Firstly, it isn't an all-out defensive mechanism like the ones Diego Simeone or Jose Mourinho set up, although the emphasis is majorly on nullifying attacks by forming a defensive chain backed up by strict man-to-man marking.
Another important feature of this formation was the role of a sweeper, who would pick up pieces during defensive duties and launch an attack with the help of overlapping fullbacks or the midfield wings.
This system was invented and first implemented by Austrian manager Karl Rappan in the 30s and 40s, but a slightly tweaked implementation in Italy saw Nereo Recco's Inter Milan attain great heights in Europe. Yet, the best implementation of this tactic came from Helenio Herrera during his time with Inter.
Helenio had guided Atletico Madrid and Barcelona to league titles in the 50s and also took charge of the Spanish international team. He had some struggles with the Spanish team, which predominantly had players from Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. His previous connections with the Catalan club didn't help him with these Madrid-based players, especially Alfredo di Stefano.
Two year stint with Spain came to an end in 1962 and he joined Internazionale a couple of months later. Football was about to witness a storm in the next few seasons, previously matched only by the great Real Madrid side of the 50s.
His Catenaccio version saw a 5-3-2 formation which gave a better scope for counter-attacks. His side would defend with their lives at stake but they were never shy of scoring goals. In the three triumphant league campaigns under him, Inter scored 58, 68 and 71 goals respectively in each season (34 games per season). And defensively, boy they were unbeatable.
He came close to winning the iconic treble on occasions and perhaps was one of the most deserving of all to do so. With 3 Serie A titles, 2 Intercontinental cups and 2 European Cups in 6 seasons, Herrera earned a cult status with the club.
Of all the top clubs in those years, it was Celtic who bettered this tactic and defeated Inter 2-1 in the 1967 European Cup final. This defeat saw Inter lose its invincible attitude and Herrera quit his job in 1968, after going through his first trophy-less campaign with Inter.
Many experts believe Dutch's "Total Football" or Barcelona's "Tiki Taka" tactics were born from this system created by Celtic's legendary team under Jock Stein, which in a way shut the doors for Helenio and Catenaccio.
His career graph flattened after leaving Inter and he was forced to quit after suffering a heart attack in 1974. This was the time Inter hired him back to regain their top status and although he did come back a few years later, he didn't last long.
In an interview with Simon Kuper, he took a dig at the managers who tried to copy Catenaccio.
He claimed that the managers after him copied his style badly and emphasised largely on defense, which according to him was not Catenaccio.
Kuper dedicated a chapter to the great man in his iconic book "Football against the enemy", where he keeps mentioning how important it is to treat your team as a family. Three years after the book was released in 1994, Herrera passed away in his residence in Venice, aged 87.
Being tactically astute was one thing, but the man was equally good with his man-management, something you see quite rarely in the sport. A controversial yet pragmatic genius, often hailed as a once in a generation personality, his mark on the game was indelible.
No comments:
Post a Comment