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Hello and welcome to this story. I will not regale you with a stellar opening. I have tried this approach many times before and found myself unable to keep the same level of quality throughout the rest of the story. Nor could I weave the off-the-field happenings into the football part of the story. Which is why this time, I intend to focus on the footballing aspect. I might fail miserably. Or I might succeed. The story might evolve into greater things than pure football, but for now I intend to keep things simple.
I will start this game as the manager of Italian Serie C2/A side Montechiari, a team that is expected to be in the lower half of the mid-table region, though the board expect me to battle bravely against relegation. The transfer budget is small and likewise, the wage budget is nothing extraordinary. We do have some room to bring in reinforcements, with €3,000 of the wage budget currently going unused. A brief overview of the club reveals that they were founded in 1928 and that they are very much a local team. The home games are set to be played at the 3,000 capacity Romeo Menti stadium. The facilities at the club are fairly basic, but then again, they do play in the Serie C2.
The backroom staff consists of two assistant managers, a coach, a goalkeeping coach, three physiotherapists and one scout. I would expect to make some changes there as I’m not quite happy with that setup.
At first glance, the defence looks very thin, so that will be the first place for reinforcements. I intend to employ a 4-4-2 formation with three of the midfielders having an attacking role. I’d like to employ a short passing game, but maybe I need to reconsider that if my squad are unable to cope with it. I guess I should find out sooner or later.
Game information: 7.0.2 patch with no further updates. England, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Scotland and Spain are playable on a large DB.
For those of you joining me on this journey, welcome. For those of you who won’t be following this, well, I doubt you’re reading this.
July 2006
My first actions as manager of Montechiari were to offer a coaching contract to one of my assistant managers, Flavio Destro. Next I offered a mutual termination to physio Sebastiano Torrisi. It cost me €60,000, but it would allow me to save money in the long term. And frankly he wasn’t very good anyway. I also put out an advert to find another scout as I like to work with a minimum of two scouts. Merely a case of having eyes everywhere.
I left the first friendly to the hands of my assistant while observing from the stands as we took on German amateurs Heidenheim in front of 142 people at Romeo Menti. Despite the fact that no one on the squad was really ready to play, there were some glimpses of ability. Most notable were the two goals scored by striker Riccardo Sardelli. As I mentioned earlier, the defence was an area of concern and the fact that we let in two goals seemed to further enforce my first impression. The lack of match practice showed as two players picked up injuries, though both were bruises and nothing really serious. Nothing a week or so of rest wouldn’t fix.
Destro was happy to take up a role as coach, meaning that Lamberto Tavelli was now my only assistant. He wasn’t brilliant, but then again this isn’t the Serie A. All I need now is another scout and the backroom staff would be sorted. The same couldn’t be said about the playing squad. I had thrown some offers around both in Italy and my home country of Holland and those moves were starting to show results. The first player to join was one who had played for his national team no less than 13 times and that as a 22-year old. Okay, it was only San Marino he played for, but it was a start. Alex Gasperoni is an attacking midfielder who can play anywhere across the line and he may well become a key player in my attacking 4-4-2 setup.
Lamberto also took control of our second match against Como, which resulted in a 1-2 loss. I myself was not in the stands this time though, I was in Holland, completing the transfer of young left back Jesper Kok for a mere €1,000. And he wasn’t the only player to join. There also was Argentinean hard man Lucas Montero, a central defender in the same mould as his Uruguayan namesake Paolo, who joined from Ternana from the same price. The defence was further strengthened by another international player, this one from Luxembourg. Wing back Mario Mutsch had been capped three times for his country and with the ability to play on either side, he made a welcome addition to the back line for €2,000.
They were all available for the first friendly I took charge of, at home against Neunkirchen. Most of the players were still very unfit though, so I just picked the eleven who seemed in the best physical and got on with it. We conceded three goals in the first half, which wasn’t exactly a good omen for the future. However, with wholesale changes and a much improved performance in the second 45 minutes, we managed to pull it back to a 3-3 draw and could’ve gone on to win it if our shooting had been a bit more accurate.
After the game, I completed another signing from Holland, young defender Robbertino Rafaela joining from ADO Den Haag for €2,000. Another to join, for no fee this time, was German goalkeeper Benjamin Kopp from Unterhaching. The final signing, for the moment at least, was Andrea Alberti, who joined us from parent club Brescia on a season long loan.
The draw for the Serie C Cup was announced towards the end of the month and paired us with Biellese, Legnano, Lumezzane and Pro Sesto. The first three plied their trade in the same division as we did, but Pro Sesto played in the Serie C1/A and would probably be the side to advance from the groups.
Ivrea were far better in our friendly at the end of July, but we managed to keep a clean sheet in the first half, despite their domination. It was wholesale changes again at half time and the new lads certainly didn’t do any worse. In fact, we scored two late goals to steal a bit of an undeserved win. The second of those two goals came when we were a man light as well, after we lost Davide Bersi to injury having made all our substitutes. It wasn’t good news either. Strained knee ligaments would keep Davide out for a month or two.
The final pre-season friendly was at home against Teramo. We suffered an early setback when they scored after just two minutes, but the team responded well and got stuck in. Finally after 50 minutes of play Alberti, our loanee striker, levelled the score. We could’ve gone on to win it from there, but Matteo Simoni in particular had problems with his finishing and the score remained at one a piece.
Serie C Cup vs Biellese 18-08-2006, Romeo Menti, Montechiari
Time to get down to business then. Our first competitive game was at hand, a Serie C Cup match, at home against Biellese. They had a decent enough side and the pre-match predictions had them as slight favourites, despite our home advantage.
The eleven names that would set out for my first official match in charge of Montechiari were as follows.
The bench was made up by Diego Daldosso, Juan Manuel De La Fuente (GK), Dario Dossi, Mattias Pacciarini, Fabio Calandrelli, Stefano Murante and Matteo Scapini.
I was keen to get of to a good start in front of our home fans and with 1,267 of our faithful looking on, we did just that. We first signalled our intentions just two minutes in when Mario Mutsch fired in a shot from distance that was well wide, but it was a warning of things to come.
There were moments though I had to turn away and shake my head in disbelief. Like in the fifteenth minute when Sardelli had all the time in the world to send in a cross from the left, but got it so horribly wrong that it sailed out of play on the far side of the pitch without anyone getting near it.
On 21 minutes, there was the first chance for the visitors, but our German goalkeeper Kopp pulled off an excellent save to Borneo’s close range shot. He repeated the feat six minutes later, this time managing to divert it to Fusari who cleared it.
Things finally kicked off in the 34th minute when Luca Mordenti in the Biellese goal sent out a poor goal kick. Jasper Kok picked it up just inside his own half and sent it forward to Gasperoni. The San Marino international paused for a second, slowing the play and then passed it to his right where Cigardi was waiting. The attacking midfielder took it forward once and then played a great ball into the run of Andrea Alberti. The on loan striker had a look at goal and then fired a rocket of a shot into the top left corner. 1-0 Montechiari.
As we went into the changing rooms at half time, both my wingers indicated that they were carrying slight injuries and as precaution, I brought both Semenzato and Gasperoni off to be replaced by Murante and Daldosso.
Five minutes into the second half, Alberti was on form again. This time, he picked up a lose ball around the halfway line and fed it forward to his striking partner Sardelli. The captain ran with it before firing in a fierce shot form twelve yards out. I daresay that the Biellese keeper merely heard it as it fizzed past him into the back of the net. 2-0 and we were well in control.
We continued to pile on the pressure, Alberti heading just over and substitute Daldosso putting his effort wide. On 61 minutes, we struck again and once more, Brescia man Alberti was involved. Goalkeeper Kopp fired a clearance upfield and down the left, where Sardelli picked it up. He turned inside looking for a forward run, but since there was no one going forward, he played it into the feet of Alberti. The youngster used the outside of his boot to take it past his marker before unleashing a 20-yard thunderbolt that soared into the net for his second goal of the evening.
The team calmly played out the remaining minutes and it wasn’t until injury time that Biellese got another chance, but striker Borneo scuffed his shot and it sailed harmlessly over the bar.
Final Score: Montechiari 3 (Alberti 2, Sardelli) Biellese 0
It wasn’t all good news after the game. Alberti had fallen heavily during the closing minutes of the match and twisted his ankle. It would keep him out for somewhere between three weeks and a month. What was good news was the final addition to the backroom staff being made when 36-year old Alberto Bertaccini signed up as a scout. There was no time to dwell on it all though as the next game was up straight away.
Serie C Cup vs Legnano 20-08-2006, Giovanni Mari, Legnano
Alberti had been involved in all three goals in our first match and missing him would make it a difficult proposition to win against Legnano. I decided to keep pretty much the same lineup, despite only a day of rest since the previous match. It was Kopp in goal, with Mutsch, Rafaela, Montero and Kok in front of him in an all-foreign defensive line from right to left. In midfield, Semenzato was on the right with Gasperoni on the left. Fusari would play the defensive role while Cigardi would roam forward and join the two strikers, captain Sardelli and Matteo Scapini.
The home side were keen to live up to their pre-match billing of favourites and they got the best chances in the first half. In just the fourth minute Lumbilla Kand headed over from a corner kick. The next chance fell to his strike partner Moscelli, but a crucial sliding tackle by Mutsch prevented the goal and put it out for a corner.
But in the 16th minute, Legnano got their deserved lead. The ball was hoofed forward from defence and Moscelli ran with it down the left. His cross floated into the penalty area, beyond the stranded Montero, giving Kand a free shot at goal. His first effort was fantastically saved by our German goalkeeper Kopp, but the rebound fell straight back to the striker. With Kopp stranded, he had an easy tap in to make it 1-0.
Three minutes later, the home side further compounded our worries with a well worked free kick, something that clearly came from the training ground. Legati looked like he was going to strike it, but at the last moment passed it to Pedro Kamata. The midfielder was unmarked and fired a long range shot in at an angle, beating Kopp comfortably in the near corner. 2-0 and the game looked over.
It wasn’t. Jasper Kok played a brilliant long pass towards the right where Daniele Semenzato was making a run forward. The winger picked up the pass and ran with it into the penalty area. Just as he was going to fire his shot, Zaccardo tripped him from behind. Penalty! Semenzato himself stepped up and fired it hard and high into the net. Our celebration was short lived, because moments after, Fusari was forced to leave the field injured and Calandrelli came on to replace him.
At half time, I subbed off the tiring captain Sardelli and replaced him with Marco Pierobon. The second half couldn’t live up to the first though. There were a couple of chances either way, the best of them coming for Legnano, but neither side managed to score. Mainly thanks to excellent interventions by Montero and Rafaela, we kept a clean sheet in the second half.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t reward our good defensive work with a goal the other end. The best chance we got for an equaliser was two minutes from the end, through a passing move between Mutsch and Calandrelli, but the latter put his shot over the bar and even four minutes of injury time couldn’t bring any respite.
Final Score: Legnano 2 (Ludmilla Kand, Kamata) Montechiari 1 (Semenzatopen)
A first loss, straight after the first win of my career. It felt even worse when physio Alberto Cortili announced that Fusari had suffered damaged knee cartilage and that he would have to see a specialist for treatment. It would keep him out of the team for at least a month. In addition to Fusari’s injury, Robertino Rafaela had picked up his second yellow card in two games and would be out for the next Serie C Cup game against Lumezzane. We were in luck though, that game wouldn’t be until the 30th of August, after our first match in the league. Because our group had five sides, we’d get a crucial rest before the opening league game while most other teams had to play.
Our first opponents in the league Valenzana were also playing on Wednesday, so I took the opportunity to join scout Frederico Rossetti to watch them play. It was a dull and drab game they played out with Padova, ending in 0-0. From what I could tell, they play a slow passing game, mainly through the middle. Hopefully this will allow our wingers to create some space out wide.
Serie C2/A vs Valenzana 27-08-2006, Romeo Menit, Montechiari
Valenzana were expected to do well this season and with a bit of luck, they might even join the fight for promotion. No easy game then to get us started. I made just the one change to our starting line-up, hoping that consistency would get us the necessary points. Our all foreign back line still consisted of Kopp in goal, Mutsch (who had been called up to the Luxembourg squad the day before), Rafaela, Montero and Kok at the back. Semenzato and Gasperoni would be on the wings while Cigardi took up his usual role of attacking midfielder. Fabio Calandrelli was the only new name in the XI, replacing the injured Fusari in midfield. Up front it was Sardelli as captain with Scapini.
We may have been touted as underdogs before the match, but we signalled our intention to attack in the first minute. Mario Mutsch took a quick throw in and Semenzato thundered down the right before sending a low cross in. It cannoned of a defender and out for a corner, but the tone had been set.
On fourteen minutes, we made good on our early threat. Central defender Rafaela put a clearance forward and found the head of Sardelli. The captain beat Franchi in the air and nodded it down for Calandrelli. With a first-time pass, the midfielder sought out Scapini. The striker went clear of the defence and when goalkeeper Fumagalli came storming out of his net, he calmly placed it past the stranded keeper to put Montechiari 1-0 up.
Five minutes later, the home crowd erupted again. Matteo Melani fouled Scapini just outside the area and Dutch defender Rafaela came forward to take the free kick. His effort thundered off the crossbar and the defence could only clear it out for a throw in. Like in the first minute, Mutsch found Semenzato, who fired in a cross from the right wing. Scapini and Valenzana defender Melani both missed it, but it hit the guest’s midfielder Davide Lodi who had tracked back to defend and bounced into the net off him. An own goal and Montechiari were two to the good.
The favourites couldn’t afford to hang back now and streamed forward. Just before the break, a smart play by Foglia found Francesco Erbini unmarked and the forward coolly put it away to limit the damage to 2-1 at half time.
You’d expect Valenzana to come out all guns blazing, looking for an equaliser in the second half, but there was none of that. They were rather subdued which was probably best illustrated by goalkeeper Fumagalli just past the hour. He failed to clear Rafaela’s long ball properly and hit it straight to Sardelli instead. With the goalkeeper well off his line, the striker took one touch to size up the gap and the fired his shot past the goalkeeper and into the net.
Immediately after, I took off some of the tired legs and brought on fresh players. One of them, Alessio Baresi had a decent shot in the 77th minute, but it wasn’t good enough to trouble Fumagalli. The best chance in the end came in front of our goal, but Benjamin Kopp pulled off a fantastic save to deny Serao’s diving header. By then, the guests had been reduced to ten men after Melani had been giving his marching orders for a second bookable offence.
Final Score: Montechiari 3 (Scapini, Sardelli, Own Goal) Valenzana 1 (Erbini)
Cheers Amaroq. It must be the vocabulary as I don't think I have a thesaurus
Serie C Cup vs Lumezzane 30-08-2006, Nuovo Stadio Communale, Lumezzane
There was little respite for the team as we travelled to Lumenzzane in midweek for the Serie C Cup. Once more we were billed as the underdogs and this time, we would probably live up to that tag as I decided to rest some of the players. Kopp remained in goal, but the back four this time consisted of Mutsch, Mattias Pacciarini, Montero and young Marco Filippini. In midfield, Semenzato was a familiar name on the right, but Stefano Murante would take over form Gasperoni on the left. In the middle it was Calandrelli with Diego Daldosso. Finally, there were two new strikers up front with Marco Pierobon and Matteo Simoni. Central defender Pacciarini was handed the captain’s armband in absence of Sardelli.
It looked ominous when Kopp was called into action twice in the first minute. First he did well to push Morini’s shot away to safety before making a tidy save from a deflected free kick.
The home side continued to pepper the goal with shots, but Kopp stood firm and kept out anything on target. To be fair though, Lumenzzane’s shooting wasn’t of the highest order and a lot of it was wide or high of the mark and we held comfortably.
On 24 minutes, Lucas Montero did well to intercept a long ball forward, heading it straight at Murante’s feet. The winger looked up and saw Matteo Simoni stride forward and sent over the pass. With a deft touch, the 21-year old striker took it round his marker before slotting it into the far corner of the goal. It was very much against the run of play, but we didn’t care. Montechiari were 1-0 up.
Seven minutes later, Kopp sent a pass over to the right where Semenzato set off on a run. He skipped past left back Bruni and sent a low cross over to the near post. With a with a careful deflection, Simoni put it in the back of the net for his second of the game.
Lumenzzane grew frustrated quickly and fired a shot in anger every time they caught a glimpse of the goal. It left Kopp with very little to do apart from waiting for the supporters behind his goal to throw back the ball.
With a good lead at halftime, we were keen to keep the home side under the cosh in the second half and we played well in defence for the first fifteen minutes or so. But then, concentration began to falter, especially with young fullback Filippini. Twice his wavering gave our opponents good chances to get back into the game. First he let Morini slip past him on the inside, but Pinamonte headed over from the cross. Then he played a poor pass back into no man’s land which sent Pinamonte clean through. The striker missed horribly though, sending his shot over.
It was my cue to make some substitutions. It worked wonders when four minutes after being introduced, Baresi found Scapini with a clever pass and the striker had all the time in the world to pick his corner and put it away. That he did and at 3-0, we couldn’t give this away surely?
Well, maybe not, but we sure tried our hardest. Instead of hoofing anything to safety in typical cattenacio fashion, we allowed them in with chance after chance. At first we were helped by the linesman who ruled Paghera’s effort as offside, but the entire defence froze when the same player made his way to Kopp unchallenged. His effort was turned away by the German keeper, but only as far as Pinamonte who made it 3-1.
We looked to restore the margin towards the end, but Scapini was ruled offside as well before an injury time goal by Pangera gave me a jangle of nerves. We managed to play out the remaining time though to go exactly level with our opponents in the group tables with one game to play.
Final Score: Lumenzzane 2 (Pinamonte, Paghera) Montechiari 3 (Simoni2, Scapini)
We made no further additions to our squad before the deadline closed, but there were some remarkable transfers going on around the country. Florent Malouda had made his way to Inter for €22M while Milan had landed Andrea Barzagli and Andres Guardado for a combined fee of under €10M.
At the start of the month, a short note from the chairman let me know that he was still sure that I was the right choice for the job. It was good to know, though I (and he too probably) was somewhat concerned with the fact that we had lost over €53,000 for the past month.
On Saturday the 2nd there was good news from Luxembourg, where Mario Mutsch had become the first player during my short reign to gain an international cap, his fourth, for Luxembourg against Holland. He and his team mates offered no surprises though and went down 3-0, Roy Makaay scoring two of the goals. Earlier at San Siro, Italy had run through Lithuania with considerable ease, winning 4-0.
Myself, I’d been getting ready for our encounter with Serie C1/A side Pro Sesto. With one game left to play in the group stages of the Serie C cup, we still had chances of going top of the group and qualifying for the next stage. But in order to achieve that, we’d have to do better than Lumenzzane against Biellese. And Pro Sesto too could still go top if they won by a margin of two greater than a Lumenzzane win. It looked set for a classic finish to the group.
Una Storia Del Calcio 
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