He was born a manager

A conversation with Sergio Giosuè Viganò

‘Tomorrow is a dear friend’s birthday, a person who is very close to me: Sergio Giosuè Viganò. I am wishing him all the best.’ During the press conference, before the Coppa Italia final against Roma on 8 May 2007, Roberto Mancini – in order to avoid a question on Claudio Lotito, the Lazio president, who is also celebrating his birthday on that day – comes up with this solution. Viganò never forgot that. ‘It was quite exceptional stuff,’ says the physiotherapist, the masseur, the guy who knows better than most not only the muscles, but also the brains of Mancio and many of his players.

‘I met Roberto when he was 17, maybe 18. He had just arrived at Sampdoria, and he was first on my list. He had a few issues; his muscle structure was quite demanding. He was stocky, with his muscles growing outwards and not extending, so he was often prone to injuries such as strains and sprains. He always believed in me, and I always treated him as if he was my son. I am now 72, he is 47 – just like my boys. We had some big trouble initially, with his muscle issues, but then, little by little, it all turned out alright – which was great news. So we started walking down that road together, and we carried on until the day before yesterday.’

So, let’s talk about those 30 years together.

‘I took care of him when he played for Sampdoria, then followed him to Lazio, and again when he managed the White-and-Blue team and then Inter Milan.’

And at City.

‘That’s right, I left Italy for Manchester 40 days before the end of the season, in a rush, sticking a couple of things into my suitcase, and I returned home only after the party when they won the Premier League. He really needed that; it was important to Mancio that I was there. And I didn’t feel like saying no, after knowing him since he was a young boy. So I packed my things and left for Manchester.’

Listen, it sounds like you are some kind of good luck charm for Mancini.

‘Well, in a way I am, I bring him good luck … you know, players are always trying to ward off ill luck. You go to one of them, and things don’t turn out well; then they see someone else and everything is all right. It is just like with doctors: the one who operates on you and fixes you, well, it’s not that he’s better than some other doctor, but it is only natural that you end up trusting him more. Perhaps I just suited him well … we won at Sampdoria, at Lazio and at Inter Milan as well. And I managed to contribute to his victory in Manchester, too.’

Which players did you treat at City?

‘Kompany, Zabaleta, Nasri and others had a few problems that could have affected their performance in the ensuing weeks. Instead, everything turned out fine. Luckily.’

Had you already met the players who make up the City dressing-room?

‘I had already been there a few times, over the past two years – two, three days at most. I would have a look at the player and see what could be done. Then at one point I said to Mancini, “Look, I cannot come anymore, I can’t leave my family; my wife has some problems.” So he started sending the guys over to my place, in Lu, in Monferrato – a place that no one knows of.’

No one knows of that place, you say, but Mancini and Vialli, back then, used to take the whole of Sampdoria there.

‘We went there to eat donkey stew, with agnolotti pasta and soppressa sausage. No one knew that donkey could be quite tasty, and some just wouldn’t have any of that, like Ruud Gullit, for example. “I’m not having any,” he used to say, but after cleaning up a couple of dishes, he would take a pot back for his family to try.’

Let’s go back to City. What was the atmosphere like, in those last 40 days?

‘It was quite tense, because, even though the team was strong, not many had tasted victory before, and very few of them could take that sort of stress. When they started realising just what stress was, that was when injuries began. It is quite normal, because each action becomes more violent, you move in spurts, with no logic of motion. The muscle system is altered, depending on the amount of stress you are subject to. We went into the derby against United with such tensions. That’s the reason for that so-and-so match, which we won 1–0: we deserved better. Then we went over to Newcastle – still the same stress, but less apparent. And it [the stress level] went down in the last half-hour, after Yaya Touré scored. On the Friday and Saturday, before the last match, I watched the training sessions and I remember thinking “Dear me, this is electric.” And on the Sunday, that tension fried the guys’ brains … City shot 44 times at goal; we took 19 corners. Also, QPR played a defensive game – but it wasn’t a good match. And Mancio really suffered. He was tense, and he had to put up with an incredible amount of stress.’

Apart from being subject to that kind of tension, what are the characteristics that you appreciate most in Mancini?

‘He can lay out a team, and he knows how it should play.’

Where did he learn that from?

‘He learned by himself, he was born a manager. Mancio still does not have one of those clear-cut personalities, by which you are either a goodie or a baddie. He does not want to be bad, and he does not want – he cannot – be too good. Still, he is phenomenal on the football pitch. He managed a really complicated group, he changed tactics an infinite amount of times, in order to adapt to the situation. He managed to win with a team which lacks the history, tradition and attitude for victory that a team like Manchester United has. He won with good players, really good ones, alright – but not the players that Real Madrid had. With Mourinho’s players, I could be a coach, too.’

How has Roberto Mancini changed, throughout all these years?

‘He is becoming more technical, and more aware. He knows that he has the magic formula that will enable him to run any team. He used to be quite impulsive, but in my opinion he is a lot better now and has become much more calm and collected. He had to adapt his personality to his new job as a manager, and he has become a number one. And in England, he has also toughened up.’

Why do you reckon that is?

‘Because, in the Premier League, he faced many different opponents, and that allowed him to improve his mental strength and to have more control over his decisions.’

Like those he made in the last minutes of that City–QPR match … speaking of which, how did you manage to get through that heart-stopping game?

‘I managed just wonderfully …’

Did you still think you could win, when everything seemed to be lost?

‘It would be easy to say that I did. But when I saw there were three minutes left till the end of the game, I thought, “If we score now, we win.” It was not new for City to win a match in the last 4–5 minutes. The crowd usually goes crazy, everyone is standing up, chanting, screaming – the team’s reaction to all of that is not normal, either. If you go and watch City play at the Etihad Stadium, you are in for a show. But it is like at the theatre: people clap only if you deserve it. Alright, Mancini usually gets his tribute, but it is during those final minutes that people really let loose. I must admit, I was quite tense, but in the end I felt really happy. As I did for all the championships, the cups and Super Cups that Mancio and I have won together so far – and in spite of everything and everyone, we often won. My only regret is that evil European Cup; we really threw that one out of the window, because someone did not measure up to the situation and the stress.’

How do you see Mancini in the future?

‘He deserves to stay with City, and not be torn to pieces by the press, threatening his dismissal in favour of some other Mourinho or somesuch. He deserves some new players, too. I really hope he can get some peace and quiet, because I can tell that he has aged, and he is under a lot of pressure. Last year, the championship was quite hard; it took quite a lot out of him. He paid a high price for victory, after 44 years. Fortunately, people appreciate that, and he gets good feedback­ for it. The parade through the streets of Manchester was beautiful, really moving – especially for him.’

Will you go back to Manchester, to bring him good luck?

‘Well, we’ll see about that …’