At 34, Francesco Farioli, the new coach of OGC Nice, has (already) solid experience in the world of football, and more particularly in that of coaching. A former amateur goalkeeper, the Italian cut his teeth as a goalkeeper coach for several years. He notably worked in the staff of Roberto De Zerbi – who now plays for Brighton
After leaving the Neroverdi – and following experience as an assistant to Cagdas Atan at Alanyaspor in Turkey – the Florence native took off. He first took the reins of Karagümrük (Süper Lig, Turkey) between March and December 2021…Before being appointed as Alanyaspor’s main technician until June 2023. Among the Orange and Green, his results were rather mixed with 21 wins for 10 draws and 16 defeats. His philosophy was, however, (highly) appreciated.
Very young – he is only 34 years old – Francesco Farioli is a coach with a “modern style”, as Florent Ghisolfi, the sports director of the Gym, recalled. It was his ambitious game project that convinced the leaders of Les Aiglons to trust him to succeed Didier Digard: “The analysis of the teams he has coached and our many discussions with Francesco on the game project to be implemented place led our choice. Possession, aggressiveness with and without the ball, ability to defend very high, verticality, presence in the opposing area… he shapes his teams with the intensity we are looking for, explained the strongman of the sports field of OGC Nice. He will be able to rely on the expertise of our performance unit to serve this ambition.” It remains to be seen whether he will be able to assimilate his principles of play to his new players.
If he evolved in the staff of Roberto De Zerbi, Francesco Farioli was not only inspired by the Italian technician. His models are as numerous as they are varied: “I have different models for different reasons: De Zerbi, Spalletti, Terim, Gasperini, Guardiola, Bielsa, Arteta. I have been inspired and influenced by them, either directly in person or by studying their coaching style. Their experience and their background helped me a lot to build my own style, drawing from them what I found most interesting according to my vision of football, ”he said at the start of the year at Onze Mondial. Great references on paper.
The new Gym technician is not only interested in football. Indeed, he notably obtained a degree in philosophy, which could possibly help him in his managerial duties. He also attaches particular importance to psychology: “Being a good motivator helps a lot, but you have to understand individual and collective needs, and they depend on many factors, such as age, personal and family background, different life experiences, etc. But you can’t improvise doing a job that isn’t yours. That’s why I think today a psychology expert could become a key role in a modern football club. It even seems essential to me in the future, ”he explained in an interview with Onze Mondial.
