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Full Episode - Roma Ruin Pirlo's Honeymoon, Pazza Inter, Napoli Show & More (Ep. 56)
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Transcript
Introduction
00:00:01
Speaker
Welcome to the Italian football podcast with John Solano, Carlo Garganese and Nima Tuvali.
Serie A Match Day Highlights
00:00:24
Speaker
Hello, everybody, and welcome back to another episode of the Italian football podcast. We hope you are doing well. What an incredible and exciting match day to it was in the city. A lots of stuff to talk about. But before we get into everything, just a reminder that this will be the final free episode for the month of September.
00:00:44
Speaker
After this episode, everything will be on Patreon and you will have to become a patron at patreon.com slash T-I-F-P for $2.99 per month. Again, that doesn't give you access to just the podcast. Yes, you will be getting our regular review episode on Mondays and our interview episodes on Thursdays, but you will also be getting exclusive articles from all three of us.
00:01:07
Speaker
you'll be able to participate in the episodes as well as questions. Again, if you want to get access to all of the episodes, patreon.com slash T-I-F-P. All right, guys, we had a lot going on in the city of this weekend. A lot of talking points. Inter going full crazy. Roma and their crazy draw against Juve.
Roma vs Juventus Analysis
00:01:27
Speaker
Carlo, Nima, let's get into it now.
00:01:32
Speaker
Alright, Carlo, Nima, that was about as good as a matchday 2 as we could have asked for, yeah? Yeah, it's never boring in Laceria and there's always talking points. You can say a lot of things, you can criticize a lot of things, quality and etc, but it's never boring, it's always eventful.
00:01:51
Speaker
Yeah and I know nobody likes to do these kind of league versus league debates and they get a little bit tedious but Serie A has to be the most exciting league in Europe now. I mean just look at some of the games we saw this weekend. I mean we had the Inter 4-3, we had Ben Avento coming from 2 down to win 3-2.
00:02:10
Speaker
you know, we had Atalanta winning a six-goal thriller. Then, you know, we had Napoli putting six goals past the Genoa. We had Roma Juve, two-wall thriller. I mean, just unbelievable. And the defending wasn't great, but it's so many goals in Serie A. And anybody that still believes that Serie A is a defensive league is so exciting now.
00:02:31
Speaker
I completely agree. So let's start with where you just ended. Let's start with Roma Juve. And this one has a lot of talking points just because from the fact that I think we would all agree that Roma were the better side of the two, right? I'm not just assuming that for both of you. For sure. For sure. I think Roma should be hard done by because they created more than enough to win.
00:02:55
Speaker
as well as just being down to 10 men and all that. I thought Roma were really, really good. I think Spinazzola was phenomenal. And I really, really liked that Roma back three with Jalukamancini, Ibanis and Kumbula. I think Roma have got something really interesting there. Diabara Verretu is a really good... Roma is a really good central midfield. Roma, the only thing Pellegrini I'm not a biggest fan of, I'd rather have someone else. But...
00:03:23
Speaker
No, but I really rate this Roma team. I think they will cause teams a lot of trouble. And I think they've been unlucky in the first two games against Verona, not winning that. Obviously, that result was to overturn. We're not going to discuss that.
Juventus Tactical Critique
00:03:37
Speaker
Come on. No, we're not going to talk about the faulty towers mistake that they did. Only in the city odd does that happen.
00:03:44
Speaker
I think that can happen in other leagues, but what can only happen in the Serie A is the guy resigning and going to the club he did it against. The fact that he's going to Hellas Verona, the club that Roma played when that mistake was made, is so quintessentially Italian and insane and funny. But it's only Serie A. I don't even want it. You're making me angry just discussing it.
00:04:05
Speaker
Carlo, Carlo, I'm dying to hear your opinion because we let off the show last time with how good Pierlo did with his choices. I think whatever we said good last week, he did the exact opposite of this weekend because I thought he got it entirely wrong. That midfield was so overrun, in my opinion, by Pellegrini, Diavora and Verdi to he. I mean, he ran circles around you of his midfield.
00:04:32
Speaker
What did you make of Mr. Pierlo's second second match in the city? Definitely, definitely a learning experience. Yeah, definitely. I mean, it was such a turnaround from from week one. I mean, we were everybody was so excited by Pierlo, but we all did say last week that let's wait. Let's wait till the Roma game and the Napoli game. You've entered to play Napoli this weekend before we really, you know, decide whether Pierlo is onto something and
00:05:00
Speaker
You know, Roma picked holes in that setup. I mean, PLO played the same system, the same 3-5-2 in attacking phases, which morphed or was supposed to morph into a 4-4-2 in defensive phases, but didn't. It was a total mess. Juventus'
00:05:18
Speaker
transition from from attacking into defending was was was awful it was all over the place and we saw Roma second goal where Roma had a three on one I mean that should just never happen at this level at this level of football and and yeah Roma Roma were picking holes in that Juventus team and and should have won the game that they created
00:05:39
Speaker
You know, Mikatarian had that big chance in the first half. Jekko missed two sitters at 2-1. And it was just very unbalanced, the Juventus team. There was too many, Pilo was playing too many players out of position. I mean, Quadrado left wing back. Quadrado can't use his left foot at all. I mean, he can barely stand on his left foot. So to stick him out there, and he really, really struggled. Koulisevski at right wing back. I mean, I think Koulisevski can play any way.
00:06:08
Speaker
I think he can play anywhere he's that good, but you're limiting him massively by playing him at right wing bat.
Roma's Defensive Strength
00:06:14
Speaker
And then in the center of midfield, Western McKinney, who we praised, I mean, he was my Badger of the Week last week. He had a great debut against Sampdoria. He had a shocker. He was the worst player on the pitch. His passing was abysmal. Every single pass was a hospital pass. And Juventus improved when McKinney came off. So yeah, Juventus really, really struggled. We'll have to see what PLO learns.
00:06:37
Speaker
from this game now because they definitely got away with it and they were rescued really by Roma's poor finishing and by that man Ronaldo who you know that's the second equalizer the second goal I mean another incredible leap like Michael Jordan leap. Has there ever been anyone who's better in the air?
00:06:58
Speaker
I mean, I can't think of anyone in football who hangs in the air like he does. It feels like an eternity. No scoring. It's like scoring headers. I don't think there's been anyone better. I've never seen anything like it. I can't remember anything like it. It really is Michael Jordan-esque. He looks like a basketball player who hangs in the air. Literally, it's really remarkable. As for Juve's mid-central midfield, I think they should have started the way they ended the game with Benton Coronado Tormelo.
00:07:26
Speaker
because I don't think Makenique is good enough yet to play against teams like Roma. But we have to give credit to Roma. This is important for both Pirlo and Koulousefski in this new UWE project. It was a learning experience because against Sampdoria things went so well because with all due respect to Sampdoria, Roma are a way more better team.
00:07:50
Speaker
and Fonseca is a better coach. And they played really, really well. I think Spinazzola, the way he handled Koulousefski, was good for Koulousefski and for Pirlo to see that they have to move it around because this is a very tactical league, this is the most tactical league.
00:08:06
Speaker
the most tactically skilled coaches in the world in this league. So you have to be able to adapt and understand that against the best teams you have to give that extra. You have to be able to have some sort of a plan B and plan C to counter what they put against you. And Juva didn't have that. I wouldn't say that the honeymoon is over because at the end of the day Juva got a draw away when they shouldn't have. And they didn't lose and they got a point away at Roma.
00:08:34
Speaker
where I think a lot of teams will struggle. So I'm not really there, not quite there yet in saying the honeymoon is over, but there's quite a bit to work on for sure. And now they're playing the most informed team in the league in Napoli. So it'll be interesting. I definitely agree that they have some things to work on. I guess the confusing thing for me, so we all saw what happened with this Jekyll, the move breaking down because Napoli, they won't release Mili
00:08:56
Speaker
I watched Morata yesterday and I was very confused as to the thinking at UVE. So we all know they wanted a striker, okay? So they go from Jekko and Suarez to now Morata. First off, three entirely different profiles, three totally
Juventus' Midfield and Transfer Speculation
00:09:14
Speaker
different players. They have three completely different games. I don't understand the thinking behind it because for me, I thought Jekko, you put him
00:09:22
Speaker
a guy with the work rate and how he is in the area. Yes, obviously he had the misses yesterday. That's what you get with that in Jekyll. If you haven't realized it by now, I don't know where you've been the last five years. That's at in Jekyll. He weighs chances, but he does score a lot as well. For me, I watched Morati yesterday and Kumbula, a guy 20 years old. Yes, he had a phenomenal season at Verona last season. Roma,
00:09:45
Speaker
I think they did a phenomenal deal in getting him. Kumbula was great. He was brilliant. Kumbula was phenomenal. Yeah, him and Ibanez I thought were, along with Veritu, the three best on the pitch, at Spinazzola in there. We'll say four best on the pitch. I'm very confused by Juve's decision with Morata. Yeah, I'm not saying he's a bad player, although he was completely anonymous yesterday.
00:10:07
Speaker
For me though, his profile just doesn't mesh well with somebody like Ronaldo, Dybala, Kulesevsky. I think you do need somebody like Eceko. Carlo, is that something you agree with? Because I just watched away Marat to play yesterday. You would not have had any idea that he was even on the pitch. He was completely anonymous. And I just don't think his game blends with the other attackers. I think it's a very odd fit.
00:10:33
Speaker
Yeah, I think that's a great point you make about how different Suarez, Checo, and Morata all are. And I guess that goes down to, again, a criticism of Fabio Perattici, Juventus' transfer chief, really for the last year or so, in that there's never been a kind of a clear vision as to what he's trying, like the terms of team building, what he's trying to build. An actual profile, what will usually happen on the market is you'll look for a certain type of player
00:11:02
Speaker
you know if you can't get the first target then you'll go for the second target be the same kind of profile and marata i think the biggest worry with maratha for me is that. When maratha was with rinaldo around which read. They never really work together and i don't think.
00:11:20
Speaker
Morata was more really of a kind of a backup for Ronaldo. They both like to come from the left. They both drift to the left. So there was a little bit of concern about the chemistry there. I just think that Juventus maybe got a little bit desperate. They saw that there was only, you know, a week and a half left of the window. They weren't going to get Suarez. They weren't going to get Gekko. The Morata option came up, which will cost you they pretty much the same that it would have cost them to sign Gekko if we look at it year on year.
00:11:50
Speaker
so i think they just went for him there wasn't too many other options and financial limitations but yeah i think there's definitely there definitely is question marks over over and the fit there with him in ronaldo for me the key to morata unlocking morata morata and and and ronaldo is paula dubala we have to remember that you have are yet to
00:12:12
Speaker
to use him. And I think he, because he's so important for how you play, he's a central character to that project. And I think right now is basically getting through this, through through these rounds until, until Dibala becomes fit. And then we'll see what you really are because Paolo Dibala is, I mean, I
00:12:32
Speaker
the talent and the quality that he possesses is not for discussion. I mean, the guy is unbelievable. And I think he will really, really be the key to this. I'm not entirely convinced that they'll continue playing a three at the back. I think this is something that Pirlo's been forced to do given the injuries with the Andelicht.
00:12:54
Speaker
on Dibala. I think we're going to see the real Juve under Pirlo once these players are back. I think right now it's just about getting through these games and getting points on the board. I'll tell you what Juventus are missing though, is a left-wing back and we saw it spin at Zola again yesterday and I tweeted
00:13:13
Speaker
But he's one of the players I enjoy watching the most, Spinet Solar. He's such a natural, the way that he takes on the player. I mean, he's unplayable one-on-one. When he does that step-over, you know what's coming, but he always beats his man. I mean, John, is he one of the most underrated players in Serie A, Spinet Solar? Because he doesn't seem to get the praise.
00:13:33
Speaker
If you want to talk about a zombie player, somebody that was dead, but somehow managed to bring himself back to life, it is Spinozola. Let's remember, okay? Nine months ago, Roma were ready to hand him, hand him, to Inte for Politano, and then Marotta, Pepe Marotta,
00:13:53
Speaker
put the kabasha on the whole thing. He says, no, no, no, no, we're not doing that. So Spina Zola, who is already in Milano at the moment, gets back on the plane, returns to Roma. Politano, who was at Villa Stewart, the hospital in Rome, goes to Fumigino Airport, goes back to Milano, and this deal doesn't go through because Beppe Maralta didn't want to give Politano in exchange for Spina Zola.
00:14:18
Speaker
There was someone else there throwing a hissy fit about that as well because they wanted Ashley Young instead. So let's not give poor Marotta all the blame here. Well, he's got his eyes everywhere, so to speak, so maybe that's true. No, no, it was Conte. It was Conte. I mean, he wanted Ashley Young because he wants expert players, as he calls them in Italian.
00:14:39
Speaker
Hey, are you kidding me? I'm not complaining. Here's a Roma supporter above the hall. I'm complaining. I'm pissed because Kumbula Tonali and Spinazzola would have been, it's where inters, where inters problems, left wing back and central defense. We've handed into, don't have good in anymore. And Scrooneyard is apparently not, can't be playing the back three. So we have Alexander Colaro there instead. I mean, it's, it's madness.
00:15:03
Speaker
Oh, we'll let you get to that in a moment because I'm not going to let you live that down. But real quick, I'll spin that solo. So last season, particularly early on, Fonseca insists on this 4-2-3-1. And it's funny what happens when you put a wing back and spin it solo at wing back. Here's the thing. Wing back,
Inter's Tactical Missteps
00:15:21
Speaker
left back.
00:15:22
Speaker
Different roles, different responsibility. Yes, they're playing on the same area of the pitch, but not nearly the same level of defensive responsibility when you allow Spinozola to play at wingback. Here's the thing, he cannot play left back, was terrible at left back all of last season. Put him at four in the back, you are setting him up to fail. Now, with this new system that Fonseca is going with, this three at the back, Spinozola has been without question one of the three best players at Roma,
00:15:48
Speaker
and he is completely reborn and has been renewed. A year ago, if we were having this discussion, I would have done anything to get off a spin at Zola because I believe year over year he's either the second or third most expensive player at Roma between wages and amortization of the transfer fee. Very expensive.
00:16:09
Speaker
For him to be playing like this is absolutely phenomenal, and I agree with you, Carlo. He is unplayable. He is absolutely incredible. And given that Roma basically have corpses to play on the right side, it's 2020, and David A. Santon is playing against Juventus. But he did do bad, by the way. Actually, a mistake to take him off.
00:16:28
Speaker
Yeah, I would even try Spinozola on the right at times just to fill in because Roma have nobody. Yeah, Spinozola has been absolutely incredible. And lastly, before we move on from Roma Juve, can someone tell Paulo Fonseca that the substitutions you don't use in a match do not carry over to the next one? So he only used two of five. You do not get three extra in the next one, Paulo.
00:16:50
Speaker
for eight total, okay? I don't know what you were doing. I don't know what you were thinking, but you have an average age of 68 years old in your attack. I don't know why he thought that he needed to keep all three of them on for 90 minutes. I was very confused by that. So, Fonseca, tactics were spot on, in-game management, terrible. Okay, ink dead, Fiorentina.
00:17:12
Speaker
Just in terms, I thought Roma Juve was very entertaining, and I thought this one was also wildly entertaining for a variety of reasons. Now, we're going to let Carlo go off, because Kiazaa had another good performance, but Pepe Yaquini, man. Someone tell Comiso that this guy is a Serie A B coach, but hold on. Now, terrible manager, absolutely terrible.
00:17:41
Speaker
Nima, I warned you, okay, I warned you that Alexander Kolorov cannot play at a three at the back system. I've got people telling me, oh, I'm wrong. He played at wing back when the Roma went to a semi final in the Champions League. Yeah, a half years ago, three years, also two and a half years, two and a half years younger. Yeah, exactly. Okay. He cannot play on the left side. No central defender. He cannot play as a left wing. No.
00:18:05
Speaker
I don't know if it was more Inter pulling one out of their back ends or if it was Fiorentina and namely Beppe Yakini saying, you know what I don't feel like doing today? Winning. And he's just like, hey, here you go. It was like, did Yakini lose a bet to comp there or something?
00:18:25
Speaker
Because his brain melted in the last 15 minutes. No, it's, I think it was a combination of both. I think the fact that when you have, when you, I mean, people give, you know, everyone is praising Conte for his magical substitutions. Yeah. That's because he got his starting lineup completely wrong. The fact that you, you know, Ashraf Akimi has played every, started every single friendly and then all of a sudden Ashley Young is there on the right.
00:18:50
Speaker
Naingolan and Vidal. Sure, I can understand why Vidal didn't start, but playing Christian Ericsson and Marcelo Brozovic again together when it doesn't work and it hasn't worked since January, it's the definition of insanity as per Einstein, trying the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
00:19:08
Speaker
But it's Antonio Conte. He's off the rails. He's off his meds. And they've given him the keys to the car. And this is why we don't give crazy people power. And he has complete power. And therefore he does these things. And Alexander Kolarov
00:19:27
Speaker
No, he's not a central defender. He's at best a backup for the wingback role, which he was good at three, four, five years ago when he actually had legs to run on. And not now where he's semi-retired. And it's insane. In Inter, we're lucky. And they were bailed out by the fact that Alexei Sanchez is a world-class player and still is, and can come on and show that.
00:19:51
Speaker
Um, I, you know, Hakimi is a fantastic player. He should always start. I mean, Konta does these things. Um, and, and Brozovic and Ericsson cannot start together. We've seen it time and time again. Inter's midfield get completely overrun when those two play together. And you saw that for at least one of the goals when they were tracking back. Ericsson doesn't know how to track back. He jogs. Okay. And, and, and Brozovic, uh, is, is they, they just, he doesn't know where he should be.
00:20:21
Speaker
He needs, you know, these are players that if you're going to keep them, you need to have, they can't play together. So if you're going to play Ericsson, you have to play a 3-4-1-2, where you have at least one midfielder like Kante, who runs for three people. If you're going to play Prozovic, you're going to have to play a 3-5-2 with next to Barella, Sensi or Vidal, because he has the traits that, you know, they suit each other that way.
00:20:45
Speaker
But they can't play together. And that's when Inter started playing well was when Ericsson was benched or Brozovic was benched. But together they can't play. Last season in the Europa League, Ericsson was on the bench and they played a 3-5-2 with Gal Gadini and Barilla and Brozovic. And they looked pretty OK. So that's the issue. But I mean, this is content. This is what they've decided to give him, whatever he wants. And he decides. And that's why he's so happy and calm for now, I might add.
00:21:14
Speaker
We never know with him. So, no, it's frustrating to watch. Inter were lucky. I think Inter were very lucky. The defence is a... I mean, everyone in Italy who watched this with some distance say, Inter had the best central defence in the Serie A-lessis, and why are you tinkering there? That's not where the issue was.
00:21:35
Speaker
So naturally, you know, you send Godin and you don't replace him. You replace him with, you send Rannocha and Godin and you may be replacing him with Darmia. And now you're talking about sending Scrinjar and replacing him with Chris Smalling or Armando Itso. And it's, it's, it's, it's, it's Farsicle now. It's like, what? Farsicle, Carlo, was just about everything Beppe Yaquini did on Fiorentina's bench.
00:22:02
Speaker
Taking out Ribery, and then all of the subsequent substitutions that he made, I could not understand for the life of me they made. Zero cents in my opinion. Can you explain to me the thinking, or lack thereof I should say, from Yakini? Yeah, he pulled a rabbit underneath that cap of his, didn't he?
00:22:22
Speaker
not in a good way either. Ribery, taking off Ribery is just criminal, the way he was playing. Best man on the pitch. Best player on the pitch. He was running riot. He got two assists. His assist for Kiesa's goal will be the pass of the season. You won't have a better pass, that through ball. Absolute genius. He was running rings around the into the fence. They were scared, frightened of him every single time he got the ball.
00:22:49
Speaker
And you know, he could have had a third assist as well. He put it on a plate for Vlawovic at 3-2, which should have killed the game. But Yakina, yeah, madness. You don't take off the best player on the pitch in a tight game. I mean, it'd be like Argentina versus England in 1986, when Diego Maradona's just scored the greatest goal in history. And the
Fiorentina's Coaching Challenges
00:23:09
Speaker
Argentina manager taking him off at 2-1. That's what it's like doing. On a psychological level, you do not take off the best player on the pitch. I don't care he's 37.
00:23:18
Speaker
and, you know, he's getting a little bit older. You just don't do it. There's just some things you do not do as a coach. Kieza, in his defence, I think he did have a little bit of an injury. But, yeah, Yakeni got it all wrong. He's a Serie B coach. I mean, you can see that in his career. That's facts. You know, he's had about three or four promotions with Serie B teams, but every single time he's coached the Serie A team, it's been like a provincial side, and it's ended up in a very quick sacking. So, yeah, this is not the level. And Fiorentina have a lot of quality. You know, it shouldn't be wasted with a coach like Yakeni.
00:23:48
Speaker
Isn't it abundantly clear if we're not even considering the manager don't don't even factor Yakini into this But all you have to do is watch this Fiorentina side for five minutes And it is so clear that they have quality all over the pitch No, the only one who I thought was absolutely dreadful was Cecharini. I can't believe he lasted the entire match He was absolutely dreadful, but
00:24:10
Speaker
Beyond him from defense to attack they have quality all over the pitch and to me it is so It's so sad because of how much they've struggled over these last few years, right? They've they've underperformed drastically that now they finally have a strong team in just about every facet of the pitch and they are Wasting it with this guy who makes dumb decision after dumb decision. I cannot for the life of me believe that komiso Yes, he's still a relatively new owner, but
00:24:40
Speaker
What more does he have to see? Nima, the quality of this Fiorentina side is there, and I feel like they are just wasting it with this guy. Wasting it! For sure. To me, not just because of the stupid baseball cap he wears, everything about him is a scream Sercosmi to me. Now, those of you who remember the Seria in the 90s, it's the same. It's just he doesn't know what he's doing.
00:25:04
Speaker
the fact that, you know, we got to talk about Keir's because I thought he was really good. And again, he's being played out of position and he's played out of position. He does really, really well. He does everything he's asked to do.
00:25:20
Speaker
And I just feel it's such a shame because they have Lirola, who's a fullback on the bench, you know, who's also really, really good. I mean, this team should not play a 3-5-2. They should either play a 3-4-3 or a 4-3-3. They're built for that. And I just, again, Spalletti,
00:25:38
Speaker
I understand that, you know, feeding your pet duck Snow White is nice and it's beautiful in Tuscany to get paid five, six million years and net a season to feed Snow White the pet duck, which is true, by the way, following on social
Atalanta and Torino Focus
00:25:55
Speaker
media. But at the same time, the guy is a good coach and he should be in the Serie A and I think
00:26:01
Speaker
There are only two jobs that I think he would be perfect for, and one is Milan, but Pioli's doing really well there, and the other is Fiorentina. I think he would really take this team to the next level, and I keep hammering this because I really, really believe it. I think I really think they have something going on there. I think it would be such a good thing for the entire piazza, for the club, for the fans, because he's a big name coach in terms of what Fiorentina can get, and I think it would be ideal for everyone.
00:26:27
Speaker
All right, moving on, we have a couple other matches to get to. Carlo, Atalanta 4, Torino 2. Briefly discuss Atalanta, but Gianpaolo, whatever, Jacchini, Gianpaolo. You know how we make fun of the Premier League, how they sort of recycle Big Sam, David Moyes, any other name of these same managers who have proven that they're just Finnish? Big Sam, Big Sam.
00:26:51
Speaker
Gianpaolo, even though he's still relatively young, I feel like he is becoming the Italian Big Sam. But Carlo, I don't want to make this a part where we just rip on Torino as much as I would love to. Atalanta were good. We have to admit that. Yeah, they were. They've picked up exactly where they finished last season. I mean, they're going to score so many goals, 98 goals last season. I wouldn't bet against them beating that this season, four already.
00:27:18
Speaker
And yeah Papu Gomez again, I mean he scored a great goal two amazing two amazing assists Actually now since he first arrived in Serie A which I think was about nine or ten years ago No one has more assists than Papu Gomez
00:27:35
Speaker
And, you know, he was the best player in Serie A for me last season. He's now I mean, I think you have to say he's a Serie A legend now. And yeah, there's so much talent in the Atalanta attack. They scored some great goals.
00:27:49
Speaker
they're fantastic and they're going to have, they're going to be very, very entertaining against this
Milan's Recent Form
00:27:54
Speaker
season. As for Torino, nothing much to add other than Andrea Balotti scored two goals. Somebody rescue him, please, please. Yeah, he needs to leave Torino. There's a week left of the window. I don't think he's going to move, but, you know, he's thrown his career away there, staying there. He's a bit like Chiesa. He's stagnated. He hasn't improved at all in the last two or three years because he's staying at a club in which he's reached the ceiling. You can't improve at clubs like that anymore.
00:28:19
Speaker
For me, Roma would be the ideal place for Beloktirgo, I think, given how his style is similar to Jeko and that he works so hard and he's such a team player, I think he would be ideal for Roma. I think he's the perfect profile to replace Jeko, I agree. He's been linked to Roma before, they just, you know, they don't close the deal. Nima, real quick, Milan 2, Croton 0,
00:28:43
Speaker
So I tweeted out that Spezia would probably be lucky to get 15 points this season. Kritone, maybe they'll be lucky to get 17 because, ah, yikes. They're not good. They're really not good. There's a couple of things I want to take away from the Milan game. I think, first of all, thank God that Re-Ante Rebic's arm was not... Oh, that was not for the faint of heart.
00:29:05
Speaker
It was very graphic and I'm very grateful that it's just a dislocation and not a broken arm because it was horrible to watch. It was gut-wrenching to watch that and I'm just so grateful that he's okay. It's just a dislocation, thank God. So let's get that out of the way. Other than that,
00:29:23
Speaker
Milan, it's unbelievable what confidence can do for a team. They are so calm, they are so collected that everyone knows what they're doing. This is such a turnaround. I mean, if we talk about turnarounds, compare Napoli under Canchelotti and then Gattuso, the night and day situation there, and then compare Milan a couple of months ago during the whole Ragnique is taking over.
00:29:46
Speaker
And then to now, where everyone knows what they're doing, everyone knows their place, they have a coherent project on and off the pitch. And Sandro Tonali is starting to show, you know, him and Kissi, I mean, Frank Kissi was the best player on the, was the man of the match. He was brilliant, brilliant, completely dominated that midfield. And then Tonali with his cross balls. And I mean, both in terms of short balls, short passes and long passes in the guy's vision is,
00:30:15
Speaker
He's a modern Metzala that Italy and Milan are going to enjoy for a very long time. And they had Benacer, you know, Benacer, they didn't need to use him. And Rebic, I think, you know, before he was substituted off or ran off the pitch because that was horrible, that horrible injury.
00:30:37
Speaker
It was, you know, he showed why he can't play as a number nine. I mean, against a better team, it really wouldn't work.
Napoli's Strong Performance
00:30:43
Speaker
He takes a little bit too much time on the ball, fiddles with it a little bit, but on that left wing, he's perfect.
00:30:53
Speaker
And if you add Zlatan Ibrahimovic to that, I think Ibra would have scored three goals yesterday if he had not had COVID. But, you know, he's, so he, you know, he's, Milan are looking good, I think, you know, and if you look at the fact that they're playing, if I'm not mistaken, they've played Spezia next, and then probably Ibrahimovic might be back for that, you know, because they're testing him every half an hour, pretty much.
00:31:15
Speaker
unbeaten in 17 games, six wins in a row, nine wins in 10. They're in great form. Absolutely. Pioli has them in great form. All right. Moving on to Napoli Janawa. For Janawa, I think we all thought like when we saw a lot of the business that Janawa was doing this summer, I thought, I mean, especially me.
00:31:35
Speaker
I was actually somewhat intrigued, okay? They recently bring in Luca Pellegrini. They got Davide Zapacosta on the right. They weren't talks to bring in Balotelli. Whether or not that ultimately happens remains to be seen. They got Bedell. I thought that was good too.
00:31:49
Speaker
Oh my god, whatever that was yesterday, Carlo, they were dreadful. But Napoli were very, very good. And I know it's easy to have a go at Aussie men because of how expensive he was and the fact he hasn't scored. But when he is on the pitch, they just play differently. And it's a sight to behold. They look so much better with him when he is on the pitch.
00:32:12
Speaker
I see men's been great. I wouldn't worry about him not scoring yet. The goals will come and he gets the best out of everyone else. Not only is he ridiculously quick, ridiculously powerful, he's a big guy. He allows Napoli to stretch the opposition.
00:32:31
Speaker
But he's got good link up play as well. I mean, everybody look at the goal that Zielinski scored, which was the goal of the game. It was a great team move. Zielinski started and finished the move with Osseman doing a back flick through his legs into the path of Zielinski, who then dummy the defender and put it past the goalkeeper.
00:32:50
Speaker
um you know Aussie men Aussie men was great um again he looks like a really really great buy um and and Napoli I mean just to to go easy on Genoa a little bit um I would definitely give most of the credit to Napoli because they've started this season on fire and I think all three of us said that they they're an outside
00:33:11
Speaker
bet for the for the Scudetto this season and they they have there's so much quality in that team and we consider that Insinia went self-injured in the first half and some of the some of the players they've got on the bench that they're able to bring on and you know they're they're a really really dangerous really dangerous team this season and I can't wait for the for the Juventus versus Napoli match this weekend. If I'm gonna be honest with you there I I'm the more I watch of Napoli the more I see that they are they're probably the only team in the Serie A the more they it becomes
00:33:41
Speaker
it crystallizes itself, but they are the most coherent and well-balanced team in this area.
Serie A Match Results Recap
00:33:48
Speaker
And I think if there's ever a chance, I mean, as I said, I always want to wait until the Mercato closes before making a final prediction. But to me, Napoli are
00:33:57
Speaker
Now, as things stand right now, the number one challenger is to Juventus to win the Serie A title. And if it continues and Juve and me, Inter, don't address some pressing issues, they'll be my favorites to win the Scurrato without a doubt, because they have... Yeah, they look so much more balanced. To win the league, you have to not have as many question marks.
00:34:20
Speaker
They don't have any question marks. They have two, three players that can play in every position of equal quality. The thing that is for them is whether or not how much they cash in on Milik and Maksimovic, whose contracts are expiring, and buy backup player. They already have a backup player to Milik in Petania. Now the issue is the central defense for Maksimovic because clearly he doesn't want to extend his contract.
00:34:47
Speaker
I think they have just about all that you need, and you have Amano-Laos, who is actually contributing now. Elsewhere, you had Benevento defeat Sam, 3-2, Lazio defeat Caliuri, 2-0, Difrancisco, yikes. Sasuolo, they hammer, Spezia 4-1, again, Spezia terrible.
00:35:04
Speaker
and then today Balogna they will host Parma. So let's move on now to our winners and losers segment which again we have most aptly called our Baggio of the week for the winners and the Ventura of the week for the losers.
00:35:20
Speaker
All right, Carlo, Nima, our winner section of the week, the Bajio of the week. Carlo, let's start with you. My Bajio of the week is Frank Ribbery. For all the reasons that I've already given, 37 years old and the guy just no slowing down for him, man of the match, two assists. The assist for Kiesa's goal might end up being the assist of the whole Serie A season. He's a genius. Okay, Nima, yours.
00:35:42
Speaker
It's, uh, Benevento, Benevento's, uh, and, and for the way they came back and also Luca Calderola, former inter primavera central defender, who's had a very weird career. Very weird. He's been in Germany and then he did well, but then he was sent to the youth team because they wanted to get rid of him at any price. And then he came back to Italy and then he last season, he was at Benevento and gave them defensive stability. Now he's the captain, I think, and he scored two goals.
00:36:07
Speaker
And Benavento are a good team. I really think that they will stay up because they've really gone for it. And again, Filippo Inzagi, this is make or break for him. And to come back from Tunil down to Sampdoria and win away the way they did was very impressive. Okay. And mine is Lorenzo Pilgrims who...
00:36:24
Speaker
is actually Lorenzo Pellegrini. I don't know which intern at Lagazeta del Ospart put in Pellegrini into Google Translate or whatever translator that they used on their computer, but in their official preview they used pilgrims instead of Pellegrini.
00:36:42
Speaker
He has been dreadful since he came to Roma. Very inconsistent. Hasn't really found a role. Despite that, though, he had one of his better performances since arriving at the club. All right. Losers of the week, a.k.a. Ventura of the week. Carlo, let's start with you. And I know you have a couple of pet peeves when it comes to football, and I know VAR is one of them. So
VAR Controversies and Scandals
00:37:03
Speaker
have at it.
00:37:03
Speaker
Well, it was VAR during the Spezia versus Sasuolo game. In the first half, Chichokaputo, he had a goal disallowed for offside. It took five minutes and 12 seconds for the VAR officials to make the call. I mean, it's just a joke. And this is the exact reason, the biggest reason why I was against VAR, because I knew this was going to happen. And it's just
00:37:27
Speaker
All these delays, you have players that you can't even celebrate when you score, as we saw with the Manchester United game. You can't even breathe a sigh of relief when the final whistle goes because you're worried the VAR might make a call after the final whistle.
00:37:46
Speaker
which is what happened with Man United against Brighton. It was two all and Man United had a penalty given after the final whistle had blown, which is the first time I've ever seen that happen. But yeah, this Cessuolo game, I mean, five minutes and 12 seconds is absolutely ridiculous. Just the whole execution of VAI, it's a total shambles and it's been years now since it first came in and it's not getting any better.
00:38:13
Speaker
No, it's not. Very quickly, before we move on to yours, Nima, you can go to our Patreon page, patreon.com slash T-I-F-P. Got a little story up there, Sasuolo. They are actually in talks to acquire Shalka Striker, Ahmed Kutuku.
00:38:29
Speaker
A very highly rated youngster a couple of seasons ago for Chalka's youth side. Backed 15 goals and 15 appearances. Last season called the senior side featuring primarily as a substitute. Things are a mess there at the moment. Sasuolo because they're going to give away John Lucas Kamaka to Genoa, which is why they are in talks to acquire Kotuku. They've offered loan with option to buy. So if you want to read the whole story, get all of the details again, patreon.com slash T.I.F.P. All right, Nima.
00:38:57
Speaker
There's many reasons why we love the city, the storylines, the characters, the stupid stuff that only happens here. Your Ventura of the Week, I think, embodies that to the 1000th degree. So tell us, what was your Ventura of the Week? My Ventura of the Week is Luis Suarezgate. Just to catch everyone up on what is going on. The Italian Guadarri Financi is the white collar criminals that they investigate. And the name of the Colonel is Selva Josari.
00:39:26
Speaker
Yes, Sarri. And he had to say when he was being interviewed that he's not related to SACT UV coach Maurizio Sarri because this is Italy and all sorts of conspiracy theories will flow. But he explained that they've been investigating the University of Perugia since February 2020 because of what he calls their non-transparent activities. Basically, they're selling Italian passports by giving
Transfer Market Overview
00:39:54
Speaker
the answers to the language exams which you need to pass in order to get the Italian passport. So what they discovered was, and I quote,
00:40:04
Speaker
We found that Luis Suarez was awarded a diploma for having accomplished an intermediary level of the Italian language, but we discovered that this was all predetermined and not the case. So move on to that. They also release, or the Italian media release phone wires or phone taps of these conversations between the universities.
00:40:30
Speaker
the guy who runs the university, and Maria Turco, again, not making it up, Maria the Turk, who is a lawyer for Juventus. And they're basically talking about how they're going to help. Luis Suarez has to pass this exam. Once he does it, we'll send you more players. It'll be good for the university. Wink, wink.
00:40:55
Speaker
And it's full-on a Mario Puzo novel, pretty much. But then Juventus go out and say that we gave up on Luis Suarez two days before the exam. The Selva Giussari, the colonel, also states that Juva aren't currently being investigated for any crime.
00:41:16
Speaker
Fabio Paratici has also been apparently been recorded in these phone calls. So, you know, it's quite the mess. We'll see what happens now, but it's pretty serious if you sell, you know, if you basically defraud because these exams aren't just exams for
00:41:38
Speaker
to pass language tests. These are really important. You have to be able to speak Italian to get an Italian passport and to become a citizen. They were coaching Luis Suarez on the exam. One of the university professors was doing this and they had given him the questions beforehand.
00:41:59
Speaker
So this story just becomes weirder and weirder. And so Quint essentially 2020, the more you dig into it. So yeah, that is the ventura of the week.
00:42:09
Speaker
Ah, the seria never lets us down with just ridiculous talking points and storylines. Before we move on to our next segment, just a reminder, in case you did not see our tweet, the next interview episode will be featuring Romeo Agresti, who is a Ventus rider. We'll be talking transfer market, Juve, all things seria. So if you want to get that interview, again, patreon.com slash T I F P. Okay. Transfer updates. Let's go.
00:42:39
Speaker
Okay, the countdown is on. There's less than one week remaining in the transfer window. Let's get started with some of the bigger clubs in the city, what they've done to this point or what they still need to get done before the transfer market shuts. So, Carlo, let's start with you, Juve. What do you think? Realistically, what can they do? What do they need? What's your opinion on that?
00:43:01
Speaker
Well, they need to trim the squad first. There's too many players for the Champions League squad list. We saw that last season as well when Menzukic and Emre Chan were left out of the Champions League squad, but they ended up staying at Juve until January. So the most likely departures would be from the Desilios, Ruganis and Douglas Costas. Douglas Costa is definitely somebody that could potentially leave to the Premier League.
00:43:30
Speaker
But it depends if they can find bias for them. I think if they want to bring anyone else in, they're going to need to look to offload first. PLO wants another forward. Keen was his preferred option from Everton. He also likes Chiesa from Fiorentina.
00:43:50
Speaker
But again, it's dependent on selling players first. The only other question mark is over the left full back position. We saw against Roma that Pirlo played Cuadrado way out of position at left wing back.
00:44:07
Speaker
A lot of people think that might have been him sending a sign signal to Fabio Perattici that, you know, come on, I need a left wing back. So, yeah, there's definitely potential for some plays coming in and out at Juve.
00:44:24
Speaker
All right, Nima, what about Milan and Inter? Milan need to buy a central defender and a right winger, but right now they're really prioritizing a central defender because they're a little bit short, as Carlo alluded to earlier, in the middle of the pitch.
00:44:39
Speaker
There's talk of Milenkovic, but Fiorentina and Comiso won't give anyone any discounts anywhere. If you're a Fiorentina fan, you gotta love it. And generally, you gotta love it. These clubs are no longer walkovers. It's pay me or we'll walk away. And I like that. I think that's good, because I think it's good for the league to have several good teams.
00:45:03
Speaker
Inter is, you know, where do we begin? Christian Ericsson is a problem, Marcelo Brozovic is a problem, Milan Scriner is a problem, because they don't fit into Antonio Conte's system. Christian Ericsson can if you get Engolo Conte, but you need cash to buy Engolo Conte, especially since Antonio Conte pissed off everyone at Chelsea, so they're not going to give Inter any discount to do him any favors.
00:45:27
Speaker
So, that's that. And then you have also the, you know, so it's a central defender. Now, situation they need to resolve after Gorina Ranoke have left, Darmian is coming in. So, and Candreva is left as well. So, they need to, they need a central defender because Skrinja, you know, they need to resolve the Milan Skrinja situation immediately because this is, this is hurting everyone. This is hurting Skrinja, this is hurting Inter, nobody knows what's going on and they need to resolve it.
00:45:53
Speaker
uh because what the what we saw against Fiorentina is not you know you don't win the league if you concede three goals every every every every game and
Juventus and Inter Transfer Needs
00:46:01
Speaker
Inter can concede i mean if this was Atalanta they would have put seven past Inter that's that's how bad defensively Inter were so one thing that's being touted which i think is really interesting is Maximoic from Nikola Maximo, Maximoic
00:46:14
Speaker
from Napoli, which is something that could really, you know, if it unblocks, it helps everyone. Because Napoli can get some value from a player who will otherwise leave for free. Maximo, which can start playing, he's played in the back three, played in the back three for Torino under Ventura. He's versatile in the sense that he can play in the back three and the back four.
00:46:34
Speaker
Conte likes that. Danny, he will be able to play next to Stefan Defray. Raja Nangolan's situation needs to be resolved. Inter have a host of players they need to get rid of. Dalbert, Joe Mario. And then you have Matias Vesino's future as well. So no, Inter have quite a bit of work to do. And they're gonna have to do it whilst playing Venavento on Wednesday away. And then Lazio on Sunday at home.
00:46:53
Speaker
I think it's much of the same for both of the Roman clubs. I think the theme is defense. Lazio, Roma. Lazio, Radu, Patrick, starting. Radu getting up there in age. Patrick has been so inconsistent since he arrived there. He'll have...
00:47:10
Speaker
Good performance and a disastrous one. And it's the exact same for Roma. Cumbula, Ibanez, Mancini, all three did very well yesterday against Juve. But Roma, they have frozen out Juan Jesús. They're doing all they can to get rid of Federico Fazio. They're trying to get smalling, but they've been in talks with Manchester United for smalling for what feels like 10 years now.
00:47:34
Speaker
So if they haven't come to an agreement after this long, I don't know what is going to change within the last week. Maybe a sense of urgency from one side or the other. I don't know. So I think without question, for Roma, for Lazio, central defender is the theme. Carlo, Napoli, Atalanta, just to end it here with the transfer market stuff. Well, Napoli, I wouldn't expect too much, assuming that Cooley Valley stays now, which is looking very likely because Manchester City are about to sign Ruben Diaz from Benfica.
00:48:04
Speaker
and PSG don't really have the money. So assuming he stays, you know, if any business that Napoli were going to do in the last week of the window was going to be using the money from Kula Bali. So the only players really we can see leaving are Milik, who's obviously for sale and potentially Maximovic because of his expiring situation. But in terms of players coming in, I wouldn't really expect anything. And as for Atalanta, the same really. They've done quite a bit of business. They've added
00:48:33
Speaker
plenty of depth to the squad. Um, again, just, just backup players who might leave, um, either permanently or online. Yeah. Yeah. At the Lanta they, that system works so well. They, they really don't need to tweak much. All right. Let's get into the user question segment now.
User Questions and Tactical Discussions
00:48:51
Speaker
All right, user questions and topics time. If you would like to have your topic discussed, your question answered, you can reach us at patreon.com slash T-I-F-P or let us know on Twitter. So the first question is from our patron Jad Omran.
00:49:08
Speaker
And this is for you, Carlo, in regards to Juve. And the question is, based on what we saw today, this was a very bad performance filled with massive errors. Do you really think that Pirlo is able to lead this Juve? Who puts Quadraro on the left? Why isn't Artur starting? Meanwhile, Ramsey played a great match last week behind Ronaldo and Kuliszewski. So why change that?
00:49:33
Speaker
Yeah, well, I think as we discussed in great depth, Pierlo definitely made a number of strange decisions, a number of plays out of position, like Quadrado, as Jad said there. Why was an Arthur a starter?
00:49:48
Speaker
PLO said that he basically hasn't played for six months, so he's not fully fit. I can understand why he's easing him in, but I do think that he made a big difference when he came on. He actually kept the ball, didn't give it away like McKenney did, so I definitely would expect Arthur to slowly become a first team starter. But yeah, PLO, as we said, PLO made some mistakes. We're now going to have to see if he learns from them ahead of the next game against Napoli.
00:50:14
Speaker
Okay, our next one is from our patron Yusef Alatiki who asks, with Fonseca's fate seemingly sealed sooner or later, do you guys think he would be good for Fiorentina? Also, shout out to the incredible interview with Gio Takopina. I'm going to support Katanya as my second team now. Well, thank you. Yeah, Joe was great. Really, really enjoyed it. It was a pleasure to have on. We're definitely going to bring him on again.
00:50:40
Speaker
Fonseca Fiorentina, oh gosh. Yeah, it would be a good fit. Is Fonseca's fate sealed though? Obviously, we've heard this stuff with Allegri. If you were given the choice of Allegri or Fonseca, I'm pretty sure 90% of Roma supporters would snatch your hand off for Allegri. Now, how realistic is that? Roma, they have contacted him, but I don't know if it's a certainty, so I don't know if
00:51:06
Speaker
Fonseca's fate is necessarily sealed. All right, Nima, this one is for you. This is from Adam Peeringer on Twitter, and he asks in reference to Christian Ericsson's continued struggles. He wants to know, can Ericsson be added value to this Inter? Maybe if Conte puts two Conte-type players behind him. But right now, Inter need to choose between Brozovic and Ericsson and sell one of them. What do you think about that?
00:51:34
Speaker
I think that's absolutely spot on. I think clearly they don't work together. I think if you can afford to have Marcelo Brozovic in the squad, you can do so because he gives you again another option in 3-5-2. He's brilliant in that.
00:51:50
Speaker
And I think together with Barella and Vidal or with Sensi and Vidal or whatever, that works really well in a 3-5-2. But it doesn't work if you have Christian Ericsson on the pitch. You have to play him in the number 10 role and you have to have someone, you have to have Kante there.
00:52:04
Speaker
you have to have N'Golo Kante to run for him, because Christian Ericsson does not do that. I mean, you saw his half-assed track back when Castravilli scored against Fiorentina, and it's been looking like that all the time. He doesn't have those traits, unfortunately. So if you want to keep Christian Ericsson, you have to have N'Golo Kante, otherwise
00:52:28
Speaker
You're just wasting time, both for Ericsson and for Inta. It's not working. I agree with that. Preferably, if you can cash in, that's why they're working so hard and trying to cash in on Scrinya to keep both of them.
00:52:47
Speaker
because nobody wants to buy Brozovich right now. So now that is an issue that needs to be addressed and that's not, again, that's not a question you want to be asking with one week left of the transfer window.
00:52:59
Speaker
I agree. All right. Two of our followers on Twitter, John LaMorte and Majin Tenshi, they both want to know if Ralph Randnick is the kind of figure who would fit at Roma. No, no, he would not. And I will just leave it at that. For many reasons, he would not be a good figure at Roma. Yes, they did hold talks with him. I don't think it's going to happen unless there's an amazing turnaround where
00:53:24
Speaker
Friedkin says you know what we want to scrap the plans that we have for this new structure at Roma They want to bring in new CEO a new general director They want to bring a new sporting director and they all want to have this cohesive unit where they all work in tandem You bring rag nick and you essentially throw that out the window because he will not be working in tandem with anybody He wants all the power
00:53:47
Speaker
to build the team, construct the team, once they oversee all of the transfer market. No, no, he would not fit, and I don't think he will join. It'd be like Munchy again, wouldn't it? Oh, yeah, it'd be a terrible fit. Terrible fit. Carlo, last one for you. I saw your tweet on this one, so I think I know your answer. But Stephen Fleck via email asks, did Milan dodge a bullet by not signing Tiago Silva, who had an absolute shocker at the weekend for Chelsea?
00:54:15
Speaker
I think so, yes. I do think that he would be more suited to Serie A at his age. He's 36 years old now. Obviously, Serie A is slower than the Premier League. It's more tactical than the Premier League. But given his salary and Milan's financial limitations, I do think that it was the right decision for Milan not to go from him. I think he's on about six million a year.
Closing Remarks and Future Episodes
00:54:40
Speaker
At at Chelsea and I do think that Chelsea might regret that a little bit and I mean I said it at the time when they signed him but going moving to the Premier League at the age of 36 for the first time when he'd been cruising in In Liga for eight years. It's very very difficult and when you then go to a team like Chelsea with Frank Lampard in charge and
00:55:01
Speaker
you know who has no defensive system at all and you're just going to be left completely exposed at the age of 36. You're just set up to fail there basically and so yeah I'm not surprised that he struggled so much on his debut.
00:55:18
Speaker
All right, that will do it for our user questions for this episode. Again, if you would like to get your topics discussed, your questions answered, let us know via Twitter, email or Patreon. And we would be happy to discuss whatever you throw our way.
00:55:35
Speaker
All right, so that will do it for this edition of the Italian football podcast. As always, thank you so, so much for joining us. Thank you so, so much for listening. And just a reminder on Thursday, we will be joined by writer Romeo Agresti. We will be discussing the transfer market, all things Syria. So to get that episode, you will have to go to patreon.com slash T I F P and become a patron for two 99 per month.
00:56:01
Speaker
Again, thank you so much for listening. We look forward to talking to you on Thursday. So until then bye. Bye