Zdenek Zeman: Italian coach with Czech roots

Zdenek Zeman is an Italian football coach with Czech roots. Interest in his person is caused by the fact that the expert himself, whose coaching path started back in the late sixties of the last century, never played football professionally.

Zdenek Zeman: biography and facts from life

Zeman was born in May 1947 in Prague in the family of a doctor and a housewife. Love for the game of millions of boys instilled by his uncle Chestmir Vycpalek, who played in his time in a number of Czechoslovak and Italian clubs.

In the late sixties of last century in Prague, hostilities took place. Therefore, the 21-year-old Zdenek was forced to emigrate to Italy, where he later married the Italian Chiara Perricone and received a second citizenship. Zeman received an ISEF diploma in sports medicine in the Italian city of Palermo.

For a long coaching career Zdenek Zeman changed about two dozen clubs, working mainly in Italy. Outside the Apennine peninsula, the specialist led top teams from the championships of Turkey, Serbia and Switzerland.

Coaching activities

For thirteen years Zdenek Zeman trained exclusively Italian teams from amateur leagues. After this kind of "warm-up", the young specialist received the first position in the club of Serie A - "Palermo". True, only as a mentor of a backup composition.

At the post of coach "eagles" Zeman, as before, was delayed for a year, then through transit through semi-amateur "Likatu" held two very powerful seasons in "Foggia" and "Parma" - both in Serie B. With "crusaders" Italian tutor and Did a lot of noise, beating in the preseason match the Madrid "Real", and in the course of the season - knocking out of the Italian Cup the main contender for the title - "Milan".

By the way, Zdenek Zeman will return to Foggu more than once and will spend 5 years in a row at the club in the early 90s of the last century. So long an Italian with Czech roots, neither before nor after, no longer lingered. "Foggia" Zeman remembered a bright, reckless, attacking football, which was played by young, unknown players who recently appeared on the field in Serie C. It should be noted that the 4-3-3 coach liked the scheme and continued to practice in all clubs, Which he coached.

It should be noted that among other things, Zeman was also able to train Italian top clubs from time to time. So, the Italian specialist worked as head coach of "Lazio" and "Napoli", but for sure the fans of the capital "Roma" will long remember who Zdenek Zeman is. Photo of the coach repeatedly meets in the club museum "wolves", although he did not win with the capital's club any trophies. As, however, did not win with other teams. Zeman gave great sympathy to the fans quite different qualities.

Coaching career outside Italy

Outside of the Apennine peninsula, the Czech Italian coached Fenerbahce, Crvenu Zvezda and Lugano. At once it is necessary to note, that work outside of Italy at the coach was not set, and in all three cases he did not work for a year. In Turkey and Serbia, the coach was fired after only a few months after his appointment.

In the summer of 2016, rumors spread in the press that the Italian specialist was getting into the Russian championship. In particular, for a long time there was one pressing question: "Will Zdenek Zeman go to" Anji "?" Eventually, the rumors turned out to be only rumors, and the coach soon became the head of the outsider of Serie A - Pescara.

Style of play

Zdenek Zeman is a supporter of force attacking football. All his teams, regardless of rank and the availability of performers of the top level, demonstrated a bright reckless game, for which the coach and received the love of fans throughout Italy. Coach and is still confident that his favorite tactical scheme of 4-3-3 is the perfect combination of players defensive and attacking plan.

Zeman has long and firmly known as perhaps the best coach among the nontoptop Italian teams. His "Foggia", "Cagliari" and "Lecce" collected full stadiums, and the audience came to look at the "team of Zeman".

For almost fifty years of coaching career, the Italian can boast of only two championship in the series B, which for any specialist who classifies himself as a "top" is negligible. Nevertheless, Zeman Zdeněk and today, being in old age, remains a welcome manager for most Italian teams.