Calm down and Bisoli. Sudtirol’s recipe for Serie A

“Football is the only religion in the world around me” sings Brunori Sas, who is not really from Bolzano. And perhaps, in Bolzano and in Alto Adige, the phrase was out of context even for sport. Why yes, football was practiced, but compared to the rest of Italy it was perhaps the only place where it was a niche sport: a minority compared to ice hockey and other more purely winter disciplines that are better suited to the local panorama mountainous. But then came the Fussball Club Südtirol, which sometimes also combines the Italian version of Alto Adige in the name. In 2000 it appeared in the old Serie C2, in 2010 in Serie C1 which had already become the First Division and then became a single Serie C. And step by step it consolidates more and more: from surprise to example to model to certainty, even favorite, with a sports center of excellence admired and appreciated by the entire football panorama. Last championship’s promotion to Serie B is a novelty not only for the team, but for the entire region, which had never had the honor and the burden of training among cadets.

The premises for this first adventure, however, had not been the best: Javorcic, the leader of the victorious season, signed with Venice, while in Bolzano, Lamberto Zauli was chosen as coach. Few training sessions, a few friendly matches and the spark does not strike: the farewell decision is consensual and the club prefers to reflect calmly on what to do, relying on assistant Leandro Greco for the debut matches in Serie B.

Südtirol doesn’t get into gear: it starts with three defeats, seems destined to play the role of Cinderella in the championship and goodbyes to dreams. However, as with the fairytale Cinderella, someone comes to the rescue: Pierpaolo Bisoli will not have the features of the Fairy Godmother, but he has something similar to the magic wand since it brings new air, results and enthusiasm: “And he made an important impression with his way of seeing football: great aggression, great compactness, never letting go of the ball. Now we have a precise identity, we know what we have to do” he says Andrea Masiello, defender and one of the most experienced players in the squad. The former Genoa player arrived in Bolzano as a free agent after the first victory of what would become his team. He has taken on the role of mother hen in a team with many young people and many newcomers. A recipe that has proved to be successful “but there’s no secret: we are a young team with some elderly people who put their experience, desire to fight and spirit of sacrifice at everyone’s service. We are a good group and this counts for a lot,” the 37-year-old says.

Now there are 7 days left until the end of the championship: Südtirol is fourth, in the very full playoff area and with an eye also on second place, which would be worth direct Serie A.

Masiello, however, follows his coach’s line and flies low: “This position in the standings represents a dream, but we must continue to be humble, go ahead game after game: now we’re annoying, but nothing changes for us. end of the championship: if we have to think big, we have to be able to always give something extra. We are lucky enough not to have pressure and no anxiety, even if great challenges await us”.

To certify the good work of Bisoli there is also a colleague and historical friend of his: Francesco Moriero, today technical commissioner of the Maldives. When asked for an opinion on the Südtirol championship from the most exotic coach that coached Italy can offer, he smiles: “Bisolone, as I call him, is an old-fashioned person. Like me, he is a son of Mazzone: those who grew up with him always know how to question themselves and never give up. He said he wasn’t a phenomenon, then he said he had to save himself, then he didn’t aim for the playoffs: he wasn’t, he wasn’t, he wasn’t and now he finds himself fighting for Serie A. The life of coaches changes quickly, I I am very happy for him: he is a humble person who is managing to redeem himself definitively”.

From the Maldives to the Alps: the story of Bisoli, his talented young men and his elderly fighters practically travels around the world. That’s the beauty of football, which knows how to become a religion even where it has always been a secular sport.