When it comes to Roberto Baggio and Arrigo Sacchi, we’re talking about one of the greatest talents to ever grace a football pitch and a revolutionary coach who changed Calcio forever.
However, the pair had a complicated rapport to say the least. Though they had to coexist during Italy’s 1994 World Cup campaign, Baggio’s heartbreaking penalty miss in the final was probably the last straw.
The legendary tactician opted against calling up the genius striker for Euro 96, and their short time together at Milan was far from pleasant,
But while many credit Sacchi for the development of Italian football, Baggio has less esteem for the coach’s ideology.
The Devine Ponytail believes that Sacchi’s school brought an end upon his breed; the brilliant individuals who don’t have a specific tactical role on the bench.
Baggio explains that the manager’s focus on team plays resulted in the extinction of free-spirited players, sometimes referred to as “Trequartista”.
“Sacchi created this school and everyone followed him,” said the Juventus legend in an interview with Sky Sport via Calciomercato.
“So, for those who had my role, which wasn’t well defined, things became difficult.
“When I think of [Chelsea legend Gianfranco] Zola who had to go to England in order to play his football, I can only laugh.
“I think that the coach is very important, but football is still played by the players, fortunately.”
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