Vella rescues point
Lazio equalise eight minutes from time to keep four-point cushion on 4th place
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The season so far
Lazio in their third consecutive year in Serie B, after the betting scandal and relegation of 1979-80, had renewed ambitions this year. The previous season had been a depressingly mediocre 11th place but with the return of striker Bruno Giordano and midfielder Lionello Manfredonia (after the world Cup win armistice) they could finally see some light at the end of the tunnel.
The main players who had joined Lazio were goalkeeper Fernando Orsi (Parma), defenders Renato Miele (Catania), Gabriele Podavini (Brescia) and Marco Saltarelli (Lodigiani), midfielders Enrico Vella (Catania) and Roberto Tavola (Juventus- on loan) plus forward Claudio Ambu (Perugia).
Players to leave were the scudetto legends of 1974, keeper Felice Pulici and attacking winger Renzo Garlaschelli plus defenders Giorgio Mastropasqua (Catania), Dario Pighin (Taranto), midfielders Alberto Bigon (Vicenza), Dario Sanguin (Perugia), Fernando Viola (Genoa) and forwards Lorenzo Marronaro (Monza) and Walter Speggiorin (Massese).
This reshuffling of the squad plus the return of clearly superior level players such as Giordano and Manfredonia, added to the talent of fan favourite Vincenzo D'Amico, gave the whole Lazio environment renewed enthusiasm and optimism.
Roberto Clagluna, who had taken over from Ilario Castagner half way through the previous season, had been confirmed.
The season started in August-September in the Coppa Italia and Lazio were eliminated after 2 wins (Perugia 3-2 at home and Salernitana 3-2 away), 1 draw (Atalanta 0-0 at home) and 2 defeats (Avellino 1-2 away and Napoli 1-2 at home).
In the league, Lazio got off to a slow start (3 draws) but then started winning games (6 consecutive between 7th and 13th fixtures). Lazio had then drawn the big match against Milan 2-2 at home (D'Amico 90th minute equaliser), won another (Arezzo 2-0 at home) and drawn 2 (Atalanta and Catania both 1-1 away). Lazio were currently top of the table on 27 points, two ahead of Milan.
Cavese had finished 14th in Serie B the previous season under manager Pietro Santin. The Metelliani (from Roman consul Metello who had an abode in the area) had lost 0-1 to Lazio in Rome and drawn 0-0 at home. Top scorer was Giovanni Sartori with 6 goals.
This season Santin was still in charge. The main new signings were: defenders Leonardo Bitetto (Bari), Viviano Guida (Brescia), Carlo Bilardi (Rimini), midfielders Luigi Caffarelli (Napoli - on loan), Giacomo Piangerelli (Avellino), Pietro Puzone (Napoli - on loan) plus forwards Costante Tivelli (SPAL) and Bartolomeo Di Michele (Pescara).
Leaving Campania were: defender Giacomo Chinellato (Catania), midfielders Pietro Biagini (Taranto), Paolo Bianciardi (Livorno), Antonio Crusco (Catania), Giorgio Repetto (Pescara) plus forwards Roberto Barozzi (Catania), Giovanni Sartori (Arezzo) and Claudio De Tommasi (Bari).
So far, Cavese had been a major surprise and were currently in 3rd position, two points behind Milan and four behind Lazio. The Blufoncé (The Dark Blues) had won 7 (including a historic 2-1 win away to Milan), drawn 9 and lost 2. They were unbeaten for eight matches.
So, surprisingly, a promotion clash this afternoon at the Olimpico.
The match: Sunday, January 23, 1983, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
A sunny day brought about 45,000 spectators for this big match. There was a good away support too, about 10,000, it was a big day for Cavese playing in the capital.
Lazio had a big absence in Lionello Manfredonia, replaced for today by Maurizio Montesi. Cavese had all their squad available.
Lazio's game plan was to attack from the start. In the 4th minute a powerful freekick by Michele De Nadai forced Franco Paleari into his first difficult save of the afternoon.
In the 9th minute the visitors threatened and Vincenzo D'Amico had to clear an Angelo Cupini shot off the line.
Lazio continued on the front foot. In the 21st minute Paleari just anticipated Claudio Ambu after an excellent run and cross by Enrico Vella. In the 23rd the keeper was busy again on an Ambu effort from a tight angle. In the 31st Lazio Lazio went extremely close when, from a D'Amico cross, Renato Miele's header hit the post. Halftime Lazio 0 Cavese 0.
Lazio on top but finding it hard to get the breakthrough.
For the second half the Metelliani put on Luigi Caffarelli in place of Sergio Mari.
The script did not change after the break, Lazio forward and Cavese waiting to pounce on the counter attack.
In the 57th minute the Biancocelesti threatened again, Roberto Badiani beat two defenders and crossed but Ambu's diving header shaved the post.
In the 62nd minute Cavese struck. Giacomo Piangerelli put a low through ball to Cupini on the right of the area and he hit a superb cross goal, mid-height shot in near the far post. Lazio 0 Cavese 1.
Lazio continued to push forward but the Cavese defence tightened up even further. In the 71st minute Lazio put on an extra forward, Roberto Chiodi, for a midfielder, Maurizio Montesi who had run out of energy after not playing for a lengthy period. Cavese in the same moment replaced midfielder Ciro Bilardi with defender Giovanni Gregorio.
Chiodi had a shot as soon as he came on, Paleari parried and D'Amico, obstructed by a defender, kicked the rebound wide.
Lazio were caught on the break again in the 73rd minute. Giuseppe Pavone teed up Caffarelli at the edge of the box but the Napoli owned attacking midfielder pulled his shot wide.
Time was running out but in the 82nd minute Lazio levelled. Cupini fouled Badiani, Bruno Giordano floated in the freekick and Vella rose up in the crowded area and headed in the deserved equaliser. Lazio 1 Cavese 1.
A minute later Lazio's hopes of going for a winner were thwarted when full-back Marco Saltarelli got himself sent off for reacting badly to a foul by Costante Tivelli.
Both sides at this stage realised that a point each was an acceptable outcome. Final score Lazio 1 Cavese 1.
It was not one of Lazio’s best performances. They badly missed Manfredonia, Montesi was not match fit, D'Amico was subdued and Ambu ran about a lot but was inconclusive. They could still have won the game but a draw scoring late against promotion rivals was a decent result.
Cavese had confirmed to be a solid, well-organised outfit. Strong in defence, confident in midfield and quick on the break they had impressed at the Olimpico. Their 10,000 travelling fans would be satisfied with their big day in the capital.
Lazio were still top but with only one point on Milan. On the other hand, they kept their four-point cushion on 4th place (Catania, Cremonese and Como). Cavese were still 3rd in the last promotion slot.
Who played for Lazio
Orsi, Badiani, Saltarelli, Vella, Miele, Perrone, Ambu, Montesi (71' Chiodi), Giordano, D'Amico, De Nadai
Manager: Clagluna
Who played for Cavese
Paleari, Pidone, Guerini, Bitetto, Guida, Piangerelli, Cupini, Mari (46' Caffarelli), Bilardi (71' Gregorio), Pavone, Tivelli
Substitutes: Assante, Sasso, Di Michele
Manager: Santin
Referee: Pairetto
Goals: 62' Cupini, 82' Vella
Red Card: 83' Saltarelli (L)
What happened next
Things seemed to be under control and at this halfway point Lazio were league leaders ahead of Milan and with a five-point cushion on 4th place.
In the return fixtures however, Lazio started to struggle. From January 30 to May 8th, Lazio only won twice (Cremonese, Bari), with 8 draws and 4 defeats (Campobasso, Monza, Pistoiese, Varese). After the 3-3 home draw against Reggiana on May 8, Clagluna was sacked and in came former player Giancarlo "El Gaucho" Morrone.
His first match was a 1-5 away defeat to Milan. To make things worse, Roma the same day won the Scudetto and the town was painted red and yellow.
Then luckily Lazio picked up and in a crucial game beat Atalanta 2-1 at home, drew 0-0 at Arezzo and then won the fundamental promotion clash against Catania 2-1 at home. All that was needed then was a point away at Cava de' Tirreni.
Lazio got the point. A week later they drew 2-2 against Cavese (Miele, Marini). They had a scare when Cavese equalised with a penalty four minutes from time but luckily the "Metelliani Blufoncé" did not go on to spoil Lazio's party.
After three difficult years in Serie B Lazio were back in the big time. The Biancocelesti side of town took to the streets of Rome to celebrate and gathered at Piazza del Popolo. It was not a Scudetto but it almost felt like it. Top scorer was Bruno Giordano with 21 goals (18 in league).
It had not been an easy ride and Lazio's second part of the season was not as positive as the first, but they had enough talent to get them over the line and win promotion with a 2nd place finish on 46 points, behind Milan but one point more than a trio on 45.
Despite Roma's triumph things were looking up especially with the confirmed return of "Long John" Chinaglia from the States as new president, but that's another story.
Cavese finished 6th. In the return fixtures, the Metelliani slowed down and won 5, drew 8 (including Milan and Lazio both 2-2 at home) and lost 6 (all away). Top scorer was Costante Tivelli with 12 league goals.
Lazio went up with league winners Milan and Catania (after a three-team playoff with Cremonese and Como). Emilia and Puglia mourned the relegations of Bologna, Reggiana, Foggia and Bari.
Let's talk about Roberto Clagluna
Roberto Clagluna was born in Pisa, on October 10, 1939.
He did not have a football career as a player. In his youth his sport was athletics and he also obtained a university degree in Political Sciences.
In 1967 he attended the coaching courses at the Federation headquarters in Coverciano and obtained the qualifications needed to be a football manager.
His first coaching job was with Urbetevere at regional level in Rome.
In 1970 he started working in the Lazio youth sector. He was greatly respected for his professional and human qualities. At Lazio he coached all the various age groups. In 1976-77 with the "Allievi" (U17s) he won the Italian Championship. In 1977 he started with the "Primavera" (U19s). In 1977-78 Clagluna was awarded the "Seminatore d'oro" (a prestigious prize for standout coaches at youth level). In 1978-79 the Lazio Primavera won the Coppa Italia.
In 1978 he also had a spell as first team assistant manager under Bob Lovati for the last five games of the season.
In 1981-82, with Lazio struggling under Ilario Castagner, he was nominated first team coach from February 7 onwards. On his debut, Lazio drew 1-1 at home against Sambenedettese and then won 4, drew 8 and lost 6. They narrowly avoided relegation with a Vincenzo D'Amico hat-trick against Varese.
Clagluna was kept on for the 1982-83 season. Lazio had renewed optimism and promotion hopes due to the return of Bruno Giordano and Lionello Manfredonia, after their ban following the 1980 betting scandal. Lazio also added keeper Fernando Orsi, defenders Renato Miele and Gabriele Podavini, plus midfielders Roberto Tavola and Enrico Vella. All was in place for the Serie A battle.
In the Coppa Italia in August and early September Lazio did not get through the first round after 2 wins (Perugia 3-2 and Salernitana 3-2), a draw (Atalanta 0-0) and 2 defeats (Avellino 2-1 and Napoli 2-1).
Lazio started off tentatively in the league with three draws but then started winning games. Between the 7th and 13th fixtures the Biancocelesti won all 7 without conceding a goal. They then slowed down but after the first half of the season were well on course for promotion.
The return matches started off with a defeat at Campobasso. That game for me personally was a reminder of how far we had fallen as afterwards the streets were lined with little old women dressed in black waving their sticks and making rude gestures at our supporters bus, you would not get that sort of treatment at the Bernabeu…
Anyway, Lazio started to struggle and promotion no longer seemed a done deal. After a 1-0 home win against Bari on March 27, Lazio went 6 games without a win (4 draws and 2 defeats). After a 3-3 home draw against Reggiana the directors panicked and sacked Clagluna. There were only 5 games remaining but they felt the Serie A dream was possibly slipping away.
Lazio brought in former player Juan Carlos Morrone and despite a 5-1 defeat away to Milan in his first game, he then led Lazio to two decisive home victories (Atalanta, Catania) and two away draws (Arezzo, Cavese) and won promotion.
Would Clagluna have got Lazio up too? Probably, but we will never know, he was however an integral part of it anyway.
Clagluna then went to Sambenedettese in 1983-84 in Serie B. The Rossoblu finished 13th.
In 1984-85 he was back in the capital but with the Wolves not the Eagles. He worked with Sven-Goran Eriksson who was technical director for bureaucratic reasons, so officially Clagluna was manager. The "Lupi" finished 7th and drew both derbies. The Giallorossi reached the quarterfinals of the Cup Winners Cup but were eliminated by Bayern Munich 1-4 on aggregate. In the Last 16 Roma had eliminated Wrexham, before documentaries and Hollywood owners.
Back to Clagluna; he then joined Como in Serie A. He only lasted 10 matches (1W, 3D, 6L). He was sacked on November 10, after a defeat against his hometown team Pisa. The "Lariani", under former Lazio player Rino Marchesi, then had a good season and finished 9th (beating Roma too) and reaching the Coppa Italia semi-final after knocking out Juventus (then lost to Sampdoria 1-3 on aggregate).
In 1986-87 he was back with Sambenedettese in Serie B. "La Samb" finished 14th.
In 1988 he moved south to Salerno in Serie C and took over at Salernitana during the season. The Granata finished 10th.
In 1989-90 he moved further south to Apulia and became manager of Taranto in Serie. He led the "Ionici" to promotion to Serie B with first place.
Despite this success, the next season he moved to the coast to Barletta. On March 16, 1991 he took over with the "Furie Rosse” in deep trouble in Serie B. He did not manage to save them and the "Biancorossi" were relegated in 20th place.
In 1991-92 he joined Ternana in Serie C. It was a great year for the "Fere" and they finished 1st, winning promotion to Serie B. The following year, Clagluna stayed with the Neroverdi but was replaced after 8 games (only 3 points) by Franco Liguori, only to return from the 20th game onwards. It was all in vain and Ternana were relegated in 20th place.
In 1993 he moved back to Tuscany, to Pistoiese in Serie C. In his first year the "Arancioni" finished 9th but in his second the "Orange" were promoted to Serie B. In his third year they struggled and Clagluna was replaced after 24 matches (W4, D8, L12) by Gianpiero Vitali, the "Olandesina" was relegated in 20th place.
In 1996 he joined Cagliari, sharing the managerial job with Uruguayan Gregorio Pérez. The duo however was replaced by Carlo Mazzone after only 6 matches (W1, D1, L4). Their final defeat was against Lazio 2-1 in Rome. Cagliari were relegated at the end of the season.
In 1997 he returned home to Pisa in Serie C2. The Nerazzurri finished 10th.
His last job was with Ancona in 1998. He started with the "Dorici" but was replaced during the season by his former Lazio player Bruno Giordano. A sign of the times for Clagluna who then retired.
After finishing as a manager, he worked for the FIGC, the Italian Football Federation, as an instructor for future coaches. He also worked as a tactical consultant helping referees.
Clagluna had a long career. After a gratifying youth sector spell, he won two promotions to Serie B with Taranto and Ternana. His biggest achievement, promotion with Lazio, was taken away from him but when Laziali think of that achievement they certainly all remember Clagluna's important contribution.
He is remembered as a gentleman, mild mannered and extremely knowledgeable about his football.
Roberto Clagluna died suddenly, on July 11, 2013 at 64 years of age.
Sources
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