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Juve, Napoli and Inter Champions League Wins, Fiorentina-Lazio and Roma-Milan Preview (Ep. 27)
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Transcript
Introduction and Serie A Overview
00:00:01
Speaker
Welcome to the Seria show!
00:00:16
Speaker
Hello, everybody. Welcome back to another episode of the Serie A show. I hope you're all doing very,
Inter's Defensive Masterclass
00:00:23
Speaker
very well. We won't be talking about the matches in the previous weekend, but we will discuss the recent Champions League results and, um, also be previewing a couple of the matches this weekend. The slate isn't that great, but we do have Roma Milan and we also have Fiorentina Lazio. So Nima, Chloe, how are you too? Yeah. Thank you.
00:00:45
Speaker
I'm great, although I haven't had someone serenade me, but I'm doing great despite that. Well, see, I did, but...
00:00:55
Speaker
I don't have... I've missed that. I've missed that. Is that real? Really? So I don't have, though, a club or the club I support in the Champions League. You do. And they looked good. I would assume you have absolutely no complaints about that performance yesterday. I mean, Inter set a new record. I think it was like the least amount of shots on goal they've ever conceded in a Champions League game ever against Borussia Dortmund yesterday.
00:01:25
Speaker
And that just pretty much says it all. Inter were almost perfect defensively. I know I've said on this podcast that I've before Konta came and even after he came that I was worried about Milan Scriniar adapting to the three-man defense, especially playing to the left. But yesterday, that was by far the best performance he's had.
00:01:48
Speaker
And he's important, you know, he is a leader. He's, you know, we have different kinds of leaders, you know, on the pitch. Barela is a silent leader, but Milan Scrinyar is a vocal leader. He's the one who leads by example. He's the one who gets stuck in. He was, it was really good yesterday.
Conte's Tactical Influence
00:02:06
Speaker
He did some fantastic trademark Scrinyar tackles. But having said that, Stefan De Frei is just what a player. I mean,
00:02:18
Speaker
He's the most elegant central defender in world football today. I can't think of anyone else who makes defending look so elegant and beautiful like he does. He should be Italian by rights. This is when that kind of elegance that he has
00:02:39
Speaker
is just it's so beautiful to see and defending in the modern game is all but dead and then therefore it just looks it's so nice to see to see someone to do it at such a great level I mean I and then Handano which was fantastic no it was a it was such a good performance especially in the first half I think in the second half Inter struggled a bit and Konta
00:03:02
Speaker
looked a little bit like he refused to make changes. He just kept shouting at them, you know, I'm not taking anyone off. You need to resolve this pretty much. But but he did bring Lukaku off for Sebastiano Esposito, who was 17. I mean, this guy made his debut when he was 16 years old in the Europa League and now 17 years old. He makes his debut in the Champions League and he's so damn good. He's got an exciting future ahead of him. So now it was it was I have no complaints.
00:03:33
Speaker
at all. Maybe missing a penalty is obviously never good, but other than that, I thought it was really, really good performance. Chloe, what did you make of it? Yeah, the same really. I think in the past, you know,
00:03:49
Speaker
You'd see, after a defeat to Juve, you'd see him to go on a slump. And, you know, I remember, I don't know if it was last season or the year before when they drew Neil Mill with Juve and he had Spelletti and it was a slump that lasted a couple of months. And they really struggled to shake that off. But with Conte, he's obviously, he doesn't allow a slump like that. He all,
00:04:15
Speaker
Right, forget that, move on to the next one. Obviously, the sass roller game showed a little bit of the old pats that Inter, letting them get back into it, and it ended up 4-3. But the conte part of it was that they still won. And then to put in such an assured performance against a team away from home that by no means easy prospect,
00:04:42
Speaker
To win that so
Serie A Team Performances Analyzed
00:04:44
Speaker
convincingly. It just shows what a good job that Conte is doing and that I think into a Finally finding that consistency that they've so slowly lacked in the past I I don't know about you guys but of the three Italian sides well at the three Italian sides at one I should say I who knows what the hell at the latte are doing in the champions like I that's
00:05:07
Speaker
We could spend an entire podcast on that, but I actually thought Inter of the three that won, I thought they looked the most impressive. Yeah. Nima, do you agree with that? Yeah, I think defensively for sure. They look like a Conte team and they're starting to look like a Conte team. 100%. I mean, of all the teams they've met, of all the teams they've played, I mean, this is the best team they've played so far this season.
00:05:34
Speaker
and won against. Obviously Barcelona and Juventus are better than Babarucia, but those who games were inter, didn't perform consistently for 90 minutes.
00:05:44
Speaker
caring to manage to get the result and perform well without having any collapses of any sort. And they're adapting more and more to his style of football. And that can only be a good thing.
Juventus Under Sarri: Style and Strategy
00:05:59
Speaker
And what I really like to see is how he can rotate. I mean, he said in the beginning of the season that he was going to
00:06:12
Speaker
Roberto Galliardini was going to be his project to fix Roberto Galliardini. And it's already bearing fruit. I think Galliardini yesterday was so good, I did not expect him. And Barela is what a player that is. I mean, what a find for Italian football. All of a sudden, there's this explosion of the central midfielders, Italian midfielders that are so damn good, every single one of them.
00:06:38
Speaker
Barilla is no exception. He was sensational yesterday.
00:06:42
Speaker
No, I'm really happy because I was preparing. I prepared to come on the spot today and say that I want Inter to punt the Champions League because I thought it was gone. I never thought Inter was going to win. I thought it was going to end in a draw. Well, one that looked like it was either headed for a draw or a loss was Juve. And, Chloe, this is, I mean, we talk about Paz Einteir. I mean, this Juve,
00:07:09
Speaker
I mean, you don't know what to expect because that looked dreadful for about 40 to 50 minutes. And then it takes them two minutes to take the lead in the latter stages of the match. So I don't really know what conclusions to draw from that performance, but it's certainly confusing because you really don't know what to expect from them. No. And I think it makes them a little bit more interesting to watch, not knowing what's going to happen because in the past,
00:07:34
Speaker
knew what was going to happen. They were going to win. And it was likely going to be quite boring. But now it's a little bit more unpredictable. I think that there's kind of two things I took from that match that in order to implement Sari's style, it's making them a little bit vulnerable.
00:07:58
Speaker
and they're not always performing at a consistent level. Like Nima said, it's almost like into a new way of swapped roles in a way. They're not always performing in a way that we're used to, which is almost like a machine, just winning, winning, winning. So to go a goal down like that is obviously a big surprise. But then
00:08:22
Speaker
They have got that quality and Devalo suddenly came to life after a really average start to the season. He's really come to life and scored those two goals and he's got them out of trouble and that's what they've got in the locker and I think that
00:08:37
Speaker
The fact that they've won for so long for the past eight years, I think that's probably in some of the players that are, that have been there for some of that time, it's probably still ingrained in them a little bit. And that they suddenly remember that and it clicks into gear. And I think that's the only way I can explain it really, because this is not a UVA that we're used to in any way at all.
00:09:01
Speaker
It is a lot more interesting from a non-UVA fan perspective, I would say. But the crazy thing is that they still... I mean, look at what? In eight games, seven wins, one draw. Champions League, two wins, one draw. They still managed to get the job done. Oh, yeah. And Dibala is turning into the player that he was a couple of years ago. I mean, I've always thought that
00:09:27
Speaker
He's one of my favorite players. He will always be. I love him. Mine too. Watching that performance, I cannot believe Paratici even had the thought of selling him. That is insane because if they can just get Ronaldo into those positions and get him scoring, which you see bursts of, especially last week I think against, was it Hellas that were playing?
00:09:52
Speaker
um uh or or this last past weekend i can't remember but i think it was Hellas um no uh who was it was it who were they playing this past weekend when when Ronaldo scored the first goal and then Dubala or over this past weekend and never mind Bologna thank you that's the one that's the one yeah they i mean you see bursts of that in games where he they get him in the right position
00:10:17
Speaker
But just think of it, this is only two months in and
Juve Post-January Prospects
00:10:23
Speaker
they have this record. I mean, we all know how Saturday's teams usually are better after Christmas.
00:10:30
Speaker
Can you just imagine how this team will look after January if they just follow this, this curve that they're set, this path they're on, they're going to, they're going to mop the floor with everyone they meet. Yeah, it's definitely, you can see it coming, you can just see it. Yeah. And just think, and then Keleene's back by then. I mean, it's just, I'm really impressed by you, but I,
00:10:54
Speaker
I think this is everyone who counted them out. They will be eating their words coming before the end of the season.
00:11:03
Speaker
Yeah, and I'm curious to hear what you two think because, listen, we talked about how we really didn't like, particularly from an outgoing standpoint, the transfer market that they had. I still can't comprehend how Mattwiri, Kadira are two focal points in Saadi's formation. I cannot make sense of it whatsoever. No, I'm still, I'm still
00:11:28
Speaker
falling to understand. I mean obviously he's brought the most out of them and the job that he's done with Quadrado is absolutely incredible. As on the right side of defence he's like he's done nothing but play. I mean I can't think of many right-sided full backs that are better than him right now. I mean he's just crazy. I think that's a lot thanks to bringing back Sally back as a coach and
00:11:54
Speaker
you know, developing him in that way. But, you know, to the player that he is, the season is incredible. But I think, yeah, I think that he is probably getting the absolute maximum out of the likes of Kadira and the Tweedy. But it's still a bit baffling as to why he would want to do that in the first place, because they're they're not especially Kadira is not he's not at the level that
00:12:23
Speaker
being a UVA player warrants.
00:12:27
Speaker
No, he isn't. But at the same time, it works in the system. I mean, the Kedisami Kedira and Les Materidi, they have like, what, 75 titles between them. One is a world. Both are world champions. I mean, they were talking about quality players who have the experience to adapt and give you a certainty, even though they might not give you exactly what you want, but they give you the certainty. And their lowest level of performing is pretty high. I mean,
00:12:54
Speaker
adapting Miralem Kamić to that registral is, I mean, that was a slam dunk. But to actually get him to perform at this high level is truly amazing. And then you have... Sipa, for me, and maybe it's a bit unfair, but I find myself comparing this Juve to his Napoli, particularly in the midfield. And I mean,
00:13:17
Speaker
I don't know, there's just really no similarities whatsoever. I mean, you had Giorgino, you had Hamzic, you had Alain. I mean, you compare those to like Pianic, Matui, Katira, it's sort of like, where's the intersect here? How are they even remotely similar? Well, Giorgino and Pianic have a similar role. Well, the technical standpoint, absolutely. But I do, I mean, to me, this reminds me more of his empoli side in the firms, in the way that it's
00:13:43
Speaker
that they're supposed to play on the pitch. It has absolutely nothing to do with his Napoli side. They always looked for the angles, weren't they? They were playing triangles almost, the kind of Italian tikitaka, if you will, but a much more direct form of tikitaka playing triangles. This uve is much more
00:14:04
Speaker
is much more direct going forward and it looks more like his employee side. Yeah, I think, you know, he did say at his introductory press conference, don't expect it to just be, they were asking about the 4-3-3 in Napolin and he was like, well,
Napoli's Challenges and Speculations
00:14:21
Speaker
who says I'm going to pull the same formation?
00:14:23
Speaker
You know, he was like, well, I'm going to look at the squad. I'm going to see what their qualities are. And then I'm going to build my formation based on that. And I think, you know, we all expected him to resume that because that role at Napoli, that formation was so fixed and the players they had were so fixed that we thought he was going to carry on like that. But I think we've seen him really adapt to the coach and
00:14:47
Speaker
take on board the experience he had in England. I think he's evolving all the time.
00:14:56
Speaker
we're not going to see an exact replica of Napoli and I guess that means that he might win something with Juve because he played beautiful football at Napoli but ended up with nothing to show for it. But he didn't have the squad depth though, did he? No. And he had a better squad depth at Chelsea and he wants a few things there. Here at Juventus he can basically play two starting 11s that
00:15:23
Speaker
are as good as each other, which is insane. And that is when he's got Kehlini, his captain away, and Danilo, who was doing pretty well as a fullback, away to injuries. I mean, just think when they get back. I mean, by the time Kehlini gets back, Delicht is looking better and better with every game. He will have head up there fully. I mean,
00:15:45
Speaker
it's and then you have and then you look at Higuain and Bernard Eski who was so last season was where is he gonna fit in where is he you know how they're gonna play him now he's looking like he's one of the most important players in that team to keep the defensive balance now it's it's all falling to place falling into place for for Sarri and and a part of me kind of likes that because of the way that he's been
00:16:09
Speaker
kind of this narrative that's been created around him of being an ideologue that never wins and he's a bohemian like that nutcase Zeman and Beelsa but he's nowhere near that and I think
00:16:22
Speaker
He's showing that he's not, and he's showing that, yes, he's an ideologue, but he's also a winner, and that's really interesting. Yeah, and that's a good segue. So, Napoli, they beat Red Bull Salzburg by a score of 3-2. They are on top of Group E. They've scored 5-2, which is
00:16:43
Speaker
curious because in the league, their defense is all over the place. Whereas in the Champions League, they look so much more balanced. They look much stronger at the back. What do you two think of Napoli? It's so odd. I mean, you want to talk about not being able to make sense of a certain squad. I can't figure them out for the life of me. I just can't. As I said, I don't know what's going on because I
00:17:10
Speaker
If this Mercato they had, they were supposed to play a 4-2-3-1 and a 4-3-3. Now it's back to the 4-4-2. And there's issues of space and balance defensively in that team that you saw last season, but which you wouldn't normally expect the Ancelotti team to have. I don't know. I think it's the fact that he maybe doesn't trust Milik and Llorente to be good enough in a 4-3-3 so that he can pack that central midfield with one more player.
00:17:41
Speaker
maybe that's why the Ibrahimovic rumors won't go away because if there's one thing Ibrahimovic knows how to do is to play as a number nine striker, lone striker. So I don't know, I find it really strange. I find it really strange and I find the fact that Nsenia has become a problem almost. Where's his role now? Because when he plays in a 4-4-2, he plays like almost to the like a half inverted winger striker.
00:18:07
Speaker
And when he plays in a 4-3-3, he becomes too isolated on the wing. I find this whole situation really strange. And that's something we need to address. I think, you know, it depends. Is Ibrahimovic just playing the media game? Or is he really interested in coming back to Naples? I mean, he's said in the past, I mean, Raiola has said that he would like Ibrahimovic to play there.
00:18:33
Speaker
But I mean, I don't know, but it's definitely, you can definitely see that Ancelotti wants to change the formation and the technical setup, but he doesn't feel that he can, so he reverts back to what worked last season, and they still have the same problems as they had last season. And then you just mentioned Milic. He's a player I admittedly, I absolutely adore, and I've been baffled by the lack of trust that Ancelotti places in him.
00:19:01
Speaker
Chloe, Nima just mentioned the rumors for Ibra. Do you think he's actually the solution to what they need? Because in my opinion, I think before they even start touching and worrying about the attack, I would try and figure out the balance that they have or lack thereof at the back. Yeah, yeah, they need, you know, even a player like Ibra is not
00:19:24
Speaker
He's not going to solve everything when there's clearly some kind of balance issue in the setup, in the tactics, in the formation. There's something there that's not right. I mean, even last night they won, but they conceded twice. And I actually looked at the table earlier on.
00:19:43
Speaker
They're in fourth with 16 points, but there are lots of teams below them, even down to ninth place, that have got 12 points, so only four points behind. And Napoli have got Spal this weekend, but then they've got Roma, and they've got, I don't know who else it was, somebody tough.
00:20:10
Speaker
Oh, yeah. Atalanta, sorry. Atalanta and Loma after that. And, you know, I could see them sliding down the table a little bit, especially if these teams below them keep winning. I think the fact that the team isn't quite right is going to get
00:20:28
Speaker
I feel like one of the places where he's sort of been given a bit of a pass just because he's obviously a fantastic manager. But I think as far as balance goes, I think as far as lineups go, formations, I just don't think Ancel Alti has gotten it right so far.
00:20:44
Speaker
No, no, he hasn't. And as I said, I mean, I personally still think that the reason he wants Ibrahimovic is to any, you know, aside from all of that, I mean, the reason why he wanted Amaro Iqalbi, the reason why they signed Llorente is with the fact that he wants to play with a lone striker and play a 4-3-3. That means that there's one more midfielder centrally.
00:21:06
Speaker
but it's clear that he doesn't feel that for whatever reason he doesn't, whether it's because of the wingers or the striker, but he doesn't feel that he can do that yet and that's why you have a hole in the middle of the pitch and to me Napoli keeps conceding the same kinds of goals over and over again and that to me isn't about the central defenders as such because you won't be able to convince me in a million years that
00:21:36
Speaker
that Albioli is a better central defender than Costas Manolas. That's just not true. So I don't think it's that. I think it's a midfield, centrally balanced issue. I think, not the same, but very similar and reminiscent to what we saw with Stefano Pioli in Fiorentino, where you could drive a tank through the middle. And that's something that I've never seen with his teams before, with Ancelotti's teams before, and that surprises me.
00:22:03
Speaker
Napoli, Juve, Inter, how are we all feeling though as far as their chances of making the knockouts? Are we all feeling good? Surely you have Juve and Napoli through. Nima, are you at all worried about Inter's chances?
Inter and Champions League Prospects
00:22:20
Speaker
Absolutely. We're playing Inter playing Borussia Dortmund in a fortnight away. Now that is a game that's going to be very interesting because
00:22:30
Speaker
You know, away, you know, I have to remember, before the result, for Inter 1 yesterday, Borussia had four points, Inter had one point. So that was a game that Borussia could go into playing a little bit more defensively and balanced because, you know, Inter had to win. Now the tables are a little bit turned. So you're saying you're worried that that drug in Slavia Prague is going to come back and haunt them?
00:22:54
Speaker
Yes, yes. That is exactly what I'm saying. That is a difficult issue. I mean, sure. Hopefully Barcelona can win against Latvia at home as well and get them up to 10 points. And if Inter can draw, as long as they don't lose away against Borussia, that's fine because then they'll be ahead of Dortmund in terms of head-to-heads, which means that
00:23:23
Speaker
that puts Dortmund in a situation where they have to, even if they win their two remaining games against Barcelona and Slavia, after that they're not sure of qualifying through, which means that Inter have everything in their hands. So that's next week, in a fortnight, that's the key.
00:23:42
Speaker
I still think it's 60-40 speaking for Borussia to go through. But we'll have to see. I mean, that game again, I mean, again, you have to see which players are available or not. I mean, Inter didn't have Sensi, Vicino and D'Ambrosio. Borussia were missing Alcacer. They were missing two other players.
00:24:08
Speaker
Royce, Marco Royce, they're also missing players. I mean, it depends on what the injury situation is, and two weeks of football is a long time. Spot on. All right, so let's shift gears.
Preview: Fiorentina vs. Lazio
00:24:21
Speaker
Let's go to the league. And again, as I mentioned earlier, the slate this weekend, it's not that appetizing, but there are two notable matches. There's Fiorentina Lazio, and then Roma, Mila, and Chloe. We will start with your Fiorentina.
00:24:36
Speaker
um Lazio is another one i feel like this is sort of becoming a theme i don't know what to expect from them weekend in and weekend out no idea i mean do we even want to talk about that match against Atalanta so you don't know what you're going to get from Lazio but
00:24:52
Speaker
From a Fiorentina standpoint, I have to say, I actually like their chances in this because they have found, as we've mentioned in the last couple of episodes, they have found consistency, they have found the lineup, they have embraced Montella's way of playing. So I would assume your confidence level is fairly high coming into this. Yeah, I think so. I think where Lazio struggled in terms of consistency, that Fiorentina are now
00:25:22
Speaker
really good in that respect under Montala. They struggled against Brescia. They were the Monday night game. I have to say Brescia were fantastic. They were very good. Yeah, really well organized. They battled hard. Tonali is just a wonderful player, even at 19. And by the way, Brescia can get Balotelli.
00:25:49
Speaker
firing, I think they will shoot up the league. They really have a good base to work from. But they frustrated Fiorentina and I think against the team in the lower half of the table, having three men in the back line, it kind of hampered them a bit and they didn't look great going forward, they were just sort of struggling. So
00:26:18
Speaker
I don't know whether Monteler might make a change. He has hinted that he may move away from the 3-5-2 at some point if he wants to get more attackers on the pitch. So we'll see, you know, it may mean that Pedro, the Brazilian striker who was yet to play, might get given a game because he is apparently now fit. So yeah, I think it'll be really interesting and for neutral especially because
00:26:46
Speaker
Like John said, you don't know what's going to happen with Lazio and Fiorentino, the evolution of a new side with a new coach and a new owner is really interesting to watch. I love this Fiorentino. I think you both know it.
00:27:03
Speaker
I think they play the best, the most interesting, the most attractive football in all of Serie A, and they've been doing it since day one, since the season started. I absolutely love this interpretation of the 3-5-2 system. It's so, so unique. I've never seen a 3-5-2 where you have two players up front that play as false nines.
00:27:25
Speaker
two wingers who move about as much as those two do. And then you have a midfield, which I absolutely love in Poulgar Castravilli and Badel. And then you have Dalbert, who I don't know what he was doing for the past two and a half years at Inter, because he was absolutely atrocious. Now he's turning, he's the best left full back in the city by a mile.
00:27:46
Speaker
and then you have Lirola on the other side who, I mean, this Fiorentina is just wow. They are an absolute joy to watch and they play against Alazio who
00:27:58
Speaker
who are also, who are anything but stable, like you guys alluded to, like, you know, three, three, three, no, three, three, four, four, everything can happen. So I think we're going to see an absolutely cracker of a game against Fiorentina. Let's see if Fiorentina is gonna be, is one of those games I've, I'm not even gonna, like, no one can disturb me when I'm watching that. That is, I'm so looking forward to that.
00:28:21
Speaker
Well, that's a fantastic segue because the opposite of that is when I think Roma Milan will be.
Roma's Injury Crisis
00:28:28
Speaker
I expect some of the ugliest, most unattractive matches of the season because you obviously have the football of Pioli, which no matter what the situation, it's never attractive or hardly attractive to begin with, except when he's hammering Roma 7-1 in the Copa Italia.
00:28:51
Speaker
And then you have Roma who, if you want to understand what their injury situation is. It's insane. Today at the Stadio Olympico, before they face Munchingladbach, the agent of Emil Haffretzen, so the former Utineze Hellasperona midfielder, will be meeting with Roma because he's a free agent and Roma are desperate for a free agent midfielder. There was also the name Machu Flaminie thrown out there. Lovely.
00:29:21
Speaker
No, I mean, I mean what's going on like which play I mean, okay, let's go through the list Kalin each God How long is he gone for three six months three months two months two months? Okay Zappa Costa Done for the season in the Avara He will be back in about two to three weeks Christante He is done for three months
00:29:49
Speaker
Lorenzo Pellegrini, out for another week or so. We could go on and Peralti just returned. He was out for 60 days. There is so little I could say that makes any sense to anybody in regards to Roma's injury situation.
00:30:08
Speaker
And I know it's so easy to say, well, fire the medical staff, re sod the training pitch. Roma have done all of that multiple times. And I think the only thing I can say is they're either cursed, maybe they built their training pitch on Indian burial ground.
00:30:29
Speaker
I don't know what to make of it, but if you look at the number, and this is always when people talk about Roma and injuries, everybody cites the torn ACL statistic. I believe since 2015 Roma have suffered 15 torn ACLs. That's insane. Three or four, yeah, three or four of which were actually reoccurrences. So players tearing them for a second time. Florenzi, you had, I believe, Rudiger was another one who was in there.
00:30:57
Speaker
So the injuries that they suffer, it's an obscene amount. So Roma, at this point, I don't know what they're going to do, because in the midfield, the only available midfielder is essentially Jordan Verretu and Javier Pastore. Now, what about Zagnolo? He means Zagnolo can play everywhere, can he?
00:31:19
Speaker
Yeah, well, if Fonseca continues with the 4-2-3-1, there's no way you're going to put him in that Mariano role. So if he continues with the 4-2-3-1, it's really Pastore Veratou, and that's it.
00:31:35
Speaker
I would like to see him go to a 4-3-3 and maybe put Florencin Zaniolo in that midfield, but it's absolutely desperate times and it could not have come at a worse time because, as Chloe mentioned before, Roma have very, very, very important matches coming up. They're obviously facing Milan.
00:31:54
Speaker
And then they'll also be, they're also facing Uteneze and Napoli. I mean, these are teams that they are going, well, except for Uteneze. I mean, these are teams that they are supposedly fighting for, for a Champions League's place for. And I can't help but think that these points, should they drop them or continue to drop them, they have four draws on the season already, they are going to massively, massively regret those drop points in the later stages of the season. I agree. I mean, I had them as fourth and
00:32:24
Speaker
And I'm starting to doubt that. I'm starting to doubt it now, because this is looking ridiculous. Well, it is looking ridiculous. I won't necessarily call a draw against Claudio Ranieri, Sampdoria Sain, now they were bottom of the table, but they played infinitely better. Infinitely better, not even comparable. Pretending to be shocked over here. Yeah. I wouldn't necessarily call that a horrible result. No, no.
00:32:51
Speaker
All things given, I mean most of the time I would take a draw anytime you're playing Genova to begin with, but I mean they should have been Cagli. They should have been Genoa earlier in the season. I don't know how they conceded three to this Genoa. So yeah, they can keep dropping points like that and again you mix that with Atalanta who
00:33:11
Speaker
they go from absolutely smashing Groma one weekend to getting hammered by Shakhtar Donetsk just like three days later in the Champions League I don't know what the hell to even make of them but they look so good in the league and most of us I think we all agree here that they wouldn't finish top four I don't think any of us had them finishing the top four did we? No I still don't think they'll finish top four I still think it's I mean for me
00:33:36
Speaker
I'm more inclined to swap out Roma for Fiorentina.
Fiorentina's Champions League Aspirations
00:33:42
Speaker
This Fiorentina side, I mean, it just looks so good. You can see when a team is in perfect balance and harmony. And when everything in the club is just playing like a piano, like a fine tune piano. And that's Fiorentina for me right now. I mean, it's just...
00:34:02
Speaker
that that system you were talking about playing the Brazilian striker no don't touch anything leave it alone do not touch this system because that that though this team is in such a good place right now and they they under every single one of them interpret their roles in such a good way so just don't touch just leave it let this be you know just
00:34:24
Speaker
Until the results change and the teams are learning to counter Fiorentina in some way, I say leave this alone because I don't see how, for me right now, the tempo in their passing, the movement, the interchangeable positions, the scammy as the Italians say. Chloe, have you even allowed Champions League qualification to creep into your mind? Yes, tentatively. I think
00:34:54
Speaker
You know, I just keep thinking back to the times when Montel got us four, three years in a row, and at the time that was a ropally place, but now it's Champions League. And I think that with a lot of the bigger sides struggling, Lazzio have dropped. Mee-Man and Roma, as we've discussed, are having troubles. You know, Napoli aren't great. I think there might be a gap there.
00:35:23
Speaker
And if you aren't in a keep with this consistency, then, you know, who knows? And that really would be the ticket to allow Comiso to invest more and push the team onto another level. So, you know, if they did get that champion play place.
00:35:41
Speaker
I think it will be an absolute game changer. Well, before we go, let's talk just briefly about Milan. So Stefano Pioli, he makes his debut in...
Milan's Inconsistencies and Pioli's Impact
00:35:52
Speaker
Well, in fairness, in fairness. So Milan drew Lecce, 2-2, in fairness. So Lecce, they score a goal in the dying seconds of the match. That was an absolute rocket of a shot.
00:36:17
Speaker
The first half, Milan looked like the Milan of old. The movement in Paqueta looked like Kaka in 2007. It was fantastic. It was fireworks. And they fall flat on their face. That is Pioli's problem in a nutshell.
00:36:33
Speaker
I can't think of any more heartbreaking ways to drop points.
00:36:37
Speaker
But having said that, this was a diametrically different Milan in terms of how they approach the game, the mentality, the vibe around them. Under Gianpaolo, they looked like they were depressed and there was angst in the air. You could literally feel it in the air, you could touch it in the air. Now it's something different. There's joy, there's happiness, there's ease. I still think that he will get further up the
00:37:06
Speaker
up the table before it completely falls apart it usually falls apart if he what is it october now well it usually falls apart for him when he takes over mid-season around march february march so i think it sounds like a fine science now yeah no but it's always like this with this guy yeah so so so i think i think by the time but so i'd say about february the wheels will come off but until february
00:37:32
Speaker
it will probably look good and they'll climb up the table and Piontek, if he can get Piontek going, if he can get Rafael Liao, it looks really good. Chala Noglo, if he plays like that against, I mean, if he can, in Pacqueta, if they play like that, like they did against Lechia, week in, week out, there's no doubt in my mind that Milan will go up the table and actually be one of the teams contending for the fourth Champions League place. Yeah, I think, yeah, yeah, I think,
00:37:58
Speaker
The mistake for me in all of this was to award Pioli a two-year contract because, you know, he's never going to be their long-term solution. He was going to come in and, you know, like Neema said, under Jim Parrallo, they looked panicked. They looked, they had their heads down. It just wasn't good on any level whatsoever.
00:38:28
Speaker
Pioli is good at man management, he will get the players working for each other, they all look happier. There are lots of good aspects to Pioli and he will put that side, he'll pick them up and put them back together and initially they will, before his tactical limitations are exposed, they will improve.
00:38:51
Speaker
But bringing them in on a two year deal is madness in my opinion. It's just, you know, bring them in as interim to get them back at working again. Yeah, Jampala was a disaster. That's fine. But don't give them a two year deal. Get somebody else at the end of the season who can take them forward, because let's face it, that's why you got rid of Casuso.
Genoa's Bold Move with Tiago Mota
00:39:12
Speaker
But also I'm really keen to see what happens at Genoa because with Thiago Mota being appointed the new coach and him in the first press conference saying that he has developed a system called the 272. 273 I think it is even.
00:39:32
Speaker
Yeah, I don't know. Sorry. You're right. It's two seven. Yeah, it's something but I don't just know it's seven midfielders No, sorry 271 yeah, he was talking for me was the seven man midfield that caught my eye Now you see why we talked football and we're not rocket scientists. We can't do math. No, we get 271 yeah, no seven midfielders that that that is
00:40:00
Speaker
I mean, Genoa, when we speak of crazy presidents and competence and madness, I mean, Preciosi, I mean, yes, as a player, Tiago Mota was fantastic. Is he crazy or is he just avant-garde and the rest of us are really falling behind? But 271, I have a feeling that Genoa are really, really gunning for that relegation place when they do stuff like this.
00:40:28
Speaker
Well, in fairness, in fairness, I saw some people a bit pessimistic on the appointment of Tiago Malta. I would much rather a club go down that route, show a bit of guts, yeah, than appoint
00:40:47
Speaker
Beppe Iaccini. No more of that. No more of that. So I'm actually, I tip my hat to them because my God, if I have to see the same names recycled year in and year out, no, thank you. So I actually, I give Prezi Ozi a bit of credit here. Yeah. Well, Balardini and the, well, he can't take Yurich. His usual schedule is Balardini and Yurich sharing the, sharing the job throughout the season, but he can't take Yurich because Yurich is a Hellas Verona, if I'm not mistaken.
00:41:16
Speaker
So that can't be done. But no, I mean, Tiago Mota, I mean, as a player, he was probably the best midfielder. I mean, one of the best midfielders I've seen play for Inter in my lifetime. He was absolutely fantastic. His footballing IQ was other level. But it remains to be seen. I mean, was he just joking when he said he wants to play 2-7-1? Maybe, or maybe he was just, you know, that was just a sound bite.
00:41:41
Speaker
But we'll see. We'll see. But it's going to be interesting. I just think it's so sad to see that both of the teams from Genoa are 20th and 19th right now. And I think they're too good to be there. I agree. 100%. So we will be back after the weekend. We will be back on our
00:42:00
Speaker
regularly scheduled programming. So, as always, thank you so, so much for listening, everyone. If you could continue to like, retweet all of our content, that really, really helps us here. So as always, until next time, bye-bye.