Diego Maradona was hit on the cheek by a metal object.Europa
But did not understand what the thing was. Thought the cheek was cut! He took a look at the mouth with his hand to see if it was bleeding. He was being treated outside the touch line. Italian broadcasting channel ‘RAI’ reporter Giampiero Galeazzi was not late. He immediately informed the audience that the Napoli playmaker was ‘going to the dentist.’Europa
But nothing happened to the teeth. The lips were cut. Emilio Acampora, a physician from Napoli, immediately went to work with a needle and thread. The split lip needs to be stitched together. The incident happened in the 1989 Serie A Napoli-Pescara goalless draw match. He elbowed Maradona, who was tasked with stopping him. While doing that, the wedding ring on the finger was also injured. When a reporter asked about this after the match, he said, “Did the Neapolitans (Naples people) think of me as Mike Tyson in that incident?” I don’t think so.’
Europa
What does the former Pescara midfielder think of himself? Just a football coach? There are many others. Legendary to Common. But Gian Piero Gasperini is not exactly comfortable being bracketed by legend or anything ordinary. The range of this Italian is greater. Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola once explained it in the language of the game. It was December 2020, ‘Going to the dentist and playing against Atalanta are the same thing.’
Guardiola’s words deserve an explanation.
Going to the dentist and sitting in the chair is a little scary. Hands and feet become bloodless. When the drill machine is awake in the hands of the doctor, some people sweat on their foreheads. What an uncomfortable thing. Playing against Gasperini’s Atalanta is exactly what it feels like. If you don’t believe, you can ask Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso and the team’s players. After being unbeaten in 51 matches this season, the German club lost 3 goals to Atalanta in the Europa League final last night in Dublin. How?
That is, the condition of the patient who goes to the dentist! Xabi Alonso’s team wants to spread the ball with the ball at their feet. At the end of the match, Leverkusen had 66.9 percent of the ball possession, which seems natural. But if you watched the match, you know that Atalanta destroyed Leverkusen in the first half of the match. Leverkusen did not allow Leverkusen to play their normal game of high pressing football with every player marking. Two goals have sown the seeds of discomfort.
Gasperini played his game with his disciples in the second half. Much like the doctor fixes the place with medicine, gauze-bandage after the tooth extraction. Leverkusen needed a hero but they didn’t have it. Atalanta had, Ademola Lukman on the field, Gasperini off the field. In short, ‘puppet show’ – the 11 puppets on the floor follow Gasperini’s tricks to the letter. Much like the quarter finals. In Liverpool, even a skilled coach like Jurgen Klopp could not stop Gasperini’s ‘dentistry’ and had to leave after losing in the same table game. In the case of Leverkusen, however, there was an interesting ‘advantage’. Leverkusen have lost four previous finals in the 21st century. The same happened in the fifth final.Europa
While Guardiola finds Atalanta’s game similar to dentistry,
that’s not really a criticism. It is also a form of art. Must be neat, sharp and clean. Who knows, there is a lot of trickery involved in art. If you want you can draw the example of dove bird. Attracted by seeing other bird’s nest, Doel takes straw from there and builds his own nest. But Gasperini is not Doyle. His strategy, thinking about football is completely unique.
Gasperini was born in Gruliasco in the Piedmont of Turin. Mother Antonietta had a fish shop. Father Gino worked in a factory belonging to the car manufacturer Fiat. Gino was a fan of Juventus. 9-year-old Gasperini was taken on trial by Juventus. After winning the hearts of the scouts, he got a chance to join the academy of the ‘Ladies of Turin’. 40 minutes bus ride from home. In the beginning, Gasperini was taken by his sister for two days. Hasn’t needed anyone since the age of 10. From then on, Gasperini trusted him himself.
Between 1976 and 1993, Gasperini played for a total of seven clubs (eight of which he played on loan at Regiana). Never won the title. In 1979, Palermo reached the final of the Coppa Italia and lost to Juventus. After leaving the game in 1994, he took charge of Juventus’ age group coach. At that time, there was a new trend in Italian football coaching. At that time, Gasperini coached every age group of Juventus. The club sent him around Europe in search of new talent. In that effort, he went to Louis von Gaal’s training session at Ajax and became addicted to the ‘attacking back three’ formation.