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Extended Clip - Julen Lopetegui To AC Milan: #NOPEtegui Trending - Rossoneri Fans Furious (Ep. 415)
1.4k Plays2 years ago
After news broke that AC Milan have decided on Julen Lopetegui to replace Stefano Pioli with Rossoneri fans reacting negatively and #NOPEtegui trends on social media, Nima Tavallaey and Carlo Garganese discuss, debate and analyze what this means going forward.
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.
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Transcript
Welcome and Introduction
00:00:02
Speaker
Welcome to the Italian football podcast.
Milan's Managerial Search
00:00:06
Speaker
Let's talk about Milan's search for a manager before we talk about Juventus versus Milan. And let's talk about what's going on with Judo Napategi because it is really quite fascinating what's going on. So it's pretty clear now, we know that, that Judo Napategi is Milan's number one choice. The board want him, the Gazette de la Sport and others have said that there is actually a contract offer that has been drafted for Napategi, three year contract worth around four million a year.
00:00:37
Speaker
that they're going to meet him again in the coming days. Milan want to get this sorted, it seems.
Fan Reactions and #Nopetegi Movement
00:00:42
Speaker
According to all sources, they want to get this sorted in the next week or so. Sorry, like really soon. They want to get their new manager sorted. They're in the Champions League now. They're officially qualified for the Champions League. So Milan know now that they can actually start planning properly for next season and for the transfer market. So they want to get this manager in as soon as possible. So Lopategi is who they want.
00:01:06
Speaker
The issue is that, this is what is amazing, is that there has been really strong opposition from the Milan fans to this, to the extent that we even saw, and I love this hashtag, Nopetegi. Nopetegi, yeah. They started a petition, I think on Change.com, where the Milan fans nope ategi.
Potential Alternatives to Lopategui
00:01:28
Speaker
Um, and, uh, well, I'd say that this seems to be a new Milan tradition. This is what we're right on schedule. It's enough. The fans are with, with managerial. Yeah. The fans through his seat fits and lose their shit over, over managerial appointments. Uh, you know, Alopategi out, just like purely out.
00:01:49
Speaker
trends, they bring him in and then things go well. So I'd say we're right on schedule. Dimatio says that they have seen all the opposition and it has made them not rethink, but at least acknowledge it and have a debate about it. They have to. Have a debate about it. And so, I mean, they're looking at
Impact of Hiring Lopategui
00:02:12
Speaker
Fonseca, Paolo Fonseca, former Roma coach, seems to be an alternative. I'm sorry, but when I read that, I choked. That is insane. Like, I know that he's a decent coach. Portuguese coaches are generally very well skilled, very well trained. They have a, you know, it's a very good school of coaching. But
00:02:39
Speaker
He can do well in France, in Portugal, in those leagues. He can't cut it in the Serie A. We've seen what happens to his football in Serie A. He's carved open.
00:02:55
Speaker
I think he's a good coach, but I think that Milan should be aiming higher than Fonseca. That's exactly where I am. I just don't think he's good. He can't play that. And Lopategi, I'm not as against Lopategi because I think he has done some good work and I can see his clear identity in what he tries to do. I think he's done some really good work at Sevilla. He was doing really well with Spain until the whole fiasco of him having to leave.
00:03:23
Speaker
and then obviously at Wolves. My issue with Lopategi is that he's clearly being pushed to Milan by Jorge Mendez and if Lopategi goes to Milan, then that to me suggests that Milan are going to become Jorge Mendez's bitch basically.
00:03:44
Speaker
and all his clients, that he's going to get clients and players that are going to get pushed to Milan. Basically, when we've seen that with Mendez in so many clubs where a key client of his, whether it's a manager or a player, goes to a club.
00:04:03
Speaker
one of Mendez's clients, and then all of a sudden so many of his other clients then start going. I mean, Wolves is the best example. I mean, Wolves are basically, they should be renamed Jorge Mendez FC. You know, I mean, you know, that is my concern with Milan, is that, you know, if Lopategi goes to Milan, clearly it's Mendez that's pushing it, pushing it, and then Milan suddenly become, you know,
00:04:30
Speaker
just just Jorge Mendez is his team and all of his players go there so that is what worries me probably the most out of this Lopategi and out of Lopategi going to Milan. No I think that's a fair point and I think also there's there's also
Board Preferences vs. Non-Conformist Managers
00:04:49
Speaker
When it comes to Pellegrini coaches, because I think Lopategi and Pellegrini are kind of at the same level. I like them. I think they're decent coaches, the Manuel Pellegrini. I think they play a sound football. They're sound tactically. I just don't think they raise the level to where Milan want to raise the level the next step after Pioli.
00:05:15
Speaker
I understand why reports, which I believe, by the way, that Zlatan is pushing Konta hard because of the fact that Zlatan and Konta, in terms of winning mentality, they know exactly what it takes, this kind of obsession of winning, and every aspect of your life has to be designed around that. And I think this Milan has shown that they react to those kinds of things. I mean, when Zlatan came back,
00:05:46
Speaker
Just his presence in the dressing room raised the bar. I agree with you. I, I, my... Connor's the same animal. He is. He's cut from the same cloth. He is, but he's not what he's not. He's not a company man. And my, I think everything that we've seen with Milan under Cardinale, under Redbird,
00:06:10
Speaker
Elliott before is that they want company men as their managers. They do But they don't they saw that with with Maldini they got rid of him because he wasn't on the same page as them And purely is
Conte's Impact and Zlatan's Influence
00:06:26
Speaker
a company man. He's done a very good job, but he's a company man and
00:06:30
Speaker
I think Lopategi is definitely, will definitely not, he definitely won't rock the boat. No, no, no. He will be part of the team. Fonseca, I don't know so much from that aspect, but I'm assuming he will. Whereas Conte won't. Conte won't give a damn. Does there be, does there be, I don't know, maybe he's... Does there be won't rock the boat. If he's given a chance to coach Milan, he ain't going to rock anything.
00:06:55
Speaker
He's going to rock all the way to the bank. That's what he's going to do. He's not going to rock any boards. Okay, maybe, yeah. I mean, if they're convinced that he won't, then fine. But I mean, but I suppose, yeah, I probably agree with you seeing as he's been at seven clubs. He's been at Sassuola. Sassuola and Brighton. He's been at Brighton. They sell all their best players. He's not going to rock anything. And he's accepted it. So maybe he deservedly be fine.
00:07:20
Speaker
Certainly, Conte. Conte's not a company man. No, no, Conte doesn't miss a bell. But the thing is that maybe sometimes you need to have a bit of that, you know, have that medicine because that effect lingers on because once players... If I'm making the decision, yes, I'm with you, Nima. The problem is the people making decisions, I think they don't, they want a company man. They want someone... But here's the thing. You bring Conte in for one, two seasons because you know he doesn't stay longer than that. He'll win you a scoretto. He'll fight with everyone before, during and after. Then
00:07:49
Speaker
you will but you will have had the level will have been raised and then you can bring someone in who's a company man and because the you know the effect will have will have remained like Inzaghi after Konta you know completely different kind of guy completely different but the players like Inzaghi said from day one they always made themselves available they wanted to win they were
00:08:11
Speaker
because of that effect last. I mean, you know, Handana, which spoke about how everything changed when Spalletti came in. Do you know what I mean? Like, it's like a step. You bring a Spalletti, then you bring in a Conte. Do you know what I mean? I agree with you. I agree, especially as I think Milan, as we said on the last show, Milan have the core of a team that can certainly push on with the right appointment, both in the management and just a few tweaks in the transfer. I think they're in a position to really make a
00:08:38
Speaker
to really make that next step, I think. They've got the core there with a good summer that they can really make the next step up. And Conte or a top coach, a winning coach can probably bring that. I just think that that's not the way that this Milan wants to work. They want somebody that will do as they say and not challenge them. And that's why I don't think Conte will, or someone like Conte will. But the question is,
00:09:07
Speaker
The question is though, if...
00:09:11
Speaker
Zlatan loses this battle. If it's true that he wants content, they go after Lopetegui. And Zlatan's not on board. I wonder if he stays.
Zlatan's Future at Milan
00:09:21
Speaker
Well, that's kind of why I'm surprised about Zlatan going to Milan. And that's why I do wonder, long term, whether it will last between the two, because we know that. Because he doesn't like being on the kids' table. He's not like he's not that kind of a guy who likes being seated at the kids' table and being used as a gimmick. That pisses him off.
00:09:41
Speaker
that and he also doesn't accept illusion as well no he can't handle that he doesn't want to be anywhere near a losing project and if he feels that it's not at the level he wants to be at then he'll just cut ties he's very ruthless yeah watch that watch that space