Tullio Gritti talks about his footballing career and relationship with Gasperini

Football fans who have been following the game for a while will also remember him as a player. We are talking about Tullio Gritti, Roma’s assistant coach. Gritti faced his current side on more than one occasion as a footballer between the late 1980s and early 90s. "I scored three goals against the Giallorossi. I scored more goals against Franco Tancredi than any other Serie A goalkeeper."

A number nine, Gritti featured in the Italian top flight for Brescia, Verona and Torino, but also spent time in the lower leagues: "I’ve always sought out the most comfortable situations on a personal level. If I’d made different choices then I would’ve played a few more games in Serie A, but I've got no complaints. It went well as it did." We start this interview by talking about one of these clubs – Verona – who will be taking on Roma this Sunday.

Stadio Flaminio, 25 March 1990, Roma v Verona. What are your memories?

"I remember the game very well because we lost 5-2 and until that point in time I’d never been on a side that had conceded so many goals in one match. We were fighting to stay up but at the end of the season we were unable to avoid the drop. I can still clearly remember the warmth of the crowd and the Roma fans from that day."

(AS Roma/DuFoto)

That was also the last game in which Bruno Conti got on the scoresheet. 

"Indeed - Bruno opened the scoring, then Roma got four further goals. We cut the deficit right at the end through [Marino] Magrin and [Vittorio] Pusceddu. I can recall that I took to the pitch wearing my established number, the number 9. Back in that era team numbering was still from 1 to 11."

You represented Hellas Verona in the wake of the club’s historic 1985 Scudetto triumph. Only five seasons after winning Serie A the team found itself in Serie B.

"That’s true, but neither the fans nor the club gave us stick. They understood that we gave our all, even if the reality of the situation ultimately condemned us. Verona is a great place to play your football. It’s a beautiful city with passionate fans – like a smaller version of Rome and Roma. I even bought a house there. I also had a very good time in Turin, playing for Torino in the 1987/88 season. Initially I didn't want to move there because I was happy at Brescia. However, president [Franco] Baribbi convinced me to accept the offer."

While at Torino you scored two goals against Roma, one in the first meeting of the season at the Olimpico and the other back in Turin. 

"And both were against Tancredi. For the goal at the Olimpico me and Franco had a coming-together, but the ball still ended up going in. We went unbeaten against Roma that season, drawing away and then winning at the Comunale. [Nils] Liedholm's Roma finished third in the standings, whereas we finished seventh."

Did you first meet Gian Piero Gasperini by crossing paths with him on the pitch, or further down the line?

"I played against his Pescara side. However, our relationship properly started at Genoa in 2006. I was already at the club - I was part of [Giovanni] Vavassori's coaching staff, then he was hired by [Enrico] Preziosi as coach. At first they entrusted me with the surplus players from the first team, since there were so many there. Subsequently, he himself suggested that I joined his coaching staff and from that moment on I’ve always worked with him, except for a brief gap of a few months when he was at Inter because he was unable to bring all of his trusted backroom staff with him."

(AS Roma/DuFoto)

What in your work does Gasperini appreciate the most?

"Away from our daily work on the pitch there’s a sense of mutual respect and trust, and there always has been. Nowadays it only takes a glance or a nod for us to understand each other – words aren’t necessary. Working with him is totally enriching. He’s a true visionary – he’s capable of anticipating things which others can’t. When you’re with him you see football and experience everything it has to offer. On that note, do you know what [Thomas] Tuchel said about Atalanta?"

Go on…

"In 2021, at the Festival dello Sport di Trento, the German – who has only ever coached great teams – told the following story. In order to prepare for his side’s Champions League quarter-final against Atalanta during the pandemic he watched footage of Atalanta for several days. The more videos he watched the more he said the same thing to his coaching staff: "Are they actually doing these things?" The more they studied us, the more they were amazed."

Were you alluding to man-on-man marking all over the pitch? 

"Not only this. This man-on-man marking matter is a bit of a joke, in the sense that you never see our right-back running to the other side of the pitch to follow his opponent. Yes, it’s man-on-man, but only in the same area of the pitch. In any case, the tactical plan is much more complex. Gasp's strength has always been to keep up-to-date, to move forward with the times and to not remain anchored to his beliefs. I’m still amazed by some of his ideas. He defined not only the history of Atalanta but also of Italian football over the last 20 years. It’s no coincidence that several coaches have copied some of his concepts."

What was it like to go from a club like Atalanta to one like Roma?

"Coping with getting around such a big place, especially given the traffic in the capital is… (laughs, ed.) Well, we’re getting used to it. It’s been nice so far to go around the city with the boss and feel the warmth of the fans. We’re working well here."