MILAN – For Stefano Vecchi, the black and blue colours of the Nerazzurri are synonymous with home. Vecchi grew up as a player in the Inter youth academy, so wasted little time in saying yes when Roberto Samaden called to offer him the position of Primavera coach back in 2014.
Before that, Vecchi had built a respectable reputation as a well-prepared, promising coach in the lower leagues. Yet a position in the Nerazzurri youth academy did not represent a step back, even for a coach who had never worked with youngsters – this was Inter calling, not just any old club.
Born in 1971, Vecchi donned the Inter jersey for the first time at the age of 15, before eventually working his way up to the Primavera squad, where he would win the Scudetto in the 1988/89 season under the stewardship of Giampiero Marini. A midfielder, Vecchi dominated the centre of the park alongside Scapolo, Gallo and Morello, players who would go on to make it to Serie A.
Vecchi never made it higher than Serie C, where he spent ten years winning balls back and supplying them to the creative players. His greatest asset was his mental strength: he didn’t have the quality of a Gabriele Oriali, but he never failed to make an impact in the middle of the park. Vecchi had a good understanding of the game and was blessed with enviable leadership skills – both invaluable qualities for anyone preparing to make the move into management, which Vecchi did immediately after hanging up his boots, guiding Mapello into the Eccellenza league in his first season in the dugout.
It was clear that Vecchi had what it takes for management. One by one, Vecchi rose through the leagues. He led Tritium to Lega Pro, was thwarted only by a points penalty in this time at SPAL and came close to winning promotion to Serie B with Südtirol in the 2012/13 season. Vecchi was poached by Carpi for the following season, yet was inexplicably fired during the campaign despite the newly promoted side sitting 12th in Serie B and with few relegation worries.
The disappointment of that short-lived spell with Carpi still rankles with Stefano, on some level at least. It was soon afterwards that Vecchi returned to Inter, his home. The club was keen to find a manager who would coach the Primavera using the same methods as the first team, recognising that Italian youth football had become stuck in a rut and that it was down to Inter to build a Primavera squad which truly served as a stepping stone to the senior game. Vecchi was the perfect choice.
Central to Vecchi’s management style is the concept of hard work – no great surprise for a man who forged a playing career by giving every ounce of his energy, every time he stepped onto the field of play. Vecchi’s football is built around aggression and dynamism, a philosophy embodied by his first, thrilling Primavera side, led by the attacking trio of Camara, Bonazzoli and Puscas. That first season saw the Primavera stick six goals past AC Milan in the Mamma Cairo Cup, clinch Viareggio Cup glory with a 100% record and dominate the league season, only to bow out at the Final Eight stage due to injuries and misfortune.
The following year, Vecchi led the Primavera to victory in the Coppa Italia, as they defeated Juventus at a packed San Siro. This season, the young Nerazzurri have already secured their spot in the Final Eight stage, which will take place in June.
Such is the regard in which Vecchi is held by the club that there was little hesitation in temporarily handing him the reins of the first team after the departure of Frank de Boer and the arrival of Stefano Pioli. When Pioli did come in, Vecchi slipped seamlessly back into his role of Primavera coach.
Veccchi’s story is a reminder that Inter is about more than just the first team and the bright lights of San Siro. Inter is every one of its youth teams competing all over the country, the black and blue of the Nerazzurri jersey a symbol of unity. And when you’ve worn that famous shirt, it stays with you. Just ask Stefano Vecchi – an Inter man through and through.
Carlo Pizzigoni
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