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Inter Milan vs Arsenal Champions League Preview With Gunners Legend Alan Smith (Ep. 469)
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The 2024/25 Champions League matchday four group stage fixture between Inter Milan and Arsenal takes place on Wednesday 6 November at 21:00 CET at San Siro.
Arsenal legend Alan Smith helps preview the big game in an exclusive interview with Carlo Garganese and Nima Tavallaey.
Alan breaks down the game tactically and offers his prediction, discusses Riccardo Calafiori, remembers his famous goal in the 1994 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup Final against Parma, and much more.
Alan was was speaking on behalf of Instant Casino.
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Transcript
Introduction & Guest Introduction
00:00:02
Speaker
Welcome to the Italian football podcast. Hello everybody and welcome to the Italian football podcast. I'm Carlo Garganese joined as always by Nimata Valley. On today's show we are delighted to be joined by former Arsenal striker Alan Smith a Gunners legend who scored well over 100 goals for the club and was the league's top scorer in two title winning squads.
Champions League Preview: Inter vs Arsenal
00:00:27
Speaker
Alan will help us preview Wednesday's big Champions League game between Inter and Arsenal at San Siro and we'll also ask him about that famous winner for Arsenal in the 1994 Cup Winners Cup Final against Palmer.
Alan Smith's 1994 Cup Memories
00:00:44
Speaker
So Alan, thank you so much for for joining us. I wanted to start with that famous winner in the 1994 Cup Menace Cup Final. What are your best memories of of that goal and victory against Palmer?
00:00:59
Speaker
Well, I think it was the fact we were we were big underdogs given that we've got Ian Wright was suspended and we got key injuries as well. It was a bit of a makeshift midfield in all fairness. So up against a Palmer team that um you know Zola, Aspilia,
00:01:16
Speaker
um Thomas Brolin, sorry Zola, yeah um half of Italy's World Cup team it seemed that were going off to the States that summer so they're very strong. ah so yeah I didn't use to get too many goals from outside the box so to get one on the big stage like that and for it to count and win my club European trophy it meant a great deal.
00:01:43
Speaker
You know, we rode our luck after that. We didn't have too many more efforts on goal. They had a few, ah but some thankfully we held out. Yeah, you certainly
Serie A Prospects & Agents in Football
00:01:54
Speaker
did. it Did you or any of your Arsenal title winners, either the league title winners world or that team that won the Cup Winners' Cup, ever get any offers from Serie A? And would you personally have liked to have played in in what was the best league in the world at that time? Yeah, that I mean, that was the place to go, wasn't it? Obviously, the 80s, there were quite a few that came over from Britain
00:02:17
Speaker
you know, the likes of Sunis and Rangwell, Kins, Trevor Francis, Liam Brady, all those boys. um It was more of a defensive league then, wasn't it? And and for me, I always thought all man-marking might be more difficult for a player of my style. um I'd have loved to have gone over in terms of the lifestyle, the food, I'd have loved that. i don't I don't really think I had any serious interest. Sometimes back then you didn't actually hear about it. I didn't have an agent. So if the offer came into the club and the manager didn't really want you to know to unsettle you, you wouldn't find out. But some yeah, it was always a big kick ah to beat an Italian side. it You know, it was a scene as ah a big achievement.
00:03:06
Speaker
um Lots of players ah from your generation and older and and even you know up until like the late 90s have said that they didn't have agents. I mean was that like the common practice then that you just didn't have an agent? They weren't so prevalent. There were still players that did have them um but um yeah I've never been one that have really wanted that kind of relationship. um Maybe that's been to my detriment at times. I joined Arsenal and negotiated myself really and probably could have done a lot better with an agent. But yeah, there a lot of lads didn't have them. um Some did, but that's that's just how it was now, of course.
00:03:51
Speaker
I think maybe the there were a few that maybe just used a lawyer for contract negotiations, but they're certainly in the minority.
Arsenal's Current Form & Challenges
00:04:00
Speaker
Well, let's preview Inter against Arsenal, well, tomorrow, Wednesday, we're recording this on Tuesday. um Arsenal go into this game and in rather bad form. Inter, on the other hand, have seven wins and one draw in their last eight. But what's gone wrong this season for Arsenal? And and where would you, like, who would you blame, so to quote, unquote? Yeah, I did the game at Bournemouth when Saliba got sent off.
00:04:29
Speaker
And obviously that tipped the match in Bournemouth's favour, but Arsenal weren't playing particularly well before that. and ah in that game and and it knocked them sideways a little bit, I think, losing there ah and it affects confidence. They're the same as any team. You know, you have built up this self-belief and then you get a bad result and does knock you back a bit. Obviously, Odegard has been a big blow. I'm in the game at Bournemouth where it's really tight. That's where you needed Odegard to pick a pass, make something happen.
00:05:04
Speaker
um But they are it it is a ah difficult moment at the moment, as we as we say. um I've got confidence they'll they'll come through it. um But yeah, like they need to bounce back pretty quickly. Chelsea away at the weekend, which is a big, big game. If they could win that, then you're back on course.
00:05:27
Speaker
um ah Focusing more on the game itself, where do you think Arsenal can hurt Inter? And do you feel like making a prediction, perhaps, how that game will go? Yeah, it's um ah different ah formations, isn't it? Probably 3-5-2 for Inter,
00:05:46
Speaker
um which worked really well against Manchester City, didn't it, earlier on this season? um But being at home in turn, it'll be a different kind of balance to the match. um I see Arsenal being fairly cautious again, going to San Siro, especially the way that they they're feeling. So can can they can they yeah score a goal or two um and can they stop
00:06:18
Speaker
that strike force of interest and scoring. I think i think they can. If Gabriel and Saliba are back at the top of their games, then the likes of of Martinez and Chiram, I think they'll find it difficult against that pair.
Transfer Speculations: Lautaro Martinez
00:06:35
Speaker
and um he Arsenal have been linked with Lautaro Martinez, who you mentioned there for a number of years. and Given that Arsenal still probably miss at a natural number nine, someone someone like yourself, is he is he someone you'd like to see Arsenal try to sign him going forward? Well, I mean, he's obviously a very good player. We've been doing it at the top level for a long time.
00:06:59
Speaker
um whether now that ship has sailed in terms of him coming to Arsenal. I mean, he's 27, it's not old, of course it's not old. um They're trying to, um the profile is recruiting slightly younger players, but, you know, he's he's got a lot of good years left in him. um ah Recruitment-wise, Arsenal have been very cute over the last few years, they're leaving now, so we'll see how that works out.
00:07:28
Speaker
but um Yeah, he's definitely one of those that other clubs would be interested in. How he would feel ah coming to England is a different matter. Some players, you know, they're happy in Italy, um happy with his life there. So, but I mean, he's definitely a danger to Arsenal ah on Wednesday night. Do you think either Arsenal or Inter can go all the way and win the Champions League this season?
00:07:58
Speaker
At the moment, they probably don't look like favourites. We'll have to see how this Champions League group pans out, but, you know, unbeaten. So both will be feeling as if they can go a fair distance in the competition.
00:08:16
Speaker
um you'd probably look it's early days still, isn't it? but You look at the top of the table, obviously Aston Villa up there, Liverpool probably ah will feel that they can maybe be yeah do something in the Champions League with that with their heritage. Arsenal in term, yeah, I think they can you know ah go a fair distance in the competition as for winning it. It's it's difficult to say because we're a long way away from you know the new year when things can change so much.
00:08:47
Speaker
perhaps players coming into the clubs in the transfer window in January, but in decent positions at the moment.
Impact of Game Overload on Players
00:08:57
Speaker
um Arsenal um have been decimated with injuries recently um while Inter have struggled physically this season. But do you think ah this a lot of the discussion has been about the number of games and so on? Do you agree that there are too many games being played and that something needs to be done about it? We've seen almost like an epidemic of ACLs in recent months. Yeah, we've seen a lot of players hobbling off with muscle injuries. i did
00:09:25
Speaker
Spurs villa at the weekend and the ah some of them are impact injuries, others were yeah muscular. ah i mean I think there are too many games. um People talk about the olden days when teams would play 60 or 70 but it's it's such a different match, a different game now in terms of the physical efforts that are required. um Obviously teams have got big squads but managers you know, quite naturally want to use their best players. um But there doesn't seem to be any ah shifting in reducing the number of games, you know, the Club World Cup on the horizon and that. um So yeah, I think managers will have to look at maybe rotating more than they have done in the past.
Spotlight on Ricardo Calafiori
00:10:12
Speaker
and Just quickly, what are your thoughts on Ricardo Calafiori? Do you like what you've seen so far?
00:10:18
Speaker
Very much so, yeah, I've been surprised by how quickly he's settled actually, coming into a different league. um But he's taken that inverted fallback role, you know, drifting into midfield with a lot of enthusiasm athletically, he's very good. And that it's been ah it's been a problem, the left back position for a few years and and he looks like solving it. So yeah, I've been really pleased with him.
Rapid Fire Career Insights
00:10:46
Speaker
And just to finish off, we we play this kind of ah for a bit of fun. We play a rapid fire game. We give you two or three options and you just give us a one word answer, explain if you want. um The best teammate you've had in your career.
00:10:59
Speaker
I love playing with Paul Merson. He was a great striker to play with. He always lifted his head. We had a good relationship. best best ah No, most difficult opponent in your career. I hated playing against Gary Pallister at Manchester United. He could kind of do everything I could. He was tall, ah long legs, and I never got much change out of him. Who's the best number nine in the world today?
00:11:26
Speaker
I think you're looking at probably Erland Haaland or Harry Kane still up there knocking in the goals for Bayern. He's more complete centre forward than Haaland, but I mean Haaland is just a beast when he's at it, isn't he? Yeah, he is. um Talking of two beasts, Salipa or Bastoni, who do you have in your team?
00:11:48
Speaker
um oh I think Saliba, I think Saliba is probably one of the best centre halves in the world. Obviously Bastogne is up there as well, but it's that elegance, that cultured p play, ability on the ball, um I'd say Saliba. Declan Rice or Nicolas Barrella?
00:12:09
Speaker
Yeah, another close one, similar types of players, and then maybe it may be a score draw there, but Vice probably hasn't reached the levels of last season just yet, but there's there's not much to to split them. And finally, ah pineapple on pizza, food heaven or food
Conclusion & Upcoming Announcements
00:12:27
Speaker
hell.
00:12:27
Speaker
oh that's disgraceful i oh you cannot um and like thank you more the pepper army yeah anovy man that kind of still yeah brilliant thank you Thank you so much for for joining us, Alan. That was a big pleasure. Enjoy the game. We wish you all the best for for the future. And thank you everyone for listening. We will see you next on Wednesday for the Q and&A episode.
00:12:55
Speaker
and then on Thursday for the the midweek Champions League show where we will react to the the Inter vs Arsenal game. Until then, cha-cha.