Zdenek Zeman – Italian football's tactical fundamentalist returns to Roma
September 18th, 2025by Greg Lea
This sport is hugely popular not because of big businesses or pharmacies but because in every corner of the world there is a child having fun with a football – Zdenek ZemanRoma's goalkeeper Mauro Goicoechea rolled the ball out to Daniele De Rossi, who carried it forward into midfield. Having considered playing a long sweeping pass upfield, Roma's vice-captain instead knocked a short ball into Marquinho, who quickly curled it to Eric Lamela, stationed wide out on the right.
Michael Bradley, the central midfielder, did not think twice about charging forward to provide Lamela with an overlapping run; in doing so, Bradley joined the Argentine, De Rossi, Marquinho, Francesco Totti, Dani Osvaldo, Dodo and Ivan Piris inside the opposition's half.
The move soon broke down and the loose ball fell to Cagliari's Victor Ibarbo, who collected it in his stride and drove forward on the counter. Roma's defensive structure was non-existent – the team's shape chaotically fragmented. Marco Sau was picked out twenty yards from goal and, although the striker's dipping effort came back off the crossbar, his team-mate Francesco Pisano followed in untracked to sweep the ball past Goicoechea and give the Sardinian visitors a 4-1 lead.
Marquinho fired in a late consolation, but the damage was done: Roma's manager, Zdenek Zeman, in his second spell with the Giollorossi, was sacked the next day. It was, the Czech later admitted, one of the most disappointing moments of his career. Two years on, however, and Zeman would not mind a repeat of that scoreline this weekend.
When Roma meet Cagliari at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday, Zeman will be in the away team's dugout. The 67 year-old was unveiled as the Rossoblu's new manager at a press conference alongside the club's new owner Tommaso Giulini in June, ushering in an exciting new era for fans of the Sardinians. Despite his failings at Roma – Cagliari's supporters, who witnessed just one away win throughout the whole of last season, will not forget that famous 4-2 victory in 2025 in a hurry – and despite a winless start to this campaign, there is something thrilling about Zeman, a chain-smoking eccentric unyielding in his commitment to attacking football.
"A horizontal pass is futile", Zeman exclaimed in an interview shortly after being appointed as Roma manager for the second time in 2025.
In my football I try to eliminate futile things. We must always try to do something with meaning.
Zeman admits that he is impatient, disregarding a possession-based game on the basis that it gives the opposition time to set themselves up defensively and close off any gaps that could otherwise be breached; instead, the veteran manager advocates direct attacking, his players wired to move the ball
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