Former Lazio coach Sven-Göran Eriksson has revealed that he had to convince Sinisa Mihajlovic to play in defence. “He became one of the best in the world”.
Eriksson moved to the Biancoceleste after a successful stint at Sampdoria and brought the former Yugoslavia international to the Italian capital for €17m.
The Swedish coach followed up his Coppa Italia triumph with the Blucerchiati by leading Lazio to a domestic double in 1999-00.
Former Lazio coach Sven-Göran Eriksson has revealed that he had to convince Sinisa Mihajlovic to play in defence. “He became one of the best in the world”.
Eriksson moved to the Biancoceleste after a successful stint at Sampdoria and brought the former Yugoslavia international to the Italian capital for €17m.
The Swedish coach followed up his Coppa Italia triumph with the Blucerchiati by leading Lazio to a domestic double in 1999-00.
Mihajlovic had become a vital member of the squad, but the 72-year-old has revealed he had worked hard to convince the current Bologna coach to move from attack to defence.
“I had Mihajlovic at Sampdoria, I brought him from Sampdoria to Lazio,” Eriksson told The Coaches’ Voice. “He was a left winger.
“I always told him: ‘Sinisa, you’re not a winger, you are a defender’.
“He replied: ‘No, no. I’m a winger or a second striker’. But after a while I convinced him to play there and as a central defender, he became one of the best in the world. And talking about having good feet as a defender, he had the best left foot in the world.”