Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Fiorentina-Napoli Drama, Inter Fly Under Conte, Roma's Defensive Woes (Ep. 16)
137 Plays6 years ago
Recommended
Transcript
00:00:01
Speaker
Welcome to the Citya Show!
Controversial Match: Fiorentina vs Napoli
00:00:32
Speaker
We had goals, we had controversy, we had VAR, or I should say lack thereof, VAR. Yeah, exactly. Just astonishing. So, Parma Uve, we'll get to that one after Fiorentina Napoli, because that is certainly the one that took most of the headlines. So, Chloe, we're a couple of days afterwards, the result.
00:00:56
Speaker
Fiorentina looked good. That was so undeserved in my opinion. And I know you have to be fuming at that penalty that to this moment, I still do not have any decent explanation as to why that was even given.
00:01:14
Speaker
So please Chloe, take it away. Are you feeling better now?
Fiorentina's Promising Midfield
00:01:18
Speaker
I am feeling better. I mean obviously at the time it's just immensely frustrating. I mean the first penalty that Fiorentina were awarded was
00:01:32
Speaker
slightly suspect and under the old rules it was certainly not a penalty. But I think with the tweaking of the new rules that say it doesn't have to be deliberate handball and that if
00:01:47
Speaker
if your arms are in a quote unquote unnatural position that they can award a penalty. I think that's gonna see too many penalties being awarded personally, but I think you could argue that to the letter of the new rules that that one was fairly okay. But then obviously we had Dries Mertens throwing himself to the ground.
VAR Controversies and Human Error
00:02:09
Speaker
The TV replays clearly showed there was no contact whatsoever. And it wasn't one of those where it was like,
00:02:18
Speaker
It could have been said that he just sort of tripped and fell. There was literally no contact. And it was, in my opinion, an attempt to cheat. So the referee, obviously, for whatever reason, doesn't check the var, whether he didn't hear anything in his ear, whether there was a fault. We don't know. But I mean, he's been condemned for it since by the chief of referees. And obviously, it was a big mistake.
00:02:47
Speaker
But having said that, and drawing a line under all the controversy that goes with that, I have to say that I was so, so pleased with the way that Fiorentina played. They actually had a midfield, which they haven't had, certainly at all last season.
00:03:03
Speaker
you know they were a joy to watch and the fans were behind them and everyone was pulling together under this new ownership and it was just it was fantastic to see and while the result was really bitterly disappointing I think there's a lot of hope there.
00:03:19
Speaker
I think Montela said it best after the game. He was seething with anger and I completely understand why he was because when he said that, I don't understand that you have five people and they all miss it, which can happen, but you have technology. How can you not use the technology? And he's absolutely right because there is absolutely no other conclusion you can possibly reach when you look at the replay for both of those situations.
00:03:44
Speaker
When it comes to the marathon situation, I mean, that is the most blatant dive I've seen in such a long time. And when you see that, and the way I look at it, and the same thing with Ribery, when he's getting his arm pulled down by his side, I think it is. Look,
00:04:02
Speaker
The way I look at it is this, if there are two possibilities, if either the VAR referees told Daniel Amatza to come and look at the situation and he declined both times, then I think it's gross
00:04:21
Speaker
incompetence and negligence on his part and that should preclude him from having been in charge of any other Serie A game this season.
00:04:35
Speaker
or if it's the situation where he's he's relying on the VAR team and they both times say that no it doesn't look okay it's not a clear and obvious error then neither of them should be in the VAR should should be allowed to to to adjudicate any any serie again for the rest of the season either because there you cannot be that incompetent and and be allowed to continue working because it's just there's no there's literally no excuse for it everyone can make a mistake but when you have
00:05:05
Speaker
When you have video replay at your assistance and you still can't get it even remotely right,
00:05:14
Speaker
then you're just not fit to execute the duties that you've been chosen to do. It's just that simple. I thought it was extremely annoying. I thought it was extremely frustrating because I thought the game was absolutely fantastic. I mean, we called it here, didn't we Chloe? We said, I said 2-2-3-3. And I think the way Fiorentina played, I think
00:05:38
Speaker
you know, they should have won that game. But it's just so frustrating that we have these games, these fantastic games. The atmosphere was amazing. Anyone who's been lucky enough to be at the Artemio Frankie when it's an evening game and it's packed like that knows how awesome the atmosphere is. I just think it's a shame. This was, again, the Serie A, you know, trying to show off its best side and just falling flat on its face again.
00:06:07
Speaker
Yeah, shooting itself in the foot when they've got an opportunity to showcase just how fantastic it is. It's terrible for fans of the league, like us, when we want to see the league flourish. Yeah, absolutely. Aside from wanting Fiorentina to win, you know, that's the bad thing about it. I mean, I don't support either team. I mean, as I was saying, a bunch of Inter fans were...
00:06:28
Speaker
you know, do you, I will remember how, you know, the, the, the penalty that you, Tarantino were given last season, when Dem D'Ambrosio handled, I was like, yeah, that wasn't a, two wrongs don't make a right. I don't see, I don't see the connection between that. Like I, I, you know, it's, it's both gross incompetence, you know, whether it's Abiso or Massa, it's incompetence. And I don't want to see that. I didn't want to see that at the very first game of the season. And I think,
00:06:55
Speaker
And I'm glad to hear what it's only said. I mean, it's only said, okay, you know, we handball that, well, there's always going to be some confusion with the new rule, which is fair enough. I understand that. And they need more help. But this, the same, the two other, the two other situations where, I mean, get out of here, you know, just get out of here. Couldn't agree more with the both of you. And the part that really frustrated me most beyond the actual incident
00:07:20
Speaker
You had all of the people. Now listen, there are clearly factions of people who dislike VAR. There's another faction who love it. For me, if you have the opportunity to right a wrong, it's obviously good for everybody. But this instance, it really brought out that faction who are against VAR. See, it makes things worse.
00:07:43
Speaker
I just want to tell that group it's not the VAR, it's the referees. It's the referees, right? I mean, come on. This logic to blame the technology when there's a human being basing their decision on the information provided by that technology is so counterintuitive and stupid for the lack of a better word.
00:08:03
Speaker
I mean, it's literally like, it's like literally yelling at the thermostat for showing that the temperature and you're not happy with the temperature. This is idiotic. It doesn't do anything. Like the VAR does not make decisions, the referee does. You have to sort out the person in charge of running that, not the technology itself. I mean, there's no logic. I mean, in what other industry would you have technology available to you?
00:08:33
Speaker
but opt not to use it. I mean, imagine in a hospital where they get some... I'm going to wing it. I'm going to wing it. I just don't think we're probably using it. Yeah, I don't know. What do you think he's got, doctor? I don't know. It could be cancer, it could be the flu. I'm going to wing it on this one. It's shocking. And only in the city odd do we have this. I mean, it's just astonishing. But beyond the controversy, if we, you know, let's get back to the actual football. Chloe, I was...
00:09:04
Speaker
Astonished by how good Fiorentina looked, looked how good Montela had them set up.
00:09:09
Speaker
And we mentioned him on the previous podcast, Pulgar from Bologna. What a player. I felt like he transformed and adds an entirely new dynamic to that midfield.
Fiorentina's Transfers and New Dynamics
00:09:22
Speaker
Absolutely. I mean, after it was so shocking last year to have a player like that come in who is not only, you know, I guess in some ways you could compare him to
00:09:34
Speaker
is compatriot Gary Medell in the way that he's sort of tough and he gets stuck in and all that. But he's also talented and he's got sort of a likeness of touch about him too. He's not all like blood and thunder. He's graceful and he took that penalty with ease and he didn't seem nervous. And even though it was a debut and I was massively impressed by him and some of the younger players that Fiorentina had on the pitch as well.
00:10:03
Speaker
Yeah, no, I was really impressed by, and also looking at, you know, the players that they're looking to bring in as well. I mean, I think Fiorentina, if they can, if they bring in Rodrigo de Powell, which looks very close, and they're thinking of sending, I think, the deal between Biragi and Dalbert. I think Dalbert could really do well at Fiorentina, because I think he's the kind of player who
00:10:23
Speaker
He's very similar to the Gilardinos of the world, that in the sense that I don't think he has what it takes to make it at the very big clubs. But I think at a piazza like Fiorentina that is just under the top three, I think he can flourish and become really great. And I think that's a great swap. And I really do hope that he succeeds there. No, I really like this Fiorentina project. And then what we spoke about last week about the false nine with Kevin Prince Boating. What a goal he scored.
00:10:51
Speaker
I know. They nearly scored with his first touch as well. Yeah, it was pretty nice. It was a really nice game. It was a really nice game. And then moving to the other side, Napoli, there were never any doubts about their attacking ability. That was never in
Napoli's Key Players and Juventus' Narrow Win
00:11:07
Speaker
question. I love Kayakon. I have to say, I love Kayakon. I mean... He is very good.
00:11:14
Speaker
He's somehow underrated. Very underrated. I feel as if people still think of him as just that runner. He's behind so much of what Napoli do, not just in terms of scoring, not just in terms of assists, but also
00:11:33
Speaker
He runs intelligently, he plays football with his brain as well and it's really interesting to see how dependently, I mean if you see how many players have come and gone, Kaekon is still there and he's always in the starting lineup and he always delivers.
00:11:48
Speaker
And I thought against Fiorentina, it was like, it was the old K-Home we saw. Like, it was like he turned back the years. I mean, last season, he struggled a little bit in that 442 system. But then in this system, he's like, it's the old K-Home. Yeah, absolutely. Now, moving to the other fixture on the day was Parma 0 and Juve 1. Did we take anything significant away from this one? Speaking of VAR,
00:12:16
Speaker
I don't know if I've ever seen a decision as closely as that one where Cristiano Ronaldo's goal was called off by his right index finger thing just slightly offside. That looked incredibly harsh. I mean, the thing I found most interesting was after a terrible previous season, after a summer filled with rumors about him going away.
00:12:42
Speaker
Who is the man starting in this forward role? It's none other than Gonzalo Iguayi. And he looked good. And he looked really good. He looked great. And his movement, he looked like he'd been on like a spa. He had a horrible breakup and then he quit smoking and then he went away on a spa.
00:13:04
Speaker
I mean, he looked so refreshed. He looked like the Iguin of old, and his movement was fantastic. And his link-up play with the two wingers, Douglas Costa and Rinaldo Ronaldo, was excellent. And Pjanic, you know, we were wondering who was going to be the Giorginio. Well, now we know. Pjanic is definitely going to be the Giorginio, and he does it really well.
00:13:23
Speaker
No, I was like, when I was watching that game, I said to him, I was like, you know, all this nonsense about Juve, they're going to win the league because they are this good. And they have that quality in them. And if Higuain can, you know, turn back the years, one or two years and become the player he was a couple of seasons ago, I don't understand.
00:13:47
Speaker
There's nothing, you know, that means they're even dangerous in the Champions League. I mean, he's not that old. I mean, people exaggerate. He's not like he's 38 years old. He's 33, 34. I mean, he can still do it. And I mean, he was decent last season with Sarri.
00:14:00
Speaker
at Chelsea and now he's back with his favourite coach and he looks like he's really up for it, he's got a point to prove. For the record, I thought he was 33-2, he's 31 now. Yeah, I mean listen, I know that ball spot does him no favour whatsoever.
00:14:25
Speaker
yeah you just gotta shave it off when you get to that point but i also didn't notice maybe i just missed this but he changed his number as well no longer the number nine he moved to uh dibala's number 21 so yeah i i mean he didn't score a goal obviously but i thought his movement looked
00:14:42
Speaker
good. I don't know in the long term throughout the season, I don't know what Tuiri and Karira are going to be the names that we necessarily see alongside Pianic because they're not the typical Maurizio Sarri type of players, but
00:15:00
Speaker
I don't know. I didn't think that if you've a if you they can use those players in the games against teams like Palmer and and lesser teams even than that, you know, you could hear as you know, I'm a Tweedy and then have this like incredible bench in case they get into trouble and then
00:15:20
Speaker
Also that means that they've got their star players available and very fresh for the more difficult games. Then surely that takes away that criticism of Sarri that we that we levelled at him when he was at Napoli that he didn't rotate enough and the players were always tired. If he can win still with effectively his B team or a partial B team then that's a bit of a scary prospect.
00:15:46
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. I completely agree.
AC Milan's Struggles and Coaching Pressure
00:15:49
Speaker
Now, speaking of scary prospects, I don't know if anybody was able to stomach with an as a Milan because that was a difficult one to watch.
00:15:59
Speaker
It was painful. First of all, that, I mean, just first of all, that starting lineup that Gianpaolo was using was just insane. I don't understand why he started with any, you know, the three changes he's made for the players he brought on was exactly what I, what I thought, how I thought he was going to start. And, and, and Piontek, what has happened to him? He looks like he's, he looks like a, like, like he's like, he looks exhausted. Like he can't move. And no, it was, it was Milan look really, really bad. And.
00:16:28
Speaker
All my fears of Milan were kind of, regarding Milan, were kind of validated, all those fears, because they looked completely lack of form, they looked lack of shape, they looked completely devoid of ideas. They looked like all the bad things during Gattuso.
00:16:45
Speaker
and added with no tempo and no energy. I have to be honest, I actually turned off my way through the second half because I just couldn't bear it. It was just utterly dreadful. It was so dull and I don't think they had a shot on target, I read afterwards. It just was a whole lot of nothing. It was very, very strange.
00:17:10
Speaker
It was incredibly strange. And let's be honest here. This is an Udenezis side that has not one even remotely talented attacker. Kevin Lasagna is not talented. Um, DePaul was on the bench. He wasn't being played because as Nima you referenced, he's on his way or it looks like he's on his way to Fiorentina. So I was just dumbfounded.
00:17:34
Speaker
that they ultimately ended up losing this match. So it was, yeah, a very, very difficult watch. You would hope that Gian Paolo would learn his lesson. I mean, Fabio Borini starting in the midfield doesn't exactly... I don't understand that.
00:17:49
Speaker
I don't understand that decision. I still do not understand that decision because, sure, Barborini is a dynamic player, but in the central and midfield, I don't think I've ever seen him play in that position. And his post-match comments were really weird as well. He said, I started off with this idea and I played this team according to my idea that we'd worked on in preseason for the first match. But now I realize it completely does not work whatsoever and we're going to have to look it up and start again.
00:18:19
Speaker
And I was like, it just seems really, really strange. No, Gianpaolo, at this rate, I think he's sacked before the next international break, to be honest, because it looked really bad. I don't know. No, I think so. I mean, I thought that the way things have been sounding for Milan, they were all so impressed and they were, oh, Gianpaolo is a genius and he's working really well and everyone was so happy. But to me, based on what I saw and what he said afterwards, to me, that sounds like a manager that's feeling the pressure and is under panic.
00:18:49
Speaker
And that's never a good thing. Um, so if this, if this, if he doesn't get it right soon, he's, I mean, I think about it. I mean, if they, they go into a Darby playing like that, uh, they'll get, they're going to get destroyed. And, and that, that is, that is cause enough to get someone sacked. It's been in the past for sure. You're absolutely right.
Lazio's Tactical Victory and Roma's Defensive Woes
00:19:10
Speaker
Now we're going to discuss a couple of matches that were not short on goals at all.
00:19:16
Speaker
Let's start with Santoria Lazio, where Lazio more or less brought a hammer to the match and beat Eusebio Di Francesco over the head with it for 90 minutes, while Di Francesco decided not to make any changes to his approach. He was fine with that high line. He wasn't going to alter anything throughout that match. And I have to say, I had it on as well as the Roma match. And I'm just sitting there dumbfounded like,
00:19:44
Speaker
Did you see what just happened? What are you doing? This guy looks lost. I mean, Nima, honestly, you're Shao in the previous episode that they may be in big, big trouble. I thought maybe it was a bit hyperbole.
00:19:57
Speaker
I swear, you might be spot on, you might be spot on. I meant it, I meant it because I literally don't think that he is, he's not the kind of coach both off the pitch and like tactically who can, who inspires people around him. And especially when you have an ownership change, that's a lot of, you know, that's a lot of turbulence. And I guess Lazio, again, he just looks completely
00:20:23
Speaker
clueless. That's the thing. He looks clueless on the sidelines. He doesn't have the ability to change anything. He doesn't have the ability to send shockwaves and energy into his team. I'm worried about some sort because I don't want them to...
00:20:39
Speaker
I'm worried about them. I really am. And I really love that front three with Gabi Adini, Caprari and Caliarella. And still, he manages to get those players to look so lackluster and without energy. And it was like watching
00:20:55
Speaker
you know, the walking dead pretty much for 90 minutes. It was so bad. It was so, so bad. But credit to Lazio, who, again, this season, they, you know, based on that performance, they looked to have found back to the attacking ability that they had two seasons ago. Milinkovic Savage was fantastic. Immobile should have probably scored four goals. And no, I was really impressed by Lazio.
00:21:21
Speaker
yeah i i was too um they made sampay every time they made a mistake at the back and i i actually thought three to zero is actually pretty generous if you as you just stated um they easily could have had another two or three goals so yeah lots of work for you saviote francesco it was not good at all now moving to the uh the other match for latio's rivals and sampdoria's rivals roma genoa i i
00:21:50
Speaker
I was really annoyed because I thought that Roma played some fantastic attacking football. I loved the lines in how they attacked.
00:22:02
Speaker
I've been I've been beating on the Roma drum saying they're gonna finish fourth and I thought based on the way they attacked there's no there's no doubt there's no doubt in my mind that they will. Jeko played exactly as well as I expected him to. Cheng is in that I think will be will be the star of this team but for some reason he decided to
00:22:21
Speaker
play with the coach killers Juan Jesus and Alessandro Florencia as a wingback or fullback, which we've known for the better part of the past decade, it just doesn't work. Juan Jesus was without a doubt Genoa's best player. He made such incredible mistakes
00:22:41
Speaker
I was gobsmacked at how a player of his, because now he's not that young anymore. He's actually experienced now. He has absolutely, he doesn't know what he's doing. He has no cool, no calmness. He just goes into every challenge like an elephant in a china shop. He has no finesse. Alessandro Florenci doesn't know what positioning means. He has absolutely no idea of that concept.
00:23:07
Speaker
So no, I'm really worried. I was really annoyed. You start with Zappa Costa and Mancini. And had he done that, none of those goals would have been conceded and he would have won 3-0. I think the problem with a lot of these games and a lot of sides have trouble in defence is also that the window is not yet shut. So some of these teams are waiting for moves and
00:23:36
Speaker
to arrive and they're not quite settled, I always find it odd that, you know, that they could be so incomplete. I mean, I don't know whether Roma are bringing in another defender, but, you know, they certainly seem to need one. Yeah, they're going to bring somebody in. They may even bring another winger into the team. But I don't know about you guys. I guess this is just an aside we can discuss.
00:24:06
Speaker
Um, and I only bring this up because they're almost sporting director, John Luca Patraki brought this up after, after the match.
Transfer Window Timing Issues
00:24:13
Speaker
He lamented the fact that the window is still open after the first, first match begins. Is that something you guys despise or do you actually like that? It goes.
00:24:25
Speaker
into September, like the rest of Europe besides the Premier League, obviously. I hate it. I hate it. I don't understand why they can't move with move the league to start behind after the second of of like after the second of September. So everyone knows what's going on. This is this is ridiculous. It's like you're throwing away the first two matches because everything can change anyway. I don't like it at all.
00:24:48
Speaker
No, no, I just think it makes it really difficult for coaches to prepare and for fans to get a real sense of what the team is actually going to be like going forward. Unless your club is particularly organised and has it all done and just did in advance of the season starting, I think, you know, I just don't like it at all. Yeah, I'm not a fan either. I know again that
00:25:15
Speaker
where we are in football, it almost seems like the transfer market rules more than the actual play on the pitch. So I understand people wanting to extend that window as long as possible for more stories, more conjecture, all that stuff, but I'm not a fan of it either. Hey, real quick, before we get to your side, Nima, dismantling Leche, I want to bring up Resha Cagiri. I was absolutely shocked by that result. I was shocked by the lack of attacking initiative
00:25:45
Speaker
showed by Calgary and Alfredo Donaruma scoring after he tore up the Serie A B last season. I was absolutely shocked by that result. Nima, was there any other result throughout the league that
Mihajlovic's Inspirational Sideline Presence
00:26:02
Speaker
really shocked me? Not shocked me, but I was very moved by
00:26:05
Speaker
The Bologna game the fact that he's oh, yeah, great sound so moving to see some hi lovage having undergone chemotherapy and standing there on the sidelines to support his teams I was that was very moving
00:26:19
Speaker
And Miguel Villoso, who plays Hellas now, scored a gorgeous free kick for Hellas and Sansona did well. No, no, that was very moving. That was very emotional. And he looks, I mean, as I said, I think everyone will have a little soft spot for Bolonga this season. Chloe, how about you?
00:26:41
Speaker
Yeah, agreed. I mean, to see him there, it was quite shocking, a guy who's very, throughout his playing career and his managerial career, he's a real sort of tough character, he takes no prisoners and
00:26:57
Speaker
to see him there in the pictures are sort of looking so thin and looking you know like obviously he's suffering the effects of the treatment and but still being there anyway was just you know i just think how brave of him it was really amazing
00:27:13
Speaker
No, I was very moving and he looked so vulnerable and I don't know, the whole thing was just, he just kind of got to me. But other than that, Atalanta's away, I mean, Jesus Christ, they're already flying. I mean, I expected them to struggle away against Pal, but they did not struggle. They struggled, but then they came back in one. I mean, Atalanta are behaving like a big team now, like a top team in every single way.
00:27:37
Speaker
and it's so impressive to see. Yeah and actually in the last few seasons I have to say that they've had quite a slow start under Gasparini and they've come good towards the latter stages so to see them come back and beat Spal like that you know I think that really shows how far they've come as a team like you say Nima. Yeah so speaking of teams that have come far Nima inter dismantled Lecce
Inter's Strong Start and Serie A's Fan Engagement
00:28:06
Speaker
And even though you had some, some important players not present, it's just very clear that this team is so much embodying their manager Antonio Conte. And that's the way it has to be. When, when like you cannot, Antonio Conte is the kind of manager where it has to be 100% his way or it just doesn't work.
00:28:27
Speaker
because he has such he has a personality that is such a he's got a very particular personality and the way he wants to play football it just you know it has to be on his terms otherwise it will not work and it implodes and yesterday we saw all the good things about the Antonio content we saw
00:28:44
Speaker
the energy, the intensity, the ideas, and then that midfield. I mean, I have been so keen to see how that midfield performs together. And then yesterday they just... I mean, Brozovic is... He's never been this good. I've never seen him this good as he was yesterday.
00:29:08
Speaker
And then you have Stefano Senzi. I mean, those two together, I find it really interesting from a tactical point of view, because those were tactic geeks might appreciate it. But the fact that he's playing with two players that can both play the regista role and can both kind of, they change positions throughout that. He's got two registas on the pitch, but he's got two registas who can also play as mezzalas. And so they kind of alternate
00:29:35
Speaker
with each other all the time and that creates quite a bit of difficulty because both of them have the ability and know how to play both of those roles and that creates a lot of difficulty for your opponents and they are very dynamic players. It's not like Pirlo who's jogging around on the pitch for 90 minutes. It's they move a lot and they run a lot. I think Brozovic was the player that ran the most of the Serie A last season of all midfielders.
00:30:03
Speaker
So it was really, really interesting to see. And Lukaku, damn, he's got a point to prove. He's fast. He looks energetic. And nobody epitomizes that, this revenge mode more than Antonio Candreva, who seems to have fallen into the fountain of youth and was the best player on the pitch.
00:30:29
Speaker
i mean what a performance and that goal is is i mean we know that he can score there's no doubt about that he can put his insane goals but that was the most 40 yards are you kidding me standing still 40 yards into the back of the like top corner that that was insane and he no i this is you know this is this is the conte effect i think i think kandriva is is exactly the kind of player that flourishes under conte though that you know a player that
00:30:58
Speaker
under any other coach seems completely average. I mean, he did it when he was with Italy. He did it with Jacarini. Yeah, good comparison. Under any other coach, he's just an average player, but Conte gets hold of these certain people and he somehow extracts the very, very best out of them, the maximum effort. And, you know, I think maybe we'll see a revival of some of these kinds of players at
00:31:24
Speaker
into this season because it's just what he does. When he first came to Inter, I thought that, you know, sure, the man attempts one million crosses to get 13 right. That's fine, but when he gets it right, it just looks so damn good. And yesterday, he was the perfect wing back in that system and it looked so, so good.
00:31:52
Speaker
No, I just hope that Valentino Lazaro, the new signing, can kind of gel into that team as well because Conte will need 22 players to rotate if he's going to play like that. Because the way they completely destroyed Lecha, he plays a football that costs a lot of energy and you can't do that with just one with 11 players. You need to have 22 players.
00:32:17
Speaker
Yeah, you're absolutely right. So beyond all the matches, was there anything else that really stuck out to you two during the first match day? Well, I'd say the fact that there's so many fans at the stadium. I mean, Fiorentina packed, Panama packed.
00:32:38
Speaker
Inter Stadium was packed. I think they set a new record for the opening, like in terms of spectators for the opening round of the Serie A. I read that they set a new record, their attendance record, and that was really encouraging. I loved that. So for me, the atmosphere around these stadiums when they're packed is something else. So that is what I'll take with me from this first round of games.
00:33:03
Speaker
Yeah I agree with that Nima as well and I also think the fact that we saw so much attacking football and so many decent goals I think you know anything that sheds that terrible reputation of a boring defensive league I know we've moved on a very long way from that but anything that for people who don't regularly watch the league anything that catches their attention and
00:33:32
Speaker
make something, oh, Seria is different now, is great. And, you know, we saw a lot of that this weekend. You're absolutely right.
New Partnership Announcement
00:33:40
Speaker
So before we sign off, Chloe, do you have the because you put out a just a brief episode before the match actually started in regards to our latest or our newest, I should say, betting partner.
00:33:53
Speaker
Yes, we have started a partnership with matchedge.football and what they do is basically they are a subscription service and based on a very precise formula they give out tips for the forthcoming weekend which you can use how you wish, you can choose to use it as information to place a bet or just for interest sake
00:34:21
Speaker
So, I put out some predictions from that site as a kind of a freebie before the matches. But just to backtrack on that a little bit, they said, they predicted that in Palmi Ventus, we'd see an away win, which was indeed correct.
00:34:42
Speaker
and they said we'd see over 1.5 goals. Now we nearly did if Ronaldo, if his fringe hadn't been offside. But yeah, so we had one out of two for that. For Fiorentina Napoli, they went with over 1.5 goals, which of course did come true. John, I'm afraid Roma let us down because
00:35:12
Speaker
Um, if everything had, you know, gone as expected, we should have had a Roma win, but, um, that was predicted, but obviously, um, they weren't quite themselves. Um, but they also predicted over 1.5 goals for that match, which came in, uh, Spal versus Atalanta, they predicted over 1.5 goals, which was a win.
00:35:35
Speaker
And for Introversus Lecce, they said a home win which came true and also over 1.5 goals which came true. So we only actually had out of two, three, four, five, six, seven predictions, sorry, we only had two that didn't come off. So as you can see, it's a really great service and we'll be setting up our own website that's going to link through to them and that's all coming very, very soon.
00:36:05
Speaker
Yeah and it costs something like £2.50 a week to do it and one thing about this to note is that it's not a betting service it's a prediction service so basically gives you information and the information is based on statistics. We had the meeting with the guy who runs it we didn't understand that much but basically he's hogged up football statistics and kind of predicts it's all kind of it's not just you know putting your thumb in the air and kind of saying oh this feels good
00:36:34
Speaker
So no, it's all really like researched with a bunch of stats and stuff. And just to give you a little bit like a last season in the Premier League, they had 26 rounds where they were 100% accurate their predictions.
00:36:50
Speaker
Um, they had an 84% accurate, uh, of, uh, of, uh, throughout the entire, uh, throughout the entire season. So in the seven city, uh, they had a hundred percent accurate on 16 day, 16 weekends and 82% overall, uh, on all their predictions. So that's pretty high. Yeah. Again, if you bet on football, um, especially if the stakes are very high, I mean, I mean, this is a great service to have it's, it's cheap. You get fantastic information.
00:37:18
Speaker
And as Nima just said, I mean, it's wildly accurate. So, we look forward to working with them more and putting out more little teaser information that we hope will entice you to potentially get a subscription to them. So, guys, it's no rest for the second match day because we have another slate of fantastic matches. We will be back later in the week to sort of preview those. We have Yuvan Napoli.
00:37:46
Speaker
Lazio Roma in the Derby. We have Atalanta Torino. We have Genoa Fiorentina. So again, after match day one, match day two looks just as tasty with just as many good fixtures. So we will be back later in the week to preview all of those matches. So until then, bye bye.