The coach called upon to save the Campania-based club in Serie C: “I’ll be like a surgeon. I want to get a team back on its feet that was struggling to walk before I arrived. But if you want a show, go to the circus”

Eziolino Capuano is back. He’s wearing his blue cap and his usual mirrored sunglasses. He walks briskly across the field as he leads his Giugliano team’s practice: observing, encouraging the players, and correcting every detail. “Soccer is all about enthusiasm. After 38 years on the bench, I wanted to quit. I went through ten months of suffering after the traumatic split with Trapani. My family convinced me to start over. Today, I feel reborn. I wake up every morning to go to the stadium and bring joy to the city.” The Campania-based club has chosen to put its faith in the coach from Salerno: he’s the third managerial change this season. Now the Gialloblù are stuck on 12 points in the relegation zone of Serie C Group C: “I’ll be like a surgeon. I want to get a team back on its feet that was struggling to walk before I arrived. I’ll put on the white coat, but I’ll always remain a coach of the people.”

The draw against Monopoli, followed by two wins against Benevento in the Coppa Italia and against Siracusa. The Capuano cure seems to be working.

“I’ve found a group of men, first and foremost, rather than just soccer players. At Giugliano, there’s a tight-knit, united locker room. Throughout my career, I’ve often found myself joining teams going through difficult times. I immediately told the guys that ‘winning is something everyone wants, but knowing how to prepare for victory is a privilege reserved for the few.’”

Where does your Giugliano team start from?

“With a vertical and aggressive style of play. We have to run, get to the ball first, and fight. Soccer is a simple sport: the team must know how to create opportunities and hold its positions. For entertainment, there’s the movies or the circus.”

Once again, in his 3-5-2 formation, there will be no room for building from the back.

“I call it destruction from the back. The club is a business, and like any company, it wants results. It’s the same for the fans—the fans only care about winning. I wrote about the 3-5-2 in my thesis at Coverciano 16 years ago, when few colleagues in Italy were using it.”

During that period, he closely observed Mourinho and his Treble-winning Inter team.

“We were just students; there was a misunderstanding with the team manager, and he stepped in to defend us. I also admire the pragmatism of Conte and Allegri. I’m not a ‘play-for-the-sake-of-the-game’ type. A coach is like a painter.”

What do you mean?

“He has to have ideas. Think of Van Gogh—a genius. How many replicas of his paintings are out there? Countless. But they aren’t the original, so they aren’t art. In soccer, you need imagination—in Serie A just as much as in the First Division. And for a while, I lost that.”

His departure from Trapani left a deep mark on him.

“How can they sleep and hug their loved ones knowing what they did to me? Agreeing to work with that management was the biggest mistake of my life. I paid dearly for it. In a shameful letter, they accused me of lying. I took the matter to court, and the judge ruled in my favor. I wouldn’t wish the ten months of pain I went through on anyone. I’ll venture a comparison: I probably would have preferred to be in a hospital.”

However, he found the strength to fight back.

“Thanks to my family’s love and the extraordinary work of my lawyers. I couldn’t let a group of people who’ve only been playing soccer for three days win. Giugliano is the perfect opportunity to start over.”

He spent 38 years on the bench, all in amateur leagues and Serie C. He’s coached everywhere: from Modena to Messina. His greatest achievement?

“My last year at Taranto—that city is in my heart. In 2024, without the penalty points, we would have earned promotion to Serie B.”

Do you use technology in your work?

“Absolutely not. Can you believe I don’t even use social media?” Yet videos of his iconic quotes are everywhere.

“My wife and son often tell me that—I don’t have those distractions.”

Is soccer the only thing that matters to Capuano?

“I live for soccer and I always speak from the heart. I’ve never bluffed in my life. I have principles and I say what I think, unlike so many others. To me, the players are like my own children. You should kiss them when they’re asleep—never during the day.”

What is your goal?

“To work and stay in this world as long as I have the strength.”

You’ve never gone beyond Serie C in your career. Is the time finally here?

“I’m staying focused on the present. Coaching Giugliano is worth more than leading a team in the Champions League.”