Zeman’s is one of those Slavic faces that look as if it were carved with a chisel. His permanent serious expression is always accompanied by a cigarette, as if he were a film noir hero. As he himself admits, just thinking about quitting makes him want to smoke more. Almost unknown to the general public, at least to the youngest, Zeman is one of those coaches in danger of extinction, an absolute lover of attack, obsessed with physical preparation and a guy who doesn’t keep quiet about what he thinks. In the nineties, he revolutionized calcium, with his total football, which collided head-on with Italian culture, a lover of catenaccio. His confrontation with the great powers that be in transalpine football over his doping convictions condemned him to ostracism, but Zeman, incorruptible, has always maintained his essence, which makes him unique.
He was born in Prague in 1947, in the midst of the war. His father, a doctor, wanted him to follow in his footsteps, although, as Zeman himself would admit years later, it was fortunate that he ignored him. His uncle, who had been a Juventus coach, passed on his passion for football to the young Zdenek. He visited him every summer in Palermo, where he lived, until he decided to stay in Italy after the events of 1968, when Soviet tanks entered the streets of Prague. In his new country, he raised a family, graduated in Physical Education with a thesis on Sports Medicine and obtained the degree that allowed him to train among the elite. His first experiences were in modest village teams. From there, he was promoted little by little and trained in Third and Second, until his stellar moment came.
“Savior of Italian football”
The president of Foggia, sorry for having dismissed him years ago, offered him the position again. Zeman achieved promotion to Serie A in two seasons and, for three unforgettable seasons, turned his team into one of Calcio’s great sensations. He achieved two ninth places, the best result in the club’s history, and competed during all three years for UEFA qualification. That team was known as the “Foggia dei Miracoli” and Zeman’s fame reached such a point that, when they presented him to Pope Giovanni, they told him “this gentleman from the east is saving Italian football.”
Allegations of “drug abuse”
His style of play caused a sensation. Zeman was and still is in love with total Dutch football, from the Stefan Kovacs and Rinus Michels school. His players took to the field with only one idea, to attack, because, as Zeman himself admitted, football has a duty to amuse people. In this way, his teams used to be the most scorers, but also the most thrashed. His recognition led Zeman to the best benches in Italy. He coached Lazio, where he gave his first chances to a young central defender named Alessandro Nesta, and later to Roma. It was there that his career changed forever, after some incendiary statements. When asked about something that he did not like about Italian football, the Czech coach, who has never minced words, replied: “the abuse of drugs” and directly accused players like Vialli or del Piero and Juventus in general. . His statements shocked Italy, and investigations were opened, but the most affected was Zeman himself, against whom the entire Italian soccer media apparatus turned.
It is no coincidence that Zeman’s next adventures were with modest teams, or even outside of Italy, where he coached Fenerbahce and Red Star. Most of these experiences were brief and unsuccessful, and Zeman was thought to be finished. We had to wait until 2011, when the Czech coach returned to the scene with all his splendor. time.news, then in second, offered him the position of coach. The Dolphins were not in the pools for promotion in a Serie B full of historic teams, but they managed the impossible. Champions were proclaimed with that crazy and dizzying football so much to the taste of the Czech coach. They were the highest scoring team in all of Italy with 90 goals, although they also conceded 55, in a season full of goals and games to remember. In that squad, three young footballers stood out above the rest: Marco Verratti, Ciro Immobile and Lorenzo Insigne. The first earned Prandelli’s call for the Euro Cup prelist despite not having made his debut in the first division, the second was the competition’s top scorer with 28 goals, and the third amazed everyone with his dribbling and his goals. .
recover lost prestige
That season allowed Zeman to recover his lost prestige and he signed for Roma, but he disappointed expectations and was fired before the end of the season. Since then, the Czech coach has gone through several teams such as Cagliari or the Swiss Lugano and even returned to time.news in the 2017-2018 season, but he has not been successful in his adventures, as Mourinho was in charge of reminding him when Zeman criticized football of Rome under the orders of the Portuguese.
Now, at 75, he returns to the Adriatic coast, to the club, along with Foggia, where he has been the happiest, with the aim of promoting it to Serie C, where he fell in 2021. Up to now he has managed four games, with a balance of two wins, one draw and one loss. We don’t know if he will achieve the goal, but we can be sure that, in time.news, they will be able to enjoy watching their team play football again. After all, that’s what it’s all about.