Franco Scoglio (3/6) La storia (Il Professore-Allenatore Genoa)

Franco Scoglio, Genoa's coach, always talks about himself, not as a coach, but as an educator. He talks about the game, about fun, about the lack of poetry and feeling in today's football, and we can't help but agree with him. Here are some quotes from Franco Scoglio, which surpass any improbable decalogue: "Doping has always existed, and footballers are ignorant, in the sense that they ignore basic chemistry and pharmacology. I hate Sampdoria and I never miss an opportunity to reiterate it. The revelation coach? The one who wins. You, back there, with those headphones, have to stop, otherwise I'm talking nonsense. I'm an atypical Christian, an opportunist, a Gigi Riva of the kneeling room. Coaching more than sixteen players gives me a headache. My football is like this: 47 percent technique, 30 percent physical condition, 23 percent psychology. What a thrill it is when I lose. Defeat excites me and makes me savor irreplaceable stimuli. In football, it's good to hide your strengths. Giacomo Leopardi? I like his poetry because it's clear and indecipherable. I only read books from the 14th century. ...back... In my life I've suffered micro-traumas from books. Lots of women are in love with me, but the youngest is 70! The president doesn't exist, the team doesn't exist, and the club doesn't exist, but absolutely: only the fans and the coach exist. Next year I want a kaleidoscope team. There are some people in this club who are morally shit. In this team I have doubles, triplets, and quadruplets in the same position. As a Genoa fan, I desperately want Sampdoria to stay in Serie B, so we can play there next year. I know 5,000 faces in the north stand, not the names, but the faces. Cagni and I are lucky enough to coach two teams with great traditions, at least mine, no doubt about it. I don't look down on the standings, I look at them askance. The foul zone is a precaution against the gaps that the pure zone can create. Offsides aren't automatic when the foul zone climbs. Up front in place of one of the four defenders in line. He (Stroppa) has to be our Rui Costa. I want to put him in a position to exploit all his talent. He shouldn't worry about covering; there are others for those tasks. I don't care who remains in charge of Genoa, Dr. (!) Dalla Costa or Dr. Scerni, because they must understand that they don't matter: Genoa belongs to its people. I didn't mean to make the umbrella gesture. It's just my way of celebrating, Connors-style. A certain Zuzzurro is supposed to be on the pitch today. But who is he? What does he want? What does he look like? Today I'm doing a 300-degree analysis, keeping 60 degrees to myself. To come here and get a result, those guys from Ternana will have to have three balls like this... (the left hand indicates the attribute in question, the right the number three) First important concept: the man doesn't exist, he's just a shadow that shouldn't worry us. In our football, what matters is the ball and the space. Don't think it's difficult. In defense, I'll only ask each of you to learn a few simple scaling mechanisms and to be responsible for your own little patch. You can tell right away when a player knows how to play the diagonal of a diamond. Metals melt, not feelings. You see, it's people like you who made me leave Italy 6 or 7 years ago... my beautiful son, or rather, my dear little brother... either we analyze the game or there's no point in talking about ifs and buts... Genoa is something special, it has its own God... Sometimes I think Jesus Christ is red and blue. We are Genoa, and anyone who isn't convinced should put down their bag and take off their shoes. We are not Roccapepe. And where the hell is this Roccapepe? Maybe it's a beautiful town. I'm not kidding anyone when I say that Genoa is among the top 10 teams in Europe by name. I'm a street coach, a bit of a prostitute, who makes do. The characteristics that My players? They definitely need three-ball attributes. Those with three balls press, those with two play football, those with one play matches between bachelors and married men. As you can see, I don't have a flat cap on my head, nor a wrapped shotgun. (May '90) A repeated obituary costs 700,000 lire, we have the privilege of appearing on the front pages of newspapers for free, with big headlines. Miura? (The Japanese player who joined Genoa) A caricature applied. "I admire Eriksson, a great gentleman. The exact opposite of me. He only thinks about his team, while before I fall asleep, I pray to Jesus to give me the team to beat Sampdoria." See also:    • Cessione del Genoa . Enrico Preziosi disse...   Directed by Piero Frattari www.vidigraph.com