Coverciano gave birth to the world's greatest coach from Italy.

Coverciano gave birth to the world's greatest coach from Italy.

Italy is indeed too special to be left behind, not only is it a location that is widely used as a tourist destination, there is also the beauty of football that makes many people stunned.

Through a game of eleven against eleven, Italy has impressed the world at least four times. Four stars neatly arranged above the federation logo, are still the pride of all spaghetti-loving residents. The birth of this prestigious trophy is certainly the fruit of the greatness of the many star players that Italy has.

But don't forget the role of the coach in concocting the game. At the Euro 2020 title yesterday, Roberto Mancini was widely praised by the world after successfully bringing Italy to European champions, even though in 2018 the country failed to appear in the World Cup title. Mancini's magical hand managed to change everything. The fruit of his successful thinking made the previously empty squad become more colorful. Then, above all, he managed to present the title that has been coveted by all Italian fans around the world. Roberto Mancini, is one of the many great Italian coaches formed from a special training center called Coverciano.

Maybe not everyone knows Coverciano. Not many also understand how this place can produce a quality allenatore collection. Just like the Hennes Weisweiler Academy which produced many talented coaches from Germany, Coverciano also has his own method of producing great leaders who stand on the sidelines.

Located in Florence, Italy, Coverciano is the brainchild of a man named Luigi Ridolfi. Ridolfi, as written in These Football Times, is a figure born into a wealthy family in Italy. His love for sports, especially football. Before officially forming Coverciano, Luigi Ridolfi first founded a club called Fiorentina in 1926. A year later, he also expanded by forming the Giglio Rosso Athletics Society. From 1926 to 1942, he was listed as president of the Italian athletics federation, and then continued his career at the Italian football federation with the same position.

Seeing Italian football that he wanted to develop, he had a unique idea of ​​building a facility where the world's best coaches gathered to exchange ideas and thoughts. Together with his colleague, Dante Berretti, the two figures really hope that Coverciano can become a house full of innovative ideas.

Coverciano itself began construction in 1952 and was completed five years later. Then right in 1958, the new Coverciano could really operate. With the mission of creating creative and innovative tacticians, prospective trainers who intend to study there must at least take several steps to get a license.

First, they will be given a full month's time to study, develop methods, perfect their ideology, and prove themselves worthy of passing the exam with strict training. After that, they have to take oral exams with various topics, ranging from matches, communication, and other management. However, it should be noted that before reaching this stage, prospective trainers must first take part in a program called il Supercorso. The course is conducted over 900 hours over a two year period.

After all these stages have been completed, the last part that must be done for the prospective trainers is to write a thesis. As with any final project, the thesis will be presented in front of the examiner, with the trainer candidate having to explain why the thesis will be very useful in the future.

Yes, Coverciano really demands the trainer candidates to write a very informative and exclusive thesis. There should be no repetition of material from the past to present, because according to Coverciano, coaches must be prepared to face challenges in the future, not learn from past strategies.

Renzo Ulivieri, who is a former coach of Parma and Napoli, who is now an instructor and examiner at Coverciano, explained that aspiring coaches at Coverciano must create fresh ideas that have always been at the root of Luigi Ridolfi's passion. Tell a little about the figure of Renzo Ulivieri, he is a coach who has 42 years of career with as many as 22 clubs that have been handled. He already has a solid understanding of how to deal with teams in the relegation valley, dealing with star players, disputes and managing the many levels of the Italian football spectrum.

Returning to the philosophy held at Coverciano, the most important point of the lesson delivered is about how to face today and tomorrow. Not talking about past success. By adhering to this philosophy, it is only natural that Coverciano has never published a book on coaching material or anything like that.

The trainers who came to this place were not given any books. What does it mean? If I were to write a book today, it might take two years to complete, so by the time the book could be given away, what was written in the book would have been two years out of date. He then explained that if he taught something from his former coaches, his students would be left behind by 50 years.

Ulivieri emphasized that prospective coaches must prepare themselves to face something that will happen in football in the next 10 years, not repeat strategies that have been considered obsolete. However, it should be noted that this was not done to eliminate something that existed before, but rather to renew the very old core principles of football which will always be there.

So far, Coverciano has become a very developed place to give birth to talented Italian coaches. Coverciano, which is also one of the technical offices of the FIGC, the U15 to U19 national team training ground, has at least four pitches with three of them using natural grass. In addition, there is also a gym that contains equipment with the latest technology in the world. Don't forget about supporting facilities such as auditorium, conference room, medical area, restaurant, bar, hotel, and library.

Then there is the facility that managed to attract a lot of attention, namely the Museo del Calcio or the Italian football museum. Officially opened in 2000, the museum is divided into six rooms. The first room contains memories of two World Cup trophies in the 1930s complete with the original jerseys of the players. The second and third rooms contain memorabilia of legends and also the development of Italian football from time to time. Meanwhile, the fourth, fifth and sixth rooms present the achievement of the Italian European Cup trophy and the addition of two World Cup trophies.

But even though the Museo del Calcio has managed to attract a lot of interest, the library facilities are still the prima donna there. The library is arguably the most valuable facility in Coverciano. Because, there are many theses made by many great coaches, such as Antonio Conte, Luciano Spalletti, Roberto Mancini, Carlo Ancelotti, to Fabio Capello.

Antonio Conte who graduated in 2006 made a thesis entitled "Considerations on 4-3-1-2 and the Didactic Use of Video,". The thesis highlights the pros and cons of a 4-3-1-2 formation defensively, attacking, transitioning, and how the team should operate with or without the ball. Known as a person who is very detailed, his thesis is said to be a perfect representation of his methodology. Next is Luciano Spalletti's thesis entitled "The 3-5-2 Game System". Through his work, the former Inter Milan coach wants to explain that the 3-5-2 scheme is important to use in the era of modern football, even though he doesn't always apply this formation. Then there is another thesis by Carlo Ancelotti which explains how activities on and off the pitch will change the game in the future, through his work entitled "Football's Future: More Dynamic". Another one, belongs to Roberto Mancini in 2011 which carries the Trequartista theme, where in his work, Mancini wants to convey the importance of the role of an attacking midfielder in a game.

With a difficult process and the best supporting facilities, it is worth waiting for the birth of the next great Italian coaches created by Coverciano!.