when gratitude is a trap

“Thank you, but what nonsense it was to trust you” sang Vasco Rossi in 1985. A sort of anticipation of what would happen a year later. Enzo Bearzotfour years after the world triumph of 1982he relied on the aging heroes of Spain to repeat the feat a Mexico ’86. The result was the exit in the round of 16 against France of a national team that had already given everything. An episode that came to mind at the final whistle of the Palermo match. Mancinito grab a place a Qatar 2022, has decided to rely on the group that, only eight months ago, had risen to the top of Europe. Unfortunately, we know the result well.

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On the other hand, it is quite normal to think that a coach prefers to focus on who he knows, on a consolidated group from a human and technical point of view, especially if he has achieved great results. Often, then, it becomes difficult to leave at home a player who has allowed you to obtain important victories, even if he is no longer able, due to age or natural physical decline, to guarantee the same performance. It happened to Bearzot and it happened to Marcello Lippi, after the last World Cup won after the war. In 2010, 4 years after the triumph in Berlin, he wanted to give the 2006 world champions the chance to try an encore in South Africa. Unfortunately Italy left in the first round after drawing with Paraguay and New Zealand and losing to Slovakia.

It doesn’t just happen to the coaches, as shown by the case of Inter in 2010. After winning the treble, Mourinho leaves and his successors on the Nerazzurri bench continue to find themselves in the squad as the protagonists of that feat which, as he confided a few years ago after President Moratti himself, in some cases they should have been let go. The company’s gratitude for such a striking result, however, led to a contract extension for players who were heading towards the end of their careers. In short, there are many cases and they respond to a feeling, gratitude, which manages to find space even in a world where emotions always come after profit.

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