Zemanlandia

Zdeněk Zeman, a name that resonates with boldness, revolution, and unwavering conviction in the footballing world.

Revered by purists and misunderstood by pragmatists, Zeman’s career, both as a player and a manager, captures a story of passion and principle.

Born in 1947, in Prague, Czechoslovakia, Zeman’s journey is a compelling tale of a man whose tactical genius and uncompromising ideals reshaped the way the game was played and perceived.

Zeman’s early life unfolded in a football-loving family. While his uncle, Čestmír Vycpálek, enjoyed a respectable career as a player and later as a manager, Zeman’s playing career was short-lived and relatively unremarkable.

A move to Italy in the late 1960s positioned him in a country where football was more than a sport; it was a religion.

Though his playing days ended before reaching the heights of professional stardom, Zeman’s transition from the pitch to the sidelines marked the beginning of something extraordinary.

It was during his time in Sicily that he pursued his studies in physical education and began formulating ideas that would later revolutionize football.

Zeman’s managerial career began modestly in the 1970s, working with youth teams in Sicily. His deep knowledge of physical conditioning and obsession with tactics earned him praise early on, but it was his appointment at Licata in Serie C2 during the 1983-84 season that brought him into the limelight.

At Licata, Zeman’s attacking philosophy defied conventions. His team played with a relentless high press, breathtaking speed, and a commitment to goal-scoring that left fans and pundits alike in awe.

Perhaps the most defining chapter of Zeman’s career unfolded at Foggia Calcio, a club he managed during two spells (1986-87 and 1989-94). When Zeman returned in 1989, Foggia were languishing in Serie B, far from Italy’s elite.

What followed was nothing short of miraculous. Zeman assembled a squad of unheralded players and turned them into an attacking football machine.

Employing his trademark 4-3-3 formation, Zeman’s Foggia dazzled with its high-tempo play, intricate passing, and fearless approach against bigger teams.

In the 1990-91 season, Foggia secured promotion to Serie A. Dubbed “Zemanlandia,” the team became a fan favourite in Italy’s top tier. Despite limited resources, Zeman’s side held its own against Italy’s giants, often outscoring them in thrilling matches.

Though Foggia never won major silverware, Zeman’s influence extended beyond results. He revived the idea that football was an art form, and his teams were galleries of creativity. An idea which went head-to-head with the vigorous defensive approach the Italian football traditionally employed.

Zeman’s success at Foggia attracted the attention of bigger clubs. In 1994, he took the reins at Lazio, one of Serie A’s most ambitious sides.

Of course, Zeman implemented his attacking blueprint, transforming Lazio into one of the most entertaining teams in the league. Players such as Alessandro Nesta flourished under his guidance, and Lazio achieved back-to-back UEFA Cup qualifications.

However, controversy began to shadow Zeman’s career. His outspoken criticisms of doping in football, particularly targeting Juventus, made him a polarizing figure. While his commitment to clean sport earned him admirers, it also invited hostility from powerful figures within Italian football.

In 1997, Zeman crossed the capital to manage Roma. With players like Francesco Totti and Cafu, Zeman’s Roma embodied his footballing philosophy: audacious, attack-minded, and relentless.

Although the team didn’t clinch titles under his tenure, Totti credits Zeman with shaping him into a more complete player.

The early 2000s marked a turbulent period for the manager. His outspoken nature and refusal to compromise often alienated him from top-tier clubs.

After tries with Fenerbahçe, Napoli, and Lecce, Zeman found himself managing smaller teams, often in Serie B. Yet, his principles remained unshaken.

In 2012, Zeman achieved another milestone by guiding Pescara to promotion to Serie A. With young talents like Marco Verratti, Ciro Immobile, and Lorenzo Insigne, Pescara played some of the most captivating football in Europe that season.

Zeman’s work at Pescara reminded the footballing world of his undying commitment to attacking brilliance.

Attack is the best defence in the Czech manager’s philosophy. It is rooted in the belief that football should be a spectacle. For him, winning isn’t the only goal; how you win matters just as much, if not more.

His teams typically embrace a 4-3-3 formation, emphasising constant movement, quick transitions, and expansive attacking plays.

The heart of Zeman’s philosophy lies in relentless pressing and fluidity. His players are trained to focus on the verticality of play—moving the ball forward as quickly and efficiently as possible.

This philosophy of moving forward at all costs often leads his teams to score prolifically, but it also exposes them to vulnerabilities in defence.

Zeman’s teams are synonymous with an aggressive high press. They aim to suffocate opponents by closing down spaces quickly and forcing errors. The pressing starts with the forwards, who are tasked with chasing down defenders and goalkeepers to disrupt the build-up play.

Midfielders provide a second layer of pressing, ensuring that any loose balls are intercepted and converted into attacking opportunities.

The 4-3-3 formation allows Zeman’s teams to exploit width effectively. Wingers are often deployed high up the pitch, stretching the opposition backline and creating pockets of space for midfield runners.

Full-backs play a pivotal role, darting forward to provide overlapping runs and deliver crosses into the box. This emphasis on wide play contributes to Zeman’s teams scoring a significant proportion of goals from crosses and cut-backs.

While Zeman’s attacking prowess is celebrated, his defensive approach is often criticised. His teams tend to play with a high defensive line, which can leave them open to counterattacks.

Obviously, I chose a 4-3-3 setup in the game. With a sweeper keeper on defend duty. Support duty would also work, it’s important for the goalkeeper to try and help his teammates pass the ball around the back.

The back four is made of two wing backs on support, a central defender on defend and one on cover. The wing backs are assigned a support duty to balance the defensive shape. In game, with an attack duty they would fly forward often. Desirable in Zdenek Zeman’s tactic, not ideal in the match engine.

The central defenders are split between defend and cover for the same reason. Playing with a high line often leaves the team exposed for counterattacks. And in the game, the counterattacks are often costly.

Thus, I chose these two duty options, to make sure at least one of the centre backs is covering the back.

The defensive midfielder position was assigned a deep lying playmaker role, on defend, to balance the passing game with the defensive approach. This player will often dictate play.

The two central midfielders are a central midfielder on support and a box-to-box midfielder. I chose these two roles to try and keep the tactic close to the 1990s – 2000s era. But a mezzala on attack would also do the work instead of the CM on support.

And up front, two inside forwards on attack and a complete forward on attack make up the rest of the formation.

The inside forward are crucial to the attacking philosophy, as they are brought in play by the midfielders or the striker and are the main goal threat.

The striker was assigned a complete forward role on attack to emulate a combinative game with an attacking one. And advanced forward role would also work here, but it would make the three attackers break often from the rest of the team, which is not something we want.

As mentality, I chose positive but attacking also works if you are brave enough.

In possession, fairly wide attacking width and play out of defence. Shorter passing directness and a slightly higher tempo. These 3 options are meant to emulate the vertical paly employed by the Czech manager.

Work the ball into the box is ticked on just to tell the game that we want our players to focus their play on the opposition’s goal and avoid shooting the ball wide, just to waste an opportunity.

And play for set pieces to maximise the goalscoring opportunities.

In transition, counter-press, counter and distribute the ball to the centre backs.

And out of possession, a high press and a higher defensive line. Of course. And trigger press more often was employed.

Mark tighter was added as player instructions for the 3 attackers.

Using this tactic, we dominated in my building a nation save in Romania, with FCSB. We won everything domestically and even qualified to the UEFA Champions League knockout playoff round.

Lorenzo Lucca dominated the scoring charts. Scoring 31 goals in 31 appearances if we count only the league goals. And 43 total goals in 39 total appearances across all competitions.

Zdenek Zeman is a man that challenged the established playing style that dominated Italian football and that created many underdog stories, employing a fluid and fun to watch football.

Regardless of how his career progressed, in my opinion, he is one of the greatest managers to ever be part of the footballing world.