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Lorenzo Pellegrini: Should Italy & Roma Move On From Belgium Villain? (Clip From Q & A Pod)
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After yet another disappointing performance for Italy in 2-2 draw with Belgium where he got himself sent off, Lorenzo Pellegrini is under heavy fire.
The Italian Football Podcast patron Anthony sends in a question wondering what Nima Tavallaey and Carlo Garganese think of Pellegrini's future with both the Azzurri and Roma.
This is an extended clip from this weeks Q & A episode of The Italian Football Podcast available only to patrons on Patreon.com/TIFP
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Transcript
00:00:02
Speaker
Welcome to the Italian football podcast. Right, the next question comes in from Anthony Somani. He says after his horror performance against Belgium, should not only Italy but also Roma move away from Lorenzo Pellegrini? I know you've got a lot of thoughts about this, so why don't you start? Italy? Yes, absolutely. 100%. I've always thought about Pellegrini. I've always thought he's a good player.
00:00:27
Speaker
but I've never thought he was ah was of the level required for a top team, whether it's a top club team or or for the italy national team or for for an Italy national team that has ambitions to to try and go all the way and and challenge and win, you you know, Euros, World Cups. I've never thought he's he has the ability or even the potential to to be of that level. I think he he he's lacking physically. He's too slow for me and he's also lacking a bit mentally as well. I think he's he's not the strongest ah mentally and we've we've probably seen that over the last over the last week as well and so I just don't think you know I just ah forget about the red card.
00:01:10
Speaker
bit unlucky, a bit silly, but a bit unlucky as well. That can happen. That can happen to anyone. You go in for a challenge, you lunge. So it's not judged based just on the fact that he got a red card. is It's just based on something that I've always felt and something that I think was underlined during the Euros as well. I know everyone was bad at the Euros, but I think the Euros clearly showed that Pellegrini is not For me, he's not of the level needed for this new Italy that wants to build something and and you know become become that great team again. And I think that when Spelletti did his revolution after the Euros and he got rid of the older players and the players that he didn't want to be part of, then you say, well, I think Pellegrini should have been part of that. At the very least, if he is going to stick around, he should have been
00:01:57
Speaker
and should be a squad player that's on the bench, you know maybe comes on for 20 minutes at best or or is you know somebody that can be used if if players are out. He should not be a starter like he's been. I know he started for France, he's probably the only one in that France game that wasn't great. And then in this game as well, he shouldn't be starting these big matches against France, against Belgium.
00:02:21
Speaker
I just, I just, I think that Italy should move on from him. He's 28. He's going to be 30 by the time of the World Cup, which I mean, he could still be okay. 30 is not old. It's not ancient, but it's not young. And I think Italy should be building and should be building without Pellegrino. So that's for Italy. Would you agree for Italy before, like, in my opinion on Roma? I definitely think he should be part of the squad. my My problem is I just don't think he should play as a number 10. I think he's being misused.
00:02:52
Speaker
um I think he should, I think the only way to use him is the way that De Rossi used him. um And that's, I think he was really, really good then. I think he should be a left-center mid as a Mitzala with two players next to him um in a three-man midfield. I think that's probably where he's at his best. But in order to do that, given that he's not exactly the most dynamic person in the world,
00:03:15
Speaker
he needs to have um ah someone with an engine next to him. um I think he's set pieces on corners, I think free kicks. i think I think he does have something to offer, but but if Tonali, Ricci, Barella are going to play like this, there's no room for him. like it's that The best midfield right now is Ricci, Tonali, and Barella. And so they should start. But... um but Yeah, um I just think that, you know, I mean...
00:03:45
Speaker
Yeah, but for me, Italy needs to move on for him. For Roma, I mean, you speak to a lot of Roma fans and and they feel that, I mean, a lot of Roma fans can't believe that he's still in the Italy setup for starters. But a lot of it a lot of Roma fans actually don't want him playing for Roma. Part of that is, and I think maybe this is a bit unfair, I don't know how any information on this, part of this is that Pellegrini seems to have got the blame for both Mourinho And for Dorossi, get in the sack. I don't know why that is. I mean, do they have any information? Is Pellegrini supposed to have done something behind closed doors and asked for the sacking? Or is it because he's you know one of the the senators that they they see it as well? They wouldn't have made that decision without going through Pellegrini first.
00:04:29
Speaker
I don't know. That I can't answer on. But in terms of performance, I don't think is i think he had ah a bit of an uptick for two or three months after De Rossi came in for Mourinho. Kind of in January, February, March, he he started playing really, really well. But i mean if you actually look at his numbers over the last few years, i mean he's without an open play goal since February.
00:04:53
Speaker
He hasn't scored an open play since February for Roma. And he also, I remember when he was playing under Mourinho, he went a period at one stage under Mourinho, if I remember rightly, without scoring ah an open play goal for Mourinho for over a year as well. Those listening can correct me if I'm wrong, I'm pretty 99% sure that Pellegrini went through a stage with Mourinho where he didn't, and so much so that, that you know,
00:05:18
Speaker
when De Rossi took over and Pellegrini had that amazing start. I remember both of us saying, oh, look what he's doing. Pellegrini was dying under Mourinho. And look, all of a sudden, he's he's he's just come to life under De Rossi. He's got the best out of Pellegrini. I remember us saying that. um So i mean when you look at it over a long period, you can see that Pellegrini is not just about goals, but that's not good enough for for kind of an attacking midfielder, a player that plays quite advanced to to to go these this period of time, you know, eight months now without an open play goal, having gone um a year before under Mourinho without an open play goal. I mean, that's that's abysmal and that that shows that it's a it's it's ah systematic issue and it's not just bad form. So based on that, um definitely not for Italy, but also, you know, Roma needs needs yeah he needs to be doing better for for for Roma as well.
00:06:16
Speaker
Oh, I do definitely think he should be doing better better of for Roma. um I think that's more where I'm disappointed with him than Italy. um i think It's a shame because I think the player does have talent, I think he's got quality but he's never really been able to consistently express that for Roma and as a result in Italy, in neither in Italy as well. um but I compare him, nima I think I said this well, I compare him a bit to Alberto Aquilani as well. Yeah, that's a fair... You know yeah kind of rome Roma born, come through the system was going to be like the next
00:06:50
Speaker
you know, Totti de Rossi kind of figure at the club, lots of talent, lots of technical talent, very elegant, you know, silky player, ah you know, good on the eye, had that, you know, had that kind of star nature to him, also in kind of his appearance as well, if you know what I mean. and and But never, yeah, never, was never able to be that player that he was tipped to be, and maybe was overrated for that reason as know coming through, that he never really was that that next star, that Totti De Rossi. He never was gonna ever be that Totti De Rossi level. And and obviously at Quilani,
00:07:36
Speaker
bique i Also struggled with injury at Quilani and never made it. Group of injuries destroyed his career. Yeah, they they they definitely hurt his career, but he was a disaster at Liverpool. Then he went to the event and says he was alright one season at the event, so I remember. But never yeah, he never he never became that player and Pellegrino I think has is gone the the similar route really. He's never become that player.
00:07:56
Speaker
A bit flaky as well. Both flaky players. to my I think that's fair. I think that's fair. And I think Akulani is a reasonable comparison. He's also a player who I expected lots of things from and I was really disappointed. I loved him. was when yeah he He could have potentially been a fantastic player, but it just didn't happen. I think injuries really ruined him and then there was turbulence and you know Roma decided to go somewhere else. um there I can see the comparisons to Pellegrini for sure.