Coverciano: The Oxford of Football Coaching

Antonio Conte won the Serie A title with Napoli in 2024–25, but his style and approach differed from his time at Chelsea, Juventus, or Inter Milan. Napoli played more fluent football with high possession. Similarly, when Real Madrid won the Champions League last year, Carlo Ancelotti discussed how his approach had evolved over the years.

The Coverciano Influence

Why do Italian coaches adapt their approach according to time, situation, and personnel? The answer lies in Coverciano—the Italian federation’s technical headquarters and football’s equivalent of Oxford University. Based in Florence, just over a mile east of Fiorentina’s Stadio Artemio Franchi, Coverciano focuses primarily on coach development and stands as Europe’s premier football coaching institution.

While the Dutch, Portuguese, Spanish, and English remain more affiliated with particular philosophies, Italian coaches lean towards a solution-oriented approach. This was echoed by Gianni Leali, head of Coverciano during the mid-1990s: “We don’t teach one system. We teach them all and then show the advantages and disadvantages of each. There’s variety here, and that makes Serie A much more interesting.”

Ancelotti’s Journey of Adaptation

Take Ancelotti as an example. He started with an orthodox 4-4-2 and initially rejected Roberto Baggio because his system offered no position for a “Trequartista” (the number 10 who plays between the lines), earning him the “Anti-Imagination” label. During his time with Zidane at Juventus, he adapted his formation and introduced a 4-3-2-1 system. Now, in an era of rigid positional play, he uses a more flexible system that allows him to deploy several superstar players across the pitch. He employs mid-block to low-block formations defensively, coupled with fluid, free-flowing attacking structures.

Climbing the Coverciano Ladder

Coverciano’s highest certificate is mandatory for coaching in Serie A, but entry requirements are strict, with only 20 places available annually. Candidates must be Italian citizens or have resided in the country for at least two years, qualified from a second-level coaching course, and complete an assessment based on playing career (35 points), coaching career (40 points), academic career (5 points), and interview performance (20 points). However, this system has faced criticism from figures like Arrigo Sacchi. In recent decades, many successful coaches have emerged from non-playing or semi-professional backgrounds, like Francesco Farioli or Ralf Rangnick, yet Italy’s strict requirements may limit opportunities for younger generations without high-level playing experience.

Academics Behind the Touchline

Graduating from Coverciano involves over 550 hours of study. Even Luciano Spalletti found himself managing in Serie A without proper qualifications after earning back-to-back promotions with Empoli. He publicly questioned whether he was ready for the top flight and juggled coaching duties with studying, regularly traveling across Tuscany to Coverciano.

The academic approach has proved invaluable to numerous Italian coaches. With modules covering football technique, training theory, medicine, communication, psychology, and data analysis, graduates are thoroughly prepared for Serie A’s demands. Before graduation, every candidate must submit a dissertation. Carlo Ancelotti wrote about “Attacking Movement in the 4-4-2 Formation,” Alberto Zaccheroni titled his simply “The Zone,” and Thiago Motta offered “The Value of the Ball – The Instruments of Exchange in the Heart of the Game.” These documents are stored in Coverciano’s library, which now holds over 5,000 such papers.

In modern football, success increasingly depends not just on the best players or most talented squads, but on a country’s football education system—an essential foundation for achieving success on the biggest stages.