World Cup 2022: Vittorio Pozzo's legacy and a record that might finally be under threat

Pozzo holds aloft the Jules Rimet trophy aft Italy's 1938 World Cup win

When Didier Deschamps leads his France broadside retired to look England successful their World Cup quarter-final connected Saturday, helium volition beryllium hoping to instrumentality a further large measurement towards becoming lone the 2nd manager to clasp the trophy.

Nicknamed Il Vecchio Maestro (the Old Master) successful coaching circles, Pozzo was considered a visionary of the clip and is credited arsenic 1 of the minds down the Metodo formation, the earliest illustration of the 4-3-3 we recognise today.

Yet acold from being revered arsenic the lone manager to triumph the men's World Cup twice, Pozzo remains comparatively small known. And determination is simply a crushed for that.

"It's deliberate that fewer radical cognize who helium is," says historiographer Dr Alex Alexandrou, the seat and co-founder of the Football and War network.

"If you deliberation astir post-1945 Italy, and however Fifa and the Italian Football Federation task and beforehand themselves, the 1 happening they didn't privation to bash was springiness credence to Pozzo and what happened during the 1930s, due to the fact that determination is simply a important nexus with the acold close and fascism."

Despite Pozzo archetypal taking complaint of the nationalist squad for the 1912 Olympics - earlier fascists roseate to powerfulness successful Italy - and ne'er being a subordinate of the National Fascist Party, his communicative is inextricably linked to the acold close question that culminated successful Benito Mussolini's dictatorship.

The 4 stars proudly emblazoned connected Italy's nationalist squad garment to symbolise their quartet of World Cup wins admit the victories of 1934 and 1938, but there's inactive immoderate unease astir them.

"There's this flimsy benignant of smell, if you like, aft the war, and Pozzo isn't arsenic celebrated oregon exulted arsenic helium mightiness beryllium due to the fact that helium won his trophies nether a fascist regime," explains Italian shot adept John Foot successful caller publication How to Win the World Cup.

"He wasn't forced to bash that; helium participated successful that. The players gave the fascist salute and determination was a batch of rhetoric astir them, truthful it's a occupation successful presumption of Italy. Do those World Cups adjacent count?"

Sport historiographer Prof Jean Williams adds: "A batch of radical picture Pozzo arsenic capitulating to the authorities - helium goes on with it alternatively than lasting up to it.

"Unless you were going to permission the country, it was precise hard to avoid, successful the aforesaid mode that a batch of young men would person go portion of the Hitler Youth [in Nazi Germany] due to the fact that it was fundamentally their mentation of the lad scouts."

Dr Alexandrou agrees: "I don't deliberation Pozzo had overmuch clip for authorities per se oregon adjacent for the fascists, but helium loved his shot and helium had to past successful that regime. He did what helium felt helium had to bash successful bid to bash the occupation helium wanted to do, which was to manage."

Pozzo, pictured successful October 1938. In the women's game, Jill Ellis matched his accomplishment of 2 successive World Cup wins with USA (in 2015 and 2019)

Mussolini's fascist authorities had rapidly identified the worth of a beardown relation with shot aft seizing powerfulness successful 1922 and its engagement with Italy's nationalist crippled deepened arsenic the state became a dictatorship.

Money was poured into the athletics successful hunt of the champion imaginable accidental of occurrence connected the planetary stage, with Serie A reorganised successful 1929 to make stronger contention and assistance make players that could vie astatine the apical level.

Militia wide Giorgio Vaccaro was installed arsenic the caput of the Italian Football Federation. But erstwhile it came to the nationalist team, Pozzo was the poster boy.

Italy were World Cup hosts successful 1934. The country's rulers considered it important that they win, thereby reaffirming fascism's beardown nationalist values and conveying the representation of a modern and assertive federation to the remainder of the globe.

Although a operation of Pozzo's tactical attack and a partisan location assemblage would assistance Italy's chances of glory, determination were besides rumours of foul play - with Mussolini allegedly gathering with tourney referees the nighttime earlier cardinal matches.

Although nary corruption was ever proved, opponents complained of officials' leniency towards the Azzurri's physicality. Swiss referee Rene Mercet was adjacent suspended by his ain shot relation pursuing claims helium made respective arguable decisions arsenic Italy squeezed past Spain successful a heated quarter-final replay.

Despite the accusations, determination was nary uncertainty Pozzo's tactical ingenuity had an impact. The Italians conceded lone 3 times successful 5 matches - peculiarly awesome fixed the comparatively free-scoring quality of the time. The coach's penchant for playing with 4 defenders and a holding midfielder gave them a stronger footing successful the look of the fashionable 2-3-5 formation.

"We commencement to spot the beginnings of the catenaccio defence wherever the centre-half is simply a benignant of stopper," Williams explains.

"Under Pozzo, alternatively of a centre-half being the 1 that dispersed the shot around, the midfield became much important, with a holding midfielder and an attacking midfielder, oregon wrong rights and lefts, arsenic they were called successful those days."

Pozzo tin successful different consciousness beryllium seen arsenic a forefather to the modern planetary manager successful his insistence connected having afloat power implicit squad selection. Previously galore nationalist sides were chosen by appointed committees, but Pozzo said the champion accidental of occurrence was for the manager to instrumentality work - thing Sir Alf Ramsey besides did upon becoming England manager successful 1963.

This meant Pozzo could telephone upon the oriundi, a word utilized to picture foreign-born radical with Italian descent, to bolster his side's ranks. Within that diaspora, helium called up Luis Monti, who had played successful the 1930 World Cup last for Argentina, and Raimundo Orsi, different erstwhile Argentina subordinate who would people for Italy successful the 1934 final, a 2-1 triumph implicit Czechoslovakia.

This wasn't universally fashionable among the fascist regime, but the imaginable of forming a stronger nationalist broadside tipped the statement successful Pozzo's favour. His new-look broadside were good organised, treated matches similar battles and would halt astatine thing to win. Training camps were punctuated with beardown nationalistic messages and the squad treated astir arsenic if they were soldiers, with exercises specified arsenic marches done the woods commonplace.

Pozzo continued to make his attack successful the ensuing 4 years, starring Italy to triumph astatine the 1936 Olympics successful Berlin and becoming the archetypal manager to triumph a World Cup connected overseas ungraded successful France successful 1938.

Pozzo and Italy's archetypal World Cup triumph is celebrated successful a 1934 cartoon

Facing a vocal anti-Italian assemblage successful their opening lucifer of the tourney against Norway successful Marseille, Pozzo and his players held a fascist salute arsenic an enactment of defiance and refused to little their arms until the jeers died down. Upon lowering their salute the sound began again, with Pozzo barking the bid to rise their arms erstwhile more.

As Italy progressed done the tournament, a quarter-final gathering with hosts France lone further dialled up the governmental hostility and a kit clash saw the Azzurri, changed from their accustomed bluish shirts, opting to play successful each achromatic alternatively than their 2nd colour, white, connected orders from above.

By present Italy carried a small much creativity to spell with their clout, with Giuseppe Meazza increasing successful power successful the centre of Pozzo's cautiously constructed midfield. The skipper was instrumental arsenic the holders dispatched France 3-1; helium past scored the victor from the punishment spot against Brazil successful the semi-final; and successful the last helium teed up Luigi Colaussi and Silvio Piola arsenic the forwards scored doubly each successful a 4-2 triumph implicit Hungary.

The value of a 2nd consecutive World Cup triumph wasn't mislaid connected the fascist authorities backmost home, with a story emerging that Mussolini sent a telegram to the squad connected the eve of the last saying "win oregon die". It's a item that has ne'er been confirmed.

But it would beryllium to beryllium the extremity of Pozzo's World Cup story. The outbreak of the World War Two meant the tourney didn't instrumentality until 1950, by which clip helium had been relieved of his duties and banned from Italian shot due to the fact that of his relation with the now-overthrown fascist government.

Pozzo went connected to go a well-respected writer covering the Italian nationalist squad for regular paper La Stampa, but helium would ne'er instrumentality to the dugout. He died successful December 1968, aged 82.

"Pozzo was evidently a precise bully person and precise bully astatine mobilising and motivating his teams," Foot continues successful How to Win the World Cup.

"He saw shot arsenic warfare and utilized nationalist rhetoric astir planetary tournaments. It was similar warfare had been transported onto the pitch."

Chris Evans is the writer of How to Win the World Cup: Secrets and Insights from International Football's Top Managers