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Fiorentina-Juve Draw, Inter Defeat Udinese, Roma Hammer Sassuolo (Ep. 19)
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Transcript
Fiorentina's Early Season Challenges
00:00:01
Speaker
Welcome to the Seria show!
00:00:16
Speaker
All right, everybody. Welcome back to another episode of The City Ah Show. It was certainly another exciting weekend in The City Ah. So let's just jump right into it, Chloe. Fiorentina zero. Juve is zero. You feel... What about this?
00:00:32
Speaker
I'm not one for saying I told you so or anything like that, but, you know, a lot of an awful lot of people have said to me about Montelanese to go and, you know, we mentioned that in the preview show and he proves that he is on the right track. He said after the game in some of his comments that actually Friday was the first time he'd worked with the full squad altogether.
00:01:02
Speaker
And, you know, you really if you've had to play Napoli and Uve in the opening two games, you can't really blame him that you've only got one point so far. So, you know, I have to mention the choreography and the atmosphere from the fans.
00:01:20
Speaker
just shows what happens in Florence when you get owners that will actually back the club and do the right thing and I thought it was, they played so well, it was a great game of football to watch and obviously the result was something to do with the fact that UVA were not there at all really, they were not themselves
00:01:43
Speaker
whatsoever. But yeah, loved it, was really pleased with the point and I hope Montal can continue to improve. No, I agree with you. I don't think it's quite evident that you've, like you have any time to get into Sarri and Sarri needs to understand them.
00:02:09
Speaker
Um, and, um, and it's, and I think, uh, this was this, I mean, Fiorentina played really well prior to this game. I've been a little bit unlucky, especially in the game against Napoli. But, uh, this game was against Juve. They were fantastic. I thought, um, I really liked the three, the three, the three, five, two, they played with Ribery and kids off top. They were so mobile. They were so dynamic.
00:02:34
Speaker
No, I really like this Fiorentina team. And I thought, Dalbert, I mean, who knew? I mean, as an Interista, I've been watching this guy for the past two years wondering, you know, how was he elected the best left-back in Ligue 1 during Mendy's breakout season ahead of Mendy? But he was fantastic against Juventus.
00:02:53
Speaker
No, I was really, really impressed by Fiorentina. And I think this is a turnaround. I think Fiorentina will now go on a winning streak, and I think they want to watch out for. Chloe, what did you think of Riberi, though? Because I thought he was sensational. He looked absolutely nothing like a guy in the twilight of his career. No, not at all. I mean, I think
00:03:18
Speaker
Reading some of his comments, I think that this has almost given him a new lease of life. Obviously he'd been at Bayern a long time and I don't watch German football regularly enough to know what he was playing like there but he seems so enthusiastic, so ready to get involved, to give everything. He's not quite up to full fitness yet which is why he couldn't play the full match but you know his quality is evident and
00:03:44
Speaker
You see him talking to the young players, encouraging them. And Fiorentina are really making the most of his real depth of experience, a player like that that we've really not had. And he's just great. I mean, the tackle he made on Ronaldo. That was incredible.
00:04:10
Speaker
It was the most perfectly timed tackle and it was, you know, for it to be rubbery was just, it was just very poetic to me somehow. But yeah, it's been great.
Juventus Under Sarri's New System
00:04:24
Speaker
I thought he was great. Now, do you think this is the way forward for them in that three at the back, the three, five, two, again, they were putting Boa Tang at the false nine. They didn't really have an out and out prima punta.
00:04:37
Speaker
So do you think this is a way they go forward with Kiesa, Riberi pairing an attack? Because I like that a lot better than the False 9 that they were using in the past.
00:04:46
Speaker
Yeah, I like it a lot better. Montalo has played before with three at the back in his first spell at Fiorentina, so I think he can make that work. I think it suits the players that we've got. It was certainly a massive improvement from the first two games. I think we'll see, if he plays the 3-5-2, we'll see this Brazilian striker Pedro up there, because I think the only thing that was slightly lacking with Fiorentina was the finishing.
00:05:14
Speaker
So I think if he's got an actual striker to put into the mix there, then I think it'll really work out and I think he's definitely on the right lines. Oh for sure, for sure.
00:05:35
Speaker
As I said, I think Fiorentina are going to go off on a winning streak here and I think they showed, I mean, the performance was fantastic. I still don't understand how they didn't lose or how Juventus didn't lose and Fiorentina didn't win. But having said that, you know, before we criticize Juventus too much, again, they didn't lose. I mean, it's so interesting to see how things are not working with them. They have injury problems, they have
00:05:59
Speaker
Things that aren't, you know, the Sari system is not really there. And it's one of those systems that it has to click 100%. Otherwise it fails. The players aren't used to his way of the high press. But at the same time, they didn't lose. And I mean, you see small signs of improvement. Obviously, this was a step backwards against a fantastic team. But above all, at that stadium where that was
00:06:27
Speaker
so packed and the atmosphere and the sunshine, it was a glorious day. So for the Serie A, it was one of those days that if you don't watch Serie A football that often, even if it's a nil-nil game, it doesn't really matter because it was a gorgeous game. It was a really lovely game as an advertisement for the Serie A.
00:06:49
Speaker
Yep, I thought so too. So do we want to talk about, just very briefly, Juve's upcoming Champions League match against Atletico Madrid? How confident are we for them going into that? Obviously, they weren't at their best at the weekend. They looked a bit, I guess you would say, uninspired, in my opinion. But, Nima, are you confident they can get the victory over the Spanish side? Or how do you think they fare in this one, I should ask?
00:07:16
Speaker
See, this is where it gets a little bit tricky. Atletico Madrid are good. I think they're a good team. And they're also under a little bit of a rebuilding phase. So it's not just Juve, but at the end of the day, I don't see... I mean, if Juventus were to come out on top and win this, it would be the massive boost that Sarri, this new Juve under Sarri would need, which up until this day,
00:07:46
Speaker
have not had. But I think that it's still a little bit too soon. If they can grind out a result, then sure. But I still think that the way Simeone plays against teams that want to play the kind of football Sarri plays, those teams struggle. Even when they have those tactics down 100%, this Sarri Uwe doesn't. So I think, actually, Atletico Madrid could win this game.
00:08:15
Speaker
I think it entirely depends on whether he, whether Sari decides to change up the midfield a little bit. I mean, the the midfield with Kadira and Matuidi, and obviously then they unfortunately lost pianist due to injury. It's too slow, it's not, it's not
00:08:39
Speaker
it's not equipped to play the game that Sari wants to play. And I think maybe against Fiorentina, maybe that would have...
00:08:48
Speaker
tipped him over the edge to really decide that that wasn't the way forward. And I think in Europe especially that they'll just get killed if they play that line up again. So it's a very tough time to be playing a side like Athletico who are aggressive and don't give you any breathing space where you're a team in transition and just getting used to a new coach.
00:09:13
Speaker
after five years of the same coach. So I think it will be a really difficult test for them, but sorry, in my opinion, needs to make some changes.
Bologna's Inspirational Comeback: Mihailovic's Influence
00:09:23
Speaker
One of the biggest talking points from this past match day was not one of the clashes between the big sides. It was Bologna's incredible, absolutely stunning comeback against Brescia. Nima, what did you make of this? Because that was stunning, and this Bologna side
00:09:42
Speaker
They absolutely look completely motivated and you almost have to hand it to Mihailovic who is going through this terrible disease for anyone who doesn't know he was diagnosed with leukemia unfortunately just before the start of the season and
00:09:58
Speaker
My goodness, the player said he gave a speech at halftime over the phone because he's undergoing his second round of chemotherapy. And he said that was really the the boost that they needed at halftime to hear. This was an absolutely stunning result. And anybody who didn't watch it, I suggest go back and watch his full match because it was an absolute treat. Oh, yeah, it was it was a fantastic game. And I think this is, you know, Mihailovic, you know, it's very clear that they that
00:10:26
Speaker
They're all united and it was for him. They already have a good squad. They already have a good team. And we saw already how, you know, when he took over the form they were in under him. It's clear that it's working for him there. And I think that, and the way they came back, because they were, you know, Brescia played some damn good football in the first half. They were leading 3-1. They were in control.
00:10:53
Speaker
But that's the problem. The problem isn't Brescia's attack, it's their defense. They scored for fun last year in the Serie A B, but they conceded a lot. And that's where it is. Bologna could, once they managed to play past their press, it was basically a highway for them to attack.
00:11:16
Speaker
and to come back and win 4-3. This game could have ended 5-4 just as well. There were so much goals in it and it was a very entertaining game. I think Bologna is going to cause a lot of teams a lot of trouble this year. I think the Mihailoic being ill thing is not something that's actually going to help them. It sounds a bit weird.
00:11:40
Speaker
I think it helps them in the sense that it unites them. They're all fighting for one. Yeah, absolutely. It doesn't sound weird at all. I mean, they have like this extra purpose now. Yeah, exactly. It's they're all united for him. And it's clear that they are all united behind him and they are fighting for him.
00:11:58
Speaker
Yeah. And I think just beyond the, you know, obviously that dynamic, let's be honest here. I mean, this belonging side is good. I mean, you, I believe you said in our preview show, um, about or Salini, how he would have a very fantastic season. I mean, he is, he is really coming out strong. He is a great little player that they have there. I mean, it's just, um, the, the squad, not just that, I mean, it's just all these young Italian players that are coming up.
00:12:25
Speaker
Fiorentina had one as well, that midfielder whose name eludes me now. Castro Villi. Castro Villi. I mean, what kind of performance was that? You know, it was fantastic. No, this is the next generation of Italian players and they are, after a long time,
00:12:45
Speaker
of a decade long of players coming through that weren't good enough, Italy now have all of a sudden an abundance of interesting players in all areas of the pitch. Yeah, I couldn't agree with you more. And you absolutely called it about them. I mean, they could certainly be a surprise. And again, they're all backing Mija. They're united for this cause. And they're certainly punching above their weight, at least for now.
Sampdoria's Struggles and Uncertainties
00:13:11
Speaker
Another surprising result. Spout pulling one off in the dying seconds of the match against Lazio. Chloe, you and I spoke about Lazio, how they tend to go underappreciated at times. But it's results like this that, gosh, once you really start believing in them, they drop points like this.
00:13:35
Speaker
Yeah, it's really strange. They don't seem to be able to get any kind of consistency together. They kind of make you believe in them and then just collapse. And it's very strange. It seems to go in these cycles all the time. But I mean, Spal are a very tricky opponent to play against. You have to give them that. And, you know, Leonardo Sempliti, the manager, is
00:14:00
Speaker
I would love to see him at Fiorentina one day. He's from Florence, he coached the Fiorentina youth team in the past and the way he, we just accept Spall in the league now, but two years ago when they first were promoted,
00:14:17
Speaker
Well, he'd got them up into Serie B in the first place, and then took them to Serie A, and they've not been in the top flight for something like 50 years. And, you know, beating a team like Lazio is just an incredible achievement. And he seems to have got Andrea Patania, who was at Atalanta, firing again. And the vibe that Cemplici has got reminds me of Gasparini at Atalanta, how this kind of fighting spirit, and they don't care who they play, and
00:14:46
Speaker
and just go for it kind of thing. And I really like that. And against Lazio, a team that have these mental lapses almost, that they're the kind of team that are likely to pull off a result, I suppose, against a team like Lazio. For me, Lazio, I think Lazio's problem is that the squad lacks, how do you say it, not balance, but the distance between its highest
00:15:15
Speaker
it's highest quality players and it's lowest quality players is too high there's no like you know the poorest the distance between quality in terms of the worst player on the team and the best players to is too big you know you don't have this kind of balance this kind of.
00:15:34
Speaker
So what happens with Lazio is that they can go into a game and they can beat the best teams in the league or in one game. But then the following week they lose against Spal when they've been one goal up. And this instability is down to, I think, that Lazio is not a team that's built.
00:15:55
Speaker
in my opinion, in a balanced way. I thought that they were unfairly not getting enough due credit for potentially being in the conversation with Milan Roma for that last and final Champions League place. But gosh, again, they put out performances like that. They lose to a team like Spao, who, while they are good, they're not the highest quality of teams in the city. I mean, those are points they cannot be dropping. Speaking about dropping points,
00:16:23
Speaker
Nima, Sampdoria. I told you, I told you. I'm going to let you, I'm going to let you take a victory lap every time they drop points. Now listen. No, as long as he's there, it's going to be like this. As long as that man is there, it is going to be like this. As long as you have the situation with the ownership that nobody knows is Ferrero, you know, he doesn't seem interested anymore. You know, is he going to sell? Is he not going to sell?
00:16:49
Speaker
the longer this drags on and the longer that man is there it is going to look worse and worse and worse and they are hemorrhaging goals they don't look anything like a team they look like 11 individuals he looks clueless and as miserable as he's any look throughout his entire career
00:17:26
Speaker
Well, as you could tell right before I started talking about it, it's hard for me to muster up the words because I just cannot believe
00:17:32
Speaker
how bad they look. And listen, it's not even that, okay, a two to zero loss against Napoli. I mean, that could happen to every single team in the league. It's not that. For me, beyond the result, their performance is terrible. As you just said, there is no area of the pitch where they even look remotely dangerous.
00:17:52
Speaker
Defense, they're all over the place. They had the worst defense in the city up front. Quagliarello looks like the poor guy won't even have five goals this season. They look absolutely horrible. I thought they would have a drop-off. Absolutely. To this extent though, I don't... You said that they would be in trouble for relegation.
00:18:13
Speaker
I guess I'm curious to hear though, what was it just Deef and Francesco? That was it? That was that what led you to that? Or was it the mix of Deef and Francesco, this ownership, Ferrero, seemingly he's negotiating with the press or negotiating through the press saying, oh, well, if the Ali doesn't want to pay this, then I go to somebody else and I don't sell. Do you think it's just a mix of all of it? Yeah. Yeah. And the thing is, you need to have I mean, the reason why Sam Toreo was doing well is because
00:18:41
Speaker
Ferrero is a very, you know, he's very he's a bit crazy, but he's also a very a bit No, he comes off as a bit eccentric fine, but above all he's a bit again This guy wears scarves on his head Yeah, I know but above all he's the kind of guy that that energy is transformed into things happening they lost players and
00:19:07
Speaker
The during the summer that like they always do but they always scout and find the right replacements and they always do it with a red Like a red thread running through the organization. There is no no none of that was that occurred this summer and then hiring a manager who is hardly known for his
00:19:26
Speaker
inspirational approach in creating inspiring players you know this was a disaster waiting to happen because the man looks miserable generally the vibe he gives up is that of gloom and doom and then you have already this insecurity with you know with who's gonna take over after Ferrero if he's gonna sell he doesn't seem too keen
00:19:48
Speaker
to run this subdoria project anymore. It's like he doesn't think it's fun and therefore he doesn't want to and now he's cranky.
00:19:57
Speaker
I, it was all of this, all of this together. And then they sold some really influential players and I didn't feel they bought any good replacements. And I think it's looking really, really bad. It's looking disjointed. It's looking without energy. That's the thing. I mean, football is a very organic thing. Sampdoria look like
00:20:20
Speaker
look like they're exhausted already and and that's not good three two three games in. Chloe I mean are you listen it's three matches into the season okay we don't want to overreact but you and I talked about it on the preview show do you think this is actually one of those cases where you fear that it's gotten so bad that it could have this snowball effect? Yeah I mean
00:20:42
Speaker
Watching the final stages of that match, the thing that was really telling to me was they'd put in this performance that, like you say, they didn't look good in any area, they didn't have any ideas, they didn't
00:20:58
Speaker
They didn't really show anything. And at 2-0 down with like one or two minutes to go, dear Francesco is arguing with the referee over a decision. And I think, you know, what is the point of that? That is absolute desperation where you're doing something like that when it's not going to make any difference whatsoever. It's like some some last ditch attempt to shift the blame away from himself.
00:21:27
Speaker
He looks again like a desperate man. With three games in and he looks desperate. That's exactly it. I mean, think about it. They have Torino coming up.
00:21:37
Speaker
Then they have Fiorentina away. Then they have Inter at home. And then they have Helas away. And then it's the international break. And I will guarantee you that he's out by them. There is no way. If they don't fire him after... Because I think they're going to lose all of their games. I think even they could draw. Helas have proven they're no walkovers. They fight. The Helas teams Milan saw yesterday. They fight till the last second.
00:22:03
Speaker
of the game and and santoria do anything but i honestly gotta fist this continues he's out by the next uh by the next uh international breaking you know what i think it's the right decision this man he it's not working and they need to stop this because you know one goal in three games nine conceded
00:22:23
Speaker
That's their stats. That's terrible. And listen, I said they're nowhere good in any facet of the pitch. Their defense is terrible. Nima, your man, Morillo, looks like he belongs in the city of Ibi. That's too kind. He should play in the Segunda in Spain, where they really don't know how to defend. I mean, the thing with Morillo, I mean, that's exactly it. You bought, you know, you get rid of Christenson and you replace him with Morillo? Like, seriously? What?
00:22:52
Speaker
It just makes no sense. Murillo needed, you know, looked good when he had Miranda next to him because Miranda did all the thinking and told him what to do pretty much. The guy is technically gifted, but he's not good. He's not solid.
00:23:12
Speaker
I'm really worried about Sampdori. I keep saying it because I think the Genoa Darby is one of the most beautiful Darbys. In fact, I think, as I said it on the show last season, I think it's probably one of the most heated in-city Darbys in Europe that doesn't get recognized, and the Syrian needs it.
00:23:30
Speaker
So speaking of another dreadful side to watch, Utene is it, Nima? They were down to 10 men. De Paul decided to do something that probably most people feel like doing, and giving Estonio Kanteva a smack to the back of the head. He was promptly sent off. However, it took the shortest man on the pitch, who I think was as tall as I was when I was 11,
00:23:53
Speaker
to score a headed goal and give Antonio Conte's men the victory. How did you feel about that one? Because, boy, was that ugly to watch, I have to tell you. As far as aesthetics go, very ugly. It was a Conte match. Conte, you know, for me, that's the kind of, that's that win and that result is exactly why Antonio Conte was hired to win. Inter don't, you know, Inter, under him,
00:24:20
Speaker
are because I wasn't worried. I wasn't worried for one second. And that's the first time I watched an intergame where I wasn't I wasn't where I knew they were going to win. I just there was absolutely no doubt in my mind that sooner or later, that goal is going to come. And and that, you know, I said it on the same thing to proceed into as well, that you are turning into you. And I don't mean in the in the bribing referee kind of way, but I mean, in the kind of way
00:24:49
Speaker
No, but I mean in the sense that they're becoming like Kakante said when he first took over that he wants to
00:24:57
Speaker
He wants Inter not to be Pazza anymore. He wants them to just go in there calmly, coolly, get the job done and go home. And that's exactly what they did. This is the polar opposite of Spalletti. With Spalletti, the team was always panicked and frantic. With Antonio Conte, they're as cool as you like. They know everyone knows what they're supposed to do, and they systematically work themselves in. Even though it didn't look good at all, especially in the first half, at least in the second half, it looked a little bit better.
00:25:26
Speaker
but they still seem to be in complete control. Stefano Cenci is...
00:25:36
Speaker
you know, congratulations Italy, as Gazzetta said, you know, he's already a world-beater.
Udinese vs. Inter: Performance Analysis
00:25:42
Speaker
I wouldn't go quite as far, but I'd say that he's, as they did when they said that, but I, as the Gazzetta said, but I think if he continues like this, he is an Italian iniesta. That's the best way to describe him. His movement, his intelligence, his technique, his vision, his craft. No, this guy is, wow, what a player.
00:26:03
Speaker
Yeah, I think so too. And Chloe, you and I, we discussed Udineze a little bit in the previous episodes, but listen, everybody expected Inc. Dead to win this one, but Udineze looked absolutely just so spineless, particularly in Attack. Yeah, I think that, as we said, that first result versus Milan was a freak, and I think they're really going to struggle this year.
00:26:31
Speaker
They've flirted with relegation over the last few years. And like we said, the Pozzo family are really more interested in Watford and they're just a whole bunch of nothing, unfortunately, for their fans. But I think coming up against Inter, like Nima said, under Conte now, he's so focused on the result. It doesn't necessarily have to be a good performance, but he wants to win.
00:27:01
Speaker
And, you know, Spiletti was provided a lot more entertainment, especially if it was neutral. But he is so up and down and, you know, he is so variable that that portrayed itself in the team. The team, it manifested itself in the team. The team played like that.
00:27:25
Speaker
And so, you know, they could be two and a half, one minute and look like world beaters and the next minute it will be back to two, two and, you know, everything comes crashing down. So Conte has brought in that stability. But it's not like Nima said, it's not always going to be pretty to watch. One thing that I got to say without analogy, I mean, for everyone before you get angry and start sending me the threats on Twitter, it was a joke.
00:27:50
Speaker
but not really. The analogy is basically I feel that Juve are becoming a little bit like Inter. Sarri is definitely not a good fit for them. You can tell that and already you have Juve people saying
00:28:05
Speaker
that they don't, you know, they don't like the way he, Sarri carries himself, the way he talks, he's already, you know, cranky, he's already moaning a little bit and complaining. That's not what you would do, you know, and he doesn't fit their mold. And there you have on the other side, you have Antonio Conte, that just, that actually pointed to this, when they was asked about Sarri, that Sarri had moaned about playing midweek or something, and he was, it was something like that, and listened to carefully. He,
00:28:34
Speaker
And Konta's response was, some people need to calm down. And you can already see it's weird. This is weird. Inter is turning into you when you was turning into Inter. I don't know. I don't know the horseman of the apocalypse or maybe riding him now anytime soon. Because this is weird. This is really weird.
00:28:53
Speaker
All right, well, I'm not even going to touch that because I'll let all the... I'll let you take all the abuse. Yeah, ask me about R-double-o-D. Bring it on, bring it on. Okay, all right. Anyway, Roma for Sasuolo too. Anybody else but me want to discuss this one because I just don't even know. Yeah, I'll take it. Go ahead, Chloe.
00:29:22
Speaker
After those two draws at the beginning, Fonseca was said from the start that he wants to play attacking football.
00:29:35
Speaker
And that's what you got in the first 30 minutes, you know, that real blitz and, you know, getting the attack really, really firing. I think putting Mikitarian into the team has obviously given them a boost. Am I allowed a gladiator pun? Are you not entertained?
00:30:03
Speaker
Again, it's very good as a huge troll, not so good if you support Roma. I was afraid. I was afraid to write you, John. Like, this is the first time since we started this podcast that I actually was afraid to write you. I thought you might bite my head off if I texted you anything or joked or made any kind of reference to Roma. I was expecting you to send me like expletives or something back. I just wrote you okay, question mark.
00:30:36
Speaker
Now listen, this is why I don't really like statistics because I was complaining about Roma's defense and somebody sent me the final, uh, expected goals of
Berardi Shines for Sassuolo
00:30:45
Speaker
the match. And it was, I think Sasuolo's was like 0.87. And I'm like, no, no. See, this is why you actually watched the football instead of, instead of going on to Google and typing in XG and saying, Oh look, they didn't have many opportunities. Sasuolo had plenty of opportunities.
00:30:57
Speaker
I was afraid to write in the lab.
00:31:05
Speaker
Absolutely plenty. I'm not even gonna bring up Berardi who, as I said on the preview show, the guy gets linked to Roma. Sasuolo don't beat Roma, but he always purges Roma for at least a goal or two every single time they play, so... I actually laughed out loud when it was him. I just thought, John said this was gonna happen with Berardi. The free kick was, listen...
00:31:26
Speaker
He's a head case. We can make the argument that he should have been at a big club a number of years ago. We can make fun of how he never plays against Juve oddly enough. But in all seriousness, he was so good. He is really good. He's really good. Yeah, he is. I was just going to say, this is his breakout.
00:31:51
Speaker
He's the real deal. Yeah, but he always seems to start off well and then he fades. So you're advising people not to place those Capo Canieri bets then for him, yeah? No. I don't know. I don't know. Oh my God. Wow. Okay. No, I think you win it. I honestly do.
00:32:12
Speaker
I think you will. No, no. I think this is his, because this isn't like the guy when he was a kid and came through and scored four goals in two games and everyone was like, oh, the next whatever. But no, he looks maturer now. He's been an enigma his entire career. And it might just be that he stays at Sasolo for his entire career. And that's fair enough. I mean, that's beautiful. Think of, you know, it's another Antonio Di Natale, if you will. That's great. But if he can develop, you know,
00:32:42
Speaker
I love Deserbi. I mean everyone who's listened to the show know I really rate Deserbi as a coach and I think he's doing an excellent job there at Sasolo. So it's really interesting to see. For me this isn't just a spike in form. This guy, it seems like he's enjoying his football and he's liking the formation that he's getting played in and he's taking the responsibility
00:33:04
Speaker
And I think this is the real deal now. If it doesn't happen now, it will never happen. Okay, but hold on. He is one of those players that everybody seems to classify as still being young. But I Googled it before the match just because I thought, okay, I think I have an idea as to what it... He's 25 now. Yeah, we can't be classifying him as this immature youngster who's still learning.
00:33:29
Speaker
Oh, no, no, no, you're absolutely right. This is now this is this is where he needs to. He's one of the more, you know, he's one of the more experienced players in that squad and needs to take responsibility. And it's clearly so far he's doing that. No, I think this is his true breakthrough. I don't you know, I don't think he will ever go to a big club in Italy. I don't think he can handle that.
00:33:47
Speaker
I think if he were to go anywhere, I think, you know, a Liverpool or someone, you know what I mean? Like somewhere like that is somewhere where I think he could he could probably get, you know, get the most out of his his his game. He's a very special. I think he ended up like immobile and severe.
00:34:04
Speaker
if he went abroad. I just don't see it. I just, I don't see he's got like the mentality or the tenacity to make it work somewhere. I think that's why he stayed at Sassuolo.
00:34:18
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, every time I start to believe in him, he goes, you know, he gets on the pitch and then he smacks somebody in the face and gets sent off. I mean, we can't, his discipline is atrocious. So I, you know, I'll start buying in once I see this for four or five months in a row and he's not getting sent off against Wifdeneez or something. I think that this is the season where you will be seeing that, John. I honestly do.
00:34:43
Speaker
Yeah, we'll see. We'll see. As for Roma, McTarrion was great. Very happy to see it. Pellegrini looked very good. He had three assists. I think Fonseca is going to have a big decision to make when Zagnolo and Cengizunda are all available. I think you have to play Pellegrini through the middle. And that might mean Zagnolo sitting. I don't know. We'll have to see. He has some decisions to make. The final one that we are going to discuss, Verona Milan.
00:35:10
Speaker
So, we were primarily going to discuss the match and then, Nima, the Helas Varona Twitter account, so not only is the stadium garbage, it turns out that the official Helas Varona Twitter account is also garbage, so why don't you enlighten people as to what happened? I hope it's a case of the famous words that Donaruma tweeted out during the whole, his contract renewal was, hakeraju sol mio account, kyudo social.
00:35:38
Speaker
because that would be a very good word. I thought you were going to say that I all had done Aruma forever. No, no. That was gorgeous in and of itself, but haker ajo has got to be the best word that has ever been said in the Italian language. I think taking haker and adding ajo to it is
00:36:00
Speaker
guys genius now basically the Hellas Verona account took it upon themselves after they were criticized there was you know there was there were monkey chants against Kestia there were Neapolitan anti Neapolitan chants against
00:36:17
Speaker
Gijo Donaruma, and this was clear for everyone to hear, but then the Hellas Verona, and they were starting to get criticized for it on TV, et cetera. And the Hellas Verona is a Twitter account, which is a, you have to remember, this is a verified account. This isn't a fan account. This is the official clubs, you know, this comes from, they're speaking for the official club. They took an interesting stand.
00:36:43
Speaker
They tweeted out the brew against Kesia, the insults against Domaruma, maybe some people were dazed by the decibel strength of the support from the yellow and blue fans. What we heard
00:36:58
Speaker
inevitable jeers for refereeing decisions that still today leave us very perplexed, and then a lot of applause for our, in quotation marks, gladiators at the end of the game. Let's not revert to stereotypes and labels that we've long since shrugged off. Respect for Verona and the Veronese people, hashtag respect. The stereotypes they're referring to is that their ultras are Nazis. During an event in July 2017,
00:37:25
Speaker
they started singing, they're the leader of the kurva started making nazi salutes and making nazi, singing out nazi slogans and you could say that was one person. The problem was that the entire kurva made, the entire people there made nazi salutes and sang nazi slogans as well. So this whole I'm feeling violated shtick that they've been doing, it doesn't really ring that true and it feels kind of sad and pathetic and I feel after yesterday when we saw
00:37:55
Speaker
how, you know, once again, this is again being published all over the world. We had an Italian pundit on a, on a que show, a que calcho. It's a show in North Italy, which is shown nationally, where one of the guys said something really bad about Lucaco, saying the only way to stop him is to give him 10 bananas to eat and was fired on the spot on air by Ravecani, the
00:38:21
Speaker
the director of that TV channel, that felt good because it showed that there is a good way to handle stupid and racist remarks. You immediately show this is unacceptable and you take a step back and you get rid of that person. But no, Helos Verona decided to act all violated and release the statement via the club, which is just, I mean, again, did someone hack their account?
00:38:45
Speaker
Like, what the hell is going on here? Oh, every time these incidents happen, we always say, you know, the leaders of Italian football, they have to step up. They have to condemn this. We have to root it out. We have to do everything we can.
00:38:59
Speaker
And this is another instance. Two steps forward, one step back, it feels like, because, I mean, how do you tweet that? And then, Nima, I don't know if you mentioned, they did a follow-up to that. They released an official, they released an official note on their website, which was- Get out, I missed that. It was basically a sorry, I'm not sorry. It essentially said, we are sorry if anybody misunderstood the tweet from the official.
00:39:29
Speaker
from the official Halas Vadona Twitter account earlier today and we wish to clarify blah blah blah blah blah. My favorite apologies are the non-apologies, the sorry if you were offended kind. I mean, come on. Let's let Mel Gibson, when he apologized for his anti-Semitic remarks, isn't it? It's terrible. It's terrible. I just want us to go through one week where we don't have to talk about the absolute stupidity of various people inside Italian football.
00:39:58
Speaker
that's all I ask. Is that really a lie? It would be nice. Just once can we just I mean, it's literally like it's just raining stupidity right now and scandals and it's and these are all the kind of unforced errors that anyone that most professional people could avoid if there was
00:40:16
Speaker
a communication strategy, or if there was some clarity in what they do in terms of their communication. Because that's the issue here. It's these ridiculous, unforced errors where they make everything so much worse.
00:40:32
Speaker
and it's just embarrassing it's terrible it's absolutely terrible so getting back to the match Chloe what did you think of this one because again Milan just I don't know what it is maybe Gian Paolo wasn't the right fit they just this they don't look good let's just I'll keep it as simple as that they don't look good under him
Milan's Ongoing Struggles and the Upcoming Derby
00:40:57
Speaker
Yeah, I think it would benefit both teams if they just sent him back to Sampdoria, to be honest. I mean, because Sampdoria is struggling without him. Milan is struggling with him. They didn't have a shot on target, hardly for the whole game. You know, as we said the other day, he doesn't look comfortable. He looks tired. It looks like the pressure is getting to him. And, you know, to cap it all, he's got the Milan Derby to contend with this weekend coming.
00:41:27
Speaker
Yeah, it's not a great situation for them. I don't know what to suggest as a solution, whether somebody else could make that group of players work better. I mean, to be honest, even Gotuzo had them working better than Gianpaolo has. So it's really difficult to put your finger on exactly what the problem is at Milan.
00:41:53
Speaker
Yeah. And, and Nemo, I don't know what you make of this, but again, Gianpaolo. I'm sorry. I'm giggling in the background. I just read the, that's, that's the only, that's the proper reaction, right? You guys have, you guys have children that if they behaved like this, you would both like ground them for life. Right. You know, if they misbehaved in the park, I'm not sorry. I'm sorry, dad, that you're a bad dad. That's basically, that's basically the tone of this. Jesus.
00:42:22
Speaker
Yes, oh my god, yeah, cringe, cringe, yeah. Real quick, so Gianpaolo, again, it feels like he's doing this experimenting, like, in-season, when this, I feel like this should all be done before the season begins. I think that's why they call it pre-season. Again, he's doing this experimentation in the attack. You had Piontek last week, not start, this time he does start. You have Suzo playing alongside him.
00:42:52
Speaker
It's like I said, like when we were there, I mean, to me it looks just more and more and more like he's completely clueless. He's panicked and he's looked panicked from day one and that doesn't bode well. I don't understand why, but he feels exactly like Chloe said and I felt it for quite some time. He feels under such immense pressure and it's a big club. Milan is a big club. It is a lot of pressure involved.
00:43:17
Speaker
But for him to look this under pressure, I don't like it. I don't like it at all and it doesn't bode well for Milan. And that midfield, I mean, again,
00:43:29
Speaker
Why not play Ben-Aser again? Okay, Belia's been injured. Why not let him play, you know, get some more minutes? I mean, Milan aren't in European football, so they only play once a week. This is the time, you know, now is not the time where you need to rotate. Play your best 11. Ben-Aser looked great the week before against Brescia. You know, and...
00:43:50
Speaker
And I mean, I don't understand why he makes life so difficult for himself. I thought Piontek looked good. Sousa has become an issue again. He looks like the Sousa that left Liverpool and not the Sousa that's been at Milan. Paquita, it looks to be struggling. Their defence looks all right. I thought Rebic looked good when he came on. I think actually if he sticks to his 4312, Rebic can play on the wing as well as a second Apuntos.
00:44:17
Speaker
So I think from now on you need to see Rebic play and I think you need to see Suso play. If you're gonna play the 4-3-3, play with those two players on the wings and Piontek in the middle. Or if you're gonna play a 4-3-1-2,
00:44:28
Speaker
then you can't play Sousa because he cannot play in the trécretista role. He looks completely lost. He naturally draws out to a wing. That's where he can do harm. So no, I but like Chloe said, I mean, we all said it this, you know, last last season before, you know, on the show that we wanted Gianpaolo to stay at Samporia because we thought that's where he and the club, you know, everything was everything looked good for everyone there. Everyone was happy. And I didn't understand the appointment of Gianpaolo.
00:44:58
Speaker
at all. And I fear that, you know, with the Derby coming up, I mean, this that Milan I saw yesterday against Hellas play against a content team, you know, as an interista, I'm happy, but that's not good for Milan at all.
00:45:13
Speaker
Yeah, so I wanted to, so obviously we'll discuss this just before we end here, we'll discuss obviously the Derby later in the week on our preview episode, but just real quick here, I mean, what is your initial sense of that? Because, gosh, if you want to talk about just form, obviously Milan won. So maybe we're making a bit much of it, but
00:45:35
Speaker
Just aesthetically, again, Inter winning ugly, but you can at least tell they have a system. They have Conte's ideas in place. With Gianpaolo, it just feels like again, he's just experimenting on the fly, seeing what works. I mean, if I were a Milan supporter, I would not feel even remotely confident coming into this one.
00:45:59
Speaker
Agreed. It doesn't look good for Milan at all. And a lot of people say the Derby is different and it's true. The Derby games have a whole life of their own. And we all know that. But for me, the problem is that Milan look, again, not as bad as his former team, Sampdoria, because they're just 11 individuals. But they do look a little bit fragmented, Milan.
00:46:24
Speaker
And they don't look like they know exactly what they're doing and who's doing what. And Jampala looks very frustrated that he can't get them to do what he wants them to do. And that makes me think then why not keep
00:46:37
Speaker
Gatuzo. I mean, Gatuzo, you know, with Gatuzo, there was clarity. It was absolute. And I thought, and we said it all of a sudden on the show, he was learning and improving on the job. He really, really was. So I don't get it. I really don't get that decision. And I think that Gatuzo should have stayed. But who knows? I mean, as I said, if, you know, we're going to talk about this in the previous show, but if Milan get completely hammered in the Derby,
00:47:02
Speaker
then there is a chance that his days could be numbered. And Chloe, the other big match this weekend is Fiorentina against Atalanta. Atalanta coming off another last gasp winner against Genoa at the death thanks to Duvan Zapata. Again, I hate to say that because Atalanta is such a strong side. You hate to say that this is a must-win, but is it time now for Montella to get that victory?
00:47:28
Speaker
Oh, it really is. But I mean, yet again, after, you know, some really tough game, Juve and Napoli in the opening three matches, you know, we're up against an Atlanta team. OK, they've got Champions League that, you know, they might.
00:47:42
Speaker
They might have a bit of a hangover from that because they've never played in the Champions League before, but they're a really tough team to play. And, you know, why couldn't we have played Udinese? Sampdoria, Sampdoria, Sampdoria is who you want to play. But you do play them. You do play them in the midweek fixture, if I'm not mistaken.
00:48:03
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, you know, it's going to get better. And at least in a way, you get those tough games out of the way and everybody else has still got to play them. But Montella really needs this win. So yeah, because
00:48:20
Speaker
After a while, even if the team are showing promise and they're playing nice football and everybody's enjoying it, if they're not winning, he's eventually going to get fired. So we really need those points on the board and just got everything crossed so that we can do that versus Atalanta. What's the name of that guy who's got that restaurant in Florence? He's available. Ospaletti is his name. Neema.
00:48:46
Speaker
I mean, seriously, that is naturally going to be the biggest connection for the managers. And that's a good thing for you. He was at the game. He was in the crowd.
00:49:07
Speaker
But I think that's more to do with the fact that he's not got a job and he's supported his business there. Yeah, he does. And I think, you know, at the end of the day, I know Spaletti is a special character, but he is a good coach and he has done good results. I mean, he got into the Champions League for the first time in almost a decade, two years in a row.
00:49:25
Speaker
Sure, it was a lot of drama and I aged 55 years, during those two years, but it wasn't just his fault. And he's a good coach. I mean, he's finished second with Roma, I don't know how many times in the Serie A. It's a decent coach, it's just that he's bonkers. I get that, I get that. But for me personally, you know, from
00:49:50
Speaker
I keep banging on about this, but from his first spell at Fiorentina, you know, Mantella is somebody, somebody actually said to me that they think you should be nicknamed Mr Suave.
00:50:04
Speaker
And, you know, Montana is a really, really likeable guy. And I still want him to do well, because when he gets it right, like he did in the first belt, the football is just so, so good to watch. And personally, that's what I want to see from my team. And, you know, I would rather even though Spillaty, you know, all joking aside, I know that he could do a job. But
00:50:33
Speaker
I don't want to see that inconsistency. I don't want to see all that craziness and all the baggage that come with it.
00:50:43
Speaker
Yeah, I can see that as, I mean, I think John and I can relate to put it that way. I can't wait for the November episode when this eventually happens because you've already said it, I believe, two or three times now. Now you've made it inevitable, Chloe. So I can't wait for the November episode once they appoint him. People will log on and you'll find that I've gone on holiday.
00:51:12
Speaker
Well, just don't do it this week. Don't do it this week because, as I said, everybody, we will be back later in the week, assuming Fiorentina don't sack Montala and Luciano Spalletti. Oh, we're doing a reaction episode with Chloe.
00:51:30
Speaker
That's without question because, again, you can only mutter it for so long and then without it, you know, you can only delay the inevitable for so long because it's happening. Just embrace it, Chloe. It's happening.
00:51:44
Speaker
so we will be back as I said later in the week we will be previewing the host of matches there's the Darby as I said there's Fiorentina Atalanta so it's another exciting week with some good matches for the fourth matchday so as I said a few more days we will talk to everybody then and until next time bye bye