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Free Weekly Episode - Inter Milan Bastoni Controversy, Vlahovic Saves Juventus, #MazzarriOut As Napoli Smashed, AC Milan Win Again, Mourinho Sees Red At Roma & Much More (Ep. 389)
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From the Alessandro Bastoni controversy as Inter Milan become Serie A winter Champions after arrogant performance, Dusan Vlahovic the hero for Juventus after refereeing controversy, the kids are alright at AC Milan in win over Empoli, Torino asphalt a Napoli in freefall as #MazzarriOUT edges closer, and José Mourinho sent off again when Roma unlucky to draw Atalanta, to Maurizio Sarri's Lazio back in the top 4 race, as well as Baggio, Premface and Serie Ass of the week and much, much more when Nima and Carlo break down all the main talking points from an action-packed weekend in Italian football.
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Transcript
Controversial Weekend Highlights
00:00:02
Speaker
Welcome to the Italian football podcast. Hello, everybody, and welcome to the Italian football podcast. I'm Carlo Garganese joined, as always, by Nima Tavalli. And on today's show, we will react to a very controversial weekend in Celia into our winter champions, but only after a highly contested winner and dramatic ending against Verona. Juventus remain two points behind after dramatic ending of their own, as Dusan Vlovic heads home in the 90th minute.
00:00:30
Speaker
Milan continued their recovery with a third winning in a row against Empoli. Napoli's crisis goes from bad to worse as they are thrashed 3-0 by Torino and there are calls for Walter Mazzari to be sacked. The race for fourth place is as tight as ever as Fiorentina lose, Lazio win, Roma and Atalanta play out a Fieri draw and Bologna draw.
00:00:53
Speaker
So, very, very tight for the top four race. We also have Badio, Prem Phase and Serie A of
Support and Subscription Information
00:00:59
Speaker
the week. For all of our first-time listeners, this is our free weekly episode that we do every Monday, reviewing the weekend Serie A action and all the biggest talking points in Italian football.
00:01:08
Speaker
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00:01:35
Speaker
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Inter's Disputed Victory
00:01:50
Speaker
OK, so there's only one place to start, and that is Inter against Verona.
00:01:55
Speaker
Okay, so take two. I should just say before we start that we already recorded all of this. In fact, we did 45 minutes of recording this morning. And if I say so myself, it was
00:02:10
Speaker
It was absolute popcorn stuff. It was brilliant. It was brilliant. Me and Nimr were discussing the whole Bastoni controversy and all the other incidents in that game. And then, of course, Juventus and everything. Lots of stuff, basically. You can probably imagine. You've heard me and Nimr debate in the past. I think they listened to us go. I think they can imagine.
00:02:36
Speaker
It was brilliant and it was totally natural and it was fantastic and I'm absolutely gutted that we lost it. One, because I'm really busy today and I don't really have time to record again but we've managed to fit in some more time to record this again so I don't think it can live up to what it was about but let's see, let's see.
00:02:59
Speaker
Maybe it will, maybe it will. We've already started off in too much of a good mood for it to be as it was, but let me see if I can do a bit of sanitary and trigger Nimr into likewise. I'm sure Nimr will do the same to me.
00:03:15
Speaker
Okay, right. Let's start off then with the incident everyone's talking about. So, the Bastani incident. So, into beat Verona 2-1, it comes after an injury time winner from Davide Fratazzi, who turns the ball in from close range, but only after an incident in which Alessandro Bastani
00:03:38
Speaker
strikes. I know Nimr is going to. No, he shot him. He killed him. Yeah. And Alessandro Bastani strikes or shoulder charges as Nimr is going to call it. Andres Duda off the ball.
00:03:54
Speaker
It's not given by the referee. The VAR doesn't bring it back either. And as I said, for Tezi scores after the game, all hell breaks loose. And it's become a big, a big debate, a big controversy, which will go into lots of other offshoots of this. But first of all, let's get straight to the point. I asked you this when we first recorded.
00:04:15
Speaker
Do you think that this was a foul? If Michael Fabry, who is standing there, if you look at the replay, you see that the referee Michael Fabry is standing there by the situation and sees this very closely. He's actually very well positioned for the situation.
00:04:31
Speaker
If Michael Fabry had blown his whistle and given a free kick to Helas Verona in that situation, I wouldn't have had any problems with it whatsoever because that's the kind of thing that you see a million times in games. Sometimes the referee gives it, sometimes the referee doesn't.
00:04:48
Speaker
So there's no discussion there. For me, you can give it, you can't give it. But for the VAR, and this is what has been really pissing me off, to blow this up the way that it has in Italian media, turning, first of all, showcasing a remarkable lack of knowledge of the human anatomy, not understanding the difference between an elbow and a shoulder, which is in and of itself fantastic, then
00:05:15
Speaker
trying to make this into the greatest refereeing scandal since, you know, as we say in Gothenburg, since Jesus went and walked down the street in shorts, it's utterly bizarre. It's not a refereeing scandal. What it is, is given, in fact, given how the referee, the VAR and the referee,
00:05:39
Speaker
the level they kept in this game, it's actually consistent because Marka Arnautovic was fouled from behind leading up to Helas Verona's equalizer. The VAR looked at it, saw nothing. And because the referee saw it and it's not a clear and obvious error, neither is this. This is where I get really annoyed. It's the way that they are trying to change the protocol of VAR and how it's applied mid-season. You don't get to do that.
00:06:08
Speaker
matchday 1 to matchday 30. Before matchday 1 is when you need to get your shit together, your ducks in order, and tell everyone this is the level we're keeping. You don't get to change the VAR protocols application on matchday 19. You don't get to do that. This is not a clear and obvious error. The referee was literally there. He saw everything that happened. He adjudged it to not have been a foul, and just like he did with the with the Arnalt-Wid situation. And so
00:06:38
Speaker
They didn't give it. One in favor of Inter, one against Inter. And that's without even getting into the ridiculous penalty. I don't think I've ever seen in my life a player receive a tap on the sole of his foot and not fall down, but put that very foot down, take one and a half step with that foot, then fall down, and then the VAR step in and gives a penalty. I mean, that's ridiculous. If he had dived from the initial contact and fallen down, penalty all day long,
00:07:08
Speaker
but of course but it's not it's not he puts his foot down takes a step and a half and then fall remember shit he kicked me i gotta fall down it's it was embarrassing refereeing and and and the way this has been treated and hyped up in the media with our dear friends in tutto sport calling it campion de invarno which is hilarious coming from that that kept that that kettle calling the pot pot black
00:07:32
Speaker
Is jokes because when their team and let's be honest Toto Sport is Juventus unofficial PR mouthpiece in the opening stage match day one against Bologna when Bologna when the VR didn't intervening give you a penalty there was no var puns then and and this is and the rest of them the gazeta especially with their with Started all of this with the elbow nonsense and it's been going on since then and it's just ridiculous because
00:08:03
Speaker
It just puts, it creates, you know, if you're going to create that narrative is going to be pushed back and I'm fine with it. I'm fine with it. You want to be, let's play. Let's all have fun. Let's, let's have a shit show for the next six months. I'm perfectly okay with that.
00:08:18
Speaker
But don't give me this bullshit about Bastogne's shoulder magically turning into his elbow and this being this unbelievable injustice. Not buying it, not buying it. Again, if Fabry had given it, I wouldn't have said anything. But for the VAR to intervene there, just like Fabry with the Arnautovic equalizer, you have to be consistent, at least in the same game.
Juventus' Tactical Analysis
00:08:44
Speaker
That's not too much to ask.
00:08:46
Speaker
Yeah, okay. Well, the way I look at this is very simple, and I just wish everyone would look at it simply, and that is the Bastani incident. It's a clear foul. You say, and let me finish, you say it's more of a 50, 50 million times in a game. Sometimes it's given, sometimes it doesn't, shoulder to shoulder and all this. For me, look, that incident
00:09:09
Speaker
It's a clear foul. I think all the referees that have spoken after the game have said it's a foul. Dazone said it, Sky Sport Italia, Sport Media said it's a foul. Referee Chief Jeva Sony said it's a foul. They've suspended the refs. The VAR officials have been demoted to Serie B. So on that incident, I wish people would just be very simple about it and say, look, that was a foul.
00:09:35
Speaker
The goal should have been disallowed. That's it. Simple as that. Then we can talk about the other incidents one by one. We can look at the Maniani challenge on Arnaltovich before the equalizer for Verona at 1-1. And yes, for me,
00:09:51
Speaker
It's more of a foul than a foul. I disagree with the whole comparison comparing it to Bastogne because they're completely different incidents. One is challenging for the ball. One is completely off the ball completely. And it doesn't matter if one's more than a foul than the other. If they're a foul, they're a foul. But there can't be comparisons in terms of the severity of the two. Not at all. The penalty at the end is a penalty. There's clear contact. And again, the referees have said it's a penalty. But yes,
00:10:21
Speaker
He's certainly, if you want to call it simulated, he certainly exaggerated it and he certainly delayed his fall. There's no doubt about that. But we see that all the time with penalties and that isn't a marker for deciding whether it's a penalty or not. The marker was their contact, was the contact worthy of a foul. It was.
00:10:41
Speaker
No, was it a foul or not? Just every contact is not a foul. It can't be a foul when the contact doesn't initiate the player to fall down. He literally walks on that foot that is the victim of the contact, takes one and a half steps and then falls down afterwards.
00:10:58
Speaker
going going down doesn't decide going down doesn't decide whether whether it's a foul I mean Stuart Pierce got headbutted by by Basil Bali in the Euro 92 and he and he stood there and watched it that doesn't mean that Basil Bali that it's not a foul you know this is nickname was psycho as well so can we please not
00:11:17
Speaker
I mean, yeah, you know, if we want to go to extremes. But I tell you what, I just I what I'm fed up with. And I didn't even tweet about this after the game, because I'm sick and you know this, I'm sick and tired of debating that the bigger, the bigger talking points around this, which is why when everybody was saying, it's the Juventus League and Juventus own the league, like, you know, even like last season and two seasons ago, whenever some some decisions might have gone the Juventus way, you know, I'm fed. You see, this is the problem. This is
00:11:48
Speaker
I'm talking hypothetically here. I'm talking hypothetically here I Said the same thing then as I'm saying now I'm fed up of when people one group of people say the league is rigged because of this incident The league is rigged for Intel. It's the Marotta league into all these decisions
00:12:04
Speaker
decisions against Napoli. Inter got the decision for B6 push against Genoa. Inter have had the most penalties in the league this season. They've had the least yellow cards. I'm fed up when people are all saying this, right? But I'm equally fed up when the other side, the Inter side, is then saying there's this anti-inter narrative. I'm fed up of those who then do the whataboutism. And I know you're going to come back to this, Nimr.
00:12:26
Speaker
I'm fed up with those who then do the whataboutism when discussing each individual incident or the Bostonian incident and doing whataboutism about, oh, and Gatti, Gatti did this, did this, did this, did this punch and Bologna should have had a penalty against Juventus deflecting on these instances instead of just owning it and saying, you know what,
00:12:47
Speaker
Bastoni was a foul. I'm not trying to say maybe it was. It's a clear foul. I get to an extent, just to finish, I get to an extent this is fandom. I get the fans, not you, but fans are going to be biased. Both Inter fans are going to be pro Inter. Some Juventus fans are going to be pro Juventus. And that's just how it is. But I'm talking to somebody who
00:13:12
Speaker
I don't really classify myself as a journalist, but somebody that's trying to be, let's say, a little bit more objective than your usual fan, and somebody that loves the Italian game. I'm just fed up of how it goes to these extremes, and I'm just fed up of it. I'm just fed up of it. I hate the deflection. Just be honest, each individual incident was Bastogne, a fail, yes or no.
00:13:32
Speaker
Yes, it was. I'm not even here to rob this game. I'm not saying that. I'm just saying I'm fed up of all the deflection and the oh, there's a narrative. There is a media narrative. That's the point I'm making, because in the age of VAR,
00:13:50
Speaker
I agree with everything you said there, but my problem is this either everyone's guilty or no one's guilty narrative. I'm a little bit sensitive to that after 17 years of Calchopoli coverage having listened to nonsense. So that's a little bit of a touchy subject for me, that kind of, oh, either everyone's guilty or no one's guilty stuff. Yeah, I do react to that. That's a trigger point for me. That is 100% true. So I do react to that.
00:14:11
Speaker
yes my issue is not my issue is this is not what fans do i don't care what fans do they can do whatever they want football that's literally what a football fan is supposed to do is to is to react emotionally if they want to if they don't want to they don't if they want to be rational no one has the right to arbiter what football fans how football fans react and support to their team and feel like that that's fine leave it low i don't care about that right i'm talking about this ridiculous narrative of blowing
00:14:37
Speaker
one situation up into this ginormous fake scandal, and ignoring that in the age of VAR, I've watched Federico Gatti, AKA the flyweight boxing champion of Serie A, box Milan Djuric in the chest, box Krzyszka Karatzelja in the face, in the age of VAR, and get nothing for it. Nothing. In the age of VAR, I've watched him punch people, and he gets away with it, and I don't see these
00:15:05
Speaker
in Campion in Varno on Tuttosport or any other front page. And that's the narrative I'm talking about.
00:15:14
Speaker
And yes, I disagree with the narrative because I see those incidents certainly were blurred. The difference with those incidents is and certainly, you know, I mean, I think the I mean, I've seen people I've seen on social media, everyone going mad about this gatty one. And we'll come on to that game. You've entered us again. So any time they're saying that that gatty should have been sent off. No, you shouldn't
Inter's Arrogance and Striker Needs
00:15:35
Speaker
have absolutely ridiculous people saying, oh, you know, if if gatty
00:15:39
Speaker
You know, if, uh, if, uh, if Bastoni was a, was, uh, was a foul, then, then, then, then so was Gatti. I mean, these are the kind of ridiculous equivalence. It's not false equivalence. It's not false equivalence. Because one is a foul and the other one isn't. Both of them are fouls. That's the thing. Gatti's is
00:15:57
Speaker
Definitely. That's not the argument. The argument is that Gatti should have been sent off. You know, the argument is if Bastoni should have been sent off, Gatti should be dragged to Nuremberg and shot in the head. That's fine, though. That's not the argument, though, with Bastoni. The argument with Bastoni is that the goal should have stood, you know. And then, I mean, you said yourself it was a 50-50. It was a shoulder to shoulder.
00:16:19
Speaker
I'm saying that if Michael Fabry had blown his whistle in that situation and given a free kick, I would have nothing to say about it. It's the referee's call. I even think it's more of a foul than it is in a foul. I'd say it's 60-40 a foul than it isn't. My issue is this narrative that is being pushed, creating this ridiculous talking point. Because listen, here's the thing. I wasn't born yesterday. This is not my first interview with a title race that I've seen.
00:16:46
Speaker
And I've seen how the Italian media handle it, okay? I've seen this before. This is the classics, the script is this. Take 50-50 or 60-40, 70-30, calls in Inter's favor, blow them into this ginormous scandal, then, a couple of weeks later, completely rat F, Inter, with a call that is so out of this galaxy, so that when Inter complained and raised their voices,
00:17:10
Speaker
They say, see, what do you mean? It's 50-50. It happens to everybody. See, you got that controversial fake controversy calling your favor. So now you didn't. You know, ci postare. And I'm tired of the ci postare nonsense. That's what I'm against. That's the narrative. They're laying the groundwork for rat effing Unter in the future because I've seen it happen.
00:17:30
Speaker
Yeah, so this is this is this is what I don't like. See what you've just said. This is what it was. You're talking you're talking of hypotheticals down. But what I'm talking about facts, what we've seen on the pitch with the incidents, you know, but I don't want to get involved in that. I don't want to get involved in those that are saying that, you know, intro had more penalties than anyone and intro had all these these incidents that gone there on their way and they're in credit. You know, I don't want to get involved in that. But if we do want to get involved, we can say that those are facts that have happened. And, you know, you're talking about, oh, this is this is building so that because
00:18:00
Speaker
It does seem to happen in the past. I've seen it happen in the past. But then you have to acknowledge what's gone in their favour already. Because that's facts. But you can't tell me that. But what I'm saying is the false equivalency between a 50-50 or a 55-45 situation and ballooning that up into being like the greatest scandal, like when Juventus were victim of that against Salah and Itana, that ridiculous goal when it was the last season or the season before that. Last season, yeah.
00:18:27
Speaker
You know, yeah, that that is 100% a wrong call ballooning this to turn it into that. That's what I have a problem with. And that's what I don't like. And that is what they're doing. I mean, just look at the front pages of all three papers. The day you can't I'm sorry. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, it's not. It's not. It's owned by a guy who lives in Turin to begin with.
00:18:56
Speaker
the biggest, the biggest minority shareholder is a guy named Urbano Cajiro, who lives in Turin. Yeah, Turin. Yeah, but come on, as if there's- Come on, you can't tell me the gazetta are pro-yuba. They are very anti-yuba. They're not pro-yuba. They have been throughout it. That is exactly the false equivalency, I mean. The gazetta, the sport, is pro-intera, as a total sport is pro-yuba. It's just ludicrously wrong. I'm sorry. I don't want to get into the whole Calchopoli stuff, but that is
00:19:23
Speaker
provably provably false by the coverage of Calchopoli, you know, whether even if it's true, even if you call that even if you call it all facts, that's still provably by journalism. You know that you wish them they they would be come on. I don't want to get into it. Listen, I don't want to get into Calchopoli. People can make their own minds up on that. Especially given what happened on Sunday where the final appeal was thrown out. And what she has to pay into 50,000 euros for their legal expense. Okay.
Juventus' Youth and Tactical Discipline
00:19:50
Speaker
I said, I'm not going to go there, but I'm not going to go there. But listen, I just think just own each individual incident. Don't stop bringing in all this, all this other stuff. I think context matters, no context matters. And I think you have to be able to ask of the referees to help maintain one standard in at least the same way. That's fine. That's that's fine. But take each game and each instant and each game, each instant in each game and each game as a whole in and just focus on that rather than doing all this, you know,
00:20:18
Speaker
from both sides. And I'm not, I'm not, listen, I'm not taking anything. I haven't stand here and said that inter robbed, robbed the game against Genoa. I didn't say they robbed the game against Napoli. In fact, I said in that game against Napoli, I wasn't even sure about the Lautaro foul. If you remember, I said, and you, you were, you were laughing at me saying, oh, come on. You were actually saying, you were actually saying it was a foul. I was saying, I was saying, I was saying, I was saying in the
00:20:43
Speaker
Yes, I own that when when a call goes in my team's favor. I don't want that. I don't want to win like that. I mean, there is that my entire fandom has been around. I don't want to win with with the help of the referee. I don't like that. It feels dirty. I don't like that. That was a huge mistake, in my opinion, that went into his favor. And I think the referee should own that. And I think they should that he should be punished for that because that was a wrong call.
00:21:06
Speaker
There is never a situation on a football pitch where it's okay for you to put both of your arms around the waist of your opponent. Never. Ever. Is there any time on a football pitch where that action is warranted?
00:21:20
Speaker
But to create this, the Bastoni situation, if you look at the entire situation, Duda puts his arms and tries to hug Bastoni. Bastoni pushes himself through it. That's when the ball is being played in. They obviously say some stupid things to each other. They both lose their temper.
00:21:39
Speaker
Bastoni's shoulder pushes him into his chest. He holds his face. The problem is that Michael Fabry's right there and sees this entire thing, sees the exaggeration, sees the simulation, says no waves play on. I mean, in that situation, it's not a clear and obvious error and the VAR can't intervene. But the push now is with Gervassoni and all this talking about VAR should intervene and that was wrong and the BSIC goal was wrong and blah, blah, blah, na, na, na. That is
00:22:05
Speaker
exactly intellectual prostitution that Mourinho spoke about in his famous Xero Titoli speech in a similar situation. It's manipulation, intellectual, and that's all it is. I don't want people to talk about the past stuff, the past instance. That's exactly my point. Just talk about this game, talk about the instance of this game at the end of the season, if we want to, look at the end of the season and say, right, what decided the Scudetto race? Oh, maybe, you know, maybe these... That's fine. But that's the issue.
00:22:34
Speaker
It's too late. My name is too late. It's too late, but we can look at it. It's just tiring. It really is. It's just tiring. And I just wish people would just be honest. Like you owned that incident with the Lautaro one. For me, it's the same thing when Inter fans were complaining in the Derby the year that Milan won the Scudetto when Giroud tackled Alexis Sanchez before he scored the 2-1. That's not a foul.
00:23:02
Speaker
That's literally one big guy using his shoulder and his strength to win the ball of a smaller guy. It's not a foul. You didn't do anything wrong. Because it's not a foul. You're allowed. It's still a contact sport. For me, neither the Arnautovic situation nor the Bastoni thing is a foul.
00:23:21
Speaker
Yeah, I can't. I'm sorry. Yeah, I'm so this is where we disagree. I mean, I just it's 100% of it. It's not 64. It's not 73. It's off the ball. It's off the ball. It's off the ball. They're not challenging for the ball. So you can't you cannot even you cannot go with the shoulder to shoulder line when when you're not challenging for the ball. If you're challenging for the ball and you go shoulder to shoulder, you've got an argument when you're away from the ball off the ball. You're not challenging for the ball. Bastoni goes out of his way to you call it a shoulder charge, a strike, a little bit of a cock of
00:23:51
Speaker
the arm there as well. He doesn't just go with a firm body and shoulder charge. He swings a little bit. If you say his shoulder, let's go with shoulder, he swings a little bit. There's a bit of a cock of the arm there. You can see it clearly. That's a deliberate and with force. You can say he exaggerated it, he held his face, blah, blah, blah.
00:24:11
Speaker
It's a clear foul. I mean, for me, it's not even a debate. And that's reflected in the way that every single referee and every single TV station, the referee chief, all of them, I mean, they can all be one big conspiracy.
00:24:27
Speaker
Many of them have also said that the Arnautovic foul in the same situation should be taken. Well, that's fine. And I've said the same thing. So I'm just saying, why don't we just let's just own each incident and say, look, that was, you know, I don't think you can compare them. But I do. I do think it was a foul. I think he's gone through. He hasn't won the ball. Arnautovic has got his body on the ball. And I think it's a foul. But, you know, but again, anyway,
00:24:50
Speaker
Let's move on. I can say that our original recording was a lot more explosive than that. But, yeah, there we go. I saw that was still reasonably entertaining. Let's move on to Soler di Tani, Juventus. Can we just talk about a couple of things? The first thing I want to... Can we just end the intro? I just want to end the intro of the game. Because I don't think, regardless of all this refereeing nonsense,
00:25:19
Speaker
Inter's arrogance, I was livid after the game. I was not happy when Inter won that game. I was furious. Because this is now the fourth, fifth Serie A game this season where Inter are so bloody arrogant and full of themselves without any reason and cause to be so.
00:25:42
Speaker
They were lucky to win all three points. Let's not beat around the bush. They were lucky as hell. They did not deserve to win that game based on their arrogance alone. And that is just exemplified by Nicol Obarela. I know that goal wouldn't have stood. I'm perfectly aware of it. But when you've got an open net,
00:26:03
Speaker
in a 2-1 type game as crazy as that. And you don't put it into the back of the net, but you try to be cute and pass your teammate because he's struggling and blah, blah, blah. That screams of arrogance. And that's what I feel this inter drives me crazy with. Is there self? Is there arrogance? Exemplified no more than Mark Arnaltovic. I mean,
00:26:26
Speaker
My God in heaven! Who does this guy think he is? He walks around in struts like he's got the talent and career of Zlatan Ibrahimovic when in fact he's barely delivered on par with Zlatan Muslimovic up until this point and he goes around strutting around like he's the big boy and big man and Mrs. Sitters can't even hold the ball up and produces one of the worst substitutions
00:26:54
Speaker
I've seen an inter-player do. This arrogance needs to be addressed. And I'm going to give you a good segue now, because I think unless they sign a striker in January, Juve are winning the Skoredetto Inter or not. There's no chance. There is no chance. Alexei Sanchez and Marco Arnautovic are ex-players. They should be playing exhibition matches, raising funds for charities.
00:27:19
Speaker
It's embarrassing to see. And IMTRs don't seem to want to understand that. They don't seem to want to own that. And unless they bring in a striker in January, Juventus are winning this.
00:27:30
Speaker
No, no hands and goings. I don't know about that because if we look at the salinity anniversary, Juventus came and Juventus really weren't good in this game. I mean, the first half was was was abysmal and they had a 0.37 XG. They didn't have a shot on target until the I think about a minute before before they got the equalizer Juventus. And really it was the red card, which
00:27:58
Speaker
which, well, it helped them massively. I don't want to say change the game because Juventus were always in possession and the game itself was the same pattern.
Juventus' Attacking Challenges
00:28:08
Speaker
But if you look at the way Juventus played before they were sending off and after sending off, it was slow tempo, moving the ball way too slow, way too predictable, way too easy for Salerni to just set up and get players behind the ball and in position to defend. It was just
00:28:23
Speaker
pass the ball out. Why? Declan Rice passes sideways, cross the ball in. That's it. And that's why I objected to last week when we were having this debate over Juventus Roma. And you were saying, oh, you know, Juventus can have patterns of play in attack. And we do. And Roman can't. And I objected to it. And I said, look, Juventus have a structure which Roma don't have. But the patterns of play are, well, I think we saw in this game that this is where Juventus still really do need to improve a lot. And it's just you can't just
00:28:53
Speaker
I mean, it worked in this game. People will reply and say, well, Juventus scored both their goals off crosses in this game. But it's just get the ball out wide, cross it into the box. It really wasn't good. And what got Juventus through in this game is what is their biggest strength and is probably the only thing that maybe if by March or April they're still in touch with Inter,
00:29:17
Speaker
especially with Inter if they've got extra Champions League games and if Inter start to feel the heat a little bit, the only thing that can maybe get them above Juventus, less so the personnel, because for me, even if you want to talk about Alexis and you want to talk about Arnautich, there's no doubt that Inter have the best squad, they have the best team, they've scored the most goals by a mile, they've conceded the least goals, they're the best team and squad, there's no doubt about it for me, but what Juventus do have
00:29:40
Speaker
is they have this determination and this spirit that seems to get them through and that is undeniable. You can see that by the number of late goals. When Manchester United used to score loads of, and I'm not for one second comparing this Juventus team to Man United late 90s team, but
00:29:58
Speaker
when Man United used to score loads of late goals under Ferguson and they used to call it Fergie time. I remember saying it myself, I was a kid, so they understand football as well as I do now. I used to say, oh, lucky Man United, they're so lucky, scoring all these late goals, injury time goals, oh, they're so lucky. But you know what? There's a determination of spirit in this event that they never, never give up. And that is, there's no doubt about that. We can talk about the lack of quality all we want in this game. But I do think in to have it as well. Listen, don't forget, regardless of whether the goal should have stood or not,
00:30:26
Speaker
Interscored in injury time, you know, Interscored, OK, they missed the penalty afterwards. That's another debate in itself. But they, you know, Inter have been scoring late goals and Inter have got there. So I think both teams, both Inter and Juventus have this this never say die spirit, which is which is really, really it's amazing to watch. I think it's really fascinating. And it keeps you on the edge of your seat and wanting to watch right to the end, even in games where, I mean, Juventus didn't look like getting the winner in this game, let's be honest, and then bang out of nowhere.
00:30:54
Speaker
they scored. So I think, yeah, the determination and the spirit of this Juventus, the fino a la fina, the classic, you know, Juventus spirit is definitely there. It's definitely there. It's definitely there. And it's all thanks to Max Allegri. You know, it's he's literally instilled this at Juve, this inevitability about Juve, this notion that, you know, you know me, I'm a firm believer that coaches, just like players, can have
00:31:22
Speaker
bursts of form and bursts where they're in and out of form. Right now, Max Allegri can do no wrong.
00:31:29
Speaker
The players, he is Juventus' leader. This is an inexperienced uvicide. It doesn't have very many champions and experienced winners. And so he is obviously the leader. He's obviously the person they look to. And right now, every tactical change he makes pays off, even when it doesn't look good, even when things are looking dreary and horrible and it's not looking well.
00:31:52
Speaker
he manages to get them to believe in themselves and keep grinding on even when it's ugly and it's not looking good and they keep grinding out these one goal difference wins and scoring late as well. I was watching that game and immediately
00:32:09
Speaker
after selling any time I scored, I was like, okay, it depends on how it looks in the 50th minute. But immediately in the second half begin, I knew you were going to win in the 90th minute thanks to a goal. I knew it because it was just in the air.
00:32:25
Speaker
And that, you have to give that to Allegri. He is a winner. He has a winner's mentality. He knows what it takes to win at Juva. He knows what it means to be at Juva and be chased and be the one chasing. And he knows how to get his players to believe in this team and in this project. And he's doing a fantastic job with it, I think from a psychological side.
00:32:48
Speaker
um and and you know after triggering acherbi for a couple of weeks now he's now he's doing this whole song and dance about us kudetto come on we need to secure the fourth spot that's what we're fighting for i mean it's it's it's it's funny because he's so sarcastic and ironic and it's classical uh classic max and and i love it i love him i think he's brilliant um but
00:33:13
Speaker
He does it for a reason and he knows what he's doing and the team are on the same and him and the players are on the same page and that's why there's not much trouble. He changes players all the time, he changes systems in games, he tinkers, but they all react to it.
00:33:30
Speaker
And right now, I'd say he's probably the most informed coach in all of Serie A, if that makes sense. He got his changes right in this game. He brought on Elling Junior for Kostich at halftime and obviously Elling Junior scored the equalizer. Elling Junior is an interesting one as well because he was, I mean, I know for a fact, three people I'm speaking to, Juventus wanted to sell him, going into December, even going towards January. Juventus planned to sell Elling Junior this month.
00:33:56
Speaker
make to raise the money to buy a central midfielder. But he's actually hit a good bit of form, Elling Junior, recently. So that's something for them to think about now, Juventus, and whether they should still sell Elling Junior. But
00:34:18
Speaker
But yeah, Dusan Blauwitsch, I want to talk about him because he had his best performance of the season last week against Roma. And we said, I said certainly that, let's not all get carried away now. I've seen some people on social media say, yeah, see, Dusan Blauwitsch, the real Dusan Blauwitsch is here. It's one game against
00:34:41
Speaker
you know, one opponent and he was playing against Urensei who who's had a good season, but he's not a particularly good player. And if you saw him, he got hauled off against against Atalanta at the weekend of the game, absolutely terrorized by Miranciuk in that game. You know,
00:34:58
Speaker
Blau which is going to play against different markers, he's going to play against different types of team. I mean Selenetana were even deeper than Roma, they were playing on a wet pitch, a very heavy pitch, not very good conditions, different type of game, Juventus are chasing the game rather than
00:35:13
Speaker
than playing against the team when you're in the lead. You know, so totally different dynamic. And Vlawic struggled for long periods of this game. First half especially, wasn't holding it up well. But he was better in the second half. And what I like about Vlawic certainly is he was, I think for a long time, very defeatist in his attitude, his mentality. He looked like someone who'd almost not given up on his Juventus career, but almost given up.
00:35:39
Speaker
Like he almost, you know, he went onto the pitch and he wasn't playing like a champion, like a player, like a person that was with the authority that was, you know, I'm the man. And now he has got that again, like we said before, the determination and the spirit of Juventus as a whole. I feel that and see that in Wlawicz. And we saw that even with his celebration and, you know, taking his shirt off and, you know, just his anger. He has that anger in him that he wants it.
00:36:08
Speaker
It's a point to prove, doesn't it? He plays with like a man who's got a point to prove, even though he doesn't succeed with everything, even though he had a pretty bad first half. He plays with that kind of rabia, you know, like you said, rage or anger, I guess, but he has a point to prove. And he wants to show that he's good enough to be at Uwe, he's good enough to be Uwe's number nine.
00:36:31
Speaker
And when you have a player with that mentality there and you've got him in that headspace where you keep him focused and disciplined, but he's playing, channeling his anger in the right way. I mean, that's a brilliant, that's, that's really well done. Allegry again, because that's, that's the job of a coach to keep the players mentally fresh and in the right frame, frame of mind. And it's worked with, with, with Laovich. So.
00:36:51
Speaker
That's what we're asking for. That's what we're asking. We're asking for noticeable changes. You can attribute to the coach until now we haven't seen that. Yes, absolutely. You have to give that to the coach or the coaching staff as well. There is something that I'm still...
00:37:07
Speaker
we still need to see from from Blauerman. And that is I don't I don't think that his his shots on the turn are good enough or fast enough, smooth enough. He doesn't turn on that. What we say this turn on the six pence where you've got to go and you've got the ball and you turn and get shot away at goal. For me, he still moves. He still moves too slow. I mean, I once I think I once likened him to a World War one tank in the way that he turns around.
00:37:36
Speaker
you know i mean i was of course i was exaggerating when i said that but he does move too slow when he's when he's got his back to goal and he and he has a chance to turn and get a shot on goal he moves so slow that it's always there's always the defenders blocks it all the time every single time um and you know he that needs to improve because that is one of the key key aspects of a of a striker especially when you're in the penalty box you know the ball comes into you
00:38:02
Speaker
Control, turn, shoot. He's still too slow on that. I did see that a couple of times in this game. I think Yomba got a few blocks in. He should have had a penalty, though, while we're talking about penalties. It was an absolutely clear penalty. A cross comes in from the right.
00:38:18
Speaker
and Gjomba doesn't even look at the ball, doesn't even challenge for the ball, he just comes in and barges Włowicz to the floor. It's a definite penalty. But again, it's something that no one even talked about. Well, Salah-Nitana after the game were furious because before the sending off on the Salah-Nitana player, there's a clear free kick for Salah-Nitana. I mean, that's the situation we're talking about. But if we were to blow this up into the biggest scandal,
00:38:48
Speaker
you know, we've got this challenge as well, which is a yellow, it's not a red. But I mean, yeah, that's the point. I guess that's the point I was making in the whole overall point that I'm making is that, you know, these are the these are the kind of things I mean, we can talk about these things. But but anyway, anyway, look, I think that this wasn't a good performance as a whole, as Juventus. It's not performance you expect against the bottom team in the league. There weren't that many positive individual performances. I think you take Vlovich, you take
00:39:13
Speaker
Illing junior, obviously, positive of the bench. Then I think you're pretty struggling, to be honest with you. I think Costich was abysmal in the first half, and then he was hauled off. The centre midfielders were so lacking in imagination, but they really miss Locatelli in this game, Juventus. I mean, it was just sideways passes, sideways passes all the time. Declan rise passes, as I call them. The other thing... Oh, Yieldis was quieter today. Milik was really poor.
00:39:40
Speaker
just shooting long-range, stupid long-range shots that he had never had a chance of scoring. Danilo is someone to keep an eye on though. I think Danilo's really been struggling since his return from injury. So many goals that the Juventus have been conceding have been down his side. His side, the ball played into that channel between him and Kostich and we've seen at least three goals now. I can remember the Monza goal,
00:40:08
Speaker
the Frosinone goal and this one as well. So Danilo, I don't know. I don't know whether there's even a debate that maybe he should be dropped and it should be Gatti, Bremer and Rugani that should start. Maybe, but I do think Danilo is important for his construction from the back. He's the only one that can actually pass the ball out the back and I think that is important and that's maybe something you don't notice and said he's not there. But yeah, he's been struggling defensively a lot.
00:40:34
Speaker
But talking about injuries though, my final point I just want to make is on Kiesa because he missed this game with another injury pulled up in training and it's becoming a concern now. The number of injuries that he's had since he's returned from his ACL, this is his fourth injury this season, fourth injury break. Don't forget that he missed the first two international breaks for Italy as well. And last season he had seven different injury breaks.
00:41:01
Speaker
after returning from the ACL. So that's 11 since returning
Juventus' Youth Development Success
00:41:05
Speaker
from the ACL. So 11 in what, not much longer than a year, really, kind of what we talk in 12, 13 months, there was a break for the World Cup as well. So yeah, he's, he's, it's a little bit concerning, I think, with Chiesa. Not so much for you, not as much, well, for Juventus as well, but for Juventus, for Chiesa, for the Italy national team ahead of the Euros and beyond. I mean,
00:41:27
Speaker
too many injuries. I'm so glad you brought that up because I've been thinking about this for quite some time and that is after an ACL who is Federico Chiesa the player? Is he the player who before the injury in my opinion and I stand by that had the raw talent to be a Ballon d'Or
00:41:50
Speaker
Ballon d'Or winner in talent, but that's what I've always thought. But after an ACL, given that he's lost a bit of explosivity, he's lost a bit of pace, I think who is Federico Chiesa is the more correct question. What kind of player is he? I personally think his days as a wide playing like a wing back or a winger is a are over. He doesn't have that in him, which is kind of funny because it brings me back to the point that Allegri was right all along. He should play centrally in a two man attack.
00:42:21
Speaker
And I think after the ACL, that has to be the point now, because I just don't see him doing that. And these niggling injuries that follow after an ACL that keep haunting him, this is a problem. And it's a shame, because in my opinion, he was going to be the biggest Italian star with the Italian national team. And that's a problem.
00:42:45
Speaker
I don't think I don't see the correlation on position between position and injury. But I mean, I think that if you look at how he played for Italy in the in the last the last international break, he was he was fantastic, wasn't he? And and you know, so he I still I'm still certain that being a winger is his position. I think the question is more
00:43:09
Speaker
can he play in the same way as that winger after an ACL and whether the way that he plays the way that he twists and turns the way that he plays such a you know he puts himself in positions that do leave himself open for injury I think the way that he moves and the way that he invites challenges and the way that he gets you know take gets
00:43:32
Speaker
gets a rough treatment from defenders. Is that leaving him open to injury? Does he need to adapt his game a little bit to stop him from getting injured? And if he does do that, then how can he possibly be the same player when those are his strengths, aren't they? So I think that is, for me, that's more the concern rather than the actual position because I've never been truly convinced in him as a center forward despite his attributes. And I think that's shown. And I know for a fact he doesn't like playing as a
00:44:01
Speaker
from his camp that he doesn't like playing as a sense of forward. So I think those are the concerns and especially when you look at the number of injuries he's got, I mean,
00:44:13
Speaker
Yeah, we had a discussion, didn't we? Who should Italy take to the Euros? I think they needed, maybe they need to take an extra attacker if they're going to take Kiesa, because you can't go with, let's say five attackers, or maybe even if you take six attackers with three positions. And in Kiesa, what happens if he gets an injury for three weeks, four weeks? I mean, you're suddenly in trouble. So I think that's something also you need to
00:44:33
Speaker
you need to take into mind. And thank God the Juventus have had Yield is coming through now, because you're talking again, you're talking about Aneltovic and Sanchez. Well, Juventus could have been that we could have had Vlauovic and Vlauovic and Milik and Moisakine and that's it.
00:44:48
Speaker
for the rest of the season. But Yildiz has come through and he's developed and he didn't have a good game in this game, but he looks like a really huge talent. But also talking about bad battles, he is getting kicked all over the place, Yildiz as well, getting some awful challenges we saw we've seen in the last few games. So again, that's something that referees, we're talking about referees, they need to, yeah, they need to, it's fine, it's a man's sport, he's a kid, but
00:45:14
Speaker
You know, some of the some of the treatment he's getting, he's getting kicked all over the place. So, yeah, let's not kill our youngsters. No, absolutely. Absolutely. But I mean, the thing with Juve is and that's something we have to give praise to. And I think it's going to be another great segue for you to the next point, to the next segment. And that is the youth, Juve and Milan.
00:45:35
Speaker
They have to be praised. I mean, we've both been very critical of young players not getting a chance whether or not they have no choice or not. That's true. Both of these clubs because of their finances. But the fact of the matter is they are playing youngsters and the youngsters they are playing are delivering. I saw a stat. I don't know if you saw it as well about Juventus. Let me just bring it up quickly about Juventus being the first club in the city to have five players
00:46:02
Speaker
born after 2000, let me just quickly. Juventus are the only team with three goal-scorers born after 2003 in the Serie A this season. Elling junior, Yildis and Miretti. Only Barcelona have more in the big five European leagues and they have four. Fair play, fair play. Listen, I said that even last season and the season before when I was always negative about Juventus is the only thing that Juventus have done right in the last
00:46:28
Speaker
let's say four years, four or five years as a club, in terms of building. And that is the youth policy. I mean, they are bringing through players. There's no doubt about it. It would be nice to see a few more Italians, but yeah. I mean, Hoyson also made his debut for Roma last night as well. It came on as a
Milan's Recovery and Liao's Performance
00:46:55
Speaker
sub.
00:46:55
Speaker
So so yeah that that is that certainly a positive as it is for Milan Positives as well because we had checker try already scoring his his first goal for Milan as a substitute He's not that not the first one from Milan youngsters to score this season either and it was a dominant win for Milan 3-0 at Emily and it's Yes, it's been a good little recovery for Milan because purely was on the brink of the sack and now they won three games in a row I
00:47:25
Speaker
I want to single out, though, Rafael Liao in this game, because we were very, very critical in our last show of 2023. I was, anyway. And I said that it's been a year to forget 2023, how he only had three goals and four assists in the first half of the season in 2023. And now he started 2024 with a goal in the Coppa Italia. And I thought he was outstanding in this game. He was doing his man every time. He got the assist for Loftus G. He was setting up other chances. So I think it's been a good start to 2024 for Rafael Liao.
00:47:56
Speaker
Yeah, no, I disagree with you a little bit on that. I think 2023 was a year to forget. I think the first half of the Serie A season, definitely forget. But I think in the spring, I mean, there's no way that Milan get to the Champions League semi-final if it wasn't for Rafael Liao.
00:48:13
Speaker
And I think that, you know, and he's still not the finished product. I think my criticism with him, and I've thought a little bit about this, because one of our patrons who's a Milan fan, we've been discussing this quite a bit, me and also Dennis, who's also a Milan fan, they're both Swedish, and we talk quite a bit about this.
00:48:30
Speaker
And I've thought a lot about what they said. And they said, look, if Rafael Liao was the player you think he is, he wouldn't be at Milan. He would be at Real Madrid. He'd be at PSG. He'd be at Man City. He's not the finished product. So therefore you can't judge him with those parameters.
00:48:46
Speaker
And I'm thinking, I don't agree with them, because I think that if you're the number 10 at Milan, if you're the gold letter star player who's supposed to carry Milan, and that is what Milan have made it clear that Lea was supposed to be, then I want to see development and growth. I agree to a certain extent that the way that Milan have changed how they play has hindered him a little bit. And I did discuss last week, well, is that the wise choice in the short term?
00:49:12
Speaker
No, but maybe it is in the long term, because if Liao learns to handle this situation, then he will move towards being a complete player. Let's remember that it took Lautaro Martinez quite a few years to become the goal scorer that we're seeing him become this season. My criticism comes from frustration, because in this game against Empoli, the lightness with which he sprints away from these poor players
00:49:40
Speaker
It's like death, taxes, and Rafael Liao running past you. It's like you know he's coming. There's nothing you can do. And he's so light on his feet. He sprints past them, and they know what's coming. They double down on them. They triple down on them. They just can't get anywhere near him. He's doing trivela crosses, which are fantastic. But then as soon as he gets into finishing positions,
00:50:03
Speaker
he just squanders it and it annoys me because to me the difficult part is getting into those positions the lovely drop of the shoulder racing past with with breeze and then the tap he misses the tap ins and that annoys me um and and and that's what i want to see from me because i think his talent really is world class i think he's a unique player um and i think that's where the frustration comes in
00:50:25
Speaker
We're not asking for him to be the finished product though, are we not? Let's be honest. We're asking for him to improve and develop. That's the whole point. And he hasn't developed since the Scudetto season. I don't think he's developed. I don't think he has. The numbers have declined. Well, this season for sure. The numbers have gone off a cliff so far this season. He's still got time to recover. But the first half of this season, the numbers have plummeted this season. So we're not asking for him to become Killian Mbappe.
00:50:52
Speaker
You know, we're asking him to just we're asking for development and to improve and he hasn't if any he's stagnated and if anything he's he's he's declined and he hasn't improved the areas which which we've always said That they're unpolished parts of his game, you know, he's still when he has chances. He doesn't doesn't finish Clinically, he still doesn't make the right final pass too often use decision-making and and you know, so
00:51:21
Speaker
these areas, he still hasn't improved in his game. And those are the areas that he needs to improve if he is going to become the finished product. So yeah, that is the issue for sure. But yeah, as a whole, Milan as a whole, I thought they were good in this game, they dominated the game, nice goal from Lotta's cheek.
00:51:41
Speaker
and they were comfortable, comfortable winners. And apart from another injury, but you know, it wouldn't be a Milan game without an injury. Florencia get injured. I thought they were good. And now we're seeing that they've now entered the race to sign Radu Dragos in as well. So that's a...
00:51:58
Speaker
Yeah, not sure what to think about that one, Radi Dragosin. Do they really need a centre back? I mean, I guess they do for next season, but maybe not. I mean, they've got a lot of injuries. When I read that, when I read those links, I started immediately thinking Antonio Conte.
00:52:14
Speaker
Like to me that just screams that he's coming back and he's going to Milan because he wants to be the first coach to win the Serie A with Juve, Inter and Milan. And you know my position on this. I think Milan are better side of a 3-4-2-1 or a 3-4-3 or a 3-5-2 if we want to play it. They brought the right players, absolutely. I think they already have a back three that can play there. They got Teo Hernandez can be as a wing back. What they do need is a right winger.
00:52:41
Speaker
right wing back right wing or whatever. I think Liao is one of the two in a 3-4-2-1 or a wide play in a 3-4-3 and you need a number nine as well. I think that just two or three players away and Dragosin, it follows the Milan standard in the sense that he's young, there's resale value, he won't command too much in wages and he can play in a back three and also he's really improved
00:53:10
Speaker
I mean, I guess Inter thought it was so obvious, but he's really improved his passing from the back this season. Because I was very critical of his passing in the past. I was like, is this guy even a football player? But I think he's really, really taken strides this year. And it's an interesting signing. It really is. If it happens, if he doesn't go to Tottenham, which could still happen.
00:53:31
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, let's move on. Actually, just before we do move on, just a quick note on an employee. I thought I said at the start of the season, I was I thought they'd get relegated. And I'm absolutely certain now they are getting relegated unless they can do something really good on the market, bring in at least one attacker that can get them goals. And they need to do they need to have a have a really good January transfer market for me. Otherwise, I'm certain that they're going down. They're just they're just not good enough.
00:54:00
Speaker
No, look, they're not going to do that because that's not who empoli are. They're this tiny, provincial side from a cute, lovely little place in Tuscany where they build their entire structure on bringing youth, young and talented players up.
00:54:18
Speaker
and selling them on and then they go down and then they regroup and then they come up again. This is who Empoli are and hopefully we'll see them soon again within a couple of years after they go down this year. This time around Baldansi moves on and we see them with a new batch of young talented players which they launch the careers of like we've seen with many many a time with Empoli.
00:54:39
Speaker
Absolutely. And Napoli, though, I mean, they are. Yeah, I mean, it's getting it's getting absolutely ridiculous now. I mean, the park by Torino, they were. And I feel like, you know, I'm just repeating myself every single week now with with well, now with Matsari before we've got to see her. But but now with Matsari again, I'll say it again. I mean, Napoli are down to ninth now. They're thrash three nil.
00:55:07
Speaker
They're 20 points off-inter at
Napoli's Struggles and Coaching Speculations
00:55:09
Speaker
the top of the table. I mean, as title defences go, this is one of the worst title defences, not just in Serie A history, in football history.
00:55:18
Speaker
I said it, I said it when he was appointed, and I've said it consistently since. Walter Mazzari at Napoli, they're not gonna, I don't think they're gonna get top four. And, you know, they're now, I mean, they can't be anybody now. They're losing to everybody now. It wasn't just the big teams at the start. They're now losing to Frosinone, and they're losing to Torino, and they can't beat Monzer. And his record since coming to Napoli, Walter Mazzari's won three, drawn one, lost six,
00:55:46
Speaker
They've now gone four games in a row without scoring. How is that even possible with the attackers Napoli have got? Just go four scoreless games in a row. They have eight goals in 10 games. In the 10 games that Massari's been there, they've scored eight goals. Six of those 10 games that Massari's been there.
00:56:04
Speaker
They haven't they haven't scored and they've got five scoreless games in the last six games. Then you go to the defense. So it's not just the attack. You go to the defense. They conceded nine goals in their last four games. And these aren't top top level teams that they played in these four games. Again, like you said, I mean, they were torn apart. They lost three nil, but it could have been more. And and Torino, this is a Torino team that
00:56:27
Speaker
we know. We know what Ivan Djuric's strengths are. We saw them in this game as well. But we also know what their weaknesses are. Ivan Djuric and Torino's weaknesses are they don't score many goals, they don't create many chances. But it has changed. It's changed for this game. They had the fourth worst attack in Serie A before this game. No, but ever since Duvan Zapata came in, I mean, I do watch, you know how much I love Ivan Djuric and his football, so I do watch them. And it has improved. The first 10-15 games of the season where
00:56:57
Speaker
It was mentally difficult to watch Torino. It was painful to watch them. But since Zapata's really got flying, they're much more fluid in attack. They're creating more chances. I think in this game they had 2.8.
00:57:15
Speaker
2.08 XG. They had 10 shots, 6 on target. They dominated Napoli and they played in a way that was so, so impressive. And they're in form now, Torino. They really are in form. And they're sneaking their
00:57:32
Speaker
No, they're not far off the top four either. That's what comes the top four in a bit, but they're not that far off. They're really not. But I got to say that midfield, that double pivot of Illich and Ricci, I'm in love. It's so nice. I'll give him one thing. He's not bad at developing players, so I really hope he can do that with Ricci for the Italian national team that is and Bela Nova.
00:58:03
Speaker
and Bonjourno was outstanding. Bonjourno in the air is absolutely, he just wins everything, doesn't he? In the air. He reminds me of Matarazzi a little bit in the air. He's a similar left footed, but similar kind of way he kind of hangs in the air and with the headers, big powerful headers.
00:58:22
Speaker
Yeah, that's not the way he scored as well. It was kind of a Materazzi header. No, he's got that. Yeah, I know what you mean when you say that. No, I say I do not want to play Torino right now. They're in form and they're a difficult side to play. They're a difficult side, but at the end of the day, they still had and they have been improving, but they had the fourth worst attack in Serie A and Napoli letting three goals against them and should have letting more. There was an incident where somebody missed an open goal.
00:58:51
Speaker
hit the post and then it came out to Zapata, then missed another open goal on the follow up. I mean, this could have been five or six in this game. And I kind of wish it had been, because if this game finishes five or six, then maybe the trigger gets pulled on that. Sorry. Because I, again, I keep hearing people saying, I've had a few a few people reply to because I put out a tweet yesterday saying they just have to sack him. And I see people saying, well, who are they going to replace him with? Well,
00:59:15
Speaker
I'm going to read out a list of available free agents. Now, I know some of these are not going to be realistic, but I'm just going to just just want to show just just so everybody knows who is available right now. Antonio Conte, Hansi Flick, the former Germany national team, Julen Noppatega, who's a very good manager, just just been set by wolves, wasn't it? Igor Chudo. And then if we go there, we can go down a little bit more to kind of in terms of level Ralph Hussenhutl, former Southampton manager, Graham Potter, AVB, Villas Boas, Yogi Law,
00:59:45
Speaker
who I think is finished, but he's available. Laurent Blanc, Lucian Fabre, Jesse Marsh, if you know, Sarial loves going American. I mean, you know, these are all coaches are all available. I think they all do. Well, most of those would do better than than than Matt. Sorry. But if we look at the ones at the top,
01:00:02
Speaker
I mean, Antonio Conte, of course, is going to be very, very difficult. But Hansi Flipp, Julien Lopategi, Igor Tudor, I'm sorry. There is no reason why, if ADL, if De Laurentiis wants to make it happen, there is no reason why he can't go to Hansi Flipp to Lopategi or Tudor. I'd go for Lopategi or Tudor because they're club coaches. They've done it in the club game, whereas Flipp hasn't. But I would go to Lopategi and Tudor and I'd offer them an 18 month or a 30 month contract.
01:00:29
Speaker
If it has to cost you, even if it costs you 10 million over that period, 10 million, right? That is much better paying that 10 million, making sure you get in the Champions League and then staying with Matsari, failing to get in the Champions League and losing out on a potential, I don't know, 80 to 100 million or guaranteed 50 million. What's better, even if you have to in the summer,
01:00:55
Speaker
pay off, Lopate, your tutor, because you've already got a coach lined up for next season. You've already got, I don't know, Vincenzo Italian or someone that's already been agreed for next season and you only want a temporary coach, right? That's fine. Just pay them off.
01:01:08
Speaker
If a coach won't accept a short-term contract, which most won't, it doesn't matter. Just give them an 18-month contract, get them a 13-month contract. It costs you 10 million in total, so be it. At least you get in the Champions League, you bring in that money. If you do it this way and stick with it, sorry, you're not getting into Champions League, you're going to lose all that money. Your players' values are all going to drop because they're all plummeting, the value of their players. And you're going to lose Aussie men, you're going to lose current skater because they're not going to want to not play in Europe.
01:01:35
Speaker
I mean, this is the whole issue that I had with appointing Matsari in the first place. He should have just given Tudor an 18-month contract when it got to the end of the season, just pay him off his other year. How much is Tudor going to earn a year? 2 million? 3 million at most? You're going to pay him 3 million to pay him off? Well, well done, De Laurentiis. Now you're going to lose 50 to 100 million because of that, just for the saving 3 million. It's pathetic.
01:01:58
Speaker
No, it is pathetic. But more than anything, I mean, he did come out and take responsibility for what happened. But I think the players need to take a little bit of responsibility here, too. Because, yes, he's made lots of mistakes and he's owned them, but it doesn't justify that lax attitude and not showing that you care. And I mean, it's an absolute shit show right now.
01:02:25
Speaker
And it's, it's unacceptable. You can say Mazzocchi showed that he cared too much. I mean, as debuts go, I mean, as a player, I mean, this goes down into one of the worst debuts of all time and four minutes into his debut as a sub. As soon as I saw that challenge, I'm like, he's going to get sent off. As soon as I saw the replay, that's a red. I mean, there's nothing to talk about. What the hell is your leg doing up that high up with a stud showing in his knee?
01:02:53
Speaker
I mean, use your brain. It was reckless. It was too keen. And I feel bad for him as well, because he's the Napoli lad. It's a beautiful story, really. I mean, you know, he's from Napoli. He grew up there. I felt sorry for him. He had to do the long walk.
01:03:09
Speaker
The long walk of shame because it was right on the other side and they had to walk all the way across the pitch to come off. But yeah, I mean that is, I'm just trying to think about the worst debuts ever. I mean, it's got to be up there. I remember Thomas Repka, do you remember him, the former pure Encina defender, I remember him for West Ham getting sent off like
01:03:31
Speaker
minutes after coming on and then getting sent off in his, I think his third game after he got sent off again, Woodgate, do you remember Johnathan Woodgate for real? He scored an own goal and got sent off in the same game. But I think this is up there. This is up there with the worst debuts of all time. And if anything sums up,
01:03:54
Speaker
how bad Napoli's transfer market has been. It's this. Literally, everything De Laurentiis touched in the transfer market of 2020, summer 2022, turns to gold. Everything that he touched in the transfer market, the coaches and the players coming in, in the transfer market of 2023, has just turned to absolute shit, hasn't it? It's just everything, every single player they've brought in. I mean, Kahuste total disaster.
01:04:23
Speaker
Lindstrom, total disaster. Mazoki, total disaster. Garcia, total disaster. Matsari, total disaster. I mean, everything, everyone is, yeah, where does it stop with Napoli?
01:04:35
Speaker
I am really starting to think that they don't even make it to Europe this season. And maybe that's a blessing in disguise for them. But let's remember, there are only five points off. I don't know how. Well, there's half the season left to play, so we can't, you know, we should. They could get it together, but I just not with Matsari. I'm still in system with a good with one of those coaches that I read out. I still think they could get in Champions League. I really do. They got the players.
01:04:59
Speaker
Absolutely. It's going to be difficult though in the next month because they're without Osseman, they're without Anguista for the Africa Cup of Nations. But also, one thing that we should say that Antonio Conte was in the stands for this game. Is it just a coincidence? They're in Turin, they're playing Turino. Could there potentially be anything more to it? Conte coming in to Napoli. I mean, we would love it. We already did a segment on that a couple of weeks ago when the rumors started. I mean, nothing would be
01:05:26
Speaker
nothing would be more beautiful than that happening because simply for the drama. But because you know that there's no way that him and De Laurentiis are going to be friends for much long and it's going to be fireworks. So yeah, but I just can't see him going there, to be honest. I think he has to, I think he has to
01:05:50
Speaker
choose his next move very very wisely and he can't afford to have another Tottenham or else his career I think will take a trajectory to the to the to I don't yeah I don't see that happening in Italy I think he I think he will yeah he'll definitely get it right I think his next club I'm pretty sure of that yeah
01:06:12
Speaker
OK, right, let's talk about the top four race now and it's really, really tight, the top four race now. I'm just going to get the table up so I can read out what the points tell you. So we've got Fiorentina in fourth with 33, Bologna fifth 32 and we've got Atalanta and Lazio.
01:06:31
Speaker
on 30 then we've got Roma in eighth on 29 then Napoli in ninth on 28 and even Torino in tenth are on 27 so between fourth and ninth there's five points fourth and tenth there's six points it's really really tight and that's been reinforced by the results this weekend because
01:06:48
Speaker
Fiorentina lost, fourth place Fiorentina lost to Sassuola 1-0, we're talking about VAR and referees, I mean the second Sassuola car, I mean that is shocking that that got disallowed, it didn't matter in the end but still. Bologna could only draw with Genoa, they got an injury time equaliser, then Lazio continued their good little run, they beat Udinese 2-1 away and then in the night time game Roma and Atalanta 3-1-1 in a game which I really enjoyed that game, I thought it was a fantastic watch Roma, Atalanta
01:07:13
Speaker
And it was, I think Roman probably deserved to win, to be honest, that game, they created quite a few chances and they should have won it. But Marina got sent off again. I mean, how many? Did you see? How many sent it off? Did you see? I mean, it's truly remarkable to me how he has got the entire fan base behind him. He gets sent off and the entire stadium starts chanting his name. And applauding him. And applauding him. I mean, he can do no wrong. No, he can't. No, he could murder someone on the pitch. On the pitch, in front of him.
01:07:44
Speaker
And they would all applaud him like it's a Roman emperor. It's truly remarkable. And I really hope he stays. I don't think he will, but I really hope he stays now with what's his name, Thiago Pinto Gon as well.
01:08:01
Speaker
It's it's all actually he left because of money. So maybe he's one. He's he's killed off another sporting director. That's usually what happens. And and we'll see what happens from now on. And you know who who comes in and replaces Tiago Pinto and.
01:08:16
Speaker
from February onwards and what ideas they have and do they want to continue with Mourinho and how does this season proceed? I mean the Derby and the Copa Italia against Lazio, the quarter-final, is going to be... I'm not missing that. I'm not sorry and Mourinho, when they're both kind of fighting for fourth as well, they're within two points of one another. I mean, Jesus, that's going to be delicious. No, certainly going to be mouth-worsing. Yeah, so I mean,
01:08:40
Speaker
Listen, I think as we said, I think top four is really, really hard. It's impossible. We can't forget Latio either. We have to know. That's the thing, because we talk about the coaches, the importance of a good coach on this pod a lot. And we've been obviously Napoli or Shambles, they don't have a coach. And Roma, we talk about Mourinho is Mourinho, you know, but he's a little bit, you know, maybe a little bit outdated. He's not getting been able to get the best out of Roma. But
01:09:04
Speaker
still, you know, cups and everything. You certainly can't write it out in any of the cups. And then, you know, but then you look at the other contenders. I mean, Atalanta, they're good, but they're not the Atalanta of a few seasons ago. You know, Bologna, Amazing Fairytale, but, you know, they're going to slow down, I think it's for sure. And then you've got Fiorentina, who neither me or you particularly rate at all this season, but they're still there. I don't understand how they're in fourth. I do not get it.
01:09:30
Speaker
how do they have so many points well i don't i don't i don't think that they're going to keep it i don't think they're going to keep it up because not because because i think that it's going to take not going to take that as many points as normal to get forth i think that's why it's really difficult to go but i think that what latsio have is i think latsio have a coach who yes i know that
01:09:49
Speaker
I know that even if you speak to Latzia fans that they were even questioning this position early on in the season. But I feel like with a Sarri, you know what you're going to get. You know that there's a structure there. Do you know where I'm coming from?
01:10:05
Speaker
So I feel like you're almost guaranteed over the long run, maybe more consistency from Sarri, because you know he has a proven structure there that works. Whereas with the other teams, you know, it can all fall apart like it has at Napoli. And at Roma, maybe Mourinho's not a modern, modern coach anymore. And then the other teams, I think, shouldn't really be good enough to get fourth place.
01:10:31
Speaker
You know, so maybe, maybe Lazio, maybe it's Lazio that comes strong and take forth. Who knows? We're halfway point now and really anything can happen.
01:10:43
Speaker
I mean, we didn't mention it because we've spoken a lot about the referees, but Gianluca Mancini's next swing on Charles de Querterler, I just burst out laughing. Did you see that? I didn't, no. I saw Schumacher attempt to stamp on...
Serie A Chaos and Young Talent
01:10:58
Speaker
He stamped on his testicles as payback. But did you see the next swing? I didn't, no, no. It's like, I mean...
01:11:06
Speaker
What's the next thing? What's the next thing? Have you seen in, you know, in wrestling, when they grab the guy's neck and throw him over, he literally did. He took his neck and, and some assaulted him. I couldn't believe what I was watching. It's like.
01:11:22
Speaker
you take you're not even like what how it was mad and and it's like it's become a it's become a me he's become a meme now he plays so dirty that it's not even like you can't even get upset it's like how is he even allowed on the pitch no it's just mad
01:11:41
Speaker
And it's like that was an empty kettle there, too. Looks like a lost poor boy. It's like it goes and picks the shyest, most timid little boy in the court. It's just so wrong that the imagery of it was just so wrong and comedy. Now, but it was it was an insane weekend. I mean, this is classic Syria. Shit, Housery. I was talking to someone about it. Just how this weekend was vintage.
01:12:10
Speaker
beginning of business, end of Serie A shit-housery. In every single game there was arguing, controversy, angry Italians, finger-waving, accusations hurled, now Marotta spoken, answering to Zaza.
01:12:30
Speaker
All I'm saying is, strap yourselves in, put on your seatbelts, put your crash helmets on, it's going to be a bumpy ride. Brace yourselves for impact. People have not, we've not had an Intervi Juva title race for a generation. I mean, I can't even remember the last time we had a serious Intervi Juva
01:12:55
Speaker
title race where it's actually within two points. That energy destabilizes the entire league and that's what we're seeing. Everyone is just, it's literally angry at one another. The referees had a horrible weekend and they need to get on top of this because otherwise this can completely just deteriorate into one of the most insane seasons we've ever seen.
01:13:20
Speaker
I mean, we had, was it in Celia B, where the Juventus-owned player, his dad ran onto the pitch? Celia C, Celia C. Is he owned by Juventus, that guy? Yeah, he's owned by Juve's dad, ran onto the pitch. That was hilarious.
01:13:38
Speaker
I mean, it's just like, it doesn't get much more silly ass than that. That was that was super. I mean, that I mean, I've seen that in Bedford lots of times. Yeah, you should have seen our teams. I mean, my dad went into the picture. He never struck the referee. He never struck the referee. He punched the opponent player like this is the other level of I mean, it's just like Italian football for drama and madness.
01:14:04
Speaker
I once had a parent throw water over me like during a game because I felt his son and then at half time it was freezing cold and the temperature was like minus one, minus two and he come over and he threw like a whole jug of water over me, like half time water over me. That's the closest I've ever come to.
01:14:29
Speaker
Yeah. Oh dear. Anyway, rest of rest of Serie A results. So frozen on it to Monza three talking of youngsters. I really like carboni at Monza. I really, really like him. He's got something about him. He really has. He's got that little
01:14:44
Speaker
that little spark. He's got that little spark about him, that little burst of acceleration. Moon about how well he's doing. The only question with him is kind of does he fit into in Zaki's system, I guess, isn't it? I just don't think he does. Because he's more of a, what, more of an attacking midfielder? Yeah, he's more of a number, well, 10. Yeah, and I just don't see. He's kind of in that, he's in between the gap, isn't he? Between the midfield and the attack, he's like a trecourtista.
01:15:12
Speaker
but more central kind of, and he's not really a center forward and he's not a center midfielder. I think that's the issue with him, but I really like him. I liked him. When he came on against Juventus and he scored that goal, I kept a fluke, but he's got a lovely left foot. I really like him. I really like him too. There's a very interesting player there.
01:15:34
Speaker
So there are youngsters, you see, there are youngsters in Serie A coming through. Yeah there are, there really are. It's just they're not being played at Inter but Juventus have changed and obviously setting new records but Milan I think are the furthest down this road and you see that with all the players that they brought on and bring on and they play and they score and
01:15:53
Speaker
and Traore is the latest one, young Carlos Simic another. We're barely getting to learn the names of all these young people. And the young Spaniard as well, I really like the looks of him as well. I really like him. Jimenez. I really like him. He was called a Piccolo Teo by
01:16:15
Speaker
It might have been by Teo Hernandez, we called him, which means little Teo. It might not have been Teo. And somebody, one of the Milan players called him that anyway. And yeah, I've really liked the look. I've only seen a bit of him, but he's looked really good as well. So Milan have. Yeah, there is this. That's good. And that's where hopefully with the with the you know, the growth decree that maybe that hopefully that can be a positive that we can develop more more youngsters. And we had a whole debate on that last week. But yeah, it is. That is something that is refreshing to see that these players are starting to get a few more chances, even Allegri.
01:16:45
Speaker
Like, yeah, he brought on at 1-1, he brought Nonge
Humorous Moments and Viral Stories
01:16:48
Speaker
on, who's another really talented youngster, who I've seen a bit in the youth team, who I really, really like as well. He's got a big talent. Yeah, and the other game was Lecce Caliari, which ended... 1-1. 1-1.
01:17:02
Speaker
Yeah, so this is very tight. You're telling me you didn't watch it? How dare you not watch Caliare at the Via del Mare in the pouring rain? It was a wonderful game. And of course, it ended in a draw. And now you look at... I mean, leaving all the Juve internals as a side, if Salenitana had won that game, then
01:17:28
Speaker
the the the the relegation race would have been so spicy because they would have had 15 points. Empoli would have been last with 13, Verona 14, then Cagliari, Salah, Nittana 15, but now you know it's it's uh five points between Udinese in 16th and Salah, Nittana in 20th and obviously with
01:17:47
Speaker
With the sassolo winning and despite frosting on a losing it's starting to you know We're starting to see a little bit of a gap which which breaks my heart because I wanted to have a sick well I think that frosting on it are really plummeting at the moment. They've got one point in their last six games and I mean, I don't want to say questions need to be answered the Francesco, but
01:18:06
Speaker
you know, another question needs to be asked. Well, yeah, they I mean, which is I mean, they've been they've been so good. And then and then they only beat thrash Napoli a couple of weeks ago, but that was in the cup, you know, so they they and they've got Juventus in the cup this week and in midweek and you know, so for Sonone have got to really start looking over their shoulders because they're the kind of team and different just because the kind of coach is probably not a coach that likes to fight.
01:18:30
Speaker
no they like it when it's all going well and it's all fancy and you know but when the going gets tough when you have to find out results i don't trust him to do that and they do play caliari at home in verona away over the next couple of rounds which is i mean i don't think i need to tell anyone how important that will be for the
01:18:47
Speaker
for the relegation scrap. Now, these relegation scraps are coming a little bit too early for my taste. I love them when they occur in April, May, when it really matters and the sun is shining and the Italians go full-on mad. And you have angry presidents like Benevento President Rigorito who
01:19:09
Speaker
It's one of the greatest post-match rants of all time. I remember I was a cry laughing when I was watching it and I remember tweeting about it and Gab Marcotti responded to me saying he felt like he was watching Italian TV from the early 80s.
01:19:26
Speaker
when he was talking about that rant. And if someone can see it, just go on YouTube and look for Vigorito. I think his name, yeah, and check that. It's gold. But yeah, no, usually the relegation scraps when there's April May's is when they're at their best. So I'm a little bit upset with the calendar that they're having them so early on.
01:19:47
Speaker
um but you know they're they're enjoyable and and caliari are right there and it's this is going to be this is going to be a dog fight hopefully hopefully hopefully hopefully yeah right okay let's finish off with badjo prem face and sedia ass of the week badjo badjo of the week who have we got for badjo um i think there was um
01:20:16
Speaker
I can't remember, who was it who did a, I saw a lovely little nutmeg, which I forgot to jot down who it was who did it. But it was, I think it was in the, I think it was in the Napoli game. I think it was Illich, who nutmeg Juan Cuezos. And it was absolutely beautiful. I can't remember. But that was one of those pretty ones.
01:20:39
Speaker
Yeah, I don't know. I would have liked to have gone yielders if he'd have played well, but he didn't play very well against the Italian, because in the midweek, Coppa Italia games were an amazing goal. Well, Timothy Vayner has scored an amazing goal as well. I think one of them can be the budge the other week, because it is the last week, isn't it? Okay, let's go for Weyer then, because we're always accused of being there.
01:20:59
Speaker
not being nice to some of the American players and so on. Let's go with Tim Wayles. It was an unbelievable goal. I mean, it was fantastic. Yeah, his dad would have been proud of that, that's for sure. Right. Prem face of the week. I've got some fantastic ones. Fantastic ones. Yeah, you do. Take it away. They are delicious. Yeah. So the first one, we've got Andy Goldstein, who is
01:21:27
Speaker
a DJ presenter on Talk Sport and you wouldn't be surprised to know it's Talk Sport. And he said when Luke Littler was in the semi-final, just qualified for the semi-final of the World Darts Championship, this Luke Littler is a 16 year old who was playing in his first ever darts championship.
01:21:53
Speaker
And he was doing fantastically well in the early rounds of the tournament. And he was qualified for the semifinal after beating a former world champion, Raymond van Barneweld, a Dutch guy. And everybody's going mad at him, obviously, because he's 16 years old and he's this wonder kid. And Andy Goldstein comes on to talk sport. And he says that Luke Littler is the greatest young sportsman of all time.
01:22:21
Speaker
better and he used the word better than Pele, better than Pele who obviously won the World Cup at 17 as a star scoring twice in the World Cup. And yeah, so that's what that's what Andy Goldstein said. And Luke Littler didn't even end up winning the tournament. He lost in the he lost in the final. But you know, I think I think that listen, I want to say one thing I don't want to make fun of 16 year olds, he's 16 and everything. But he is
01:22:47
Speaker
He's an amazing player. I like darts. I actually enjoyed darts. That's one of my... But here's what I wanted to say. It's not a sport. It's a hobby and an activity. No, it's throwing things at a wall, but it's fun. Throwing shit at a wall, but it's fun. There's skill involved. I think of being a little bit too harsh. No, there is skill involved. There is lots of skill involved. Come on. There is lots of skill involved. I give them all of that, but it's not a sport. If you have a beer belly,
01:23:15
Speaker
that big and you're good at it. Well, he's got a beard belly at 16. I mean, he doesn't look 16. He looks older than me. I mean, you should see his hairline. I mean, I'm not taking away that there is skill involved. Absolutely not. And I do think it is a difficult, you know, but it's not a sport. No, it's not a sport. You can't call him a sportsman.
01:23:36
Speaker
I'm sorry, but if, nah, come on, let's be serious. It's not a sport. And again, I'll say again, I like darts. I like watching it. I used to have a darts board actually. Me too. It's fun. It's a good game. It's a drinking activity. I'm sorry, but it is. And when something is a drinking. And this guy is, honestly, genuinely, this guy's amazing. He's going to win loads of world championships. He's a phenomenon. He's absolutely incredible. He's got a great temperament. I've seen his interviews.
01:24:03
Speaker
And then, you know, he's, he's, I'm sure he's really, I mean, this is what I'm talking about the premature, even if you classify him as a sportsman, which you shouldn't, like you said.
01:24:14
Speaker
is this premature... The greatest young sport in the whole time. Exactly. When he's just qualified for the semi-finals. Of all time. He's got the semi-finals of the World Darts Championship and that makes it... It's Becker 1, Wimbledon at 17. I mean, it's just like, you know, that just came to me. There's so much like... There's been tennis players who have won Grand Slams at 16 or maybe even younger. Yeah, women's players like...
01:24:37
Speaker
It's like, oh, God, stop. It gives me a migraine. This greatest of all time fetish mental hang up that they've got. This notion of he's the greatest of all time. No, he's not. Stop it.
01:24:56
Speaker
Oh, Jesus Christ. I love how you do the Martin Samuel accent there. He is my go to prim face now. So, you know, he just everything about him. Well, this one is this one is fantastic as well. So BBC, there was a quiz show on TV on I think it was Saturday. But was it a joke? No, no, no, no, no, no, it wasn't. It was it was it was real. It was real.
01:25:22
Speaker
And it was there's a quiz show on on TV, a serious quiz show on BBC, BBC TV, BBC One, I think it was. And all the it was kind of like not a celebrity, but sort of a celebrity quiz show. All the all the guests were all contestants were all BBC radio presenters. And the question was,
01:25:46
Speaker
which tennis player named Andre won all four tennis Grand Slams and the Olympics in the 1990s. And the radio presenter, BBC radio presenter, her name was Vicky Hawkesworth. Her answer was Andre the Giant. Was she serious? Because I've not... No, she was serious. Yes, she was absolutely serious. Did the others laugh? Yes, they did.
01:26:15
Speaker
Good, because if that's a serious answer, it's embarrassing. And if it's a joke, it's actually quite witty. It's actually quite a good joke. It's actually a good joke. If it's a joke, it's a really good joke. I think it's funny because it's a 90s pop culture reference. But yeah, but if it's serious, it's oh my God. Superb. Yeah, that was that was the other prim face of the week.
01:26:38
Speaker
The third one. Do you want to take this, this third one? Because I feel like I can't bring myself. No, you have to do it. I can't bring myself to do it. Please do it. I can't. You have to do it. Because Italians, Italians angry at food is my is the greatest thing I know. So you have to do it. You have to be as offended as I know you are. Like just just just tell the story, Carlo. OK.
01:27:05
Speaker
Well, so a story that's gone viral all around the world is one of the greatest pizza makers in the whole world, Gino Sorbillo, who's a legend, absolute legend. And he made a pineapple pizza in Italy, added it to his menu.
01:27:23
Speaker
And it's caused an absolute uproar. And the apologists are so angry. They've gone absolutely berserk about it. They've disowned him. They've disowned him. They've gone absolutely ballistic. And it's gone viral all around the world.
Italy's National Team Controversy
01:27:38
Speaker
It's on all the newspapers they've been discussing. It's become one of the biggest talking points on Italian TV. It's all over the news. It's become my prime time, you know,
01:27:48
Speaker
Right time debate on all the talk shows is they are angry, really angry. I'm angry as well. But he shouldn't be because he's not put tomato on it, which I think is the biggest problem with with putting pineapple on pizzas. I don't think it works well with a tomato. One is savoury, one is sweet. And pineapple is such a very special fruit anyway. But he's he's he did it on on a pizza bianca. Yeah, it's a pizza bianca. It's not. Yeah. So.
01:28:14
Speaker
I would say, okay, I'd actually try that. And I think, you know, try it. Last week, pasta and chicken from from from this week, this week, pizza, pizza con, con, con, con, con, what is it? I can't remember. Alanis. Alanis. Alanis. Alanis. That's the same. So the same in Sweden. It's the same word. But yeah, no, the pineapple. But I mean, as long as the tomato is not on there.
01:28:43
Speaker
That's my biggest gripe, because I think they just don't go together, something that's savory and with that kind of flavor. No, it just doesn't work. But yeah, no, but this is funny. Italians angry at food is the best thing in the world. One of our patrons, Sean, sent me an Instagram post. There's this American girl who tortures her Italian boyfriend,
01:29:08
Speaker
and films him while she does it, by coming up with- I think I've seen this. I think I've seen this. I think I've seen this. It's food suggestions for the evening, and he gets objectively and genuinely personally offended. Yeah, I've seen it, but I think it's a little bit put on. Probably. I think it's staged quite a lot of that, but yeah, I've seen it. Not the lasagna soup.
01:29:32
Speaker
thing. I couldn't stop laughing. He was so pissed off. He was genuinely personally offended.
01:29:39
Speaker
And it was very, very, very funny. And she was like giggling. She couldn't contain her laughter. And there is something unbelievably funny with Italians angry at food, because it's a personal offense and no one else in the world takes food as a personal offense like that. And it's very, very amusing. So so that's why it's absolutely brilliant. Yeah.
01:30:04
Speaker
okay seria ass of the week we've got a few here as well for me it will spend the dad the spend his dad running into the pitch and punching the opposition opposition players is just that can't happen i wouldn't have that as seria because i think that's just hilarious i think that's brilliant i think seria is more when you do something that really
01:30:23
Speaker
just it's embarrassing yeah yeah but the dad of a player rushing onto the pitch in professional football what about do you remember that president that went on with his uh with a gun no no no that was greece sorry that was the greek suit who went on with a gun i don't know this word it was the pauk president who got angry at the referee
01:30:47
Speaker
and had a pistol in the holster and ran into the pitch. In a holster? In the holster. What is this? World West or something? Exactly. It was one of the most bizarre images I've ever seen. But that was Greece, and that was their top flight. But Greek football, I mean, it's just mental, isn't it? I mean, Mediterranean is just mad. But I know which one you mean, the guy with the rascal scooter. The scooter, that's it.
01:31:14
Speaker
because he was pissed off. He just went across the pitch, isn't it? Whenever I see that, it reminds me of when I played, when I was a kid, and one of the dads of the kids just decided to walk across the pitch during the middle of a match to get over to the other side. And the referee was like, what are you doing? He goes, I need to get to the other side. Why did he just walk around the pitch? This was a protest. He was protesting the referee. I mean, last season, the Telnana president and the spitting with the fans and then the shit show that was there was just
01:31:45
Speaker
and answering ANSA in the middle of the press conference. I'm having a conversation with the press agency while in the middle of the press conference. That is serious. So where are we? I've got the covering where we are now. I've got to say that the Téján Buchanan, not the video, but the announcement short with
01:32:05
Speaker
with the pancakes and the maple syrup, I cringed so bad, I thought my teeth were going to fall out. And it's like, of all the Canadian stereotype jokes that you could have gone with, going with maple syrup, and he's sitting there, you know, because all Canadians are really well-mannered and polite, and he's sitting there, and you can see that he's dying a little bit inside, but he doesn't want to say anything, and he's so polite, and he pours the maple syrup on the pancakes, and some
01:32:34
Speaker
Oh, I just knew it wasn't Sarah Ponspaghetti, like our friend Rishi Sunak. Talking of food. What is that about? I still don't understand what he was doing. No, I don't know. But we did have we did have somebody I think it was Sabrina, our patron Sabrina said that she thinks he was doing a reenactment of the movie Elf.
01:32:55
Speaker
which I'm sure I've watched, but I haven't seen it for so long. I haven't seen it either. We got a message about that from one of our other papers, Mark Moriale, who said the same thing, actually, I know that you mentioned it. So can we let off Rishi then? Yeah, okay, fair enough. Because I just didn't understand what he was doing. Maybe it was Will Ferrell and Elf, fair enough. Okay. The Tae-Jung Buchanan announcement clip and
01:33:25
Speaker
Yeah. I've got two more. I've got two more. One was there was a post by the Serie A Twitter account of a squirrel on the running around the outside of the pitch and the Serie A caption that with, excuse me, sir, where is your ticket? Oh, dear. Oh, who writes these jokes?
01:33:51
Speaker
1986 just cold and wants their TV comics back. Oh my days. Yeah. I love it. I love it. On a more serious note now just to just to just to finish off. There was this isn't confirmed. This isn't official, but there was a report that came out in the Italian media that
01:34:13
Speaker
Italy will play their two next international matches in the March international break. This is the last international break before Luciano Spelletti will choose his squad for Euro 2024. It's really, really important international break. Italy will play two games and Spelletti has been absolutely crystal clear
01:34:34
Speaker
that he wants Itsy to play against two top level opponents because they need to be tested. He needs to see which players are up to the level, which players are not, in order to pick his squad. It's really, really important. It also comes, of course, during a very, very busy part of the season. It comes in between the Champions League last 16 and quarterfinals, which we hope, of course, our teams will still be
01:34:56
Speaker
will still be in and also it comes during a point where you know we've got a real title race here it's going to be a very very busy part of the season.
01:35:04
Speaker
So what does the what does the it's the national team do? Well, they organize the Federation organizers for them to play two games in the United States against Peru in Miami and against Ecuador in Philadelphia. This isn't confirmed yet, but this would be the first time in 19 years that the Italy national team will play in the United States. And it's pretty clear what this is all about. It's just more of this
01:35:31
Speaker
North american marketing which is literally the only thing that that is they just the only thing that that the the the sarah and the lego and the fy gc is all they doing. Just market everything in north america just do america america america it's gonna solve all our problems the americans are gonna save us and everything's gonna be great.
01:35:51
Speaker
And it just drives me mad. It drives me mad. Peru and Ecuador, you know, it drives me absolute mad. And we've gone on a transatlantic flight in a really busy part of the season. It's just absolutely madness. I mean, I think it's lovely. Don't get me wrong. I think it's lovely that we're playing in America. We should be playing games in America, you know, the North America, Canada, United States. You know, we support there's a lot of Italian Americans and Italian Canadians and they support
01:36:17
Speaker
the national team and they're very passionate and it's great and they should get the chance to watch their team and you know it's fantastic but Spelletti was really clear and it's clear to anyone we needed to be playing against two top-level opponents and we should not be traveling all the way to the United States at this time of the year it's just we know why they're doing it it's just for marketing and we know that this marketing doesn't work it's just it's just it's just it just drives me mad
01:36:46
Speaker
Yeah, no, it's I've got nothing more to add, and it's really, really silly, to be honest. It's it's really, really silly. It's but it is what it is. I mean, you know, we don't know the full story. Maybe they tried and they couldn't get anyone and whatnot. But yeah, it is what it is. Well, they couldn't get any they can get better opponents than. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I don't know. I would have it would have been nice for them to play, I would say.
01:37:12
Speaker
Argentina or someone like that, it would have been cool to see them. It would have been nice to see them play against somebody that's similar to the teams in their group. If they wanted to go that route, instead of playing Croatia, maybe play Serbia, or instead of playing, they've got Serbia because they've got Croatia in their group, they've got Spain in their group, maybe play Portugal, or someone that plays similar to Spain, but play one of the bigger teams, one of the bigger teams in
01:37:37
Speaker
or just play one of the heavyweights. Play France, or play Germany, or play... Do you know what I mean? This is what Spelletti wants. The only way we're going to know if some of these players are good enough is by playing against these teams, seeing how they do. You know? Scalvini, for example. Someone like Scalvini, for example, or Bonjour or, you know, we need a centre-back. We need to test out our centre-backs. Or Scalvini had an absolute shocker against England against the one big team that he played.
01:38:05
Speaker
can you possibly trust playing Scalvini now knowing that he's not going to play against the big team until the squad's chosen, the Euros? I mean, and the same for a lot of other kind of still unproven players. Same with center midfield. We're a bit short on center mids because of suspensions and absentees. Well, we need to test out some of our midfielders against the best midfielders and the best teams. I mean, it's just, yeah.
01:38:33
Speaker
This is where we shoot ourselves in the foot all the time. Fair enough. Yeah, I would have liked that as well. But I mean, we'll see what happens. And I'm sure that those eight days in Florida and Philadelphia will tell you what's going to happen. All the interplayers and Juventus players are going to pull out. That's the number one. So they're not going to play.
Episode Wrap-Up
01:38:54
Speaker
And then the other players, Mourinho will tell his players to take it easy.
01:38:59
Speaker
because they've got Europa League games coming up and you know so it's just it's just it's just mad it's absolutely mad. If there's a title race then there is no no chance that Marotta or Juntoly are letting any players. No chance at all, no chance.
01:39:17
Speaker
for silly friendlies in the United States. Are you kidding me? Or anywhere? It could be in Australia, it doesn't matter. No, it should have stayed at home and they should have, like you said, tried to bring someone over and played someone, you know, play Argentine or Brazil in Rome or something like that. I mean, if you want to have that, but, you know, just go into it for nonsense. But we'll see. Hopefully it helps Paletti somewhat at least. Yeah.
01:39:47
Speaker
Yeah. Okay. Right. Let's leave it at that then. We'll be back on Wednesday for a... Oh, sorry. We're back on Thursday or Wednesday. We're doing a Q&A this week because last week I was very ill. So it's my fault that we didn't publish the usual content. I was very, very out with Manflu and it's been lingering on and I'm a little bit congested and still sniveling. So I'd like to apologize for that. But this week we'll be doing a Q&A this week on Wednesday or Thursday. And then next week we'll be back with a regular programming
01:40:15
Speaker
Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and try to do a transfer and focus on the transfer market as well. Yeah. Yeah, we will do. Okay. Right. Thanks everyone for listening. We'll see you later in the week until then. Ciao Ciao.