Chris Dunlavy profiles new Leyton Orient manager Alberto Cavasin
ALBERTO CAVASIN arrives at Leyton Orient attempting to salvage a shattered reputation in his homeland.
The 60-year-old – appointed to replace the sacked Andy Hessenthaler on Monday – was once one of the most respected coaches in Italy.
Yet a series of sackings and poor choices, culminating in a disastrous ten-game stint at Sampdoria in 2011, sent the Venetian’s stock sliding off a cliff.
Disagreements with players, an unpopular decision to train behind closed doors, a vicious clash with the club’s Ultras. Almost nobody in Genoa warmed to Cavasin.
Matters weren’t helped when, in the midst of a five-game losing streak, the former Lecce coach publicly described himself as “a phenomenon” at uniting a dressing room.
Evidence suggested otherwise. In the end, Cavasin took just five points as Samp were relegated from Serie A and the man now derisively dubbed ‘Il Fenomeno’ by the Italian media required a police escort to leave the building.
“The whole season was a disaster,” said former Sampdoria player Luca Pellegrini, who worked under Cavasin at Ravenna in 1994.
“But Cavasin was the icing on a rotten cake. I had the misfortune to have him as a coach, and by then his record spoke for itself.
“When they announced his arrival, I even went to SampTV, the company's television, to make a very clear picture of who they had put in charge. It was obvious what would happen.”
Since then, Cavasin hasn’t worked in Italy again, tentatively exploring options in Romania and Russia before this week’s surprise appointment in East London. Little wonder, then, that he “immediately accepted” the post.
Options weren’t always so thin on the ground for Cavasin, whose playing career was one of solid professionalism, rather than glittering success.
A right-back, he spent the majority of his career in Serie B, his career zenith arriving with Bari’s legendary rise from Serie C to Serie A under Toto Lopez between 1983 and 1986. “They were wonderful years, lived in a golden moment of my career,” he said last year.
“The people of Bari followed us in droves, even to training. We had a strong group, a charismatic group and we felt that nothing could stop us.”
Yet, if Cavasin’s defensive duties had been played out in relative obscurity, his days in the dugout would soon guarantee a share of the spotlight.
Pushed
Starting in the youth ranks at Padua in 1990 – where he coached a 16-year-old Alessandro Del Piero – Cavasin slogged his way up through a succession of lower-league sides, apparently getting plenty of backs up along the way.
Marco Pilota, a veteran goalkeeper with Trento, thought him overly antagonistic.
“He had a training methodology that pushed people to the limit,” he said. “Every week he put someone out, even for trivial reasons.” Luca Toni, the future Italy striker who spent his formative years under Cavasin at Fiorenzuola, had similar complaints. “Cavasin and I did not have a good relationship,” he said in 2012. “He treated me very badly. The real problem was not the fact of playing a little, but the non-existence of any human relationship. It was my worst experience as a player.” Perhaps those early clashes were teething problems, a heavy-handed attempt at graduating from companion to commander. Whatever the case, by the time he was appointed by Lecce in 1999, Cavasin had perfected his methods. As well as twice saving the Giallorossi from relegation to Serie B, the coach nurtured several prodigious talents, among them a teenage Mirko Vucinic, Italy striker Cristiano Lucarelli and Uruguay forward Javier Chevanton. “For me, he was a pleasure to work with,” said Riccardo Fissore, a defender for Lecce. “In short, he is a great professional, someone who paid a lot of attention to defence but also gave freedom to the team.
“He is a great motivator and, if everyone is willing to listen to him, then the results will be very good.”
In 2001, Cavasin was awarded the Panchina d’Oro, or Golden Bench, for best coach in Serie A. Unfortunately, it would prove a high water mark.
Dismissed
After he was sacked by Lecce in 2002, a spell at reformed Fiorentina saw promotion to Serie B followed by an illadvised boast that he would deliver European football. With even Serie A slipping out of reach and supporters grumbling at overly defensive tactics, Cavasin was dismissed, his crack at a ‘big’ club gone.
Subsequent years brought intermittent triumphs – a playoff final, survival with Messina – but no sustained success. A move to Swiss side Bellinzona in 2009 provided little relief, the axe falling after 12 defeats in 20 games. And, while Sampdoria offered salvation, it delivered only a grim postscript.
Orient, then, are getting a man at his lowest ebb. But, according to Fissore, the qualities that saved Lecce 15 years ago still course through Cavasin.
“I feel sorry for him,” said the 36-year-old. “What happened at Sampdoria is not down to one man. Sometimes, the spark has to come from the players, too.
“Cavasin is a good coach. He has fairness as a fundamental value, dialogue as the best means, the grit, experience and enthusiasm to lift an environment. These are his great qualities, and if players appreciate them, he still has much to give.”