Annibale Frossi
Encyclopedia
Annibale Frossi was an Italian
footballer.
Frossi is perhaps best known for wearing correctional glasses during his playing years after suffering from myopia
from when he was a child. Also, he is known for his developments of the theory of catenaccio
, which emphasizes a defensive style of football.
He was a member of the Italian team, which won the gold medal in the football tournament at the 1936 Summer Olympics
.
Shortly after hanging up his boots, Frossi became a coach, and became manager of a series of clubs – Lumezzane
, Genoa
, Napoli
, Monza
, Modena
and also Internazionale, without however producing any outstanding results. He was the creator of the 5-4-1 line up and is associated (with others) with the development the catenaccio
or “lock-out” theory of football. Frossi often declared that “the perfect football match is one which finishes 0-0”, with neither side evidently having made a mistake.
For his short (12 matches) tenure as coach at Internazionale, Frossi did the job jointly with Ferrero, a strong advocate of attacking football. Despite an 11 match unbeaten record, Inter dispensed with his services because of dissatisfaction with his tactical style and it seemed that Ferrero had won the battle of ideas, together with influential players such as Enzo Bearzot
. Despite this, it was the defensive footballing theories Frossi, Nereo Rocco
and later Helenio Herrera
which became dominant in Italian football for the 25 years or so after his time at Inter.
Like many intellectual struggles in Italy, the dispute between advocates of attacking and defensive football continued for years. In international terms, it is probably true that the advocates of a more balanced, attacking football have achieved more success, notably the all-conquering AC Milan team of the early 1990s, managed by Arrigo Sacchi
and the 1982 FIFA World Cup
winners of Enzo Bearzot
.
Frossi was a graduate of engineering. He worked later as a general manager in industry, and then in the last years of his life he was a columnist for Corriere della Sera
in Milan
.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
footballer.
Frossi is perhaps best known for wearing correctional glasses during his playing years after suffering from myopia
Myopia
Myopia , "shortsightedness" ) is a refractive defect of the eye in which collimated light produces image focus in front of the retina under conditions of accommodation. In simpler terms, myopia is a condition of the eye where the light that comes in does not directly focus on the retina but in...
from when he was a child. Also, he is known for his developments of the theory of catenaccio
Catenaccio
Catenaccio is a tactical system in football with an emphasis on defence. In Italian, catenaccio means "door-bolt", implying a highly organized and effective backline defense which is intended to prevent goals.-History:...
, which emphasizes a defensive style of football.
Career
Frossi began his career as a professional footballer with Udinese, and, after a long stay in Serie B (with Padova, Bari and L’Aquila) he was discovered by the coach of the Italian national side, Vittorio Pozzo. Pozzo called him up for the Olympics of 1936. At the Olympics he won the a gold medal and was the tournament top scorer with seven goals. This excited the interest of more well known teams – in the event he was bought by Inter, where he played from 1936 till 1942, winning the “Scudetto” or league championship in 1938 and 1940, and the Italian Cup in 1939.He was a member of the Italian team, which won the gold medal in the football tournament at the 1936 Summer Olympics
1936 Summer Olympics
The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin, Germany. Berlin won the bid to host the Games over Barcelona, Spain on April 26, 1931, at the 29th IOC Session in Barcelona...
.
Shortly after hanging up his boots, Frossi became a coach, and became manager of a series of clubs – Lumezzane
A.C. Lumezzane
Associazione Calcio Lumezzane is an Italian association football club, based in Lumezzane, Lombardy. The club was founded in 1948. The club currently plays in Lega Pro Prima Divisione....
, Genoa
Genoa C.F.C.
Genoa Cricket and Football Club, commonly referred to simply as Genoa , is a professional Italian football club based in the city of Genoa, Liguria...
, Napoli
S.S.C. Napoli
Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli, commonly referred to as Napoli, is a professional Italian football club based in Naples and founded in 1926. The club has spent most of its history in Serie A, where it currently plays its 2011–12 season....
, Monza
A.C. Monza Brianza 1912
Associazione Calcio Monza Brianza 1912 is an Italian football club based in Monza, Lombardy.Founded in 1912, Monza currently plays in Lega Pro Prima Divisione group A, having last been in Serie B in 2000. Monza spent the last few years in Serie C1 and Serie C2.-History:Monza was founded on 1...
, Modena
Modena F.C.
Modena Football Club is an Italian football club based in Modena, Emilia-Romagna. The club was formed in 1912 and currently plays in Italian Serie B, after being relegated from a two year period in Serie A in the year 2004. The team's previous stay in Italy's top division ended in 1964. The team...
and also Internazionale, without however producing any outstanding results. He was the creator of the 5-4-1 line up and is associated (with others) with the development the catenaccio
Catenaccio
Catenaccio is a tactical system in football with an emphasis on defence. In Italian, catenaccio means "door-bolt", implying a highly organized and effective backline defense which is intended to prevent goals.-History:...
or “lock-out” theory of football. Frossi often declared that “the perfect football match is one which finishes 0-0”, with neither side evidently having made a mistake.
For his short (12 matches) tenure as coach at Internazionale, Frossi did the job jointly with Ferrero, a strong advocate of attacking football. Despite an 11 match unbeaten record, Inter dispensed with his services because of dissatisfaction with his tactical style and it seemed that Ferrero had won the battle of ideas, together with influential players such as Enzo Bearzot
Enzo Bearzot
Vincenzo "Enzo" Bearzot was an Italian association football player and manager. He is best known for having led the Italian national football team to a triumph in the 1982 FIFA World Cup.-Playing career:...
. Despite this, it was the defensive footballing theories Frossi, Nereo Rocco
Nereo Rocco
Nereo Rocco was an Italian football player and manager. He is famous for having been one of the most successful head coaches in Italy, and the first proponent of catenaccio in the country.-Playing career:...
and later Helenio Herrera
Helenio Herrera
Helenio Herrera Gavilán was a Franco-Argentine football player and manager.Although born in Argentina, Herrera's parents were both Spanish, his father being a well-known Spanish anarchist in exile...
which became dominant in Italian football for the 25 years or so after his time at Inter.
Like many intellectual struggles in Italy, the dispute between advocates of attacking and defensive football continued for years. In international terms, it is probably true that the advocates of a more balanced, attacking football have achieved more success, notably the all-conquering AC Milan team of the early 1990s, managed by Arrigo Sacchi
Arrigo Sacchi
Arrigo Sacchi is an Italian football coach. He is best known for his success coaching Italian teams, particularly with Milan where he won back to back European Cups as coach in the late eighties where he was head coach of the Italy national football team . He was twice manager of A.C...
and the 1982 FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
winners of Enzo Bearzot
Enzo Bearzot
Vincenzo "Enzo" Bearzot was an Italian association football player and manager. He is best known for having led the Italian national football team to a triumph in the 1982 FIFA World Cup.-Playing career:...
.
Frossi was a graduate of engineering. He worked later as a general manager in industry, and then in the last years of his life he was a columnist for Corriere della Sera
Corriere della Sera
The Corriere della Sera is an Italian daily newspaper, published in Milan.It is among the oldest and most reputable Italian newspapers. Its main rivals are Rome's La Repubblica and Turin's La Stampa.- History :...
in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
.
External links
- Annibale Frossi at Sports-Reference.com