 Scala in 2002 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nevio Scala[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1947-11-22)22 November 1947 (age 77) | ||
| Place of birth | Lozzo Atestino, Italy | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Milan | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1965–1969 | Milan | 11 | (0) |
| 1966–1967 | →Roma (loan) | 28 | (1) |
| 1969–1971 | Vicenza | 59 | (2) |
| 1971–1973 | Fiorentina | 50 | (6) |
| 1973–1975 | Inter | 26 | (1) |
| 1975–1976 | Milan | 23 | (0) |
| 1976–1979 | Foggia | 85 | (2) |
| 1979–1980 | Monza | 14 | (0) |
| 1980–1981 | Adriese | 23 | (1) |
| Total | 319 | (13) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1988–1989 | Reggina | ||
| 1989–1996 | Parma | ||
| 1997 | Perugia | ||
| 1997–1998 | Borussia Dortmund | ||
| 2000–2001 | Beşiktaş | ||
| 2002 | Shakhtar Donetsk | ||
| 2003–2004 | Spartak Moscow | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Nevio Scala (Italian pronunciation:[ˈnɛvjoˈskala]; born 22 November 1947) is an Italianfootball sporting director,coach and formerplayer.
Throughout his footballing career, he played as amidfielder for several Italian clubs, and won several titles during his time withA.C. Milan. As a manager, he is mostly known for his role as head coach of Parma during the club's golden age of the 1990s, which saw him lead the team fromSerie B toseveral European triumphs.
Born inLozzo Atestino,Province of Padua, Veneto, Scala enjoyed a successful career as a midfielder for several Italian top-flight teams —Roma,Milan,Vicenza andInternazionale — and subsequently played for lower-ranked clubsFoggia,Monza andAdriese in the final years of his career.As a player, with A.C. Milan, he won 1Italian Championship (1967–68), 1European Champions Cup (1968–69), and 1European Cup Winners' Cup (1967–68).
As a coach, he led Calabrian third division clubReggina toSerie B in 1988, and then moved to Serie B clubParma. He held that position for six years, leading the Emilian club to its first promotion to the Italian top flight in1990, and subsequently turned the team into one of the major clubs in the ItalianSerie A, thanks also to the relevant financial backing from chairman andParmalat founderCalisto Tanzi, winning several domestic and European titles. During his time at Parma, Scala won theCoppa Italia in1992, theCup Winners' Cup and theEuropean Super Cup in 1993, and theUEFA Cup in1995. He also managed runners-up medals in the Coppa Italia in1995, in the Cup Winners' Cup in1994, and twice in theSupercoppa Italiana in1992 and1995, while his best result in the league were third-place finishes during the1992–93 and1994–95 Serie A seasons. He left Parma in June 1996.[2][3][4]
During the1996–97 season, Scala accepted an offer fromLuciano Gaucci to become head coach of strugglingPerugia, but did not manage to escape relegation to Serie B for his side, missing out on potential salvation by a single point.[3]
He successively pursued a number of experiences abroad, becoming head coach of German clubBorussia Dortmund in 1997, with whom he won theIntercontinental Cupthat season; he left the club in 1998. In 2000, he became another Italian coach afterGiuseppe Meazza andSandro Puppo to manage aTurkish team by accepting an offer fromBeşiktaş; hs time at the club was not positive, however. He then went on to serve as head coach ofUkraine'sFC Shakhtar Donetsk, where he wonUkrainian Championship andCup in 2002, and RussiansSpartak Moscow winning the 2003Russian Cup, the latter role being his last head coaching experience to date.[3]
He currently lives in his hometown city of Lozzo Atestino, where he is member of the local city council since 2007,[5] after running unsuccessfully as mayor in 2007.[6] He is currently active as a footballpundit forRai Radio 1, where he regularly comments Serie A games and gives his answers to live phone comments and questions on Sunday late night showDomenica sport.[7]
In the early 2010s, Scala expressed a desire to return to coaching, being linked withMotherwell F.C.[8] and later withA.S. Roma[9] in 2010.
In July 2015, he was confirmed as new chairman of a refounded Parma, after the original club folded due to financial issues,[10] while former playerLuigi Apolloni was chosen as head coach.[11] Parma managed to return to the professional Italian leagues that season, and clinched promotion fromSerie D intoLega Pro on 17 April 2016.[12] Scala resigned from chairmanship in November 2016, in disagreement with the club owners' decision to sack head coachLuigi Apolloni and technical directorLorenzo Minotti, both former players of his during his days as Parma manager.[13]
Scala was a pragmatic manager, who was known for his high-tempo, offensive–minded, possession–based style, which was inspired by Dutchtotal football; he was also influenced by the calm style ofNils Liedholm and the charisma ofNereo Rocco, under whom he had played. He was also influenced byHelenio Herrera andGiovanni Trapattoni. His tactical approach was in stark contrast to other styles popular in Italy at the time, which were either thegioco all'italiana inspired by theman-to-man marking ofcatenaccio, orArrigo Sacchi'szonal4–4–2.[14][15][16][17][18] Scala instead used a fluid and innovative5–3–2 formation, which could easily transform into a3–5–2 formation when attacking, with thefull-backs, such asAntonio Benarrivo andAlberto Di Chiara at Parma, frequently running into spaces to overload the flanks and give his team a numerical advantage.[14][15][19][20] He used this system at almost every club he managed, except Spartak Moscow, where he did not have players suited to this formation and used a5–2–3 instead.[15] He is credited as being a pioneer of this 3–5–2 or 5–3–2 formation, which later became highly popular in Serie A.[21] At Parma, Scala used azonal marking system off the ball throughout most areas of the pitch, and a high defensive line, but also used elements of man-to-man marking in defence, with a non systematic use of theoffisde trap. He also made use of a ball-playingsweeper – Lorenzo Minotti – flanked by two stoppers:Luigi Apolloni andGeorges Grün. He also deployed an intelligentdeep-lyingplaymaker in midfield, such asDaniele Zoratto.[14][15][16][22] Scala also often used asweeper-keeper, such asCláudio Taffarel,Luca Bucci, orGianluigi Buffon, who was adept with his feet, and who was also capable of rushing out of goal quickly to beat opponents who had beaten the offisde trap and clear the ball away from danger.[14][18][23][24][25][26] Scala's Parma were known for being hard-working, compact defensively, and capable of scoring from swift counter-attacks. The team often made use of switches of play to stretch their opponents.[27] His style was not only spectacular, but also successful.[28]
Scala also believed in the importance of the psychological aspect of the game, and in discussing issues with his players, as well as creating a united dressing room environment through fun, leadership, and good humour.[15][18] Known for his ability to develop youth talent, he also felt it was important to give his younger players freedom rather than indoctrinate them through tactical discussions.[15][29] He also found ways to incorporate several talented players into his team; for example, upon the arrival ofGianfranco Zola at Parma, he successfully moved Swedish footballerTomas Brolin intomidfield, in order to accommodate for the Italian in the role ofsecond striker.[30] Scala's style even served as an inspiration for Zola as a manager.[31]
| Team | From | To | Record | Ref. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | ||||
| Reggina | 1 July 1988 | 30 June 1989 | 44 | 15 | 19 | 10 | 41 | 41 | +0 | 034.09 | |
| Parma | 1 July 1989 | 30 June 1996 | 322 | 148 | 95 | 79 | 418 | 283 | +135 | 045.96 | |
| Perugia | 8 January 1997 | 30 June 1997 | 19 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 29 | 36 | −7 | 026.32 | |
| Borussia Dortmund | 1 July 1997 | 30 June 1998 | 52 | 21 | 13 | 18 | 89 | 69 | +20 | 040.38 | |
| Beşiktaş | 1 July 2000 | 6 March 2001 | 37 | 21 | 6 | 10 | 73 | 61 | +12 | 056.76 | |
| Shakhtar Donetsk | 19 January 2002 | 18 September 2002 | 30 | 20 | 6 | 4 | 51 | 25 | +26 | 066.67 | |
| FC Spartak Moscow | 10 December 2003 | 3 September 2004 | 32 | 12 | 6 | 14 | 43 | 47 | −4 | 037.50 | |
| Total | 536 | 242 | 150 | 144 | 744 | 562 | +182 | 045.15 | |||
Milan
Parma
Borussia Dortmund
Beşiktaş
Shakhtar Donetsk
Spartak Moscow
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
