10 Facts About Osvaldo Bagnoli

Osvaldo Bagnoli was born on 3 July 1935 and is an Italian former football coach and player who played as a midfielder.

Osvaldo Bagnoli later joined Verona in 1957, where he became an important figure with the club.

Osvaldo Bagnoli ended his career in 1973, with Serie C side Verbania.

On 20 January 2018, Osvaldo Bagnoli was named Hellas Verona's honorary president.

Osvaldo Bagnoli was a versatile midfielder who was capable of playing in several roles, and throughout his career he was deployed as a central midfielder, as an attacking midfielder, as a right winger, and even as a defensive midfielder.

Osvaldo Bagnoli's midfielders were often asked to press their opponents aggressively off the ball, while when in possession, he either asked his players to slow down the play and keep the ball, or hit his opponents quickly and suddenly on the counter-attack, making use of long balls out to his wingers and full-backs in order to stretch his opponents and create space for the forwards.

Osvaldo Bagnoli usually employed a sweeper in his teams, who was required either to play or carry the ball out from the back after winning back possession and function as a deep-lying playmaker until his teammates were back in position; he used an advanced playmaker behind the team's two forwards, who was in charge of implementing the side's set plays with his quick passing, as well as playing balls out to the wingers or attacking full-backs, or creating chances for the strikers.

At Verona, Pietro Fanna was required to play an important role on the wing under Osvaldo Bagnoli, who utilised the winger's technical skills, speed, and intelligent movement to help the team push forward quickly on the break; in this role, Fanna was known for his ability to hold up the ball in order to create space for teammates and full-backs making overlapping attacking runs, functioning as a playmaker himself on the flank at times.

Osvaldo Bagnoli usually attempted to field his players in a system which best suited their technical and tactical characteristics, and often felt that they should be given the freedom to express their individual skills in their most appropriate position.

Usually his teams were known for starting off slowly and then finishing seasons strongly, after Osvaldo Bagnoli was able to perfect his systems throughout the season through gradual modifications.