SUMMARY
- Michele Orecchio a Torino FC coaching staff member was caught near AS Roma's training center before their clash in Serie A.
- Orecchio was reportedly studying de Rossi's squad's game plan by observing them at the training center.
In the Italian league, AS Roma defeated Torino FC in a five-goal thriller on February 26. Paulo Dybala stole the show at Stadio Olympico with his decisive hat trick for the Rome-based side. While the Argentine forward grabbed the headline after the match, all the pre-match coverage of the clash was overshadowed by the coaching staff of Torino FC.
Michele Orecchio, a Torino FC coaching staff member, was caught near the training center of AS Roma a day before the clash in the Serie A. It has been reported that Orecchio was trying to study the game plan of Daniele de Rossi’s side by observing the squad at the training center.
Torino staff member Michele Orecchio caught spying on AS Roma
Michele Orecchio hid among the trees near the “Fulvio Bernardini” training center to observe the tactics of AS Roma. The hideout didn’t provide enough cover for the spy, as police were called to remove Orecchio from the premises.
It wasn’t reported how much data he could secure on the squad, but whatever information he gathered didn’t stop AS Roma against Torino. Dybala opened the scoring in the 42-minute to give AS Roma the lead. Duvan Zapata equalized for Torino before half-time at the 44th-minute mark. AS Roma came out strong in the second half, with Dybala scoring two goals within the next 25 minutes to give a 3-1 lead to the home side.
The dying minutes of the match were made interesting when Dean Huijsen scored an own goal in the 88th minute to make the scoreline 3-2. AS Roma was able to hold on to their lead to secure their fourth league win in the last five matches.
Michele Orecchio was also spying on Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma
This isn’t the first time Torino has used Michele Orecchio to spy on AS Roma before their league clash. Back in April 2023, the coaching staff member was found collecting data with a recording instrument from the assistant manager of AS Roma.
Orecchio was deployed by Torino FC’s manager, Ivan Juric, to gain some tactical information from José Mourinho, who was the manager of AS Roma at the time. The plan was to record Nuno Santos, the assistant manager of Mourinho at Roma’s training facility.
LU LAGI! 🫵🇮🇹
Michele Orecchio salah satu staf analis Ivan Juric di Torino ketahuan memata-matai latihan AS Roma di Trigoria dan diusir oleh pihak keamanan.
Ini adalah kali kedua Orecchio ketahuan mantau latihan Giallorrossi. April lalu, Orecchio dideteksi oleh Nuno Santos,… pic.twitter.com/CLqt4zU52w
— MEDIOCLUB (@medioclubID) February 26, 2024
Orecchio’s spying mission was unsuccessful back then too, as he was caught in the act and was removed from the facility. Maybe Torino FC needs to drop the spying tactics or need to hire a better spy than Michele Orecchio. AS Roma was the winner again back in 2023 when the sides clashed in the league after the spying attempt.
Torino’s spying attempt is a head-scratcher for many, as the Turin-based club isn’t a historic rival of AS Roma. They are also not contesting for the same places in the league. So it is hard to understand why the club goes to extra lengths to secure a win over AS Roma. Ivan Juric needs to provide some clarifications in this regard.