challange of the changeless, From unemployed manager to: the Mario Rossi story

[Guest]

Season 2008/2009 Where will it end? (part5)

Before january it was clear that the finish would be probably midtable. Learning from the quick start and the potential of the team, Rossi used most of the following games to add players in defense and midfield on new positions. Not in the way that lots of players changed position in one game, one or 2 a match. And if a match fits, test in another games. Just in a sort of experiment to found out what would be the most potential team.

First keeper Vecchi and reserve new Comer Mirco Benettti (19) changed some times; just as f.e. Cardinale and Maccarone found their selves back on several positions. Some games succeed and some not.

Only one player could not grow in the same manner as the squad as whole. 5 assists, 0 goals for an attacking midfielder are poor and very poor by knowing it was a major player, Jussi Kujula. He did play well in his duties for the team, that must be said. Very functional, but lucky enough the experiments made clear, the team was ready to start without him. On the other hand a sign of quick growth from our youth team. Kujala did not sunk, only his competitors for the basic eleven improved. From a weekly value in the basic 11, Kujala turned to some one who has to fight to start on the field instead of the bench.

The greatest benefit of this sort mini rotation system, including striker Venturi coming in as sub every match for Bonomi or Sarli, was that all the players stayed very fit till the end of the season. Besides of course, players and coach founding out what could be possible adaptations for the team and what not. Just a way of giving a midtable season sence, much sence. Finally Montichiari finishdc at spot 8. In an overview, the raise over 3 years (16-14-8) is very promising. The goal-stats also figured out. For the first time, the goal difference was positive. With 61 scored, we did very well and the 50 against where 45 beter as 2 seasons ago!! Improvement can sometimes easily be measured at the stats.

The supporters however had their own theory. Last year was a super-sub player of the year (Bonomi) and this year it was again a Supersub (venturi). It must be said, with his golden olympic medail this was a tribute. However Bonomi was the topscorer of this season. Our talented striker on his brink to a break throught, nut his direct competitor Venturi sets another record: 9x Man of the match. Depending on the supporters a good played match is more worthfull as being topscorer. A luxery-problem and handling this kind of problems means that Montichiari has a bright future in the serie B. Just as Rossi predicted and hoped some seasons ago (but on another route), this season became the one where the team showed their potential.

[Guest]

Facts and figures 2008/2009

Serie B

ranking : 8th

points : 38-62 points (61-50).

average attendance 2.437 (capa. 2.500)

topscorer : Gianluca Bonomi, 23 (league 21),

assist: Cossimo Sarli, 14

man of the season: Maurizo Venturi

Manager of the year serie B: 2th Mario Rossi

Player in the spotlights: Gianluca Bonomi

Bonomi took up his promise this season as good striker. Very difficult for a talent with an experienced goalscorer (sarli) and an Olympic striker also appearing in the squad. This year was his highlight with 21 leaguegoals. A good contribution to this season. However Bonomi could not impress after that, he lost a bit of his sharpness and could not drift away from being promising. He ended up at the bench, higher in hierarchy as other Youth acedemy strikers with names as Monti and Bresciani. However he could not make the last step to become a first team player. He also lost major interest in football. When he hanged up his boots, he was in his midtwenties. Bonomi is the personification of the eternal talent. We remember some great goals under the 62 he scored in his complete carreer and we remember the huge promise laying on his shoulders when he started. If and what if, are the questions connected with an eternal talent; the poetry side of reality, nothing else.

[Guest]

Finale

Due to sad circumstances I am not able to finish the story properly. To give it an end, here is the summary of what happened further.

Montichairi raised finally to the serie A in the season 2010/2011. Defender Vincenzo Pauloni debutes in that season and within 20 months he played in the squarda azzuri. The start in the serie A remarked a little change of policy. Regulation candidate no1 buys some experienced players from europe from little money; just those guys who dreamed of appereaning in the Serie A. Major transfer was goalkeeper Jan Lastuvka )30 years), a reserve from the chech squad. He turned in something as mister berlin wall and the teams grows further as a mix of talented own youth and some experienced international players.

In january 2014 our small boys reached spot 6 with a superb playmaker Maurizo Alfano. Without injuries he sets the serie A to his hands. In a remarkle game he leads the team to a 5-2 victory over Juventus in Della Alpi. A highlight but also the beginning of the toughts that Rossi had reached the maximum. Losing direction and feeling, he accepted an offer from lecce; suffering regulation in the serie B. With the same recepy as in montichairi, thsi club raised to spot 1 in the serie B in 12 months time. Lots of new youth entered the squad and some forgotten reserves gets new changes. January 2015 starts with a remarkable phonecall. Juventus suffers a little problem. A locked team facing regulation, searching for a new coach. The pressure of the fans was inhuman, still asking scudetto's. Rossi entered Della Alpi with in his shopping bag Maurizio Venturi (Feyenoord, after a record montichiari transfer) and Stefano Rosi. WE know both guys, just as we could imagine Rossi picked up 2 lecce talents. Just the winning of the coppa italia means qualifing for the UEFA cup and the first major prize for Rossi.

In 2016 The Uefa Cup follows and a 3th spot finish after AC Milan and.. Montichiari! Our "beloved" smallcountry team at their best competition finish ever. Who would tought so, Rossi surely not. The best was yet to come. On the road to Lerkendal, the stadium for the CL-finale, Juventus impressed with attacking football, only in for grabbing the cup with the great ears. A splendid 1/8 finale from Montichiari brought a stunning win over Ajax Amsterdam - yup the team that helped them so many years ago- and leads to an exciting quarter final: Montichiari - Juventus. Rossi against his first love. Both game were stunning and sensational. Game 1 at romeo menti started with a red card for Left back Orlando in minute 1. Juve tried to decide here and rossi chanced tactick to kamakaze attacking. However one of his last montichiari signings Jan Lastuvka turned into a new berlin wall with as 'highlight' a stopped penalty around the hour. Rossi's Juve fought and did not came through 0-0. The Della Alpi game was upsetting. Again an attacking Juve but Montichiari turned into the master over their previous master. one silly counter attack leads to a stunning 0-1. Rossi was beaten by his own schoolboys! Montichiari was in the mood and at Lerkendal the set the crown at their works started under Rossi. AC Milan lost and Montichiari grabbed the Champions leaugue cup. Meanwhile Stefano Rosi was choicen best european defender. Fine, but strange that he still lacks caps.

The champions leaugeus of 2018 and 2020 were for Rossi's Juventus. just as 3 scudetto's in row these years. Nothing to win in Torino and besides that Rossi had became an Italian hero. Not only for this achievement or the way Venturi and Rossi developed into leaders of the new juve. Rosi, awarded with titles every season as european defender of the year or italian defender of the year or 2th spot finish in european player of the year. Venturi as topscorer in the Serie A and champions league. No that was just the expected for the fans. Rossi became hero in strange way.

In the winter of 2018 he took a small job as coach of Algeria. Just an oppurtinity of being national coach. The board however was not planning interlands and in june 2018 Rossi quiet. Dissappointed, what a silly job: being coach without games. He ssets himself for holiday somewhere in Swiss, far away from the world cup football in Italy, just to relax without football. It would turn different!

After the first round of the world cup the italian coach resigns. The team could not impress while the homepublic just wanted the cup. Simple as it is. Without a coach and with the best coaches already appearing on the world cup, the problem was how to find a brand new one in 72 hours. After several 'no's' of other coaches, Rossi could not say no to. It was his beloved country and he would like to help, knowing the difficult situation. Only 4 hours before the next game he arrived. A game in Milan and for one day the Milan public was at Rossi's hands. With a team collected from the best players of all italian topsquad, including the Juve defenseblock Marini/Paoloni he entered San Siro for a stunning win over Brazil. The team acted with new selfconfidence and the nation was saved for one day. Risk management is not easy, but for the first time in months the team played with some confindence. Via Napoli and Torino, risk manager Rossi reached the finals. Already called "Mr Wonderdoctor", one hurdle away from the by crowd demanded worldcup. The last hurdle was a big one: Germany, world champions of 2010 and 2014 and acting in superb form. The final turned the Rossi way. After a 0-0 half times, good old maurizo Venturi came in for his fist national appearance in 5 years. Maurizio was working and lacking luck as usual in the squarda azzuri. But this time in Milan, it was different; he would show his faith in his master-coach Rossi. After 72 minutes he picked up the ball for a solo but via woodwork and keeper, nothing more left as a corner. the corner was taken and curved to the Italian players around the penalty spot. Defender Vincezo Paoloni headed and a bomb landed in the net. 1-0. Two of his babes made the diffence and italia was world champion.

The Italian mission ended in 2019 after the first lose of Rossi, a 4-3 in a friendly against Japan. In 2020 the new challenge was AS Roma, combined with coaching columbia. AS Roma wanted to lift up from the serie B while Columbia performed well in the south american cup stages. Roma won the serie B in 2020/2021 and rushed to an infamous spot 2 in the season coming. Meanwhile Brazil asked Rossi to step over from Columbia, maybe brazil was to much hurted by that team. Summer 2022 was again the summer of the wonderdokter. With Brazil he grabbed the world title in a final against Italy. The nation did not know what to think about. Fact con: Rossi coached not the italians. Fact pro: after his first and only defeat he was fired, a bit too quick for a world championship winning coach. Revenges was Rossi's.

That summer Juventus was in a crisis again. Since Rossi left, the unbeatens turned in a sort of ghost. A 4th spot was not really expected. Rossi Returned. The mess that his succedor Rudi Voller made was great, lots of new signings and without logica. Rossi puts the squad by the hands. Without Stefano Rosi, retired after 609 starting line ups and a total of 630 games, with 5 personal awards in serie A/Europa and zero caps. But with another problem: After a heavy trainingsaccident Veteran striker Venturi was out for more as 18 months. Still under contract, he had just 1 wish. Score 1 more goal. The all time hero of Juve and culthero of the squarda Azzuri (5 caps) mades his statement but was no more in the conditions to play 90 minutes ever. A thursday in florence, 3 november 2022, was the final round up for this story. Juve was in the lead with 0-3 in a packed house. Back on top of the table (7 points in lead) and back with impression football. Supporters just had one dream: Venturi. 15 minutes before the endwhistle a bit fat old and grey haired man came in. The man that scored 249 goals in 522 matches, also with 224 assists; an average of 1 action per game. Nope he was not as quick as he was in the memories. This was definitfly not the striker that breaked open the world cup final 5 years before. It was an old and turtle slow extract. But the 60.000 in stadium knews what he was doing in his first match since 2021. A cornerkick, the ball was kicked out of the box. Every body seems to rush away except the one that could not any more. Juve intercepted and knows what to do, pass the ball to that man. Just on a spot that he was not offside he took the ball with his back to the goal, turned and did what did so many times before, lancing a hard and precise shot. 2 seconds later, a complete stadium came with their tribute. All fans, including the homecrowd applaud and chaunting his name for the last time: Venturi, Venturi.

The last hero of a golden Montichairi Episode made his last statement and all dreams became true now. He could retire now safely....

End

[Raptor]

Shame... this slipped under my radar all along, and when I finally notice it, it's over.

Nonetheless, good effort, and nice to see you rounded it off properly, that doesn't happen all too often (honourary exception being HD).

Please write again in the future.