Viani’s system used by the Rossoneri of the 50’s and 60’s was called the “Vianema.” It sounds funny in English, but was a merge of words Viani and Systema (the obvious word “system” in Italian). Also called the “Half System,” (or “Mezzo Systema”), it was the formation used by Milan’s coach to replace the winning “WM” formation that Puricelli used. It was considered a highly tactical system that Viani came up with as he coached the Serie C team Salernitana from 1945 to 1948.
Its effectiveness when used properly, made it very difficult for the opposing team to recognize, and at the time it was known by only a few. According to Viani, in play, the striker backs up to mark the opponent’s center forward. This therefore prevents the defender from marking and turns it into freestyle play, which in theory allows the striker to attack and go for the goal, all the while it creates confusion for the opponents.
The “Vianema” formation was by nature a clearly defensive one, and Milan members were not quick to adopt it, as they were more attack-minded in their formation. All criticism was disproved by the results it created and Captain Liedholm was a critic of the system as he was considered among its haters. However, confidence was replaced by Viani in their method as the Rossoneri were rewarded immediately with a 3-0 win over Fiorentina in October 28th of 1956.
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