
International
ItalyItaly national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
- FIFA World CupFIFA World CupThe FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
:- 19341934 FIFA World CupThe 1934 FIFA World Cup was the second FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in Italy from 27 May to 10 June 1934....
19381938 FIFA World CupThe 1938 FIFA World Cup was the third staging of the World Cup, and was held in France from 4 June to 19 June. Italy retained the championship, beating Hungary 4–2 in the final.-Host selection:...
- 1934
- Central European International Cup: 1927-30, 1930–1935
- Men's Olympic footballFootball at the Summer OlympicsAssociation football, usually known simply as football or soccer, has been included in every Olympiad except 1896 and 1932 as a men's competition sport. Women's football was added to the official programme in 1996.-Early history:...
:- 1936
1936 Summer OlympicsThe 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin, Germany. Berlin won the bid to host the Games over Barcelona, Spain on April 26, 1931, at the 29th IOC Session in Barcelona...