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Extended Clip - Serie A Mercato Awards: Best & Worst Signings, Winners & Losers, Scudetto Predictions (Ep. 355)
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After the summer transfer window closed in Italy, Nima Tavallaey and Carlo Garganese name their Serie A awards, from the best to worst signings, the winners and losers as well as deliver their revised Serie A predictions naming the winner, top 4, MVP, Capocannoniere as well as winner of Coppa Italia plus who'll win and qualify for the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League winners and much much more.
This is a clip from the weekly Thursday episode of the Italian Football Podcast.
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Transcript
Serie A Transfer Market Highlights
00:00:02
Speaker
Welcome to the Italian football podcast. Best do transfer market rewards and revised Serie A predictions. So best transfer market in Serie A for the summer. Who you got? Best overall would have to be Roma ahead of Milan. I've got them kind of almost shared, but yeah, Roma. I'm going to go with Roma.
00:00:23
Speaker
Yeah, great. I'm going for Roma as well. No money to spend. In fact, they made a profit of probably around about 20 and they've brought in some real quality. Lukaku, Awa, Undika and Renato Sanchez and they've done, yeah, they've maximized what they could do. Worst transfer market in Syria.
00:00:44
Speaker
It has to be Empoli. It can't be anyone else because they just look weak in every area of the pitch and that doesn't bode well. Paolo Zanetti is a progressive coach, the football he plays. Empoli, I think, will finish dead last, honestly. I'm scared for them.
00:01:05
Speaker
Yeah, I'm starting to feel that way as well. I have to be honest. Right. Yeah, empathy for me as well. Losing Vicario and losing Vicario and who's the other big name? Empathy lost. Parisee. Parisee. Parisee. Parisee. Parisee. Yeah. Okay. Best transfer.
Benjamin Pavard's Impact at Inter
00:01:24
Speaker
Who you got?
00:01:25
Speaker
uh... best move a best signing i think it's okay when you sign kamada to ram the you know with these players on on a free transfer has to be one of them but for me the signing of the summer is benjamin povart if you take into how much he costs if you take into how how well he will sit suit that system that is a statement signing bainter uh... that is a statement signing bainter that says that
00:01:53
Speaker
The project may be frozen, but it's not dead. They have replaced a world-class player with a world-class player. This is someone who comes from Bayern Munich, who Bayern Munich didn't want to let go. And it's the most expensive of the summer in the Serie A, which is more an indictment on the state of the Serie A more than anything else.
00:02:14
Speaker
but he is ready now. He is ready to go in now and start delivering now. Last season, I can't remember which website it was, otherwise I would have linked to it, but I read a really brilliant tactical analysis of how Pavard as a right centre back in the back three is so good and how well he did it under Nagelsmann, even though Bayern under Nagelsmann weren't exactly brilliant.
00:02:37
Speaker
but how well he actually did there. So for me, he has to be the best transfer. Of course, Reinders, Pulisic, as I've said, you know, in the summer when Pulisic joined, I think he will be the first American player to succeed at a classic big club in Europe, like AC Milan. There's lots of candidates for it. Awa. Yeah, you've mentioned most of them. Yeah, for me, I'm going to go Reinders or Awa. I'm going to go for one of those two. Okay, yeah. No, but for me,
Underwhelming Transfers Discussion
00:03:04
Speaker
it has to be... Worst transfer. For me, it's Pavard. It's by far the best one.
00:03:07
Speaker
Worst transfer It's I I'm not it might seem unfair but this these These these inter kids are on loan. They do not impress me or you know who went to sassola mulatieri I mean, it's it's unfair to say they're the worst transfer but
00:03:29
Speaker
I'm not impressed by them at all. And I'm not. Come on. You can't go for a young kid low. Come on. They're just not good. I just don't think they're good enough. But I think, you know, Maldini as well at Empoli, it's just they're not very good signings. So I don't know. I was considering Maldini or Giazzi.
00:03:54
Speaker
Yeah, I mean they're one of those that they're not good. They are not good signings. But... Could quite easily have a Paredes that Mourinho has... That's what I was... Yeah, but that's exactly... If you're going to go with lone players, it could be Paredes as well. Well Paredes is actually a signing. He's a official signing. You're right, you're right. You know what, I'm going to go with Paredes, so I think he's going to flop massively. Yeah, I'm going with that because I don't understand that.
00:04:21
Speaker
Yeah, okay, I've given you a few, I've given you three for me. Right, okay, let's do the predictions now
Serie A Top Three Predictions
00:04:27
Speaker
then. So who are your revised winners, Scudetto winners? It's really is impossible to choose between Inter, Napoli and Milan. But I'm going with, I think Inter will win, I think Napoli will finish second and I think Milan will finish third, but I don't think there's going to be much between them. We're talking four points, five points at most.
00:04:52
Speaker
I'm in total agreement. I cannot choose between them. And I almost feel, we're going to talk about Champions League in a minute, I almost feel what happens in the Champions League could actually make a difference as to who wins it. Because I'm looking at Milan's group of death and I'm thinking, well, Milan could go out of that group.
00:05:11
Speaker
I'm finished last. I actually think right now I'm feeling like I actually feel quite confident Milan will go through just a feeling more than anything else but I'm thinking if Milan do go out in the group stage
00:05:26
Speaker
then maybe they're the favorites. Whereas I'm looking at interim Napoli, I'm thinking, well, those two, I'm confident both of them will enter definitely in Napoli. I'm pretty confident they will go through their group. So, you know, they're gonna be stretched definitely into, at least into kind of February, March.
00:05:43
Speaker
So these are the margins, these are the margins. Four points, three points, not much. Yeah, I do think it's going to be tight. I do think it's going to be tight. I think it's so hard to choose between them. Injuries could play a part as well. Inter, the only way that I see that inter not challenging for the Scudetto is if something happens like Lautaro's out for four or five months or something like that. You know what I mean? Something like that would happen. Otherwise, I think inter is so complete.
00:06:11
Speaker
That's the thing, Inter have a very complete and balanced squad. When you look at that squad, you see options, you see different options and different ways to play football in different games and you understand why they've made the signings they do. Also the football that they want to play, they're going to play much deeper, they're going to be much more direct.
00:06:34
Speaker
I think it's it's it's a it's a they're the most them and and I mean Napoli Milan and Intel they're the ones with the most balanced squads on they So not I'm not inter Milan Napoli. That's what I'm going with. I'm revising it inter Milan Napoli in that order but at most two three points three points between okay, I'm gonna go with that as well, but the caveat of
00:06:59
Speaker
depending on what happens in the Champions League. If Milan were to go out, I'm almost thinking, I'm going to go Milan. Everybody listens to when I say that. Milan go out in the Champions League in the first round, Milan on my tip. Otherwise, I'm going with what you've seen. I only have Napoli third because of Rudy Garcia.
00:07:20
Speaker
I have them said because of Rodriguezia and also because Kim and Jay were so important to them. He was the best defender in all of Europe last season, in my opinion, and Natan has very big shoes to fill and I don't think he will fill them nowhere near enough for them to repeat it, although the firepower Napoli have up front in midfield is outstanding. But yeah, those are my top three and exactly like you said, if Milan finish dead last in their Champions League group, which is a possibility,
00:07:47
Speaker
Let's not you know, it's it's it is the group of death They could finish last if they do and have one game a week to play Yeah, then then I think Milan could could just the freshness of not having to play midweek. Yeah Well, we saw it with Milan's last cadet. Oh, yeah Yeah, okay. Um, and yeah, and then you've entered fourth whose you've entered you were you were for I mean, I'm not you know, I don't particularly like you as a scene but
00:08:16
Speaker
playing once a week. I mean, they surely have to have enough to finish in the top four playing once a week. They have
Roma vs Juventus for Fourth Place
00:08:22
Speaker
to. They have to. Okay. And Europe, fifth, sixth and seventh. I've got Roma's fifth. I think Romelu Lukaku, I think there's actually going to be a race between Juve and Roma for fourth. And the reason for that is that Romelu Lukaku, Paolo Di Bala, that's insane firepower.
00:08:41
Speaker
Yeah, it's guaranteed goals again. Yeah, fitness. Yeah, fitness. Yeah. As long as the fitness is there. Yeah. Yeah. I've got Roma as fifth, Lazio six, Atalanta seventh. I say why. I've got Fiorentina seventh. No, no, no, I got actually, I got Atalanta seventh and Fiorentina eighth. Yeah. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised. I'm part of me thinking, Fiorentina is eighth and I'm not even 100% sure on that, but we'll see. Copper Italia winners.
00:09:13
Speaker
No, I think it would be very funny if they could manage to win three in a row. And I wonder how motivated they are in that tournament. But then again, you know, with Inzagi, when it doesn't start until next year, he's not even thinking about that. And by the time it starts, the super-coppa will be out of the way as well. And it's a good way to redeem yourself and create some positive energy.
00:09:37
Speaker
Yeah, I think Intel will reach the final. You know what? No, I'm going to say Milan. I think Milan are winning the Copa Italia. Yeah, OK. I'm going to go Inter again. Milan are winning the Copa Italia. I'm going to go Inter. Because Milan haven't won it in such a long time. I think they've only won it once in the last 30 years. So yeah.
Champions League Expectations for Italian Clubs
00:09:57
Speaker
Champions League, Champions League performance by Italian clubs, just where they're going to finish.
00:10:02
Speaker
So just quickly, just one word. I think they're winning their group and going to the quarter-final. Okay, same, same as me. Napoli? Last 16, second in their group. Agreed, same here. Milan? Milan, I think, get to the quarter-final. I think Milan are going to surprise people. I think they're going to finish second in their group and get to the quarter-final. Yeah, I think they're getting through as well. I think they're getting through as well. I think people are going to be surprised by Milan. I think Lazio, I'm happy with Lazio's draw.
00:10:31
Speaker
I think they have a good chance to finish second. Let's see, okay, I'm saying group stage exit, even though I've got a great group. Champions League winners overall. Bayern Munich. Bayern Munich. Okay. Yeah, Man City or Bayern Munich for me this season. Right, Europa League, right, we haven't had the draw from Europa League, so let's leave that, we can talk about that again. Overall Europa League winners, who you got? Roma.
00:11:00
Speaker
OK, I'm going for Brighton with the fourth best manager in Europe. Oh, this is Jesus Christ. Oh, no comment. Conference League. Yeah, Conference League. I'm going to go Fiorentina, going to reach the semis, and I've got Aston Villa to win the competition. Another all-claret final, Aston Villa v Fiorentina, the draw permitting. And yeah, I think Aston Villa, I think Fiorentina will lose again in the final. OK,
Relegation Candidates in Serie A
00:11:29
Speaker
relegation. Who's going down?
00:11:32
Speaker
Empoli Frosinone, for sure. And one of Verona and Sassolo. Oh no, Caliari. Verona, Caliari. You know what? I'm going with Caliari. I think they're going to be relegated. Yeah, I'm going to change my mind to Caliari. Having watched them in the first two games of the season, they really lacked firepower. Really lacked firepower.
00:12:01
Speaker
Although they just bought Patania, so maybe that could help a little bit.
Top Players of the Season Predictions
00:12:04
Speaker
Serie A player of the season and Capo Cananier.
00:12:07
Speaker
It's going to be Victor Osseman, isn't it? I mean, you can't get away from that. I think he's going to win it, but it's going to be tighter than that. I think Lautaro and Rehtaghi are going to be fine. With Capucane Nieda, yes. But what about Serie A player this season? I'm agreed on Capucane Nieda. I only see Osseman. No, I think it's going to be tight. I think we're going to have quite a few players above 25 goals. I think we can add two, three players above that. I think Osseman, Lautaro and Rehtaghi will be there. Because I think Rehtaghi is going to have a fantastic season. As for the player of the season,
00:12:38
Speaker
Since I have Inter winning, it has to be Lautaro, doesn't it? Inter winning the Serie A, I think, and so I'm going with Lautaro. Yeah, agreed. Yeah. Whoever wins the title will come from there. The thing is, this is Lautaro's time to shine. This is really his Inter. He is the symbol of this project. He's the symbol of this Inter. He's just been made captain. It's now or never, Lauti. It's that simple. And I think the mental maturity that he's shown
00:13:05
Speaker
off the pitch and as well as on it, he's ready to fill those shoes now. He wants to be at Inter, they want to extend his contract and he wants to stay. They're happy, the core is happy, they're happy with the football they're playing, they're happy with their lives, with everything going on and I think he...
00:13:22
Speaker
I think he will fill those shoes and if he starts to score 25-30 goals a season, which I'm kind of banking on him doing in order for Inter to win the Serie A, then yes, then the gamble will have paid off.