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Extended Clip - What The Hell Has Happened To Juventus' Manuel Locatelli?
1.2k Plays3 years ago
John, Carlo and Nima discuss the remarkable regression of of midfielder Manuel Locatelli since joining Juventus and discuss if he too regrets choosing a move to the Bianconeri over Arsenal.
This is an extended clip from this weeks free Monday episode of The Italian Football Podcast which is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google podcasts.
To listen to ALL complete episodes of The Italian Football Podcast, go to Patreon.com/TIFP and become a Patron for only $2.99 USD per month (excluding VAT).
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Transcript
Current Issues in Italian Football
00:00:00
Speaker
Welcome to the Italian football podcast.
00:00:06
Speaker
from, so you have it from a managerial perspective where clearly things have not been up to speed. It definitely translates onto
Are Allegri's Tactics Outdated?
00:00:15
Speaker
the pitch. I mean, if you look at Vlovich, Lukataly, those are the guys we want to elaborate a little bit on here. You talk about his dinosaur football, and I get that. The way he plays at times, it does certainly should come with, you know, like those warnings, I say, do not operate heavy machinery.
00:00:33
Speaker
while partaking in like this medication that is what a legatee football should sometimes come with a warning you know just be careful. Do not proceed past this point there are wild animals. Yeah well I mean if you just look okay so
What Happened to Locatelli's Form?
00:00:50
Speaker
Locatelli for instance okay so Manuel Locatelli he makes a he has a fantastic fantastic Euro 2020 campaign comes to Juve seen as a very very high profile signing which he was Arsenal wanted him as well well he comes under the wings of Allegri
00:01:15
Speaker
I don't even know who this guy is anymore. He is unrecognizable to the guy that we saw at the Euros just one year ago. I mean, what do you make of that? Because that results aside, look at the investments they've made. Again, Loketel, Ivanovich, Bremer.
00:01:36
Speaker
I mean, you could Well, yeah, well, yeah, I'm just saying like the more expensive long-term Long-term players. I mean you can make the case every single one of them has regressed Yeah, you can I I don't think anyone can can say that and I think the person the player that probably has regressed the least is Bremen
Vlahovic's Struggles at Juventus
00:01:56
Speaker
Uh, but Vlaovic is fun. He's been there the shortest. So in fairness, that's probably merely a case of, uh, probably, probably, uh, you know, you're absolutely right. And I think Vlaovic for sure, he looks, Vlaovic looks pissed off with life in general right now. He doesn't get anything to work with.
00:02:14
Speaker
But yeah, as for Locatelli, I don't know. It feels like this is what happened at Milan with him. He's not a regista, he's a mezzala, and he should be played there. But he's not played in this right position. Allegri seems to have hellbent that he's supposed to play deeper. He's not supposed to play there. And I don't understand why he doesn't play him next to Rabio.
00:02:35
Speaker
and Paredes together that the three man would feel that's what you've got when Pogba is missing that's how you need to play but he just doesn't want to do that and or next to Mckenny if you want someone you know if the game dictates it but regardless this this what he's doing with Locatelli is he just he looks confused he looks his self-confidence is completely shot
00:02:59
Speaker
He doesn't look... Everything that made him look fantastic in the Euros, and even at Sassuolo, it's just gone, it's vanished. Yeah. I don't think he's a top, top player. I don't think he's ever going to become a world-class player, to put
Is Locatelli Being Mismanaged?
00:03:15
Speaker
it that way. But I do think that he has the ability and the potential to be a very good, even to an excellent player. I think he is.
00:03:24
Speaker
worthy of Juventus I do believe that I believe he has the qualities to be worthy of Juventus but he has to play under a manager and in a team that plays to his strengths you know and his strengths are he's very good on the ball he's got a very good passing range brilliant passing range actually and he's got a very good short passing game you play him alongside midfielders that can keep the ball keep possession dominate the middle of the field
00:03:51
Speaker
dominate possession and territory. Like, you know, we saw at the Euros, under Verratti, with Jorginho, with... OK, these are top players. OK, most midfielders will look good, will play better alongside those. Of course they will. But, you know, he is very comfortable with playing in that kind of, you know, in that playing that kind of football. But you play under a coach who has no style of play, just basically defends and counterattacks.
Player Regression Under Allegri
00:04:19
Speaker
Well, as with all the midfielders, and all midfielders go to Turin and die in recent years, especially under Allegri, he's set up to fail, basically.
00:04:32
Speaker
He's slow. That's one of his weaknesses. Locatelli is he's pretty slow. What is what is a slow midfielder like Locatelli going to do in a counter attacking team? He's not going to do anything. I mean, it's just common sense logic. You don't need to be you don't need to be, you know, Irigo Sacchi or Pep Guardiola when it comes to tactics to realize that.
00:04:51
Speaker
He's been mismanaged really horribly. As Nimr said, playing loads is kind of the deepest player, the deepest relying player, whatever formation that's in. He's been set up for fail because he is a Metzala. He needs to play in the midfield three.
00:05:04
Speaker
No doubt about that. I don't think he can fit in a midfield too either, also because of his lack of pace. Allegri can't develop players. Look what he's done to all these other players you mentioned before, John, like Vlauovic.
00:05:23
Speaker
you know, players regress under Allegri. And, you know, I think now that if Allegri is going to stay, then he needs to leave the Juventus because his career is going to... Is on the line, yeah.
00:05:35
Speaker
You know, you don't. Yeah, his career is on the line. And also you said about his confidence being shot. And Nima. Well, what do you expect? I mean, what do you expect his confidence to be like when Allegri actually comes out publicly and says that he's not even a first choice play. Considered him as a first reserve. He said, my image of the event was to have Paredes, Pogba and the other is the third. And then he actually he actually said it. He actually said Loca Telly as my first alternative.
00:06:05
Speaker
He sees him as his fourth choice central midfielder.
Locatelli's Future: Arsenal Bound?
00:06:09
Speaker
I mean, I find that absolutely absolutely shocking and you know Arsenal were in for him. We can say that really just like with Vlalovic, you know, he made the mistake joining
00:06:24
Speaker
joining Juventus, because we've seen what's happened to his career. And there's reports, I don't know how much truth there is in this, reports that Arsenal could come back into him for him in 2023. Arsenal needed a central midfielder. And, you know, and the kind of football that they play with young players, you know, playing football, progressive football, playing it the proper way. If I'm a lochitelli, I'm considering making that move to Arsenal.
Raspadori's Successful Move to Napoli
00:06:49
Speaker
And finally, the other thing I would like to say was this was the reason why in the summer,
00:06:54
Speaker
when Juventus were being linked with, well, they were interested, they actually were interested in him, Raspadori. And he went to Napoli. This is why I said at the time, I'm happy, even though obviously Juventus, you know, I want Juventus to do well. I wanted Raspadori to join Napoli because I'm an Italy national team fan and I want Raspadori to develop as a player. And I know that Raspadori, if he'd have gone to Juventus now,
00:07:16
Speaker
We'd be talking about Raspuduri now, as we are talking right now about Locatelli, because that's what Allegri would have done to him. So I'm glad that Raspuduri went to Napoli and is developing into a much better player. Listen to the full show and all other episodes by going to patreon.com slash TIFP and become a member for only $2.99 per month.