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Free Weekly Episode - Olivier Giroud Piles On Juventus Misery, LuLa Strikes FEAR Into Man City, Sevilla vs Roma Europa League Final Preview & Much More (Ep. 238)
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From Olivier Giroud world-class header as AC Milan secure Champions League football next season, Juventus fiasco season completed, the Lukaku and Lautaro show at Inter, Aurelio De Laurentiis confirms Luciano Spalletti leaving Napoli, preview of Europa League final where Roma face Sevilla, to Lecce securing Serie A football next season as well as Hellas Verona and Spezia heading into end of season relegation drama and much, much more as Nima and Carlo break down all the talking points from an absolutely action packed weekend of Italian football.
Every Monday episode of The Italian Football Podcast is free for all.
To get ALL and never miss an episode of The Italian Football Podcast (as well as support the show), go to Patreon.com/TIFP to become a Patron for only $2.99 USD per month (excluding VAT).
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Transcript
Serie A Season Finale Overview
00:00:02
Speaker
Welcome to the Italian football podcast.
00:00:06
Speaker
Hello, everybody, and welcome to the Italian football podcast. I'm Kylie Garganese here, as always, with Nima Tavalli. So we are now into the final week of the Serie A season. Today, we will be reviewing match day 37 as Milan beat Juventus to secure Champions League football. Inter did the same by defeating Atalanta. That's the Champions League places all now decided.
00:00:34
Speaker
The relegation race goes down to the wire after a dramatic weekend with some crazily late injury time goals. Napoli, they announced Luciano Spoletti's exit. Juventus fans are praying for the same with Max Allegri. We're going to discuss all these talking points.
Podcast Promotions & Announcements
00:00:54
Speaker
Plus, of course, preview Roma's Europa League final with Sevilla on
00:01:01
Speaker
Wednesday. For all our first time listeners, this is our free weekly episode which we do every Monday reviewing the weekend Serie action and all the biggest talking points in Italian football. If you want to support the Italian football podcast and receive all our content that we do throughout the week, including our weekly Q&A episode every Tuesday,
00:01:18
Speaker
where we answer all the questions sent in from our patrons, plus the weekly Thursday midweek review show, plus interviews, post-match reaction, and much, much more, then go to patreon.com slash TIP and become a subscriber for just $2.99 a month, plus VAT.
00:01:37
Speaker
For all of you listening on Spotify, iTunes, Apple Podcasts, we'd really appreciate a five-star rating. Give us a follow, give us a subscription. We're on YouTube as well. This really helps us to spread the gospel of Serie A and Italian football. Just before we start, I just want to say we've got an extra show coming this week on Wednesday. We've got an interview which we have done with Lazar Samacic.
00:02:04
Speaker
Of Udenezer, great young player, got a really, really big future ahead of him. We interviewed him on Thursday, so look out for that. It's free for everyone, and I think he will enjoy it. He also previews the Udenezer vs Juventus game, which is the final game of the season, talks all about his career, his journey to where he is, his future, the transfer market.
00:02:31
Speaker
Lots, lots about his personal life as well. So I think you'll really enjoy it. So check that out on Wednesday.
Juventus' Disappointing Season
00:02:38
Speaker
Okay, let's talk about the weekend just gone past.
00:02:42
Speaker
Right, we'll start off with the Sunday evening late game, Juventus versus Milan in Turin. Milan win 1-0, so let's talk about this from the Juventus point of view first. That result means that officially there is now no Champions League football for Juventus for the first time since 2011-2012 season and obviously
00:03:10
Speaker
That is after the points deduction. We still don't know whether there will be an appeal on that. But as it stands officially, no Champions League football for Juventus next season. It will almost certainly stay like that also because my understanding is Juventus are going to get banned from Europe. So no Champions League football. It completes a horrific season for Juventus on and off the pitch. Another trophy this season, two in a row.
00:03:37
Speaker
In terms of this game as a whole, as a fan it felt kind of empty watching this game. I think that was reflected also for the umpteenth time this season with a virtually empty stadium which is crazy given it's the last game of the season at home for Juventus and such a big game against Milan and the stadium is barely anyone even there.
00:03:59
Speaker
but it fell after the points penalty earlier last week. It was hard to have any motivation watching this game and Allegri said as much before the game and the game was very flat and it was just a very
00:04:15
Speaker
limp performance from Juventus. It was a poor game, or full stop, but not many chances in the game. No clear chances at all, as usual, for Juventus. I think their souls, their hearts were broken, and we know they're not playing for the coach, and we know that some of the players won't be there next season, like Rabio Di Maria, so as a game as a whole, this was just all reflected in that, I think.
00:04:40
Speaker
I thought Juventus were the aggression Juventus showed, especially in the opening of the first half. I thought that was very, very good. I kept coming back to my notes when I was watching this game to the Napoli quarter, first leg quarter final at the San Siro between Milan and Napoli, where Napoli were very aggressive, pressing high up, had lots of intensity, but didn't really create that much. I mean, Juventus had that chance by Di Maria.
00:05:08
Speaker
But that was more a half chance, more than a real big chance. And Milan, which we're going to get to, but I was really impressed by how calm and cool Milan were. It reminded me of the Napoli game, again, the first quarter final of the Champions League, in the sense that they just had this kind of awareness about them that we're going to go through this. Yes, we're there pressing. Yes, we're in a little bit of trouble here, but we're going to we'll handle this. We know that we're going to handle this.
00:05:36
Speaker
I thought Mois Kenz, his movement was really good, the 343 was working, Locatelli Rabio was interesting to see, I thought it looked good. And no, I mean I thought they did the best they could under very difficult circumstances and I thought
00:05:56
Speaker
They actually did try, but yes, the atmosphere around you there is like a can of soda that you've left overnight and all the bubbles have gone out of it. It's completely flat. There's no energy around you, Ventus. It's just on and off the pitch. There's nothing there, and I don't understand what they're waiting for, what they're trying to do here.
00:06:18
Speaker
you know, they need to have a project going and they can't wait for what happens in the trial in June. They just can't. They need to get going. They have to sit down and say, look, the budget for next season, we have to count on not playing in Europe next season and the season after that. That'll have to be the budget. And then hope. And then if they do better than that and the next season with the points deductions, no matter how much it is, they actually make it to to Europe. The following season, that's a bonus. They can't sit and wait because I agree.
00:06:47
Speaker
I agree. I mean, listen, it doesn't matter what happens, because we know, I know, if I know that Juventus are going to be banned from Europe, then I think they know. So no, no, no, but seriously, I don't want to be like facetious about this, because I think it's serious. And I think we should like we know that UEFA, like whether or not they finish in the top eight or top seven spots, UEFA are going to give them either a transfer ban or ban them from Europe. I personally think it's going to be a ban from Europe more than a transfer ban.
00:07:16
Speaker
Um, but the thing is that they, they need to, they are in complete and utter disarray. I don't think Elkan, who now the Elkan wing of the family knows what they're doing in football. They're brilliant in other areas, but I think they are clueless. This is why they don't understand football.
00:07:38
Speaker
I mean, John L. Cammie's not a football man. He doesn't understand football. No, but it's not just that he's a football. He doesn't understand. He just he has this kind of economist's view on it. Yeah. The first quarter, third quarter. And it doesn't work like that. This isn't a, you know, this is football. You have to be proactive. And this is the same. This is exactly what happened the last time that wing of the Aniele family, the Elkins, were in charge.
00:08:00
Speaker
they don't understand football, and they shouldn't be in charge of Juve. It never ends well. Now, of course, there is no alternative to them, because Andre Agnelli's ban has been upheld, and that's because of the nonsense that he's done or oversaw and signed off on. So
00:08:21
Speaker
This is what I'm worried about. For Juventus' sake, this isn't an allegory issue. I think this could be exactly like post-calcioppoli, in that it takes five, six years for you to recover because of the lack of leadership. Remember Secco, remember Kobolio Gili, remember all these
00:08:40
Speaker
Well, that's exactly what we've seen in the last two years. I mean, it's already been post-cultural-esque in the last two years. What we've seen in the last two years is exactly, and even predating that, but they still had some credit in the bank from previously. They still were able to win some titles. But the last two years are exactly- I mean, I'm talking about Aomari. I'm talking about like, you know, these kinds of things. Well, that's what we've seen in the last two years. The last two years are exactly the same as what we saw post-cultural.
Juventus' Crisis and Future Speculations
00:09:05
Speaker
No, I don't think so. I think that's coming. Exactly the same. There's no difference at all.
00:09:07
Speaker
I don't think they didn't sign any Dushan Vlawic signings back then. They didn't sign Di Maria signings back then. They just bought crap. The shining light was that they brought in Beppe Marotta from Sampdoria, even though he first failed with Jews.
00:09:22
Speaker
Yeah, but I'm talking about the entire leadership, the lack of leadership, the lack of competence in the upper management, the terrible transfer markets, the way they blew money and spent money. All that is the last two years has been identical. There's no difference at all. Well, I think there is a difference because the pandemic kind of scared the crap out of Andrea Nieli and that's why they did all the nonsense because they were under pressure. Post-cultuopoly, it was
00:09:47
Speaker
a group of people who literally had no idea what they were doing. They just appointed, first it was Chiro Ferrara, then it was Del Ne, I mean, it was just... It's been the same, I repeat, exactly the same the last two years. Exactly. There's no difference. There's no difference. They're both too incompetent and upper management after Calchoppoli, and there's... Well, Amtran Renili was the reason Juve won 9 Serie A in the row as well. Yes, but I'm talking about the
00:10:11
Speaker
The decisions being made in the last two years are all catastrophic, every single one of them, just as catastrophic. I would even say in many cases more, because it's more impressive, the collapse than what it was after Calchopli, when everything fell apart after Calchopli. I think this has got to do with the pandemic. They weren't prepared for that. No one was. The pandemic hasn't helped Nima, but it predates the pandemic, all the bad decisions in the transfer market.
00:10:39
Speaker
bad decisions with coaches, that all predates the pandemic. Yeah, it does. But what I'm saying is the reason why Andrea Piola was appointed in the first place, the reason why they did all the stupid accounting and financial stuff that they did was because of the pandemic, because they panicked. When people panic, they do stupid shit and they did lots of stupid shit here.
00:11:00
Speaker
and when I when I when I draw the I think competent management doesn't think Marotta would have done that. Marotta didn't have anything to say I didn't think it was soon and he just turned off the tap and said this is the budget work it sorted out but the the difference here is that
00:11:17
Speaker
What I'm saying is that the difference here with why I say that post-Calchopoli, what I'm worried could happen is that the people in charge are going to be people who know nothing about football once again. That's the analogy I'm drawing between then and now. Then there were people in charge of you who knew absolutely nothing about football, and that's what I think is going to happen now.
00:11:39
Speaker
because the Elkan family so far, this is back and forth with Juntoli, just this back and forth with what's going to happen in the field. They're talking about maybe going with what's his name, continuing as a sporting director, whose name eludes me now.
00:11:59
Speaker
the guy that just took over interim i mean it's just it's yeah so that's the guy i mean it's gonna be it's it's it's just that he was an absolute disaster i mean if he comes then then we might as well forget about it completely forget about i mean he's all he's horrific.
00:12:16
Speaker
I mean, he almost lost some time, meaning they're put to sleep, which is almost impossible. Well, they were sacked. I think Salih Hamidzic would be a step up compared to what they've got now. Maybe not, you know, at least he's a football man. This is exactly my point. The people there is not the people that he's got so far that the Elkan's have got. Well, Seko was a football man as well, but I mean, he was terrible.
00:12:40
Speaker
serie ci football man but no no this is what i mean like i'm worried about what could happen here because that this could be a prolonged five-year absence um one thing that i think kind of could save that if and this is a Hail Mary and that is if Antonio because Antonio Conte was apparently there at the stadium last year last night and if he comes
00:13:05
Speaker
Well, you know, just him and understanding how football works and understanding what needs to be done, Juva will be a good Juva. His teams are always good. They always deliver. And he will have Juva through this difficult period.
00:13:21
Speaker
I'm a bit sore with Conte because I don't think he's he's a sustain. He's not. Well, we know he's not a sustainable option. And what you've entered us need now is they need to rebuild. They need to put a project in. Conte is not a project manager. Conte is someone who will come in and he'll just, he'll just, you know.
00:13:37
Speaker
two for two years he will do incredible things but then you know there's no planning for after he's gone and and i think you have that that's a luxury event this don't have look this is what i'm trying to say and this is what i've been trying to tell you and all you were friends on this part for the last six months you don't have that luxury
00:13:57
Speaker
this is the iceberg is hit the titanic is sinking you're thinking about what you're gonna do when you get to new york right now you need to stay alive and survive you need to not freeze to death in the water you need to get on that lifeboat and try to pedal what happens in new york is later this is what i mean antonio
00:14:15
Speaker
They need to get the foundations in with a proper project. With a minus 30, 40 points next season, you could be relegated. This is what I'm talking about. Antonio Conte could get you 80, 85, 90 points so that you don't get relegated. This is my point. This is what I'm saying. Well, if it is as many points as that, I don't think it'll be that many. But if it was, then yeah, I'm with you. But what Juventus need is they need people in place that are
00:14:42
Speaker
throughout the upper management, not just one man at the top who will, you know, I mean, I don't know if, I mean, Juventus have got a lot of young players, I don't think Conte would like that. Conte's got no problem with young players. I think this is one of the greatest myths in world football, that he's got a problem. He will play whoever is good enough and does what he says. It doesn't matter how old they are. If they do what he says, he will play them.
00:15:05
Speaker
We've seen it throughout his career. He doesn't care. I'm not his biggest fan as a character because he drives me crazy, but I think we should be honest. I think this notion that he just wants older players is not true. If a young player does his job, then he will play him. He's always done that. He's got no issue with that.
00:15:25
Speaker
I mean, yeah, but he wants players that are more ready and a lot of these Juventus players are not ready. You know, if they are young and they're absolutely fantastic, like Bastani, of course he'll play them. Or Popovar, Christensen and so on and so forth. Yeah, because these players were ready and they were already ready at that time. But, you know, the Juventus players, you know, you think he's going to play someone like Illing Junior or, you know, these kind of players, I don't know. If Illing Junior does what he's told, he will play him.
00:15:49
Speaker
This is what I mean. Konta is not a complicated man. Antonio Konta is very, it's very programmatic. This is the system. Can you adapt to the system and do what I want you to do in the system? If you do that, he'll play you. And also, if Antonio Konta is not patient enough.
00:16:05
Speaker
for what Juventus need. This Juventus team needs nurturing, it needs developing, it's got too many players that are in a developmental stage. Conte's not the right player. If it's a heavy points penalty, like you said, absolutely, to try and save them for one season, maybe.
00:16:22
Speaker
I think you're just pushing it down the line. You're pushing the buck down the line further with Conte. Someone like Spelletti, we're going to come on to him when we speak, but I know it's not going to be him now because it can take a year out, apparently. Which is the smartest thing I've ever heard him say by the way. Someone like him is what they need, but then it also needs the team around them as well. If you're going to just don't
00:16:44
Speaker
You know, have the right team, the right sports and director, the right coaches. All of that is true. All of that is true. I'm just saying that that's if because of the salary stuff that's coming and that's going to be the hammer. I mean, I'm thinking minimum 20, 25 points, 10 points for plus Valenza.
00:17:05
Speaker
than what they did there. And also not to mention if players get suspended as well, who was involved where and how and all that stuff. So no, look, I think you even need to realize that forget about trophies for the next two, three years, focus on surviving and build something just like last time when you slowly returned back and then you were dominated for nine years.
00:17:30
Speaker
you know i think you have to look at it like that this is this is a disaster what the what part of the channel and then you have done here is nothing than an unmitigated disaster and it's going to take a few years to recover from and it's going to take you know you have some time to.
00:17:47
Speaker
to bounce back and I'm just hoping for the sake of, because look, Italian football needs Juve Inter Milan at the top. That's when Italian football is at its best. We have an Inter Milan at the top, we have a Juve in freefall. That's not good for the Serie A, that's not good for Italian football.
00:18:04
Speaker
So we need Juva to return as strong as possible.
Juventus' Transfer Failures
00:18:08
Speaker
Because we've got a Napoli that's very strong, we've got a Roma that's looking good, we've got a Lati. We've got all the classic clubs back up. We need Juva back up as soon as possible. I just don't think that the Elkan family are the right people in charge. But unfortunately, because of what Andre Agnelli did, they are in charge and there are no other candidates. And that is a big problem for me.
00:18:30
Speaker
Yeah, we'll see. I think everybody agrees Allegri has to go. He doesn't seem like he wants to resign, which is also a problem for Juventus, from a financial point of view, because then they're going to have to pay him off. That was defeat number 17 last night, which is now two off the all-time record. And the only good news for Juventus is they won't reach that record, because there's only one game left of the season.
00:18:57
Speaker
So that's the only good news. There's only one other thing I wanted to say from this game, and that is DeMaria, Angel DeMaria. He was booed off the pitch in this game, in his final game as a Juventus player. Now, is that harsh? Is it harsh that he was booed off the pitch? I mean, maybe, maybe a little bit, maybe slightly.
00:19:19
Speaker
But it just backs up what I said. And I said this at the time when you've been to signing, I was totally against this signing. I got so much heat from the same old sheep that all jump on the bandwagon. You know, what are you talking about? It's DeMaria, he's fantastic, he's amazing. I'm sorry, I hate to do this, but I was right. Again, he's had a purple patch for two months after the World Cup from January until March. In that purple patch, he was fantastic. He was brilliant during those two months. He's got six goals, three assists.
00:19:48
Speaker
and he was wonderful. He carried Juventus during those two months. The rest of the season, he's been a complete disaster. I've got the stats to back it up. 11 games before the World Cup, so 11 games he played for Juventus before the World Cup. In nine of those games, zero goals, zero assists, so basically offered nothing in those games.
00:20:08
Speaker
Then after that purple patch that I've just discussed, his end to the season has been awful. The last 15 games since that, since March, 15 games, zero goals, zero assists. When Juventus needed him in the important part of the season, in the busy part when we had the big games, the semi-finals of the Europa League, he missed that huge chance against Sevilla and he was bad in both legs.
00:20:35
Speaker
In these big games when Juventus were down the stretch, he's done nothing. He's offered nothing. Of course, Allegri is to blame as well. We know when we look at the other attackers what he's done to them.
00:20:52
Speaker
you know, this was the point I was making at the time. And it also goes into everything what we've just been discussing about the total lack of a project and lack of team building at Juventus from the top right down to the coach, you know, what is the point of signing a 34 35 year old like DeMaria?
00:21:10
Speaker
on a free transfer, on a high salary. You can't build a sustainable project like that. He's now leaving after a year. He's leaving now. That's it. His last game is this weekend. He's gone. And what have Juventus built? What have Juventus gained out of it? Absolutely nothing at all. They've gained nothing.
00:21:28
Speaker
So it was just a completely pointless, just a completely pointless sign in. The only good news from it is, unlike Vlovich, who obviously cost a lot of money on a transfer fee, you know, they don't have the burden of that transfer fee. That's the only good thing to come out of it.
00:21:58
Speaker
I understand your point in terms of building a sustainable project, but it was clear that Yuva weren't doing that. They were just trying to build something that would work today. You know, bringing someone in like Marotari with Jeko and Mikitarian. You know, free transfer delivers, you know, we know, you know what you get with him. Maybe back past his best, but he still delivers, has the intelligence and quality to turn up.
00:22:08
Speaker
I just wanted to raise that point about Team Maria.
00:22:19
Speaker
from time to time, and it's good to have champions in the dressing room. That's the logic behind it. I don't think it's worked because of mainly some of his injuries. I think the booing of de Maria is ridiculous. But at the same time, he has not exactly. He needs to understand that he's a Yuba. He can't turn up there treating Yuba with the disrespect that he's done. His attitude has been all wrong.
00:22:48
Speaker
No, it's no motivation. I mean, that was clear. I said that at the time he wasn't motivated. All he cared about was the World Cup. He basically was on holiday. He was just training, basically, before the World Cup. He was brilliant for two months after the World Cup. That's it. He was brilliant for two months. Juventus had him for two months this season and he's been done absolutely nothing for the rest of the season. So, you know, just again, it's just another...
00:23:13
Speaker
another example of Juventus' terrible transfer market, you know, they buy these players and what they do, what they what, how do they fit into the puzzle?
00:23:24
Speaker
Yeah. Before we go on to Milan though, so this is part of it because De Maria is leaving and then now they need to build a new team. Well, Juventus have a whole load of loan flops returning. Yes, they do. And this is another problem for Juventus and it's going to be a financial burden. It's just going to be a burden full stop. So we've got Weston McKenney.
00:23:50
Speaker
Did you see the events of yesterday at Western McKinney?
00:23:55
Speaker
Yes, I did. The Leeds fans were very funny. On Twitter and social media, Weston's friends hosted a space where they had the funniest argument ever with Leeds fans. They were calling him all sorts of names. Who was? Tell me about this. No, Leeds fans. There was a space on Twitter.
00:24:22
Speaker
it was apparently Western McKinney's mates and they were saying, oh, you don't like him because he's American. And a Leeds fan was just exploded on them and said, look, I don't care where he's from. He's just absolute crap. It doesn't matter. He's useless. And it was just a complete shit show. It was very, very funny. And they were trying to save it. And I think it was just a complete mess. And then
00:24:44
Speaker
Of course, Weston Mckenny's dad, quote, tweeted Harambe for some reason, because it was the seventh, I think, or eighth anniversary of the thing with Harambe, and said, tweeted something in support. What is Harambe for people that don't know? It's Google Harambe, the gorilla in the zoo, who they shot dead, I think, because of the child who fell down
00:25:13
Speaker
into the gorilla. I do it with the McKinney. I don't understand at all.
00:25:21
Speaker
He was in the Cincinnati Zoo from 2014 to 2016. A three-year-old boy climbed into the guerrilla enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo in Botanical Garden. He was dragged and grabbed by Harambe. Fearing for the boy's life, a zoo worker shot and killed Harambe. The incident was recorded on video and received broad international coverage and commentary.
00:25:44
Speaker
including controversy over the choice of use of legal force. Apparently that was the anniversary yesterday, and I don't know why. I don't get it. What's the imply in here? No, I don't think he's implying anything. It's not that deep. Here's the thing. I just think he doesn't know how to use Twitter.
00:26:02
Speaker
Have you tried giving Twitter to your mum and dad? I have. There's a reason I banned my mum. No, my mum is good with Facebook, but Twitter and Instagram, she just shouldn't be allowed. I don't let her on there because he doesn't know what she's doing. And I think this is what's happened. I think it's a mistake. I think he accidentally quote tweeted Harambe and did that. I don't think there's any deeper meaning.
00:26:28
Speaker
I mean, where's the McKinney when he got subbed off yesterday and the entire or the entire lead stadium was charting you fat bastard.
00:26:39
Speaker
the least fans are something. Then there was that OnlyFans model, that Chelsea stripper. No wonder he's been crap all season, he's just been busy. She took a screenshot. Astrid Wett, her name is. No need to say that. Basically, she took a screenshot of her Instagram and posted every blue tick on Instagram who liked her. Weston McKinney was like 19 out of 25 of the latest notifications she had.
00:27:09
Speaker
Um, it's it's hilarious. Yeah. I wonder if she likes his ranch sauce. Oh my god, grow up. Jesus Christ. Yeah. So anyway, we're some miketis back to the event and that's going to drive me absolutely insane. Haven't you? Yes, it is. It is.
00:27:29
Speaker
As I was watching Leeds yesterday, and he did this one pass yesterday, which it was just a simple six-yard pass. He totally over-hit it, and Tottenham nearly scored an encounter attack from it. But one player messed up that counter-attack for Tottenham. Do you want to guess who it was?
00:27:46
Speaker
Dejan Kolozevsky, who also looks like he's about to... No, I don't know. I honestly don't think so. You think he's going to stay at Tottenham? Yeah, I don't think so. He's a young player, Daniel Levy. He has resale value. He's not a 30-something player.
00:28:03
Speaker
Yeah, and they've also invested quite a bit of money in him. That would literally be wasting millions of pounds and not having anything to shop for. Mckenny's obligations collapsed. They had a 34 million obligation lease. That's collapsed. He's definitely going back to the event. Obviously, the leads are in the championship. They're not going to pay that. He's been horrific. Of course not. Kolesevsky's obligation has also collapsed because Tottenham needed to get in the Champions League.
00:28:26
Speaker
I mean, he's been horrific this season as well. But like you said, there is a resale value. And if they have invested in it, maybe they see that as, you know, I think we're going to lose more like 25 million pounds in him. Like so far. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, that's a lot of money to not own the asset.
00:28:41
Speaker
Daniel, you have to remember, Levi's a businessman. If you pay 20, 15, 20 million, however many million you pay, that's an asset investment. You want to control that asset, and to send that back to Juva, that's essentially saying, here's 25 million pounds, Juva, go have fun with it. I mean, they're not- He's got loan in him for 25 million. Yeah. I can't imagine. I mean, he would have to be crazy if he did that.
00:29:06
Speaker
Yeah. I hope so. Okay. Dennis Zacharia from Chelsea, he's going to come back as well. He was on loan. They won't sign him after mellow again, Liverpool. I mean, I think he's paid like 20 minutes for Liverpool this season, like one Champions League. I think it was against Napoli actually. That's all he played. A Champions League sub appearance when they were getting hammered in Naples. The more you read these names, the more I'm just, it's going to be Konta. It's going to be Konta. These are such Konta type of midfielders and players.
00:29:33
Speaker
Western McKinney. I don't care if it's Conte, I don't care who it is, I don't care if it's God himself, there's no way I want McKinney for any moment. Arthur Mello, Luca Pellegrini-Alazio as well is probably going to return.
00:29:48
Speaker
Which I think is weird because lots you need that need. Yeah, I know. But have you seen him play? Yeah. So there's I mean, there's more than 100 million of money there that the event has won't get. And again, this is damning on parity, but signing these players and and, you know, he's a career is a is a content player, too.
00:30:10
Speaker
like these are Conte type midfielders. They might be Conte type players but I mean none of them are good enough at the end of the day so I mean it's just not Juventus level players. He won he got to a champion like I mean I'm sorry but when you get when you beat world champions and European champions in Spain with Graziano Pele, Edder and Jacarini as a registrar I mean you know I have faith in Antonio Conte that much I'll tell you.
00:30:36
Speaker
Let's move on to the... Enough about Juventus now. Let's move on to Milan. And Milan clinched the top four. So that's Napoli-Lazio into Milan, ordering the Champions League next season. I mean, for me, it was, like you said, it was just a steady performance. They were calm, they were collected.
00:30:54
Speaker
I thought, I have to admit though, again, I thought the standard of quality of this game was terrible. And I don't think it was a particularly great performance from Milan, but they did what they had to do. They didn't concede anything. They had the best chances of the game. Cellomakers had a big chance at 1-0. That was really the only big chance in the entire game, I think, for either team. But the purple, who we do after, we do have the praises. What header? Because that header, world class.
00:31:21
Speaker
It was well thought. He's not in balance. He's struggling. He's backpedaling. He's trying to get himself back up. And he's under pressure. He's leaning back. I mean, it's a fantastic header. Absolutely fantastic header. Good cross by Calabria, but fantastic header by Giroux. Fantastic header.
00:31:50
Speaker
And I mean, overall, I thought Milan were in control. I thought...
00:31:56
Speaker
Teo Hernandez was, you know, I think the choice to play Quadrado alone against Liao and Hernandez was very brave. He did well, though. They did nothing. They didn't do anything. They created nothing on that side. I just thought, I mean, I have to say again, Quadrado, the hate he gets from the X fans, I think he's fantastic. I still think he's good now. I don't get the hate. I think he's been magnificent. I think with Yuval now, they'd be smart to keep him for another season, honestly.
00:32:23
Speaker
I don't know whether I'd keep him for another year because he's 35 now. I guess it depends what happens. If they have a transfer ban, they might have to keep him. Exactly. This is what I mean. What do they do? Give them a transfer ban. Coming back to Giroud though, that was world
Milan & Inter's Champions League Success
00:32:41
Speaker
class. He's leaning back. He's way out.
00:32:44
Speaker
the power of his neck muscles, but the control and the power to direct it to the far post. I mean, yeah, I mean, he's definitely in his career in the last, in the last decade, he has been, I don't know, has there been a more consistent player, Airely, than Giroud in the last, you know, five to 10 years? Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo, yeah, Ronaldo, yes, after Ronaldo. Lewandowski maybe. Yeah, I mean, right now, I think,
00:33:12
Speaker
Who's better than him right now in the air? Osseman, I would say. Maybe you've got Lewandowski, I would say, is on the same kind of level as Giroud. Obviously, Lewandowski's a much better all-round player, but... I think Harry Kane's good in the air as well. Harry Kane's good, yeah, but I mean Giroud for me. I mean, this season he's got so many great headers, also for France as well in the World Cup. Benzema is good in the air.
00:33:38
Speaker
It's good as well, but, you know, Giroud is a specialist in the air. I mean, I think I don't know how many people would have been able to score that header. No, no, no. That is difficult. Not just to get to the ball, not just to get a clean header, but to direct it the way he does. I mean, he wrong foots. That's such a difficult thing to do. It's like a he's like a it's a it's a placed lob header into the fork and to the opposite corner knives. It was truly world class.
00:34:06
Speaker
Obviously Milan are very very lucky to finish in the top four because on the pitch they don't deserve to, Juventus deserve to but given that they now are in the Champions League next season that secures Pioli doesn't it? The next season would you say? No, I think so and also I mean this is so funny because that's what Allegri said after the game you know what do you say something along the lines of there are teams in the Champions League who
00:34:30
Speaker
who shouldn't be there or are there because of, you know, who have taken our place or something to that effect, which I thought was hilarious. But then again, I mean, look, if you add the 10 points, they've got 69 points. That's just too ahead of Mila. You know, and it's to make sure to keep if he's going to keep banging that drum, he needs to win that last game against against Odineh Sadoni.
00:34:56
Speaker
Yeah, that's fair. Yeah, that's absolutely fair. And they're on, they're basically on 69 points as well. Yeah. For the season, which is, you know, less than even what he got last season. So, so the idea that, yeah, again, but anyway, but then again, the other side of that is to be fair is the conditioning of this mess that's been going on at you off the pitch. Certainly the last two games. Yeah. The employee, the employee game and Milan game, absolutely no doubt.
00:35:26
Speaker
I mean, this game, Juventus were, you could see that they were broken, they were totally broken inside, you could see that. Certainly the second half, I mean, they just gave up, second half completely.
00:35:40
Speaker
which is one thing you don't associate with Juventus at all. Let's move on to Inter, who also clinched Champions League football. They only needed a point. They won 3-2 in a really, really exciting game, unlike the Milan game. This was fantastic. Inter had a really fast start. It's got some amazing goals. Bareilles' goal, amazing. Chalanogli, amazing disallowed goal. Even Lukaku's finish was brilliant. The question I have for you
00:36:10
Speaker
Nima is Lukaku and Altaro. It was a Lula show, this game. They have to start the Champions League final together. Surely they have to. And also, I know you think they should, but will Okunzaki start them in the final now? I think so. I think so. Without a doubt, I think he will. I think he has to. He knows. I mean, when you have them playing like they have, when you have them, you know, it was just
00:36:40
Speaker
It's just what he offers you is exactly that. He wins the ball, he holds the ball up, he beats the press. Atalanta, Fiorentina, Napoli, they all play similar to how Man City play. Obviously Man City do it a thousand times better because they are better players.
00:37:01
Speaker
and they press much more intensely than anyone does in world football. So what Lukaku does is he gives you that option to hold up the ball and he's so strong physically and he can link up really well. This was something that I remember when Kante wanted him badly, everyone was mocking.
00:37:24
Speaker
Conte said, this guy can't play with his back against the war goal. He can't link up. Well, you know, he can. And he always could. It was just about teaching him that. And Conte did teach him that by essentially tattooing Andrea Ranocchia to his back for the first
00:37:39
Speaker
six weeks at preseason training camp at Inter and those two years when he was there. And so he learned to play with his back against the goal. And I think that's why you have to play him. And because also the fact that when he wins that he flicks on and him and Laotaro have this, you know, this understanding, this is just incredible. And, you know, Laotaro in this form
00:38:04
Speaker
He is just unbelievable. This is the best I've ever seen Lautaro Martinez play. The level that he plays at, he's becoming this kind of complete, almost Ballon d'Or, or is Ballon d'Or worthy level that he plays at. The pass he made for the second goal, which led up to the second goal, his link up play, his vision, his technique. This is a future, if he's going to continue like this, we're talking Ballon d'Or here.
00:38:33
Speaker
His last 12 games have 11 goals and 4 assists. Lukaku's form has 9 goals and 5 assists.
00:38:49
Speaker
They have to start the champion team, but I'm sorry, they have to start. Zaggy's not stupid. He's looking at that and he's thinking, you know, when you, you know, he's going to play against a high intense pressing side like Atalanta and Napoli and
00:39:04
Speaker
have your antenna and so you have to start because you saw what happened with Jekyll. Jekyll's just useless in that situation. He doesn't offer anything and so you have to start. As you said, they need to get out and also I just think that also I mean if there's one criticism that I've had all season of interviews that they just don't have any pace and in a tap
00:39:27
Speaker
But Lukaku looks physically very, very much in the best shape I've seen him since he returned to Inter, which maybe is not hard, but he does look like, if you see him over one to five yards, he looks like that spark is, I mean, he's never gonna be the Lukaku that he was. Yeah, that's the issue though, yeah, exactly. That's natural through age, he's 30 years old now. But if you see him the way that he took that goal,
00:39:56
Speaker
I mean, that was Lukaku raised a sharp Lukaku, the way that he took it round the goalkeeper. You don't get many strikers taking the goalkeeper on any more nowadays. That's one thing I don't like about modern football. It's just kind of disappeared from modern football, is that people, strikers don't take on the goalkeeper. So that was really, really nice. That was such a clinical finish. And it made it look so easy. We always know that about Lukaku, he's a clinical finisher.
00:40:19
Speaker
That's, you know, he's a, he's a bomber. But I mean, like he said himself, like Lukaku said himself after the game on Instagram, welcome to Lula Park. I mean, this is, this is what they need to do. You know, there has to be Lula Park and, and the midfield, that midfield, my dreamy, dreamy midfield was playing as well. And it was ticking. And the only difference is that I would have Darmian start instead of Dan Brozio. And if Skringyad is fit, of course him as well.
00:40:49
Speaker
But no, look, we'll know this week if he starts against Torino, if he plays against Torino, if he doesn't play against Torino, he will at most be a substitute screen. But no, to me, that's the lineup. You have to play culture vertical. You have to play that kind of football. Maybe not rigidly culture vertical, but you have to have some elements of it in order to deal with city.
00:41:11
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. Talking of City then, they actually lost, although they played their entire reserve team against Brentford. But I want to ask you about Guardiola, because this got a lot of reaction on social media during the week. So Guardiola was praising Inter, weirdly, actually, the words that he used. Good body language. Watch out for that. He's just talking with nonsense. He doesn't know he's talking. I mean, he just made that up.
00:41:41
Speaker
This is what he does. It's not even waffling. He's a pathological liar. The thing about him watching Manchester United in 1999, winning the Continental Treble as a little boy. He was 28 years old and the captain of Barcelona. What are you talking about?
00:42:01
Speaker
Um, and, and this is, this is, you know, he just, it's just lie after lie after lie. I do find him one of the most disingenuous without a doubt in football without a doubt. And this, this usual nonsense of hyping teams up and, um,
00:42:18
Speaker
This is ridiculous. Oh, you're so good. You're so good. You're so good. He does it with everyone. He does it with everyone. I mean, I'm sure that he I'm sure if he's playing against, you know, Sean Dyche or someone like that, he would he would hype them up as being an all time great. He just did it for Sari. He did it with Spaletti, but Spaletti is too smart. Spaletti went after him and started, you know, outdid him, out crazied him by giving him a standing ovation.
00:42:42
Speaker
just to shut him up. He's just incredibly disingenuous and he just lies. It's just lie after lie after lie. I'm getting a little bit exhausted of these. He's been in England now for how many years? Week in, week out, press conference. Seven years. Seven years. Week in, week out, pre-match press conferences.
00:43:10
Speaker
Not a single critical question. Not once has he been asked about anything. He just gets away with everything. He's just allowed to lie and push out misinformation, and no one questions him. When he says that we just want to get this case over with, no, that's not true. City are delaying it. Their lawyers are delaying this case and dragging it on by claiming that the barrister is an arsenal fan and should be removed.
00:43:38
Speaker
I mean, it's just, you know, stuff like that. They've been dragging this case on. Nobody pushes back against that. Nobody pushes back against when he says about when he talks about how, you know, he about racism and says that, you know, we owe whatever it was he said about how we owe an apology. When I think about what we've done to black people the last four hundred years, we owe an apology.
00:43:59
Speaker
Well, when you were at Barcelona, Roberto Carlos spoke about being racially abused and called monkey in chimpanzee by Barcelona fans. You said he talked too much and that he doesn't know anything about Barcelona. Nobody questions him on that. Nobody questions him on his own doping scandal as well. I mean, let's be honest. Let's remember, when he played a Brescia, he twice tested positive for Nandrolo.
00:44:25
Speaker
And he twice lost that appeal. What happened was that his personal doctor was Dr. Raman Segura, and he was also the personal physician of Frank De Boer.
00:44:46
Speaker
You also tested positive. Yeah, I know. And the thing is that the only reason this is what we know when people talk about that, when they talk about that, you know, he when they talk about how
00:45:02
Speaker
that he was exonerated. In 2007, he was cleared of this because there were changes in the World Anti-Doping Agency's guidelines. In 2005, WADA had found that a phenomenon called unstable urine in samples could lead to positive tests for low levels of mandrelone.
00:45:27
Speaker
and in very rare cases, nandrolone could be found in samples not because of external administration, but as a result of a chemical reaction that may occur in a vial containing urine.
00:45:40
Speaker
WADA instructed all accredited labs to perform stability tests on urine samples with nandralon concentrations from 2 to 10 mg per milliliter moving forward. A microgram, I think that stands for. And quadratus is on the high side of 12. He had 12 micrograms per liter.
00:45:59
Speaker
Those samples that were deemed unstable would not constitute an adverse analytic finding. Then, director of the WADA, David Howman, stood by the efficacy of the previous test, Fernando Alonso, saying the chances of urine becoming unstable were very rare. The chances were 1 out of 1,000 and 1 out of 10,000 positive tests.
00:46:20
Speaker
Guardiola was cleared by the Court of Appeals in Brescia, not because of his samples being deemed unstable, but because it could have been possible that his four samples had been unstable. Why? Because of the impossibility to now perform stability tests taken on samples taken in 2001, meaning stability tests must be carried out within five weeks of the collection of samples. Yes, they couldn't retest it.
00:46:48
Speaker
2007 no sample even remain to be retested. Yeah, so That's getting that's being let off on a on a technicality on an extreme technicality That came in 2005 I'm sorry, but this is this is how it is this this is this is I mean
00:47:08
Speaker
It's absurd. But nobody ever asks these questions. They never get pressed on them. No, what they do, this is what pisses me off. Instead, they sit on Twitter and bitch and pretend like they're actual journalists because they're not. They sit and bitch on Twitter, but when they go into the press room with him, nobody asks this man any critical questions ever on anything. They just give him a pass.
00:47:30
Speaker
And it's weird. And it's exactly the same with City, with their financial doping as well. I have never in sports seen anyone as protected as this man. He's the most protected character in all of sports ever. Never seen anything like it. Lance Armstrong, Marion Jones, no one, no matter what the sport, Novak Djokovic, everyone has been asked critical questions to the point where they don't like it. But that's what journalists are supposed to bloody do.
00:47:58
Speaker
No one asks this man any critical questions ever.
00:48:03
Speaker
It's unbelievable. They all sit like fanboys salivating around him, like, you know, with wide eyes and, oh, look at Perp. He plays good football. He can get away with anything. He can get with racist statements. He can get with doping. He can get with lying about wanting the case to the Manchester City financial doping case to go away, that he wants it done as quickly as possible. I mean,
00:48:29
Speaker
It's just he can get away with everything. Nobody ever questions this man. I don't understand why. And it should be a big talking point ahead of the final.
UEFA & Juventus' Super League Controversy
00:48:40
Speaker
And that's another thing I wanted to address as well. People asking me why I'm bringing this up now, because it's never been brought up before. Never. Once. And so I bring it up now. I do it. I'll talk about it, because no one else will. No.
00:48:54
Speaker
No, absolutely. And I think the financial doping, you know, Citi shouldn't even be in the Champions League and the way that they are protected as a club as well, not just Guardiola being protected as a person, but Man City as a club and the special treatment they get all the while Juventus are
00:49:12
Speaker
going to be banned from UEFA and the people that I've spoken to at Juventus, that as it stands right now, UEFA are virtually, literally, basically blackmailing Juventus, that they need to denounce the Super League and officially pull out, publicly pull out of the Super League, denounce it in order to get a lighter sentence on their ban.
00:49:36
Speaker
blackmail. It's not blackmail. It's not blackmail. It's plead bargaining. That's just how it works. Blackmail is something else, but they're using their leverage to put pressure on you. No, it's not semantics. There are actual legal definitions of blackmail and plead bargaining. This is something different. You can't call it blackmail because it's not. Blackmail is something completely different. This is not what
00:49:59
Speaker
Well, it is blackmail Nimr. It's not justice. It is justice because Juventus have committed a crime, Carlo. They have been convicted of a crime. When you're convicted of a crime... The super league, Nimr, has nothing to do with what punishment or otherwise Juventus should get. Nothing at all. You cannot use the super league. I can't believe you're even defending this, Nimr.
00:50:21
Speaker
No, I'm not defending and I'm defending what facts are and definitions. So you think it's right that UEFA should wave the super league in front of Juventus and say, you know what, we'll give you a light centre if they are legally allowed to do that. This is called plea bargaining because they because they've
00:50:37
Speaker
This is being litigated in court as we speak, whether or not Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus broke the rules when going into the legality of the Super League is being challenged right now as we speak. Therefore, what they're trying to do is to circumvent that verdict. They're saying, you screwed up here.
00:51:01
Speaker
Before we get to that point, you distance yourself from the Super League, we'll give you leniency there. That's not blackmail. That is not blackmail. That is not blackmail. Sorry, that's the very definition of blackmail. No, it's not the very definition of blackmail. It's not the very definition of blackmail. It is not the very definition of blackmail. What it is is plea bargaining happens all the time.
00:51:19
Speaker
Blackmail is a criminal offense of demanding payment or some other benefit for not revealing or damaging. The benefit for UEFA is the suplex that preserves their future as the owners of football.
00:51:38
Speaker
It might be emotional blackmail, but it's not legal blackmail. It's perfectly legal. It happens every single day, everywhere. It's the notion of one, when someone has been convicted of something in order to get leniency in terms of punishment, they plead they do something else in favor of whatever you want to call it legal.
00:51:54
Speaker
It's not blackmail. It's not blackmail. It's literally blackmail. They are using this against men. I can't believe you've been defending it. I'm not defending it. I'm defending English language, and I'm defending what law is. This is not blackmail. You can feel it's blackmail. That's fine. That's your feelings. But I'm telling you, this is not blackmail. Juventus have been convicted of a crime no matter how you feel about it. And UEFA are saying, we'll give you leniency if you step away from this other thing, the other legal case. That is not blackmail. That's just not what blackmail is.
00:52:24
Speaker
Well, officially, Guardiola's innocent as well. But if you're going to go that, if you're going to go by the law, then we can know about the law. No, because it's not. It's not because, yes, he was legally. Legally, he's innocent. And then Guardiola as well. That's what I said. He was clear beyond reasonable doubt. What I'm saying is that there are that if you look into the actual into the legal case, which I
00:52:46
Speaker
Do you support the way that UEFA are going about using the Super League? No, I don't support of you saying this is blackmail because it's not blackmail. Do you support the UEFA using the Super League against Juventus? Do you think that's justice to you? It's standard legal practice that when you are convicted of a crime
00:53:09
Speaker
and you are also involved in a litigation in another crime in order to expediate the legal process, then this is how it works. This is how it works everywhere. Eventors are not being uniquely treated by UEFA. This is standard legal procedure because you completely continue to forget that your eventors have been found guilty.
00:53:32
Speaker
There's a political punishment, Nima. It's clearly a political punishment. It could be politically motivated, but that's a separate discussion. I'm saying it's not black men. It's not exactly the same, because otherwise they would punish others. You know, otherwise others would be punished. It wouldn't be Juventus. They're punishing Juventus because of the Super League. They're now using the Super League against them to try and give them more meaning and punishment. And Juventus gave them that. If this was someone that wasn't in the Super League, if this was, if Juventus weren't in the Super League, this wouldn't even be part of it.
00:53:59
Speaker
So it's a political punishment. You're forgetting that you're just ignoring. They haven't been punished. This is not the same issue. You can't convict me of murder because 10,000 murderers walk
00:54:16
Speaker
That's not a defense. That's insanity. I'm not saying it's a defense. I'm saying the reason they're getting punished is for political reasons, Nima. No, they're being... I'm not saying inventors should get off, Nima. I'm saying the reason they're getting punished and no one else is a political in which you've said yourself. What's happening with Man City was that they were convicted by UEFA. They appealed to the CAS and they were let off
00:54:40
Speaker
because a lot of those cases were brought too late, according to the ruling in the CAS, but other rulings they were exonerated on as well on other issues. Listen, we have to move on now. It's clearly a political punishment. There's not even any doubt about it. There's no doubt that it's partly politically motivated, but Juventus would be stupid, absolutely stupid, if they gave in to this. I would not, because the legality of the Super League is very important.
00:55:10
Speaker
And Juventus future is tied to that and so is most of other clubs and I think they would be dumb if they went into if they gave up an inch here. Absolutely because why others should be supporting them on this because because this is you know and recognizing this for the political punishment it is rather than you know I mean thinking that UEFA actually have some kind of right to.
00:55:31
Speaker
They have a legal right to do this. They can do this. They've not pushed anything. They've said, we'll give you leniency on the crime that you've been convicted for if you step away from this other thing that we're involved in. That's plea bargaining. That's standard legal procedure. That's what I'm saying. I'm saying it's not blackmail. Blackmail is something else.
00:55:52
Speaker
Well, people have spoken to Juventus actually use that word blackmail. Well, Juventus can feel however they want. Juventus, that's not proof of anything. You know, OJ Simpson can go around saying he didn't kill his wife. That's not evidence of him being innocent of killing his wife.
00:56:09
Speaker
Well, legally, he didn't say. Well, actually, no, he was kind of convicted under the civil trial. So you can't shove that in people's faces anymore. And also anyone who was semi-sentient knows what happened in that case. This is my point, that they can't, Juventus committed, put themselves in this situation, which they shouldn't have, and now UEFA are using that leverage to put pressure on them. That's what they're doing. Is it morally wrong? Yes, of course it is. But it's also morally wrong to cook the books.
00:56:39
Speaker
So, you know, it's it's you can look at it both ways. Well, once they punish others, then I'll rest from my case about being a. I think everyone, of course, they should all be punished PSG man city that everyone who violated financial. That's the whole point. It's a political punishment. It's not it's not because you wait for such care about making football clean. It's nothing to do with that. And you know that better than anyone. It's not about making football clean. You know that it's completely political decision. And there's there's zero doubt about that.
00:57:08
Speaker
Anyway, let's move on to talking about UEFA, the UEFA conference. No, not the conference. Europa League on Wednesday. So it's Roma versus Sevilla. First of all, there's not much to say about Roma's defeat to Fiorentina. Both teams played their back-up 11s, so we're not even, no point even discussing that, but let's do a little preview of the final itself.
Roma's Europa League Final Preview
00:57:38
Speaker
Sevilla, I understand, are favourites going into this. For me, it's another 50-50. How do you see this today? I think it's fair to say that Sevilla are slight favourites. Slight favourites. Not by much, but slight favourites. I think that's fair given.
00:57:57
Speaker
Once again, they're having a crap season, but they're in the final of the Europa League again. It's the Sevilla League. They just keep delivering in this tournament time and time again. It's like when all else fails, they're 11th in La Liga. They've had a dreadful season, and yet they're in another European final.
00:58:21
Speaker
It's truly remarkable. But having said that, look, I think they're slight favorites, but I don't think by much. I really don't think by much. I think Mourinho is preparing for this and has been preparing for this for a long time, and he's going to have that team completely
00:58:46
Speaker
completely. He will have read everything Sevilla want to do and will have a plan on how to hurt them. And it's Mourinho in European finals. He's yet to lose one. And because, you know, if you look at how he goes in, how he behaves in European finals, you see how incredibly prepared, prepared he is tactically, risk minimization, all that stuff.
00:59:10
Speaker
you know, he reads the other side better than the coach of the other side knows his own side almost in finals. And so Roma need to be switched on, they need to be perfect, they need to defensively be absolutely switched on and perfect and not make any mistakes, you know,
00:59:31
Speaker
Ibanez has to not Ibanez in this game. Manchin needs to continue being hard, but not go over the line and get himself sent off. Hopefully Chris Smalling can play the full 90 minutes, because I think that's key. And then of course Paolo Di Bala. Paolo Di Bala.
00:59:57
Speaker
Yeah, I'm worried about Di Bala. I mean, there has been some news coming out that he's doing better. He is training himself. I mean, it's obviously clear he's not going to be able to start the game. We're probably looking at a short appearance off the bench, maybe.
01:00:17
Speaker
Yeah, I think maybe he might get 20 minutes maybe off the bench, hopefully. Spin it so I don't think it's going to be fit either. Maybe he might get some time off the bench as well. Roma have lost two
01:00:37
Speaker
key players in those two. There's no doubt about it. Two experienced players who have been in big finals and match-winning players. So that's important. But I mean, I think Roma do have the experience. I mean, obviously, Mourinho, we know his record in finals. He's won every single final. I think he is the card, he is the key card for Roma. Also, from a psychological point of view, when the opponents see they're playing against Mourinho in a final, that does
01:01:05
Speaker
Even unconsciously, that does have a role to play. Also, Roma's European experience, they won the conference league last year. I actually saw a stat the other day that only Madrid have played more semi-finals in Europe in the last five years. They even had a semi-final. People forget under Fonseca. Yeah, under Fonseca, yeah.
01:01:26
Speaker
And then obviously they had the Champions League semi-finals. So we're talking about what, four semi-finals? That's really impressive. That's incredible considering how they've done in Serie A. No, it is really impressive. And the fact that Mourinho's come in there and brought them to the final and won one of them, and now has the chance to win the second one.
01:01:47
Speaker
Yeah, truly remarkable. So they won't they won't freeze in this game, right? They will, you know, they'll be able to handle themselves. Then it will come down to, you know, who plays better, who has the quality. You know, I want to see Pellegrini really turn up for this game. I want to see the bar. I mean, even if the bar doesn't start, I do think you will have some form. You will have some kind of I think you will play some part in this game.
01:02:15
Speaker
I don't think he'll start, but I think, you know, I want to see Pellegrini really take on this game and show that he's a leader. I hope that the back line is all fit. I hope Rui Patricio doesn't screw up. And I would love to see Bovet as well start, because I think he's been, you know, he's been kind of like their
01:02:37
Speaker
like their mascot in this tournament a little bit. He's a Roman guy, he's a Roma kid through and through, so it would be cool to see how he does. But I think for me, the key here is Pellegrini. I want him to work and I want him to start leading Roma. Because if he were to
01:03:01
Speaker
win the Europa League. What is it? Two European trophies that he will have captained Roma to? That's incredible. Yeah, I think, listen, I think, I don't think, I've said before, I don't think Sevira are a good team, but I do think they obviously, they've won this, they've got the experience, they've won this trophy so many times, they've got some big players, experienced players, you know, Rakitic, for example, obviously he's passed his best, but still
01:03:26
Speaker
you know, he's got so much experience and Nesri I do think is a very dangerous player and our campus has been in fantastic form as well. So, I mean, you know, they've got dangerous players, but then I think their defence, you know, you can definitely get at that defence, which is why it's a big shame that DiBala
01:03:44
Speaker
is not fixed. I think if Di Bala was fit and playing, the same with spin at solo as well. I mean, I think they could cause lots of trouble to that severe defense. So that is a shame, but hopefully off the bench they can do some damage. But yeah, good luck to Roma. Let's hope that they can do it.
01:04:00
Speaker
I really want them to do it. It would be so cool because it means because all four teams in the Serie A for the Champions League next season have been decided and Roma not being one of them, this means we will have five teams in the Champions League next season for the first time ever. I can't remember the Serie A for having five teams.
01:04:17
Speaker
No, no, I haven't had five teams. So that would be amazing for the Serie A. Like, how awesome would that not be? And you mean you'd have Napoli and Roma in pot one as winners of the Serie A and the Europa League? If Inter were to win the Champions League, then Inter would be in pot one too.
01:04:35
Speaker
three teams in pot one how awesome would that not be for the draw yeah absolutely um okay napoli um let's touch on napoli two things to talk about here so they draw two two um at bologna first of all victor ossiman um big congratulations him it's not official yet but he is open to four goal lead on lautaro with one game left lautaro is probably not even going to play in the last game of the season so
Napoli's Future Post-Season
01:05:03
Speaker
I think we can safely say that he is Capo Cananiere for the season and what an amazing season for Victor Osseman. Maybe clinch him as the player of the season in Serie A. I think he will get it now. He has to get it. I think he will get it over Clara. I mean I think Clara's kind of, his form in the last few months of the season has dropped off definitely where Osseman's been.
01:05:27
Speaker
just consistent throughout. Well done to him. The other big talking point is De Laurentiis confirming after the game that Spoletti is leaving and taking a gap here. What do you make of all that? I think it's a shame. I really, really do. I can't believe
01:05:51
Speaker
I think there's more to this than meets the eye. I wonder if we'll ever know what actually happened. I don't think this is something that just the decision that he leaves is something that came, that they made just in the last few weeks. I think this has been a long time brewing. It's just that Spaletti's just been focused on the football. And I think he's, I think the two years that he's been there, I think he's exhausted of De Laurentiis. And I think De Laurentiis is smart enough to
01:06:20
Speaker
realize, um, that this was coming and that he's got something prepared. I mean, his behavior suggests as much. Um, I think the reason why he extended that contract was just leverage in order to, in order to, um, let, uh, I think in order to let Spaletti go, he will say, look, I'll terminate the contract, but you can't coach in the Serie A for a year.
01:06:49
Speaker
I think that's why he extended that contract, that option, in order just to do leverage. That's how I read it. That's my take on it. I think he knew this was coming and he wanted to protect Napoli because he didn't want him to just waltz into Juve or Milan or anywhere else in the Serie A because he knew he would be hot real estate. He'd be hot property after winning the Scoredto. And so he basically used his leverage to force Spalletti to
01:07:14
Speaker
to not coach in the Serie A for a year. Obviously, there'll be some remuneration to Spalletti for terminating the contract. And yeah, that's where I am on that. I think this is something that's been going on. And if he's going to take a gap here at 65, that's 66 when he returns. And I wonder if that's
01:07:39
Speaker
Yeah, that's it. The gap here doesn't make sense for me, for Spelletti. You don't take a gap here at 65, you're too old. You take a year out of the game, you're back at 66, turning 67 in that season back. I mean... I wonder if he doesn't go to the Premier League now.
01:07:59
Speaker
Don't you reckon? Actually, he's 64 now. I thought he was already 65. He's only just 34. So, okay, maybe, maybe, maybe he's okay, maybe. But I mean, yeah, at that age, I don't think it's great taking a gap here. But I think this is, like you said, I think this is down to De Laurentiis. He is a brilliant negotiator. That man is a fantastic negotiator. What?
01:08:24
Speaker
he was getting ready because he understands what he understands is that in every negotiation every negotiation is about leverage and the more leverage you have the better favorable terms you get in the final contract in the deal and he uses his leverage to the max every single time that's why he gets what he wants.
01:08:42
Speaker
because he positions himself always in the strongest position possible. And I think that's what he's done here with Spaletti as well. Now it makes sense why he automatically activated that option to extend Spaletti's contract. Because now, if Spaletti wants to leave and take a gap here, he can say, look, do what you want, but you can't coach in the Serie A for a year.
01:09:08
Speaker
Yeah. Do you see what I'm saying? It's a smart negotiation tactic. And I think Spalletti, I don't know if he can speak English. I know that Patrick Kendrick, our good friend, has translated for him many times this season and before when he was at Inter and through the years. So I don't think he speaks English. So maybe that rules out the Premier League as well. But look,
01:09:36
Speaker
I don't know. I mean, he is hot real estate. He did charm Europe with the football that he played. They won the Serie A with Napoli. That's an incredible accomplishment. If you look at the financial, you know, how much money they spent versus in terms of wages and transfer, net transfer spend, et cetera, you know, he's very, very popular. And I think we'll, you know, by the time that's made official, we'll understand more about it. But I wonder if he doesn't go to the Premier League.
01:10:23
Speaker
Nothing would make me happier for the Serie A than to see Luis Enrique, who I think is a very underrated coach like we spoke about last week. I think it was Thursday or Monday. I can't remember on the pod.
01:10:24
Speaker
I really do.
01:10:34
Speaker
He's incredibly underrated, but also he has experience from the Serie A. He was very young when he was at Roma, and so he knows what the Serie A is. And now he's a much better coach than he's ever been. Yeah, he wasn't quite ready then. No, he wasn't ready then. And he still did all right. He wasn't in a disaster. That was his first coaching job, if I'm not mistaken, at a senior level. No, he'd come from Busseby, yeah.
01:10:54
Speaker
Yeah, so this would be a fantastic appointment. And I think he would, the players that they've got, the football that he plays, nah, I think for Napoli's sake, I hope it's Luis Enrique more than anyone else. Yeah, so do I. Okay, right. Just quickly, we'll discuss this.
01:11:12
Speaker
We'll discuss this more on Thursday, because we've gone way over.
Serie A Relegation Battle Recap
01:11:16
Speaker
The relegation race, it was an insane Sunday. On Saturday, Spezio got Hamid 4-0 at home by Torino. But then on Sunday, there were two games in which there were ridiculously late goals, which were huge for the relegation battle. First of all, Verona against Empoli. And Verona were winning 1-0. Empoli equalised in the 95th minute through Stojanovic, which was
01:11:40
Speaker
death blow to dagger to the heart of Verona, because they had exited. There would have been two points outside the relegation zone with that win. Now they are level with Spezio on 31 points. Then Monza played against Lecce, and Lecce scored a hundredth minute penalty from Colombo for a handball by... Christian Uter.
01:12:09
Speaker
He'd missed a penalty about five minutes before and then gave away a penalty with a handball and Colombo scored. That means that Leccee survived. It means that it goes down to the final day, Spezia and Verona for the final relegation spot. They're both on 31 points. They're both equal. There is no head-to-head now, so there will be a play-off if the two teams are equal. The final match date is Roma versus Spezia.
01:12:34
Speaker
Roma at home and Milan versus Verona. It's looking very likely of a play out here.
01:12:45
Speaker
and then that's going to be incredible. But we'll discuss it more on Thursday. We've gone way over here. Let's talk about it on Thursday, but it was an incredible weekend. It was amazing. It was unbelievable. When Stojanovic scored that, the defending by Hellas at the end, it was just maximum, bad luck.
01:13:07
Speaker
They were in, you know, they were in control. They were in good control. And then then Oliver Arbildgaard, he just keep backing off of Stojanovic instead of closing him down. And then the ball, I think it even it bounces off of what's his name? Flection. Yeah, to the flection. Yeah, it was it was Manjanely. No, not Manjanely. What's his name?
01:13:33
Speaker
Manjani, I think, yeah. He deflected off of him and it just completely, I mean, they were, it was just so, it was so, so, so, so unlucky. And then you go to the Monza game where Kitkyar has a penalty, that's his last game ever for Monza, their last home game ever for Monza, his contract expires, he's going to leave.
01:13:57
Speaker
He gets a penalty in the 83rd minute. The penalty is saved by Falcone. Then, in the 98th minute, the corner, he handballs and lets you get a penalty, which Lorenzo Colombo scores. It was crazy. It was absolute drama. So now, let's are safe. And I think they deserve to be if we look at the overall season, I don't reckon.
01:14:23
Speaker
Yeah, they definitely deserve. They were really good first half of the season, but then they just, they just completely collapsed in second half of the season. And yeah, the drama was definitely, definitely deserve. We'll talk about that more on Thursday and give our predictions ahead of the final, final weekend, because that's going to be
01:14:39
Speaker
Well, we could have a playoff because that's that's the new thing this season that for the score and this place 17th, if there are two or three more teams on same points, they have a playoff now. Yeah, play out. Yeah, this is a play out. Yeah. So it'll be a neutral venue if they end on same points. It'll be a neutral venue 90 minutes, no extra time. And if it's still a draw, they'll go to penalties.
Serie A Match Highlights
01:15:03
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, for sure. But the other weekend games, Sampdoria 2, Sasualo 2, Saloni Turner 3, Udenes 2, Canjueva again, scoring, and Lazio 3, Creminati 2 as well, so some really high scoring games there. Let's just finish off with Baggio and Prem Face of the Week. Okay, Baggio, do you have any?
01:15:29
Speaker
Lautaro's performance is just wow. Truly, truly unbelievable. Also, the Serie A fans this season, almost 2 million tickets to Inter's home games. Milan averaging 70,000 a home game too. Lazio, Napoli, Roma,
01:15:51
Speaker
The attendance is up, way up, and the atmosphere around it has been absolutely fantastic. So for me, it's Lautaro and also this season, Serie A fans, for turning up at those stadiums, even though they're far from modern and all of that. But that's just, you know, Serie A fans are... Apart from Juventus Stadium. And that's the irony, Juventus have the most modern stadium.
01:16:18
Speaker
We have these arcade. No one wants to go and watch a leg report. I mean, we would want to watch that rather gouge my eyes out with a wooden spoon. Just to get in there. I have to say, though, and also a special shout out to Miroslav Klose, who now almost, what is it, seven, eight years after he retired, looks younger than when he played football.
01:16:48
Speaker
Well, it's just, did you see that photo of him in Kadrieva? Yeah, but he looks younger than Kadrieva. He looks younger than Kadrieva and he looks fresher. Like he looks like he's stopped smoking. Do you know what I mean? He looks fresher than I've ever seen him. And it's like, what's going on there?
Controversies & Celebrations in Football
01:17:05
Speaker
It's weird. Like he's the first man who stops playing football and then and then looks younger when he stops playing football. Yeah.
01:17:12
Speaker
Yeah, he has kept himself well. Right, prim face of the week. Do we have any prim face? Well, the entire Weston McKinney shit show has to be a prim face. I mean, the entire thing. I don't even know what to pick from from him and his childish behavior, which prompted Leeds fans to lose their shit and sing those offensive chants to him about his weight.
01:17:37
Speaker
to the arguing on spaces between McKinney's friends and Vliet's fans to the Harambe, whatever the Harambe thing was that his dad did. I mean, the entire thing is just mad. It's just a circus. It's hilarious. Yeah. Yeah. And that is passed in the first half to that as well.
01:17:59
Speaker
And also, we've got to give a shout out to Luton Town, a fan, pretty much a fan owned club making it back to the Premier League. I mean, how beautiful isn't that? Yeah, gosh, yeah, yeah. I thought you forgot. Yeah, Luton Town. Yeah, I have to give a shout out to Luton Town. They're my former team. I think I've said before, I played for them. I was in their youth team since I was 15.
01:18:18
Speaker
Yeah. Have I not told you that? I'm sure I've told that about a thousand times. Probably, and I don't remember it. Exactly. That's probably true. That is probably true. That is 100% true. Yeah. No, no. I was a youth team player, elite in town, till the age of 15. And yeah, they
01:18:37
Speaker
Yeah, so they still have a bit of a part, a little bit of my heart, even though they release me and they should have kept me and I should have been playing professional. Oh, my God. The way that what they did when I was amazing story, I mean, if you take 10 years ago, they were they weren't even in the football league for promotions in less decade. And the budget is like one of the smallest budgets in the championship.
01:19:03
Speaker
And I think their budget last year, their wage bill last year was something like 12 million or something around about that region. Whereas the wage bill for Fulham who got promoted last year was like 70 or 80 million or something like that. I'm not sure what the wage bill is this year because they don't always become available straight away. But I mean, it's not high.
01:19:25
Speaker
And the way they're doing it as well, there is an owner who owns it, but the supporters trust can veto any decision. They're building a new stadium, 25,000 seater, which I think is going to be ready in 2025 or 2026.
01:19:44
Speaker
And just the fact that they they're so tightly knit to the community and they know I love it. This is like everybody knows about the entrance to the away end. I mean, that is just incredible. When you think of all the
01:19:59
Speaker
the riches the astronomical riches in the premier league and the glamour and all the stadiums in the state of the art stadiums and facilities and then you got loose in town whose stadium kennelworth road is about ten thousand capacity ten and a half it's it's.
01:20:16
Speaker
I mean, it's not even up to the, I'm not even sure if it's gonna be allowed to, I hope it is because I think that's beautiful. I think it is. It's not even allowed, when they were about to get promoted last year, there was, you know, they wouldn't even be allowed to play in Kenilworth Road in the Premier League because it's not up to standards, like the standards that are required. So there's not even guarantee they'll be able to play that. I hope they are because I think it adds something different and special that you've got this 10,000 capacity stadium.
01:20:43
Speaker
And for away fans, you literally, the stadium is on the middle of a street, of a residential street. And for the away supporters, you have to go through, you literally have to go through a person's house and through their back garden to get into the away end.
01:21:02
Speaker
like literally you literally you literally go through a person's house and back garden to get to get into the away and google it it's incredible story isn't it it's absolutely amazing i'm gonna i'm gonna like for me i don't support anyone in england but the more i read about them the more i'm like yeah i might actually become a loot and town fan because yeah
01:21:22
Speaker
I love this story. It's a beautiful story. And not just that, it's the way that they treat it. But this is football, though. This is, you know, everything that we complain about, you know, about how the Premier League has, I mean, I know it's a bit, you know, it's a bit ironic since they're going to be in the Premier League, but, you know, everything we've criticized about how modern football has been destroyed, how, you know, you don't get any stories of small teams and teams from smaller leagues, from, you know,
01:21:46
Speaker
being able to win and work their way up. You know, this is an old fashioned story of something that we had, you know, like Wimbledon in the eighties when they came through the divisions and they won the AFA Cup. You know, the story of this, you know, Luton town, who nearly went bust 15 years ago, by the way. But it's not just that, it's also how they're so tightly knit to the community, the responsibility that like it's Luton's town, it's Luton's team. And they're so tightly knit to the community. They do so many things in the area.
01:22:16
Speaker
They're not out to hide taxes and do dodgy things. They've already said that once they're in the Premier League, they're going to use that money to invest in youth academy. They're going to finance their own stadium. They're not going to go into any debt. They're just going to play by the rules and it's going to be like the people's team in Luton. I think that's incredibly beautiful. It is amazing. I'll be honest with you,
01:22:45
Speaker
I think it's going to be very, very difficult for them to stay up. But who knows? Kenilworth Road, honestly, is one of the most intimidating places to go. It's such a tight pitch. And the crowd on top of you, it's very old fashioned. I really hope they stay up. I was so hope they stay up. My heart was just like...
01:23:13
Speaker
Yeah, I saw that playoff game as well. It was crazy drama. That's one of the beautiful things about English football is that it's that playoff at Wembley. The playoff game is always amazing, isn't it? So good. All the penalties were amazing as well. Every single one was in the top bins or side netting. The way I like penalties, the Brexit penalties. This is how you take penalties.
01:23:38
Speaker
None of that hop-skipping like Zorginio does and drives me mad. Okay, right. Let's leave it at that. Thanks everybody for listening and we'll be back on Tuesday for the Q&A. Wednesday, as I said, interview with Udenez and Serbia midfielder Lazar Samacic and then Thursday we'll do our midweek review show where we'll review the Europa League final between Roma and Sevilla and of course look ahead to the last weekend.
01:24:04
Speaker
of the Serie A season and more previewing of the Champions League final and the Conference League final, which is next week, a week on Wednesday. So there's a lot to look forward to. Free finals for the Italian
Upcoming Matches & Italian Teams' Prospects
01:24:15
Speaker
team. It's going to be an exciting end to the football season for us. OK, right. For Taroma, for Seviola and for Sainter, I guess we say, in ahead of these finals. Yeah, absolutely. We will see you soon. See you on Tuesday, guys. Until then, ciao ciao.