Katanec's glittering playing career, which after periods with Olimpija Ljubljana, Dinamo Zagreb, Partizan Belgrade and Stuttgart reached a climax with his spell at the famous Sampdoria, where he was celebrated for his particularly hard-working game, gave rise to the idea that he could also be successful as a coach with such an approach.
Katančeva blesteča igralska kariera, katere vrhunec so bili - po Olimpiji, Dinamu, Partizanu in Stuttgartu - nastopi v dresu slovite Sampdorie iz Genove, kjer je navduševal predvsem z izredno delovno igro, je pač napovedovala, da bi bil s takim pristopom lahko kar uspešen tudi kot trener.