Pippo Inzaghi
Former striker will join his brother in next season’s Serie A
Amuch watched recent social media clip of 2006 World Cup winner Pippo Inzaghi tells us much about the former Milan and Juventus striker, the man who has guided Serie B club Benevento to an utterly emphatic promotion.
The footage in question is taken at Benevento training on the eve of the club’s promotion. It is like a step back in time. The 44-year-old coach opts to join in training to rehearse a particular set-piece move. In comes the cross and, guess what, the gaffer himself glides into his once favourite six-yard line position to head home a cheeky goal. Having scored, Inzaghi then runs round the pitch celebrating as if he had just scored one of his 50 Champions League goals.
Always a great competitor, Pippo the
Pippo Inzaghi is back, as competitive and hungry as ever
player used to drive some British critics to distraction. For some, he was a six-yard box merchant with an irritating ability to poach opportunist goals. “Born offside,” as Sir Alex Ferguson once famously said. In reality, he was a wonderful goalscorer, whether he was playing for Milan or Leffe in Serie C. Former Liverpool defender Mark Lawrenson once commented to me about him: “I don’t know what others think, but I wouldn’t like to be marking Inzaghi.”
The point is that Pippo Inzaghi is back, as competitive and hungry as ever. For much of this season, more attention has been focused on his younger brother Simone, coach of the Lazio side that have produced such a fabulous season in Serie A.
In the end however, it was big brother Pippo who was smiling. Shortly after the post-COVID restart in Italy, his Benevento romped home to win the Serie B title with seven games still in hand. Things did not work out so well for Simone, but Lazio’s splendid season still reflects his outstanding coaching ability. As of now, both Inzaghis are most definitely members of Italian football’s fiercely competitive coaching elite.
For Pippo, success with Benevento represents professional vindication in the wake of alleged “failures” at both Milan and Bologna.
He concluded his stellar playing career at Milan in 2012 after11 seasons at the San Siro. It seemed only natural that he would immediately assume youth-team coaching duties with his old club, and in February 2014 he achieved success by lifting the prestigious Torneo di Viareggio youth trophy.
That success prompted Milan to hand him the job as coach to the first team. However, the 2014-15 Serie A season ended with the unsettled club in10th position, far from European competition, resulting in the dismissal of Inzaghi. Having taken a year out, he immediately re-established himself, winning promotion from Serie C to Serie B with Venezia in 2016-17.
One year later, he was back in Serie A, this time with Bologna. However, things did not work out for him, and after a run of poor results the club sacked him in January 2019.
The next turning point for Inzaghi came last summer when he received a phone call from the renewable energy tycoon, Oreste Vigorito, the ambitious owner of Benevento Calcio. The club, based near Naples in the Campania region, had won promotion to Serie A for the first time back in 2017 but had been immediately relegated. Vigorito wanted back into the top flight.
After Benevento had missed out in last summer’s promotion play-offs, Vigorito sacked then coach Cristian Bucchi and went looking for a replacement. One of his close aides,
Pasquale Foggia, suggested he give Filippo Inzaghi a shout. Pippo was on holiday in Spain, but immediately packed his overnight bag and headed back to Italy.
Next day over a restaurant lunch, Pippo pulled out the knives and forks, the salt and pepper canisters and outlined how he envisaged a new-look Benevento, players included. Vigorito was favourably impressed.
To some extent, the rest is history. With a squad that contained useful players such as ex-Wolfsburg midfielder Oliver Kragl, Finland international Perparim Hetemaj and the experienced Pasquale Schiattarella, Benevento dominated their championship.
So, what next? The Benevento idea is to do better than the last time and to avoid another immediate relegation. Two or three experienced Serie A players will be added to the squad, but not striker Loic Remy after he failed two medicals. Most importantly, Pippo Inzaghi will continue to coach the side on what is a return to Serie A for both coach and club. Much southern Italian pride will be at stake and motivation will clearly not be lacking, especially from the coach.