Part 2 | Zanetti: “Game system? The key point is the players”

Part 2 | Zanetti: “Game system? The key point is the players”

The second part of the big SportNews interview with Paolo Zanetti: Here the FC Südtirol coach talks about his tactics and answers the critics who accuse him of making too many changes to the team.

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By Christian Staffler

SportNews: Mr. Zanetti, last year you had FC Südtirol play in a 3-5-2 system throughout. This year there were already many different basic systems. Why?

Paolo Zanetti: “Last year the club was looking for a coach who could play a 3-5-2. The team was put together for this system. That wasn't a problem for me, also because there were few other options in the offensive area. There were simply no players for a 4-3-3 or a 4-4-2. I wanted to change that this year and our transfer policy was designed to allow us to be more flexible.”

So there are significantly more ideas from Zanetti in the current FC Südtirol than last year?

“Yes, of course, but last year the team also had my signature. I have a completely different standing in the club this year. When I came to FC Südtirol I was 34 years old and it was my first professional position. You can’t go here and say: I want this player or that player.”

“Back three or four? I can do both, I think I can do that.” Paolo Zanetti on dogmas in the coaching profession

Does coach Zanetti have a tactical dogma?

"Absolutely not. I think that a trainer has to master all systems and be able to teach them. For example, I like an ultra-attacking 4-3-3 system, with two midfielders who act like wings, plus wide-advanced full-backs. I let the Reggiana juniors play like that. But that doesn't mean that I set up all teams like that. Whether it's a three-man or four-man chain, I can train both defense systems. I can believe that. You have to adapt the game system to your players and the opponent. I have absolutely no dogma.”

Keyword opponents: It is noticeable that the teams in Serie C often neutralize each other. How important is watching opponents at FC Südtirol?

“Studying your opponent is important. This is the case in all leagues. We look at the last four games of the upcoming opponent. But they can also surprise you. For me it is therefore not important which players the opposing coach puts on the field. I'm interested in the tactical and strategic principles. Our training is based on that, because we want to make life difficult for the opponent offensively and defensively.”

>>> Click here for part 1 of the big Zanetti interview

With so much preparation for your opponent, don't you forget your own game?

“At least as important as studying your opponent is working on ourselves. Every player must know what to do in every situation. Be it in possession of the ball, in transition phases or when the opponent has the ball. Transition phases refer to those moments of a game in which you win or lose the ball.”

How important are these switching moments for FC Südtirol?

“More than half of all goals come after transitions, that says it all. It happens because the players are no longer in their traditional roles due to the dynamics of the game. And this is exactly where the game system counts for little, because a back four, for example, is no longer on the pitch as a back four.”

“In the long term I see Tait in the back four. It’s not true that he can’t do that.” Zanetti on the tactical roles of his players

How important are the game system and automatisms for a team? It is often said that different systems cause confusion in the minds of players...

“Game systems are numbers, nothing more and nothing less. We now defend with a diamond, but attack in a 3-4-3 system. However, not always, because it depends on the individual players. Most recently against Vicenza, our playing system became a classic 4-3-3 with Lunetta on the field for Tait. If Morosini moves between the lines then we have a ten on the field and it is a diamond again. There is nothing that doesn't exist or that doesn't work. Football is not rigid, it is dynamic.”

Does the 4-4-2 with a diamond suit your team best?

“The diamond makes us more compact. Many Serie C teams play with a deep playmaker. With a classic 4-3-3, this is difficult to take out of the game. This works much better with the midfield diamond, but you have less width in the game. Football is always about opening up spaces and reoccupying them at the right moment. The diamond system gives us one more offensive player on the field, that's the idea behind it. We've been fine-tuning it in training for months. The key point is the players. Turchetta, Lunetta, Morosini or Mazzocchi can fill several roles perfectly. I also see Tait, who currently plays in midfield, as a full-back in a back four in the long term. It's simply not true when people say he can't do that - or that he can only play in a five-man chain.

Is it deceptive, or is winter newcomer Danilo Pasqualoni a key figure in this system?

"In any case. Pasqualoni is an excellent defender, extremely strong defensively and can be used in all positions. Now he is learning how to move when he has the ball. Just by moving it and also by moving Tait, we can create different graduations. The diamond merges with the 3-4-3 system. The biggest plus is that Morosini has more freedom. I see him as an all-rounder in midfield.”

There are coaches who adapt their defensive lines to the opponent. Against a two-man attack, the team plays with a back three, otherwise with a back four. The target is the free defender in the defense center. That's not the case with you...

“It’s a classic dogma and I don’t like it. I saw Juventus under Conte dominate against every attack with a back three. Gasperini proves at Atalanta that you can even play man against man successfully. I've also had three defenders play against three strikers at FCS. Also: When I play with a back four, the full-back overruns, we lose the ball and the opponent counterattacks. Then what do I have on the defensive? A three against three. Then at the latest I have to be able to defend it, so on paper having the man more in defense doesn’t help me anymore.”

“I react to changes in the game and there is always someone who claims that I chose the wrong starting eleven.” Zanetti on his in-game coaching

Let's come to the game with the ball: What does FC Südtirol's opening game look like?

“Here the three-man and four-man chains take on a different meaning. If the opponent presses us with two strikers, then I prefer a three-man structure. Two central defenders are enough against an attacker. This is a question of ball circulation. Since Nardi became our goalkeeper, we have more options because he is extremely strong with his feet. He can replace a defender in the build-up play. I want the midfielders to rotate a lot. Fink is very good at falling back and creating the advantage. De Rose then moves to the side and we have very good staggering to play less wide and more deep. We want to lure the opponent out, outplay their pressing, and then have more space in their half. That’s the basic idea.”

What about in-game coaching? How much can a coach change during a game?

"Incredibly much. I often change the entire match plan at half-time and not by chance. The basis is always what I saw in the first 45 minutes – and a lot can change. Then there are always people who say that he lined up the wrong players from the start. Others recognize that the right changes were made and that the game was decided.”

True to the motto: Wrong set up but correctly converted?

"That's exactly how it is. Let's take the Vicenza game. I am convinced that Lunetta would never have played as well in the first half as she did in the second. Vicenza was well set up, aggressive and very compact. Then I switched to two wings. Suddenly Turchetta and Lunetta checkmated the entire Vicenza team. But why? Because the rooms were much larger than in the first half. That's why it's important to watch the game and change it. I always want to have one or two weapons on the bench.”

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2. Padova	35	49:25	70
3. LR Vicenza	34	45:27	61
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