The football world was shaken on Monday by the sad passing of legendary Swedish manager Sven-Goran Eriksson at the age of 76.
Eriksson revealed at the start of the year that he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer and in a “best-case” scenario had about a year left to live, having stood down from his most recent role as the sporting director at Swedish club Karlstad in February of the previous year, due to health issues.
Eriksson had carved legacies out in several countries, whether it be managing England for five years before leaving after the 2006 World Cup, or leading homeland club IFK Göteborg to the UEFA Cup in 1982.
For many though, he will be remembered for his contribution to Calcio, with memorable spells at Roma, Fiorentina, Sampdoria and Lazio, with several trophies and numerous battles against Juventus.
Eriksson’s managerial career began at Swedish side Degerfors IF before he took charge of IFK Göteborg. Despite being only 30 years old, Eriksson was able to guide unfancied Göteborg to the Swedish league title and the UEFA Cup in 1982, earning a move to Benfica.
Eriksson continued to flourish at the Portuguese side, winning two league titles and reaching a second UEFA Cup final in two years. Unfortunately for the Swede, it would not be a repeat as Benfica fell to a 2-1 aggregate defeat against Anderlecht.
Roma:
Eriksson would then join Roma in 1984, replacing fellow Swede Nils Liedholm, who had left to join Milan. Despite Swedish television’s lack of Serie A meaning he had little knowledge of the league before joining, he was well aware of Roma, having faced the Giallorossi with Benfica in the quarter final of the 1982/83 UEFA Cup.
Eriksson would first face Juve on 28/10/1984 at the Stadio Municipale in Turin. Massimo Briaschi opened the scoring for Juve on 19 minutes, before Giuseppe Giannini levelling eleven minutes later, as the game finished 1-1. A further 1-1 draw would occur in the return game in Rome that season, as Eriksson struggled to motivate his side, emotionally shattered by their European Cup final loss the season prior.
Eriksson would whip Roma into shape for the next season, as the club engaged in a hard-fought title race with Juventus. A packed Stadio Olimpico saw Eriksson's home side dismantle Juventus 3-0 with goals from Francesco Graziani, Roberto Pruzzo and Toninho Cerezo.
It looked like Roma had their hands on the Scudetto after Juve subsequently lost to Fiorentina, but a late charge took it to the final day as Juventus defeated Lecce (who had beat Roma the matchday prior) to claim yet another league title.
The arrival of Diego Maradona to Napoli would send a seismic shock through Calcio that would see Roma retract to mid-table status (not before claiming yet another 3-0 win over Juve in Eriksson’s third and final season with the Giallorossi). Eriksson swapped Roma for Fiorentina, having added the 1985 Coppa Italia to the Romans’ trophy cabinet.
Fiorentina:
Eriksson arrived at Fiorentina ahead of the 1986/87 season, finding on his doorstep a 20-year-old Roberto Baggio, recently recovered from two career-threatening knee injuries in successive years. Eriksson saw his potential, making him a focal point of the team. While his time at Fiorentina was trophyless, Eriksson stabilised the club in mid-table, allowing them to consolidate themselves in Serie A during his tenure.
Eriksson’s Fiorentina would go undefeated against Juventus across two seasons, with a pair of draws and a victory in each campaign against the Bianconeri. Baggio would shine when the two met on the final day of the 87/88 season (15/05/88), grabbing the opener as the Viola ran out 2-1 victors in Juventus’ backyard.
Eriksson made a return to Benfica in 1989, leading the Portuguese club to another league title and the 1990 European Cup final, where they lost to Milan. In Sven’s absence, Fiorentina collapsed, allowing Juve to swoop in and buy Baggio for a world record fee of 16 billion lire – about €10 million.
Having capitulated to Juve on the final day to seal yet another Scudetto for the Bianconeri, Fiorentina fans were incensed by the transfer. They rioted in the streets of Florence, throwing bricks and Molotov cocktails, and forcing president Flavio Pontello into hiding in the bowels of the Stadio Artemio Franchi.
Sampdoria:
In July 1992, Eriksson returned to Italy, taking over at Sampdoria. Eriksson had big shoes to fill, taking over from Vujadin Boškov, who had guided the Genoese side to a Cup Winners’ Cup victory in 1990, the Scudetto in 1991 and the European Cup final in 1992, where they lost to Barcelona 1-0 after extra time.
He revolutionised the side’s defensive system, changing the emphasis from man-marking to zonal marking. It was a change which allowed Eriksson to claim the Coppa Italia in 1994.
Eriksson’s first three seasons in charge saw fail to register a win against Juventus, racking up three 1-1 draws, two tight 1-0 losses and a 3-1 loss away in September 1993.
The 1995/96 season would see a memorable double for Sampdoria, defeating Juve home and away. Enrico Chiesa grabbed a double at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris in December 1995, clinching a memorable 2-0 win, with even better to come four months later.
Chiesa was on the scoresheet again as Sampdoria stunned the Stadio delle Alpi by scoring within sixty seconds. Sampdoria kicked off, passing the ball to the right, before lobbing a ball over the Juve defence to Chiesa who slotted home almost directly from the kick off. Shellshocked by the early goal, Juventus never recovered, with goals from David Balleri and Clarence Seedorf sealing a historic 3-0 win.
Lazio:
In December 1996, Eriksson announced that he would be leaving Sampdoria at the end of the season to join Blackburn Rovers. Two months later, Eriksson would renege on the deal, citing his desire for his family to stay in Italy, opting to join Lazio for the 97/98 season.
Backed to the hilt by the club’s wealthy president Sergio Cragnotti, Eriksson began assembling a star-studded squad over the next few years featuring the likes of Roberto Mancini, Sinisa Mihajlovic, Alessandro Nesta, Diego Simeone, Dejan Stankovic, Juan Sebastian Veron and Pavel Nedved that would lead Lazio to their greatest period of glory.
Eriksson would have more immediate success against Juve in his first season with Lazio, facing them in the Coppa Italia in the semi finals. After defeating sworn city rivals Roma in the quarters, Lazio’s Alen Bokšić scored the only goal in the first leg in Turin to give Lazio a 1-0 advantage. Goals from Daniel Fonseca and Giuseppe Favalli were not enough for Juve at the Stadio Olimpico, as a Pavel Nedved saw Lazio draw 2-2, advancing 3-2 on aggregate to the final where they claimed their second Coppa Italia title against Milan with a 3–2 aggregate win.
With Lazio winning the cup and Juventus winning the league, the two would square off again in the 1998 Supercoppa Italiana. Pavel Nedved put Lazio into the lead on 37 minutes. Juventus would pull themselves back into the game late on with an Alessandra Del Piero penalty on 87 minutes, as we looked destined for penalties. It was not to be as Sérgio Conceição broke Turin hearts with a goal at the death, as Lazio claimed their first Super Cup.
The season that followed saw Eriksson claim his second Cup Winners’ Cup, ousting Real Mallorca 2-1 in the final before winning the UEFA Super Cup, vanquishing Man United 1-0 in their first competitive game since completing the mythical treble in Barcelona.
The 1999/2000 season would see Eriksson and Lazio reach their epoch, guiding them to a League-Cup double. Lazio had maintained good form until November, where they lost to sworn rivals Roma, before the visit of Juventus to Rome. A 0-0 draw would end up being pivotalat the end of the season, with the title eventually decided by a single point.
In January, Eriksson knocked Juventus out of the Italian Cup at the quarter finals. A 3-2 win at home was not enough for Juventus, as the Biancocelesti triumphed 2-1 on the second leg and advanced on away goals. Lazio would eventually defeat Inter in the final 2–1 on aggregate to win their third Coppa Italia.
In the league, the cracks had started to show for Lazio as a loss to Venezia and a slew of draws saw them trail leaders Juve by nine points by late March, with only eight games to go. A Juve loss to Milan brought the margin down to six for the visit of Eriksson’s Lazio to the Stadio delle Alpi. Diego Simeone’s decisive goal on the 66th minute would give Lazio the 1-0 win and swing the momentum in the title fight towards the capital.
A loss to Hellas Verona would evaporate Juventus’ lead at the top completely, as Lazio won five of their last six matches, the only blemish being a draw against Fiorentina. The last day of the season would see Juventus wading around an almost flooded pitch at Perugia, desperately trying to salvage the Scudetto. Perugia would win 1-0, as Lazio defeated Reggina 3-0 in front of a jubilant crowd at the Stadio Olimpico as the Biancocelesti claimed only their second Italian league title.
Eriksson’s final game against Juventus would take place on the 11th of November 2000 at the Stadio Delle Alpi. Igor Tudor and Marcelo Salas were the scorers as the sides shared the honours 1-1 amidst a backdrop of controversy for Eriksson. Weeks prior, Eriksson had agreed to become manager of the England national team from June 2001, straining relations with employer Lazio.
By January, Lazio found themselves eleven points from the summit, with capital rivals Roma en route to their first Scudetto in nearly twenty years. Following a 2-1 loss to Napoli, Eriksson was asked to resign by Lazio chairman Sergio Cragnotti, severing his relationship with Serie A for good.
Eriksson went on to have a memorable five year spell as England manager, notably defeating Germany 5-1 at the Olympiastadion before guiding the Three Lions to quarter finals at the 2002 and 2006 World Cups as well as Euro 2004. Eriksson would then go to spells managing Man City, Leicester and the imploding Notts County, with sojourns as the Mexico and Ivory Coast manager. He then ended his career in the Far East, with a trio of Chinese Premier League sides and the Philippines national team, before retiring in 2019.
Eriksson’s death on Monday was marked by an outpouring of grief from the football community, with tributes and minute’s silences across the world. While Eriksson did not manage Juventus, his story was intertwined with the Bianconeri. From rumbles against Roma to our biggest capitulation against Lazio, Eriksson’s tale is woven into the fabric of Juventus’ rich history. Rest in peace.