47 / 72
SANMARINO
THE COACH
Manzaroli (47) had served his apprenticeship as
coach of the Under-21 squad from 2010. His best
result as U21 coach had been a 1-0 victory in a
Euro qualifier against Wales in September 2015.
The goal was scored by Fiorentina defender Juri
Biordi.
In the Euro 2016 qualifiers, Manzaroli’s charges lost
their first three matches, including a 5-0 reverse
against England at Wembley, before they gained
their only point of the campaign with a 0-0 draw at
home to Estonia.
San Marino lost their six remaining matches but
did manage to score - it was their solitary goal of
the qualifiers - in a 2-1 away defeat to Lithuania in
September 2015. Midfielder Matteo Vitaioli netted
from a free-kick just outside the box.
In the first match of the WC 2018 campaign, on
4 September against Azerbaijan, Manzaroli’s
troops, playing a 5-4-1 formation, lost by a headed
goal seconds before the break in front of 1500
spectators in the national stadium (Serravalle). It
is likely San Marino will play a similar formation
against Northern Ireland, with the emphasis on
holding the hosts and relying on breaks from
defence.
In February 2014 former international
midfielder Pierangelo Manzaroli took
over the reins from Giampaolo Mazza
who had been in charge of San Marino’s
national team for 15 years.
In his playing career, 5’10” midfielder Manzaroli
made his international debut in October 1991 in
a Euro qualifier away to Bulgaria (4-0 defeat) and
went on to win 39 caps. He ended his playing
career in the summer of 2008.
It certainly appears a daunting task coaching the
national team rated 211th in the FIFA rankings, with
a record of just one victory in their entire history
(1-0 in a friendly at home to Liechtenstein in April
2004), however the coach has his own opinion
about his charges’ ambitions.
He said: “Our primary aim is different from that
of other teams: our main objective is damage
limitation, and that can be psychologically draining.
Most of our players earn at the most £240 a month
as players, and most have full-time jobs, training in
the evenings. In other countries playing football is a
job, in San Marino it is a hobby, a passion.
“Sport to me means giving everyone the chance
to measure themselves against teams which
are much stronger. Don’t forget Brazil conceded
seven goals at home to Germany in the World Cup
semi-final in 2014. For us the challenge is to look to
improve in every game.”
www.irishfa.com45