View source for Ottavio Bianchi

{{short description|Italian former football player and coach|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{BLP sources|date=November 2007}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name           = Ottavio Bianchi
| image          = Ottavio Bianchi.jpg
| caption        = Bianchi with [[SSC Napoli|Napoli]] in 1966
| birth_date     = {{Birth date and age|1943|10|6|df=y}}
| birth_place    = [[Brescia]], [[Italian Social Republic|Italy]]
| height         = 1.72 m
| position       = [[Midfielder]]
| youthyears1    =                 | youthclubs1 = [[Brescia Calcio|Brescia]]
| years1         = 1960–1966 | clubs1 = [[Brescia Calcio|Brescia]]   | caps1 = 97 | goals1 = 18
| years2         = 1966–1971 | clubs2 = [[SSC Napoli|Napoli]]        | caps2 = 109 | goals2 = 14
| years3         = 1971–1973 | clubs3 = [[Atalanta BC|Atalanta]]     | caps3 = 55  | goals3 = 6
| years4         = 1973–1974 | clubs4 = [[AC Milan|Milan]]           | caps4 = 14  | goals4 = 2
| years5         = 1974–1975 | clubs5 = [[Cagliari Calcio|Cagliari]] | caps5 = 20  | goals5 = 1
| years6         = 1975–1977 | clubs6 = [[SPAL]]                     | caps6 = 35  | goals6 = 0
| totalcaps      = 330 | totalgoals = 41
| nationalyears1 = 1966 | nationalteam1 = [[Italy national football team|Italy]] | nationalcaps1 = 2 | nationalgoals1 = 0
| manageryears1  = 1976–1977 | managerclubs1  = [[SPAL]]
| manageryears2  = 1978–1979 | managerclubs2  = [[AC Siena|Siena]]
| manageryears3  = 1979–1980 | managerclubs3  = [[Mantova FC|Mantova]]
| manageryears4  = 1980–1981 | managerclubs4  = [[US Triestina Calcio|Triestina]]
| manageryears5  = 1981–1983 | managerclubs5  = [[Atalanta BC|Atalanta]]
| manageryears6  = 1983–1984 | managerclubs6  = [[US Avellino 1912|Avellino]]
| manageryears7  = 1984–1985 | managerclubs7  = [[Como Calcio|Como]]
| manageryears8  = 1985–1989 | managerclubs8  = [[SSC Napoli|Napoli]]
| manageryears9  = 1990–1992 | managerclubs9  = [[AS Roma|Roma]]
| manageryears10 = 1992–1993 | managerclubs10 = [[SSC Napoli|Napoli]]
| manageryears11 = 1994–1995 | managerclubs11 = [[FC Internazionale Milano|Internazionale]]
| manageryears12 = 2002      | managerclubs12 = [[AC Fiorentina|Fiorentina]]
}}

'''Ottavio Bianchi''' ({{IPA|it|otˈtaːvjo ˈbjaŋki}}; born 6 October 1943) is an Italian former [[Association football|football]] player and coach who played as a [[midfielder]].

Bianchi was born in [[Brescia]]. During his playing days, he has won two caps for [[Italy national football team|Italy]], and played for a number of teams, including [[Brescia Calcio|Brescia]], [[SSC Napoli|Napoli]], [[Atalanta BC|Atalanta]], [[AC Milan|Milan]] and [[Cagliari Calcio|Cagliari]].

He is best remembered for being the coach of Napoli from 1985 to 1989, a team consisting of great players such as [[Diego Maradona]] and [[Careca]], which won its first of two [[Italian Serie A|Serie A]] titles in the 1986–87 season.<ref>{{cite web|author=Di Maggio, Roberto|title=Italy – Coaches of Championship Teams|website=[[RSSSF]]|url=https://www.rsssf.org/players/ital-coach-champs.html|date=21 May 2009}}</ref> He also led the team to the [[Coppa Italia]] title in 1987, and the [[UEFA Cup]] title in 1989.

Other teams he has coached include [[Como Calcio|Como]], Atalanta, [[AS Roma|Roma]], [[FC Internazionale Milano|Inter]] and [[AC Fiorentina|Fiorentina]].

==Club career==
[[File:Voetbalelftal Napoli arriveert op Schiphol voor wedstrijd tegen Ajax. Ottavio Bi, Bestanddeelnr 923-1739.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Bianchi with [[Kurt Hamrin]] when both played for Napoli]]
Bianchi initially played for the [[Brescia Calcio|Brescia]] youth system, and then made his debut with his boyhood team's senior side in the [[Italian Serie A|Serie A]] in 1965. In 1966, Bianchi was transferred to [[SSC Napoli|Napoli]], the club with whom he played for five consecutive championships. In addition to these, Bianchi had stints with [[Atalanta BC|Atalanta]], [[AC Milan|Milan]] and [[Cagliari Calcio|Cagliari]]; he finished his playing career with [[SPAL 1907|SPAL]].

In 2013, the newspaper ''[[Corriere della Sera]]'' included Bianchi in a list of [[Brescia Calcio|Brescia]]'s best defensive midfielders.<ref>{{cite news|publisher=Corriere della Sera|title=IL BRESCIA DEI SOGNI, Chi è stato il miglior numero 4 ?|url=https://brescia.corriere.it/notizie/sport/13_febbraio_26/brescia-dei-sogni-sondaggio-scegliere-numero-quattro-2114221613003.shtml|language=it|date=13 February 2013}}</ref>

==International career==
Bianchi has also made two appearances for the [[Italy national football team]], where he made his debut on 1 November 1966, in a friendly match against the [[USSR national football team|USSR]] in Milan, where the hosts won 1–0.

==Coaching career==
Bianchi began his coaching career at lower division clubs such as [[AC Siena|Siena]], [[Mantova FC|Mantova]], [[US Triestina Calcio|Triestina]] and [[Atalanta BC|Atalanta]], where he won the [[Serie C1]] championship in 1981–82 with the latter.

Following the good results during his stint with [[Atalanta BC|Atalanta]], [[US Avellino 1912|Avellino]] approached Bianchi to guide them for the 1983–84 season where they finished the season with an 11th place in the [[Italian Serie A|Serie A]], and then the following season Bianchi moved to newly promoted [[Como Calcio|Como]] where he managed to reach a mid-table position. The following season, Bianchi joined [[Diego Armando Maradona|Maradona]]'s [[SSC Napoli|Napoli]], who won his first [[Italian Serie A|Scudetto]] in [[1986–87 Serie A|1986–87]]. With Bianchi on the bench Napoli won the [[Coppa Italia]] in [[1986–87 Coppa Italia|1987]], and the [[UEFA Cup]] in [[1989 UEFA Cup final|1989]].

After four successful seasons with [[SSC Napoli|Napoli]], Bianchi moved to [[AS Roma|Roma]], where he once again won the [[Coppa Italia]] in [[1990–91 Coppa Italia|1991]], and also managed to reach the [[UEFA Cup]] [[1991 UEFA Cup final|final]], where the club finished as runners up to [[FC Internazionale Milano|Inter]].

After the adventure with the giallorossi, where in November 1992, Bianchi replaced [[Claudio Ranieri]] to take over the helm of Napoli, managing to transform a relegation-threatened team for a team challenging for an [[UEFA Cup]] place. The next year Bianchi was appointed as a technical director, guiding [[Marcello Lippi]] after the team lost several important players such as [[Gianfranco Zola]], [[Careca]] and [[Giovanni Galli]] due to financial difficulties.

The following season he was a coach again, this time at [[FC Internazionale Milano|Inter]]. The first season was a successful one with the victory over their rivals in the [[Derby della Madonnina]] being the highlight of the season. But a year later, despite the arrival of [[Javier Zanetti]] and [[Roberto Carlos (footballer)|Roberto Carlos]], the team struggled to maintain the good form, and he was given the sack by [[Massimo Moratti]] after the team lost to his ex-club [[SSC Napoli|Napoli]] at the [[Stadio San Paolo]].

Seven years later, Bianchi was called to save relegation troubled [[AC Fiorentina|Fiorentina]] in 2002<ref>{{cite web|publisher=[[UEFA]]|title=Fiorentina choose Bianchi|url=http://en.uefa.com/memberassociations/news/newsid=14896.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120714024512/http://en.uefa.com/memberassociations/news/newsid=14896.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=14 July 2012|date=14 January 2002}}</ref> without success both as a coach and as chairman of club, succeeding the outgoing Ugo Poggi until the end of the season.

==Style of management==
Bianchi was a traditional and defensive–minded manager, who was known for his tactical prowess and effective counter-attacking style, with his teams often sitting and cancelling out their opponents only to hit them on the attack after winning back the ball.<ref name="Sacchi: Bianchi e Trapattoni">{{cite web |url=https://www.tuttomercatoweb.com/serie-a/sacchi-bianchi-e-trapattoni-che-avversari-loro-avevano-passato-io-guardavo-al-futuro-1588290 |title=Sacchi: "Bianchi e Trapattoni, che avversari! Loro avevano passato, io guardavo al futuro" |publisher=tuttomercatoweb.com |language=it |last1=Pavese |first1=Michele |date=25 June 2021 |access-date=18 January 2024 }}</ref>

==Personal life==
In May 2020, Bianchi and his daughter Camilla Bianchi released his autobiography titled ''Sopra il vulcano'' (''Over the vulcano'').

==Honours==
===Manager===
'''Atalanta'''
* [[Serie C1]]: 1981–82

'''Napoli'''
* [[Serie A]]: [[1986–87 Serie A|1986–87]]
* [[Coppa Italia]]: [[1986–87 Coppa Italia|1986–87]]
* [[UEFA Cup]]: [[1988–89 UEFA Cup|1988–89]]

'''Roma'''
* [[Coppa Italia]]: [[1990–91 Coppa Italia|1990–91]]

==See also==
* [[List of UEFA Cup winning managers]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Navboxes
|title= Managerial positions
|list1=
{{Siena SSD FC managers}}
{{US Triestina Calcio 1918 managers}}
{{Atalanta BC managers}}
{{AS Roma managers}}
{{Como 1907 managers}}
{{SSC Napoli managers}}
{{Inter Milan managers}}
{{ACF Fiorentina managers}}
}}
{{Navboxes
| title = Awards
| bg = gold
| fg = navy
| list =
{{UEFA Europa League winning managers}}
{{Serie A winning managers}}
{{Coppa Italia winning managers}}
}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bianchi, Ottavio}}
[[Category:1943 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Footballers from Brescia]]
[[Category:Italian men's footballers]]
[[Category:Italy men's international footballers]]
[[Category:Men's association football midfielders]]
[[Category:Brescia Calcio players]]
[[Category:SSC Napoli players]]
[[Category:Atalanta BC players]]
[[Category:AC Milan players]]
[[Category:Cagliari Calcio players]]
[[Category:Serie A players]]
[[Category:Serie B players]]
[[Category:Italian football managers]]
[[Category:Como 1907 managers]]
[[Category:Atalanta BC managers]]
[[Category:SSC Napoli managers]]
[[Category:AS Roma managers]]
[[Category:Inter Milan managers]]
[[Category:ACF Fiorentina managers]]
[[Category:Serie A managers]]
[[Category:UEFA Europa League–winning managers]]
[[Category:20th-century Italian sportsmen]]