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Free Weekly Episode - #AllegriOut As Juventus Humiliated, Rudi Garcia Loses Dressing Room, Rafa Leao Silences Critics, Dimarco Best Left Foot In Europe? & Much More (Ep. 362)
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From Juventus defensive disasterclass in defeat to Sassuolo leading to #AllegriOut trending again, Dusan Vlahovic continuing his Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde performances, Napoli lack of a penaltytaker costs points against Bologna after Victor Osimhen goes ballistic on coach Rudi Garcia, Federico Dimarco wonderstrike gifts Inter Milan three points to Empoli, Rafael Leao the hero once more for AC Milan in unimpressive win over Hellas Verona, to Lazio equal worst start to Serie A in over 20 years, Lecce, Firoentina and Atalanta all win as well as previewing the midweek Serie A fixture and much, much more when Nima and Carlo break down all the main talking points from a jam-packed weekend in Italian football.
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Transcript
Juventus' Defeat to Sassuolo: Implications and Criticisms
00:00:02
Speaker
Welcome to the Italian Football Podcast.
00:00:22
Speaker
humiliating defeat for Juventus against Sassuolo 4-2 on Saturday. So we'll be breaking down that horror show and what it means for Juventus' prospects this season and what it means again for Max Allegri, are Juventus set for another dismal season. Inter though, continue their 100% record in Serie A beating Empoli thanks to a won the goal by Federico Di Marco.
00:00:44
Speaker
Does he have the best left foot in Europe maybe? We'll discuss that. Champions Napoli fall seven points now behind the leaders' insert after another draw, as Viktor Ossimen misses a penalty and then he rages at manager Rudy Garcia after being subbed off.
Serie A Struggles: Juventus, Napoli, Lazio in Crisis
00:01:00
Speaker
It looks like Garcia has already lost the dressing room.
00:01:04
Speaker
Milan, though, are back to winning ways, as Rafael Liao silences critics after all those misses against Newcastle. Meanwhile, Lazio are also in crisis. They're booed off the pitch in Rome after drawing 1-1. So three big teams in a bit of a crisis. We also have, I've never seen anything like this, we have a premedemic this week. I'm not sure I've ever seen so many premed faces.
00:01:25
Speaker
in one week and my alter ego is one of them. So make sure you listen to the end for Bad Joe and Prem Face of the Week. We'll also preview the midweek Seria action which is taking place on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
00:01:42
Speaker
So for all our first on this as this is our free weekly episode that 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 of our content that we do throughout the week Including our weekly Q&A episode every Tuesday where we answer all the questions from our patrons Plus the weekly Thursday midweek review show plus interviews post much reaction and much much more then go to patreon.com slash TIP and become a subscriber for just $2.99 a month plus VAT and
00:02:12
Speaker
And you can also now sign up to be a paid subscriber on Spotify and we will provide the link in the description. It's the same price, same terms as if you were to go through Patreon. And for all of you that do listen on Spotify or on Apple or on iTunes podcasts, we'd really appreciate you to give us a five-star rating or give us a follow, give us a like. We're also on YouTube as well. It really helps us to grow and do more quality content.
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Juventus' Defensive Woes: Historical Comparisons and Allegri's Tactics
00:03:43
Speaker
Okay, difficult to know whether to start with the Juventus or Napoli, but let's start with Juventus, because there are more Juventus fans than Napoli fans and more angry Juventus fans than Napoli fans. Well, it depends, because Napoli fans are going for Rudy Garcia's head right now.
00:04:01
Speaker
Yes, they are. We certainly will be getting to that. Don't worry, Nima. But your Vences, I don't know where to start on here. First of all, from a neutral point of view, I'm sure, Nima, you enjoyed this game greatly. It was an amazingly entertaining game. It was a very entertaining game, but the quality. Look, you know me about when it comes to... I like cohesive defending. I do not like when it turns into a game of...
00:04:31
Speaker
Basically blads drunk playing football and some of the defending an organization on you vent as part of the individual errors which is not anything you know tactical it's just incompetence. Arrogance i don't know what to call what shesney and gati were doing they were competing in.
00:04:51
Speaker
in who was more of an idiot. That's the only that's the only thing I can say. I remember there was in Gothenburg in one of the most classic. I mean, we talk about the crazy football presidents and crazy Italian football presidents. There was one who's not Italian, but he's definitely honorary Italian. He's not alive anymore. He was from Gothenburg. His name was Bati Di Cristi Anson. He was the president of Vestra Feraland. And he he was mental.
00:05:21
Speaker
And I remember one time, you know, he used to be the speaker at games, and when he was annoyed at coaches not making substitutions, he used to put on the microphone and say, Frelanda are considering making a substitution, and then turned it off. One of the craziest things he ever did was at halftime, he went to Filipe Apelstav, who was back then actually a Swedish international.
00:05:45
Speaker
at half-time, I think it was, and told him in the dressing room at half-time in a league game, that was the worst defensive error in the club's 80-year-old history, and then just walked out. That's what I wanted to tell Federico Gatti, because I don't know what to tell you. Him and Chesney, I told them both that. I don't know where to begin with this. I could not believe what I was watching.
00:06:13
Speaker
Now, I think it's up there, Gattis is up there with maybe top three or five most embarrassing mistakes ever in serial history. I can't think of many worse than that, can you?
00:06:26
Speaker
I really can't. At the top of your head, can you think of anything? Yeah, our good Romanian friend Andreo Notrado will always be there. And of course, Gresco as well. I mean, those were like more important errors because they crossed the title. But I mean, in terms of the actual error itself,
00:06:48
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, this was worse than those. I mean, it was it's I mean, it's just unbelievable. And then the same thing for Chesney as well. But this was what is he doing? What is he doing? Yeah, I mean, you can blame I guess you can blame the rain a little bit. But I mean, you can't really but I mean, this was just like you said, I mean,
00:07:05
Speaker
This was one of the worst Juventus performances since Allegri's return. It was every area of the pitch, the attack, the midfield, the defence, collectively, individually, except for Chiese, he was the only one that played well, everyone else was terrible. But the defence, we have to start with the defence, as you said, because I have to say this, the biggest remaining myth in football is that Allegri teams are good defensively.
00:07:27
Speaker
They were in his first spell, they're not in his second spell. The numbers back it up. You look at the last two seasons in a bit since he's taken over. You've entered since he returned, sorry.
00:07:38
Speaker
Juventus have conceded 115 goals in 113 games and six in five this season. And now that is not a good defensive record. It's not an awful defensive record, but it's not a good defense. If you're conceding more than a goal a game, that's not a good defensive record. And it's certainly gonna have no chance. I think a lot of that is what you're, I don't get what you're alluding to. And I think a lot of it is structural issues, but a lot of it, as we saw,
00:08:06
Speaker
with Gatti that game and Chesney is also some players should not be playing, some of these players should not be playing at Juve.
Player Performances: Gatti's Errors and Vlahovic's Inconsistency
00:08:14
Speaker
Gatti, for me, was not just the error. It's also for Berardi's goal. He's the one who aimlessly, like a headless chicken, lobs the ball up upfield, right into the sassola player's feet, right at his feet. I mean, it's it's just
00:08:31
Speaker
I think I've been kind of on the fence because there's some things I've seen from him that I really like. I don't want to say too much because you can have a horrible game. You can absolutely have an awful stinker of a game.
00:08:46
Speaker
So I want to wait a little bit, but I don't I don't want to see Gatti in the Juventus lineup for at least a couple of weeks now, because that is just the mistakes like that have to have consequences. That's kind of Harry Maguire kind of. Yeah. Mistakes, you know, just like really clumsy and just stupid, brainless and just, you know, biggest chicken. I don't know why. You know, I mean, yeah.
00:09:14
Speaker
but what we saw from your answers in this game in the first and fourth goals you would even see that from from from players who were hungover from as you would say from the night before you know i mean that's how bad those days i mean even the variety called the space that was allowed to him to get that just to build up to it just to build up to it i mean gati was the one who gave the ball away needlessly in the build up phase when you went to school moving up the pitch that's when you literally do not make those kinds of mistakes and he did it
00:09:42
Speaker
It's just, oh, no, no, no, no. It wasn't just these four goals. I mean, Juventus were opened up so many times, especially in the second half. The first half wasn't as bad structurally for Juventus. The second half structurally was as bad as I've ever seen Juventus under Allegro. They were opened up time and time again. Laurente is two sitters. Defrel hit the bar. I mean, it could have been, should have been six or seven, really. But the way that Juventus were so open in that second half,
00:10:10
Speaker
It was again, I don't understand what happened. I don't understand what happened and and I wonder it feels like you have this you have a side are mentally fragile and what happens to teams to big teams who who are
00:10:27
Speaker
whose squads are mentally fragile, is that when your goalkeeper, usually the more experienced player, makes a howler like Chesney does, this has a tendency to then become an earthquake that goes through the entire team. And I think that's what we saw. I think Chesney's mistake set the tone for Gatti to then do the other mistake, which led to Berardi's goal, and then they both kind of combined for the masterpiece that was that own goal.
00:10:58
Speaker
This is what I feel that there are so many players at Juve, I feel that psychologically, from a mental point of view, are not Da Juve in terms of things. I think there is a mental issue there. There has to be. I just think that some of these errors they made in this game are just inexplicable for players at this level.
00:11:18
Speaker
Because they crumble on the pressure. Yeah, you wouldn't make mistakes like Gatti did unless you've got something mentally way not over you that affects you, that makes you perform like that. But at the same time, I think that when you look at Juventus, how structurally bad they were, you can only put that on the manager again. That's 100%. You can only put that on the manager. Totally. And you know, I say it again, I mean, Juventus come into the game, I took the piss, I put a tweet out where I said, you know,
00:11:48
Speaker
If Juventus, I mean, if Juventus weren't playing in Europe and they had a week to prepare, they might have done all right in this game and they might have, you know, be able to challenge with this game. That's the hilarious thing about it. Juventus...
00:12:00
Speaker
somehow looked, I mean, what were they doing? What preparation did they do this? And they've had a whole week to repair. Why Inter Milan, Napoli have been going out playing in Europe, getting exhausted. Juventus have had a whole week to prepare. And then they come out and they prepare like this. And they come out and they play like this. I mean, it's, it's, you know, I just think that yes, it helps having a week to prepare. We saw what Antonio Conte did when playing once a week. But if it's the same, and I'm sorry, I have to keep saying, repeating myself,
00:12:29
Speaker
but it's the same coach with the same ideas, outdated ideas, playing once a meet won't suddenly produce a miracle. Because if it did, then all the teams who don't qualify in Europe down the lean, they would suddenly be Scudetto challenges. Because that's how far off I see Juventus right now when you see a performance like that. I mean, they're way off, they're absolutely miles off being a Scudetto challenger. What we saw I think yesterday showed
00:12:52
Speaker
the game on Saturday show just how far off Juventus are. And structurally, I mean the patterns of play, I've said the only improvements I've seen this season are Juventus are playing with a higher line.
00:13:04
Speaker
And they'd been playing with more intensity. The intensity in this game disappeared. They looked tired. They looked exhausted, which makes no sense to me. You have to question their athletic preparation. If after a week's preparation for a game and no midweek game, they can look so, so tired physically. I mean, the second half, Sasuala were taken over physically in the game. They were off their feet in the second half. And to expand on that,
00:13:34
Speaker
Yes the intensity went but what i've also said even during this reason we could start the season is i still see no patterns of play i still see no i don't know the patterns of play is not this when we get latsio against latsio we've seen patterns of play against we saw
Juventus' Identity Crisis: Allegri's Future and Team Dynamics
00:13:51
Speaker
patterns of patterns of play what we don't see what we have seen now is.
00:13:57
Speaker
What I think is, this reminds me of Inter and Milan's Banter era, in the sense that there's no real identity at the club. There's no real identity in the team. It's a mishmash of players and of differing qualities.
00:14:22
Speaker
You have even if you have an experienced manager there or a good manager there or even a world class manager there. He is either you know is he he's a little bit maybe past his best or whatever and then he's trying to make it work like he did last time it's not working.
00:14:41
Speaker
The insecurity creeps in, the experienced players start messing up and doing ridiculous things. That then sends shockwaves through the team, they start crumbling. You know, this is, I feel Juventus, like the way that psychologically Juventus reminded me against Asolo of when Inter and Milan were in their quote-unquote banter era, in the sense that you could even have really good players there.
00:15:07
Speaker
But the overall quality was so, I mean, I think Juventus, this Juventus side is levels better than both Inter and Milan's banter era teams. They were atrocious. I'm talking about from a psychological point of view. And that's where I feel I feel you are so, so psychologically fragile.
00:15:26
Speaker
I wish it was just a psychological issue because then that would be easy to solve. I just don't think it is a psychological issue. The way that the team plays, I don't see any patterns of play. I have to be honest, even those other games, I don't see any. I saw good moments of play, good intensity. They had good intensity this season. They played with a higher life. They've been more aggressive. They've been more angry and they've wanted it more than the opponents. And from that, they've smothered teams and they've not like, Lazio couldn't get out.
00:15:52
Speaker
but then you also have to ask the question how much of that was done to Laxio being bad because they've been awful as well this season. But Juventus in this game, no shots on goal until the 78th minute. I mean, that's just a bismol, that goes with their defense. I mean, they were a bismol in attack, a bismol in defense, they had nothing in midfield. I mean, I asked the question here, what is the point of Allegri? I feel like with Graham Graham, soon I say, but what is the point?
00:16:16
Speaker
You walk around the house going, you have to ask yourself where is that leg group? Exactly. But what is the point? I have to ask this. This is important. What is the point of Allegri? His teams can't attack. We've long since established that that is a big weakness of him, right? And we saw that again in this game. No shots on goal to the 78th minute, right?
00:16:40
Speaker
His teams now can't even defend well like they used to be, as my stats showed and as this game showed. He can't develop or improve players. Nearly all the main players and offensive players he's had in this second spell have either regressed or they've stagnated under Allegri. He can't create an actual team as a collective that has the cohesion or the patterns of play and collectively is better than the sum of its parts.
00:17:04
Speaker
Even if you accept that some of these players aren't good enough, well, Allegri's not getting to play better than they are. So what is the point of Allegri? I just don't see what he brings. I know there's a financial angle. I know he's on a ridiculous wage and everything. But are Juventus fans? Do Juventus fans just have to sit and wait this out and write off another season?
00:17:23
Speaker
a third written off season until he hopefully goes. If it was me, and if I can just say a solution, if it was me, I would just get rid of him, get rid of him, pay him off, bring in someone. I mean, most coaches in Syria, I paid like two million a year or less, most of them. It costs you an extra one to two million a year to get someone, maybe they're not even a big name, but just get somebody else.
00:17:42
Speaker
just get somebody that can bring one benefit. If that manager can't defend, he can only attack. If that manager can't attack or defend, but he can develop young players and improve some of these young players, just bring someone in that can bring some benefit because I see no benefit to Allegri at all.
00:17:57
Speaker
I mean, I'm not saying that because you know, I'm some kind of I'm on some kind of crusade to prove that I was right when I said that a leg we shouldn't have come back I'm just saying it as I see it. I don't see what anything that leg we brings I see nothing nothing at all that he brings that someone else couldn't do at least You know do at least bring something so that's the issue that I have right now I know it's not it's gonna happen, but I know I just have to say it, you know, I
00:18:23
Speaker
You probably said no I get I get the frustration don't get me wrong I completely get that if you're you know from the event this point of view you should be frustrated should be angry because this was. This was embarrassing it was genuinely embarrassing the attitude the attitude the approach to the game was shocking.
00:18:42
Speaker
By you with players and and and you know you you it's like is anyone in that club left from the old you were who I could can go in there and scream at them and tell them do you understand where you are. Like that that's what I feel you might need but I wonder if even gets to them because they look so mentally fragile weeks scared.
00:19:06
Speaker
It was a strange, strange, strange game. I didn't understand it. Here's the kicker for me. I didn't even think that's us all over that good.
00:19:19
Speaker
I thought it was a mediocre. No, only they're not good. They're not just just in general. They're not a good team. You know, you take away their attack, you take away their attack, you know, and we both know. Yeah. I mean, Laurie and team a good place. Of course. They're good players. You know, they're outstanding players, but they're good to very good players. They can always be dangerous against anything.
00:19:45
Speaker
Yeah, but apart from that me look at the defense is terrible. The midfield is pretty average and you've been talking about game itself. I mean, even if you know, if you have a really good game, you can say, well, you know, you got to give credit to
00:20:03
Speaker
to the to the opposition as well i can't really do that cuz i don't think that's all aware that good i thought they were they just did what they've done this season the other difference here was that they played a woefully awful team yeah.
00:20:19
Speaker
No, for sure. This team lost 4-2 to Frosinone last week. I mean, that should tell you everything that you need to know about just how bad this was from Juventus. I have to say though, just to get a little bit deeper into this, I don't like the 3-5-2. I don't like it. It's too rigid for me.
00:20:38
Speaker
and i will come on to that but me it suffers a three five two we know which is three five two can suffer against a four three three four two three on the wings and that's exactly what happened but i didn't learn say had so much space and also when you're then playing with a more aggressive highlight you pushing your fullbacks.
00:20:54
Speaker
your wing backs further forward, then they're going to exploit that space in the wings if structurally the team isn't, you know, working, as it's not structuring, it's not working, didn't work at all. So they were having a field day in those wide areas, Laurente and Beradi.
00:21:14
Speaker
But I mean, I have to say one thing and this I said this, remember like after the first game against Udenez and even the preseason, like we were like expressing our shock about how you've entered the plane inverted fullbacks. They've gone all modern. They've all gone almost deservedly like, you know, with all these modern, this modern stuff that Allegri, like what the hell is going on? Is it Mannionelli? People are saying, well actually it's Mannionelli that's coaching the team.
00:21:34
Speaker
You know, well, the first sign of I said that the key thing will be here will be the first sign of trouble with a leg. We just revert to type and that's exactly what's happened. It's, you know, can be as though he's been abandoned. The first game and after the Blondie game can be as has been abandoned. The inverted full back experiments been abandoned. Costich is now starting every game. We've got Costich and McKinney. You know, McKinney is not even a wing back and he's actually been one of the events as better place this season. But, you know, you've got Costich who just runs in straight lines.
00:22:04
Speaker
You've got the same team. Weyer doesn't start. Weyer, I mean, I'm not going to give a grade on Weyer. It's too early. But Juventus are playing the same. Allegra is playing the same team that failed last season. So what do people expect? What do people expect that just because Juventus are out of Europe that the same team that failed last season in terms of challenging at the top, top, top?
00:22:29
Speaker
are going to suddenly be good enough this season just because they're only playing once a week. I mean, it doesn't work like that. Just miraculously, things don't just improve like that. So this is why, you know, I was kind of a little bit excited about the inverted footwork because it was something new. It was something that, OK, they might that might bring something extra. Yet it's abandoned. And we're back to the same. I don't know if it's abandoned or not, but what I want to see is I don't understand what happening in Sosolo.
00:22:58
Speaker
Again, the mental aspect of it, and for Juve this season, you can never count out Juve, and that's true, and I do think they have called us some quality players, but Juve's goal this season has to be to finish in the top four. That's the only thing that matters.
00:23:15
Speaker
And they are on course, I'm doing that. I'm sure they'll do that. I'm sure they will do that. Also because I'm looking at the other teams. Atalanta, Fiorentina, Lazio. They will do that. And that's the thing that matters. But then at the end of this season, he will only have one year left on his contract. I can't imagine a situation where Allegri doesn't leave.
00:23:38
Speaker
I honestly would be incredibly surprised if we reached the end of this season and our legacy continues past this season. Well yeah I guess it depends if he doesn't have another offer. No I see that then it becomes a situation where actually they can actually turn around and go well Max you've been here three years yeah you've done you've been a rock
00:24:02
Speaker
that we can rely on throughout all of this madness that has been absolutely not your. Okay, thank you pay me. Yeah, but they will have to agree to something, but he's not there, but they won't pay him a full payout, but I think they will give him something to leave because I just don't see how this continues because I think.
00:24:19
Speaker
Juventus are now with Giuntoli there. He needs to set the identity of the new Juve. And I just don't see how he does that. That was a big mistake. I mean, I know there's a financial angle to this, but that was a big mistake. They should have just, they should have just, Giuntoli, we know Giuntoli and Allegri are not two people that work together. They have different visions of football. They should have, if Giuntoli was going to come here and change things, he should have just, they should have just sorted Allegri out.
Juventus' Goalkeeping Debate: Chesney vs Perrin
00:24:44
Speaker
I don't mean sorted out, like in the close back. I'm killing him! Yes, I would have sorted out.
00:24:50
Speaker
Maxa Legly sleeps with the fishes.
00:24:55
Speaker
the kamora and it gently calls the kamora from Napoli. No, but away from Allegri, though. Two questions. First of all, Chesney, after his two blunders, should Perrin be the number one now? Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Absolutely. Because again, I am of the opinion that howlers like that
00:25:21
Speaker
not one not two but however many that they should have repercussions i think you need to basically not just not in a punitive manner but also remove him, allow him to rebuild himself to understand that this is not acceptable and also,
00:25:37
Speaker
to rebuild himself up slowly again. I think Perin should start. I think Gatti and Chesney should just not go anywhere near that you're interesting for at least four weeks, if possible, and work themselves slowly. He has confirmed him as the starter, by the way, so Chesney. I don't think it's going to happen, or if it does, it will only be
00:25:58
Speaker
you know, to give him a breather, not because he's been dropped, but we will see. I actually think that Perrin might be better looking at the stats last season. He was actually statistically in many areas, actually the best goalkeeper in Serie A last season. He is a very good goalkeeper. Obviously with a small sample size. So he didn't play a nice game. I think Perrin is too good to play back up to anyone. I agree. I think he's a top 10 Serie A goalkeeper.
00:26:24
Speaker
Without a doubt, I really rate him. I don't understand what's going on here.
00:26:28
Speaker
The other point is Vlawovic. We said after last week, and we praised him for those two brilliant goals, well-class goals, well-class finishes, half chances against Lazio, that it's been a weird season for Vlawovic. He'd played four games, two of them he'd played really good in, and then two of them he'd been terrible in. And we said, well, we need to see consistency. So what does he do in this game? He plays absolutely terrible. He's awful. He was terrible again. Yeah, he was terrible. And there was two moments in the first half
00:26:57
Speaker
that really kind of summed up what where Wlawicz is. Kiesa, who I thought was really, really good in this game, the only Juventus player, he scored and he created a lot. He did, Kiesa put two balls on a plate for him. It did one where he cut it onto his left foot and curled it towards the far post. Brilliant cross from Kiesa. Wlawicz just misread the flight of the ball. How can an 80 million euro striker misread the flight of a ball?
00:27:24
Speaker
I mean, it's insane. And it would have been a simple header into a base virtually an open net, if it had just read the flight. So that's why I actually think people say he's good in the air. I actually don't, I actually disagree. I don't think he is very good in the air more because I'm not sure about the way he times his runs and he gets himself into positions for crosses because he, I think there's a stat that goes out there that Costich I think has only assisted one goal for him or maybe two or something like that. So from crosses. So
00:27:51
Speaker
Yeah, that needs to improve. And also there was a mis-controller. Kiezer put another great cross on the ground. And he did a touch like Lukaku, circa 2016. I mean, it was unbelievable. No, it's strange with him. He is an enigma. And one game against Lazio, I thought he was world-class against Lazio. But then he turns into this and he turned up again and was just
Sassuolo vs Juventus: Attacking Prowess and Missed Opportunities
00:28:20
Speaker
But even during those world-class performances, even during those world-class performances, we both still said that it's all-round game, it's still not good enough. Even during those games, he was waking up for that with those world-class finishes. And also the consistency, that's what separates the absolute top players from the others, is that they do it on a weekly basis.
00:28:44
Speaker
And Vlovich has problems with that. I don't know. I was very, very stunned. For me, the Sosolo game was for Juva. The Juva Sosolo game was just, whoa.
00:28:55
Speaker
Yeah, just we have to give a shout out though to Sasuolo's attack as easy as Juventus made it for them. But Berardi, we have to give credit, he was brilliant. He's got a great goal, great curling goal. But there was one genius pass, did you see it? That genius assist for Laurente kind of like with the outside of his boot. Magical for Laurente and Laurente had to mess it up. Otherwise, it would have been one of the beautiful moments of the Serie A season.
00:29:22
Speaker
He was great, and he doesn't often play against you, Belati. That's been like one of the kind of unconfirmed conspiracies that Berardi never plays against you. Because he was owned by you. He fired and he played against him, and probably, Juventus tried to sign him in the summer, so he probably made them pay for that. So yeah, he was good. Laurente caused a lot of trouble, bad finish, and even Pinamonti said a good start to the season, you know. He's got four goals. He's got four goals, you see.
00:29:48
Speaker
It's mental. He showed his coaching skills with that header. That was actually a brilliant finish. That was a brilliant finish. That's what he is. He is a poacher. But the thing is football, you know, the strikers don't, you know, if you're just that poacher, you don't, you know, you don't play for the biggest sides and football. No, absolutely. So, yeah. Yeah, I agree. And Henrique and Balocha outplayed the event at Smithfield.
00:30:17
Speaker
So yeah, disaster all round for Juventus, disaster all round for Napoli as well, from one under fire coach to another. So Napoli in the Sunday evening game, they drew nil-nil at Bologna. But I have to say, first of all, before we really get deep into Garcia,
00:30:36
Speaker
I thought Napoli were unlucky in this game. I thought Napoli actually, if I'm being totally fair, this was an improved Napoli in this game. And I mean, look at the XG, but Napoli had an extra 2.13 to 0.21 in the first half.
00:30:52
Speaker
Bologna had zero shots and had a zero xg so you know nothing if we're being totally fair it would be entirely fair Napoli controlled this game
Napoli's Tensions: Garcia's Management and Osimhen's Performance
00:31:01
Speaker
they created more than enough chances to win they obviously missed the penalty um you know this was a better Napoli but but they didn't win and they're now seven points behind um behind Inter already which is insane after five games but the biggest talking point is this really
00:31:21
Speaker
Has Garcia lost a change in ring? That's the thing. Yeah, I mean, if we get to the Garcia point, but if we talk about this game in and of itself, I think Natan was very good. I liked Natan Ustigod. That's what I wanted to see. I got to see it. I'm happy. I loved seeing the front three of Chicha, Raspadori and Osiman. I thought Chicha was better than in a very long time.
00:31:49
Speaker
Raspadori is always dangerous. He likes to play with players of that quality, brings best out of him. The midfield, I thought, was good. But the thing is this, you know, they are unlucky. They are absolutely unlucky. But the problem is that, again, like we said,
00:32:12
Speaker
We've said for a couple of seasons, two points. First one, we've said for a couple of seasons, Napoli's issue with penalties. This is a genuine problem now.
00:32:29
Speaker
on Twitter, a very good, an account that I really, really like, who tweets, always tweets out interesting things. His name is Marco Vidoretti. He's a freelance football researcher, statistician. I love his handle. It's Robby, Baj, and then Ten.
00:32:50
Speaker
He tweeted out and said, of the penalties not converted in the Serie A this season, 50% have come from Napoli. So 50% of the missed penalties in the Serie A after match day five have been missed by Napoli.
00:33:06
Speaker
Okay, now it's not a big sample size, but this is something we've discussed for a long time now. Napoli's issues with the, they don't have a penalty taker that is reliable in scores. And that cost them today because sweet mother of God, Ossim and I thought was brilliant in this game was very good as always, but that was one of the most horrific penalty misses I have seen in my life. He missed the entire goal by such a wide margin.
00:33:36
Speaker
It was genuinely poor. And then, of course, the second point
00:33:42
Speaker
Well, yeah, just to stay on the penalties. I mean, last season it cost them, we said it would cost them probably the Champions League. Well, it did. It did. And they missed. I mean, I don't know how many different penalty takers they had last season. And they were all as bad as each other. They all missed. I think it was about six or seven Napoli players missed penalties last season. They were all terrible at them. And Osseman, if there's one weakness in Osseman's game is he can't take penalties and have a look at his record. He cannot take penalties. Osseman.
00:34:08
Speaker
And the second point I wanted to make... It's a huge problem. I actually tweeted that Napoli are like the England of club football when it comes to penalties, because it's so bad at penalties. You just weave that in there everywhere, don't you? And the second point I wanted to make is, like we said on Thursday,
00:34:35
Speaker
There's something wrong at Napoli. This is a side that has just won their first corretto in such a long time. Since Maradona, they are not at all comfortable. They don't act like reigning champions. They act like they're a club in complete turmoil.
00:35:00
Speaker
I'm not like reigning champions. I mean, it'd be one thing if you behaved like a club that was a little bit overestimating yourself and who you are, or the squad was overestimating themselves because we're the champions. No, Napoli are acting like
00:35:16
Speaker
Like a club, like a squad in a club that is in complete dissolution. Everyone's angry with everyone else. There's no harmony. Everyone looks stressed. The vibe, everything around Napoli is just so bad and negative.
00:35:33
Speaker
Well, I think we know what the common denominator is. It's been clear in the last two games. And this is why I asked the question, has Rudy Garcia lost a change in the game? Because last week, when Cloud at Scadia came off, he did the typical Italian hand gesture of why you're taking me off with his hand, which is not good. That's not a good thing to see, to do. And it's your manager, it's public. Well,
00:36:00
Speaker
We saw it again today when Ossiman was taken off with five minutes to go and he angrily started shouting at Rudy Garcia and Rudy Garcia sniped back at him as well. I mean, if your two best players, your two superstars are both publicly going at your manager like that, then what does that tell you about the atmosphere in the camp, the respect or the lack of respect for the manager, the lack of trust in the manager?
00:36:29
Speaker
I mean, I think it speaks volumes, doesn't it? Absolutely. And I was very critical of this from the minute he came. And I would, you know what, I'm not a big fan of sacking coaches, you know that. But to be honest, I would sack him tonight.
00:36:49
Speaker
because when you see how much the players dislike him, or even if they don't dislike him, there is no feeling there. They've had months and months and months to work together. They've not really done that much on the transfer window in terms of bringing players in. They're all, you know, it's the same team. He's had time to work with them, and they just cannot seem to get along. And you see Osmond losing his crap the way he did.
00:37:17
Speaker
Whether you like it or not, you can argue that Victor, you should probably be angry at yourself for blowing away a penalty which would have meant that you won that game.
00:37:25
Speaker
But regardless, there's something off there. And to me, you're not going to be able... What do you do? Do you get rid of Osseman? Well, he doesn't help himself with this. Do you get rid of Osseman and Clara, or do you get rid of Rodriguezia? And to me, it's a no-brainer. I mean, it's absolutely madness. If you're nil-nil and you're chasing a must-win victory with five minutes to go, you don't take off Osseman, your best player. I mean, that's a madness.
00:37:51
Speaker
It's insanity taking him off. I thought it was insanity taking Kavara off because he was actually playing really well tonight. He just won the penalty. He was really good tonight, Kavara. If he keeps playing like that, the goal will come for him. I know he's going through a nightmare time, as it's scored since March, but he's slowly getting there. He's not this disaster finish one season wonder that some people are trying to say.
00:38:13
Speaker
He's getting close there. He's just not going for him. But he was good tonight. He should have stayed on to the end. But at least with Gvada you can say, well, maybe he's not fully fit. Maybe they need to be careful with him. He doesn't get a recurrence of his injury. But taking Osseman off.
00:38:28
Speaker
It's madness. How can you take off your best player? So no wonder you get that reaction from Ossiman, because if a coach is making that kind of decision, you have to question the competency of the manager to make an absolute mad decision like that. And also, you have to look, I mean, Ossiman, Ossiman's gone four games without a goal now.
00:38:50
Speaker
I mean, that's unheard of. I mean, that's, that's, that's, how is that even possible? Four games. He's been so unlucky as well. I mean, how many times has he hit the woodwork in these games as well? Like, that's the thing. I can't, he's definitely leading the woodwork league in Europe for, I mean, he's, he's hit it so many times. So it's, you know, he is not, you know, he is, he's had a bit of bad luck.
00:39:19
Speaker
uh with it as well i mean it's because something we're talking about inches new tammy abraham do you remember that not last season before when tammy abraham it's non-stop paperwork yeah and roma now it's it's um it's an issue i mean i'm i agree with you i agree with him i i would sack him now only because i mean everybody saw this coming uh that's the thing about the renters you just got a
00:39:40
Speaker
you know sometimes you just use you've got to make a decision now while well well it's because the season is salvageable seven points there's a lot at this stage of season but it's not insurmountable that you know with a good manager they could turn it around you know and have a good season they sit in the Champions League they've still got top four to you know to five I mean top four is not even a
00:40:01
Speaker
With Rudy Garcia, top four is not, I mean, it should still be, it should still be okay for top, but it's not an absolute gimme, is it? Top four, because this is how bad Rudy Garcia is, you know? It's really, really bad. And it's literally, if you look at the players, this isn't like, you know, you could say, well, after Mourinho won the treble with Inter, it was an old side. This isn't an old team. The key players are young. It's not like they've peaked.
00:40:26
Speaker
So, you know, it's that's why I said last week, like, I can't remember ever a team in their peak, being the manager going a new coach coming in and that new coach destroying such a good team, like, like Garcia has already done, because those other examples that I use, like, like, you know, Mourinho to Rafa Benitez, and Alex Ferguson to David Moyes at Man United, and
00:40:54
Speaker
and Don Reavy to Brian Clough at Leeds, you know, these were teams that were aging teams, you know, they had players that kind of like in their, you know, 30 or a lot of players like 30 hitting 30 or reaching 30 or above, you know, so it's kind of understandable, whereas this Napi team is not at all, because it seems to have been their peak. So it is. No, it's strange. It's really, really strange. And
00:41:20
Speaker
I wonder how long you go about this. What do you do? I wonder if De Laurentiis, he will go the other way around. He'll want to try and prove everyone wrong because he doesn't like being because it would be a huge loss for him. This was his choice. He didn't have a sporting director when he made that decision. We can't blame anyone. This was on him, completely on
00:41:42
Speaker
You know, like when you get in business or even in corporate, certainly get this in corporate places that, you know, when somebody, when a boss, like a CEO or managing or manager hires somebody and that person that they've hired turns out to be a total disaster, but instead of doing the right thing and getting rid of them,
00:42:03
Speaker
try and protect their their own position or obviously in De Laurenti's past their own reputation or or pride and they don't get rid of them they stay with them because they're just thinking of themselves protecting themselves rather than what's actually good for the for the company or the club in this case and I just wonder if De Laurenti's knowing what he's like and what a narcissist he is that he might think you know what I'm going to stick with him because I want to prove everyone and that's just going to end up causing more damage to Napoli.
00:42:29
Speaker
That's what I wonder. Because this is what he's like. I know he can be trigger happy, but at the same time he's...
00:42:35
Speaker
He's yeah, but I mean at the same time he has he re-values his wallet more than anything and then this is This could this could turn south very very quickly Especially when there's not exactly much love and affection between the fans and Rudy Garcia already. So I Met one or two who wants to give him time, but I've not seen anyone who's like Oh Rudy you're my guy like no no I
00:43:01
Speaker
neapolitan coming to them into the bakery actually the other day and he was he was having a right go he was he was really laying into to this elderly man he was laying into
00:43:16
Speaker
Judy Garcia. Honestly, I haven't met a single person. Cake Shop is like my, I love it. I've never been, but I just, I want it to be like, I want a reality show where they just film everything that happens. Don't worry, new videos coming this week. I just want to see everything that happens in that cake shop that you guys run. It's brilliant. It's brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.
00:43:44
Speaker
Yeah, well, it's about as dysfunctional as Napoli, I can tell you that. Right. Let's move on to, let's give a praise to Bologna. I actually didn't think they were very good in this game. I'll be honest, I was actually disappointed with Bologna. I thought they were ridiculously negative, so unlikely to be this negative. They had a zero XG in the first half.
00:44:05
Speaker
Zero. But at the end of the day, you know, they're drawn with Juventus and Napoli this season, and they play well against Relax, they've got a tough start. I'm looking up erroneous stats for the first half. Literally not a single shot. Not just on target, not a single shot. One corner, one yellow card, sure they had injuries. They were unlucky with, they were forced to make.
00:44:28
Speaker
two substitutions. Ten minutes in, Stefan Porsch had to come in, and then midway through the second half, Calafiori came in. So they were unlucky, and they were under pressure, Napoli were good.
00:44:39
Speaker
But I do agree with you that this was not exactly the best. This was not one of the better Tiago Motta performances. This wasn't Motta football at all. But you know, they got the drawn. They've had a very, very tough start to the season, ridiculously tough schedule. So we'll see how they play now against them. I was disappointed with them against Verona as well, actually. So I want to see more from them. I expect more from them. But anyway,
00:45:04
Speaker
Let's move on to Inter, who win again 100% record for into five wins in a row, which has only been done how many times in
Inter's Perfect Start: Dominance in Serie A
00:45:14
Speaker
history? Three times before, with Roberto Mancini, Helene O'Hara and someone else who's eludes me right now, it was in the
00:45:28
Speaker
It was Mancini. I can't remember right now, but it's the third time in history. It's the fourth time in Inte's history that this has happened. But every other time it has happened, Inte have not won the Serie A. Juventus have won it. Well, it's not going to happen this time. It's not going to happen this time. I've got it now. I've got the stat now. So, Opta tweeted out that
00:45:55
Speaker
19, 20, 15, 16, 66, 67, Inter won their first five opening matches in the Serie A. And every time those seasons Juventus ended up winning it, and of course 15, 16, Allegri was at Juba. So, you know, it's... It's not going to happen. I think it's safe to say that it's not going to happen, because more so than anything, I mean, Inter just look
00:46:22
Speaker
they just look unstoppable. They really do. They look like a machine. This was not a good game by Inter, let's be honest. Inter were not good in this game. They looked sluggish, they looked tired, they looked a bit like you do in the beginning of the season, if you know what I mean, when you've just come out of a tough pre-season, when things aren't flowing, when things aren't
00:46:43
Speaker
you know, looking good, you look tired, the passing isn't there, there's no fluidity, the passing tempo wasn't there, you know, Simonic kept yelling for the first 60 minutes, you know, quicker passing, quicker passing. But a bad insta, a bad insta still has 23 shots to 7.
00:47:03
Speaker
6 shots. Yes, but Empoli are an awful side. 1.65 XG to 0.28. Yes, they are. They are a terrible side. But what I'm saying is, this is where we are with Inza. Even a bad, bad Inza still has this kind of domination. But this is a good place to be. It is a very good place to be. But I want to segue over to the positive things. And I think
00:47:26
Speaker
I think no one embodies this better than Federico Di Marco because he had an atrocious first half.
00:47:35
Speaker
He was, he embodied everything that was wrong with Inter in the first half. He looked heavy. He looked tired. He looked unfit. He could not unfit. He looked like he was just, he wasn't, he wasn't fully matched fit that, you know, like I said, when teams have had a heavy pre-season and they look like almost, you know, they're a little bit run down and sore and that's how they look. That's how he looked. He embodied it. He misplaced crosses, passes, you know, his timing was off, his running was off.
00:48:05
Speaker
But then, the longer the game went on, or the first half went on towards the end, Empoli got tired and couldn't, were unable to do the, put in the hard work that you have to do without possession. And Inter felt like their confidence grew and they worked themselves into the game. But what was really impressive was that this continued in the second half immediately. They basically picked off where they left off. And then DiMarco scores. One of the most beautiful goals you'll probably see this season in the Serie A. And it's...
00:48:35
Speaker
And then he builds off of that and is probably together with, well, I'd say together with maybe Acherbe in his best player today. And Pavard, who I thought was excellent as well defensively, actually. Let's talk about this DiMarco goal though. I mean, it's an insane volley, left foot volley, where he kind of almost half slices across the ball. Slices it, yeah. Across the ball and then, you know, bang straight into the top corner. I mean, it was just gorgeous, gorgeous goal. And
00:49:04
Speaker
And I've been thinking about this, I've debated this with a few people. I know there's different ways of rating a left foot, let's say, you know, you've got power, you've got accuracy, you've got set piece ability, you've got shooting, you've got crossing, you've got passing, you've got dribbling, you know, there's lots of things that you can do in football. But I think with a left foot is kind of we always look at
00:49:34
Speaker
kind of I guess how sweet the left foot is, how good you are at long range shooting, crossing, putting the ball where you want to put it with that left foot because there is something unique about a left foot that is not there with a right foot, isn't there? You get these kind of special players that with their left foot.
00:49:50
Speaker
And honestly, right now, does DiMarco have the best left? I wonder whether DiMarco does actually have the best left foot in Europe when it comes to many of these things, certainly when it comes to when it comes to long range shooting, when it comes to taking corners, when it comes to, you know, putting the ball where you want to put it from 30 yards out in terms of creating something or taking a long shot. I don't think there's anyone better than DiMarco. He's already scored one goal and had three assists.
00:50:19
Speaker
and we're on match day five. So, yeah, he's... No, look, he has left foot in terms of crosses, corners, pieces, shooting. It is world class. There's no denying that. But then he doesn't... He can't beat his man, let's be honest. He can't dribble.
00:50:41
Speaker
he's not he has acceleration but he he he doesn't he he look he's not very quick when put it that way he he can he's not he doesn't outrun anyone which is why i mean purely how you how he how he hits the ball with yeah no no no no when it comes to a cross or when it comes to a set piece of corner or when it comes to putting that ball like he hardly ever gives the ball away like if he has when he gets the ball he always uses it in the right way which few people few people do but
00:51:11
Speaker
I mean, like if you take David Beckham, for example, yeah, it was probably a little bit comparable, actually. I was gonna say that that's a really good comparison. He's almost like a left footed Beckham, because Beckham, Beckham couldn't triple, he couldn't be right. He wasn't particularly quick. You know, he didn't score that many goals. But he was, you know, he
00:51:32
Speaker
He had a magical right foot. He could put the ball exactly where he wanted. You couldn't defend his crosses when he was at his peak. His free kicks were fantastic as well. Absolutely. That's a really good comparison.
00:51:52
Speaker
What was, so aside from that, you know, if we take the, you know, the positives was that, you know, Inter were in control. It got a little bit unnecessarily exciting towards the end. The perfect start of the season is important. They got Sasol at home, and then they got Salah and Itana away. These are all winnable games or games that Inter should be banking, meaning winning, to go into, you know, the Champions League game at home against Befica with seven wins.
00:52:22
Speaker
and then you've got Bologna and then you've got the international break. So Intel are in a very good position to put themselves in eight wins in a row to start the season and that, I think they have to because it's going to be, you know, especially now until Christmas, it's going to be such a long, it's going to be intense for them because you've got the international break with the Euro qualifiers that are going to be decided as well. So it's going to be lots of games and so obviously one is going to have to rotate
00:52:50
Speaker
But that's the thing. Winning when you're not playing well is a sign of strength. That's the teams that win leagues do that. Inter so far have now done that against Empoli for sure. They were not good. They won and they dominated despite not being very good.
00:53:11
Speaker
But we have to talk about Arnautovic, because that was... How bad is the injury then? It's a hamstring injury, right? Well, they're saying it's his left thigh, or right thigh, or a song as if that saying that he could be out for three months.
00:53:29
Speaker
Depends on the grade doesn't it? That's what it all comes down to. It's grade one, grade two or grade three. And they're going to do a proper test tomorrow, but the way that he yelled, the way that he screamed with pain,
00:53:46
Speaker
I mean, that was not just someone pulling something, feeling some discomfort. I don't know if you saw it, but he was lying on the floor screaming with pain. Inzagi was also, after the game, said, look, we might play a 3-5-1-1.
00:54:06
Speaker
They've got the midfielders for it. So I think that has to be an option now because you can't I don't think you can go play for a really busy period with only one alternative in attack being Alexis Sanchez I think you're gonna have to
00:54:19
Speaker
go 3-5-1 and play some games with a 3-5-1, even if it's periods of games with a 3-5-1, you know, sensey behind a striker or... Or Mikitarian playing behind a striker, because you're not moving Chalanoglo, because that's something I wanted to say. He is now... It's so weird. He's now become what Brozovic used to be at Inter. Inter don't work when he's not on the pitch. When Chalanoglo's on the pitch, Inter click.
00:54:46
Speaker
It's just that simple. I said that, didn't I? I said that a few weeks ago. I asked the question, is he the most irreplaceable player? Without a doubt, there is no backup to him. Aslan is clearly not ready. I don't know if he could one day be or not be, but he's not ready to be that guy.
00:55:06
Speaker
I mean, I haven't seen, we've yet to see Mick Italian really play in that brawl, so I didn't tell, so I don't want to say too much. But no, Charlie Noglo is the reason that Inter, everything looks good when he's there. Everything looks balanced when he's on the pitch. And that's...
00:55:25
Speaker
That's dangerous, because that's a weakness as well, because if you mark him out, or if he's injured, or like he was in the Champions League, or if he's suspended, well, what happens then? Maybe 3511 could counter that somehow, and maybe that could actually be the way that you unlock Aslani, to get his confidence up as well, that you bring another body in the midfield.
00:55:52
Speaker
But yeah, no, it's but I think I got to hand it to if we can talk about him a little bit. I'm happy to see him back there. I really are. Yes, but he he is emply, you know, like with the lint. Yeah, with the lint to Palermo. And yeah, but it's I like Andrea Zolin. I thought he was so unfairly. I said it on this point when he was sacked after they and they brought in Zannetti. I thought it was unfair because I think he'd done a brilliant job.
00:56:19
Speaker
And I'm just so happy to see him back there. And I've got to hand it to him. He's got them in just a few days. He's got them tighter. Yeah, they were more organised, yeah. Much more organised than they've ever been, than they were under Zanetti. And I still think they're going to finish their last, because I just don't think the quality is there.
00:56:40
Speaker
And I think they've sold too much and not invested enough. But I think they were. And we asked the question on our Patreon episode a few weeks ago, didn't we? Who's going to get more points this season? Well, Lewton Town have taken a one-nil lead. They got their first point of the season, Lewton, on Saturday against Wolves. They should have won. They were playing against 10 men for like half a game. So they were not going to get a better chance. So Lewton Town are ahead of Vemperli by the one point.
00:57:08
Speaker
Yeah, they do. They do. You're right. So yeah, so it's one. So it's yeah. So that's going to be an interesting little Anglo Italian cup. We got going. Who will get more points? Empoli or Luca? I can't remember if I said if I thought Empoli would get more points. I think I said Empoli will get more points, but not by much. I think I questioned if both of them get even get into double digits in terms of points. Yeah, we'll see. Yeah, it's going to be a tough one for both of them. Right. Let's let's talk about InvestCorp on Thursday because we've gone way over. Let's move on to Milan.
00:57:38
Speaker
quickly.
Milan and Verona: Narrow Wins and Defensive Critiques
00:57:39
Speaker
So Milan get back to winning ways after their hammering by enter and then the the nil nil with Newcastle in a game in which they totally dominated. They win one nil against Verona. Now this wasn't a good game at all. I would even say Milan deserve to win this game.
00:57:55
Speaker
the stats show it was probably a draw, it was a game that deserved to be a draw but Liao provided that one moment of quality, a great finish and he moved the ball slightly to his left before slotting past the goalkeeper which is if you're one-on-one with the goalkeeper in a straight line with the goalkeeper that's how you create the angle to
00:58:16
Speaker
to slot it past him. You have to move the ball slightly to right or left to create that angle to put it past him. So that is the way to finish, roughly, after some terrible misses against Newcastle. It's nice to see him hug Pioli as well. But apart from that, I thought it was a tired performance, a bit like Inter, but worse than Inter, you kind of saw the first sign of the dipping intensity that you get when you play in Europe in midweek and really creating very little. Giroud looked really tired.
00:58:45
Speaker
We haven't seen that before. Jovitch came on and didn't really do much.
00:58:51
Speaker
I would say they're one thing for Verona's point of view. Verona are better this season than expected. Yeah, they really are. Both of us thought they'd probably possibly go down, but I'm reassessing that now, and I'm actually thinking... Me too. Barrani's doing a good job. He's got them, they look organised, they look drilled, they all know what they're doing, they're collectively good, and they do actually have a bit of quality, and Nganj, I think, is a good player, and Fodorinshu's been a really good sign-in from Napoli. I think he's on fine, hasn't he?
00:59:20
Speaker
he's been really good so he meant in sake and who we've both praise you said he should be playing at home but you have a both of them
00:59:29
Speaker
the defensive error that they did for that goal was just, come on guys, it was a week of defensive howlers, a weekend of defensive howlers, like unforced, unattacked, both for Laurentio and Issac were just the gifted goal to Milan. But I agree with you about Verona, they are better organizers, but Verona is a good coach, so I'm happy for him.
00:59:52
Speaker
I'm happy to see Daversa and Barone doing a good start to the season, good quality coaches. And I'd love to see Andrea Zoli back at Empoli, who I have so much respect for. Very, very, very quick remark, because we're already coming up to an hour here. Saki's quotes on Liao being a problem for Milan,
01:00:17
Speaker
Liao with his way of being on the pitch, with his lack of tracking back, with his lack of participation in the work of the group, is what doesn't allow you to become a collective, the team of Milan that is. If you want to make a qualitative leap in the direction of a more European football, it is fundamental that everyone is functional to the project and that everyone knows
01:00:35
Speaker
how to sacrifice themselves in the name of the team. So I think this is in reference to Liao basically doing no pressing, basically doing no tracking back, making no tackles, not joining in with the collective work of the group in a certainly defensive phase. I do see his point here, but at the same time
01:00:56
Speaker
I mean, that's not something. No, but listen, I look at Intel and that's true. Everyone at Intel helps out in both phases. There's no doubt about that. But that's not a Liao. That's purely telling him not to do that. That's a managerial. There's no way that Liao walks around and ignores and purely doesn't let him say anything to him. There's no way that this is a decision by purely to push him up and let him be up there. That's not something you should be
01:01:24
Speaker
Criticizing Liao for that something you should be criticizing purely because he got the ability has he got the character personality to to do that maybe hasn't you know otherwise you would say why doesn't he just do it you know, yeah, but if I remember they don't want to do it yeah, but they don't want to but if your coach tells you you should
01:01:45
Speaker
then you do it, otherwise you have a problem. Because I remember vividly when Morinio was at Inter and a couple of games that I saw under him, Ibrahimovic was tracking back and Morinio stopped him mid-person. No, no, no, you stay up there. You're not going back. I mean, he came back for set pieces because he was good in the air. But overall, he just didn't want him to help out.
01:02:12
Speaker
He wanted him to keep this, so you do have this. This is a coaching thing as well. It depends on what the coach is saying. I wonder what's going on here, because Saki definitely would know what's going on at Milan. And whenever Saki says something about Milan, you should pay attention, not maybe for what he says, but also why he's saying it and the timing of when he's saying it.
01:02:37
Speaker
I think we can really expand on that in another show. Maybe on our Patreon show we'll expand on that. But we have to move on very quickly. Lazio booed off the pitch. Really strange fact here because twice this season you think they're going to turn a page. First off they beat Napoli and then they get outplayed by Juventus. And then again, after they get that magical last minute, last kick equalizer against, by Probedel against Othello Madrid,
01:03:05
Speaker
and
Lazio and Serie A Surprises: Lecce and Cagliari
01:03:06
Speaker
they come here against Monza and really Monza outplayed them for long periods of this game, dominated possession, they doubled the number of shots, Laxey only had one shot on target, barely created anything, just that immobular hit in the post, I mean Monza probably deserved to win this game, I mean
01:03:22
Speaker
Really weird, Lazio. What's a thing? I don't get it either. Lazio are an enigma. And I don't know what's going on. It's very strange. They just don't look... They don't look a team in harmony.
01:03:40
Speaker
And it's weird, because like you said, you expect them to turn the page and then they just don't. But it's weird. It's weird. And the immobile okay, he scored from the penalty spot. But I still think that, you know, look, the Saudi is a system coach and he needs to have
01:04:04
Speaker
He needs to have like his defending and attacking his kind of starts at the back and it starts with a number nine and it ends with a number one with a person in goal and vice versa. And it's just not clicking. And when Sarri's teams don't click,
01:04:21
Speaker
they look like this. And it's not encouraging. He's not playing Ravela either. He's not starting him. Why is he not just starting him? I don't understand. I mean, Pataldi, we know what we're going to get from him. Maybe I'm a bit unfair on Pataldi, but I'm not sure whether he's at a level required if you want to improve.
01:04:44
Speaker
I mean, just play him. Don't do what Napoli did with Natan and wait and wait and wait and then you finally play him and he's probably your best defender. Just play him. I mean, you can't be any worse than what they've done this season because without Novella, they've been... I mean, what was it? One win and one draw this season?
01:05:04
Speaker
Napoli in five games. Was it one win and one draw in five games? Yeah, it's one win and one draw. It's the worst start in, well, ever or something. What was it since 2001? 2002 or something, or 2001, 2002, yeah.
01:05:19
Speaker
Yeah, not good. No, they're not in a good place. Yeah, other Serie A matches this weekend. So Lenny Tarno won, Froze None won, Lecce won, Genoa Nils, surprise team of Serie A. I mean, look, I always have a weak spot for all the teams from the south, but look, if Inter don't win the Serie A, I hope Lecce does. Like, seriously, I'm in love with Lecce. I'll tell you what, they've got a really interesting attack, Lecce.
01:05:47
Speaker
He'll be interested to see how they do against Juventus on Tuesday. Because they've got an interesting attack. Christa Chich. You were going to make this talk prepared. I like Banda. He's got no end product, but I like watching him. I like watching him. He's an amazing dribbler. He's the kind of player that he'll dribble around the same player five times and give it away.
01:06:12
Speaker
That's the kind of people I love watching him. He's always like, if you look at the stats, he's like one of the best dribblers in Serie A last season. I love watching him play. And also the like Remy O'Donne, if that's how you pronounce his name. Yeah. They've got these like, these, these, these little
01:06:29
Speaker
interesting little players and now yeah they've still got the farmer as well he's still there yeah i mean the actual well he was you know if i'm not mistaken he was he was he was sent off so he was suspended this game but um i mean of course the premise has learned about that they were they have a field day here
01:06:45
Speaker
Roberto da Verza, of course, you know, who we know is a good coach and is here. So, no, no, Lecce. And of course, at the Villa del Mare, you know, at home, they are, you know, they have such an incredible support. And it's still pretty hot there as well. And no, no, no, Lecce, nothing but love for Lecce.
01:07:07
Speaker
Yeah, Atalanta 2 calorie, Niel Atalanta up to 5th, calorie looking more and more like the weakest team in Serie A after Empoli, I think. When you reckon Lanieri gets sacked, because I think he's up. Yeah, it's not easy though, is it? They don't really have much quality there and they don't have much firepower. Well, neither does Empoli, but the men still don't exact him, so can't do it. Yeah. Udenez and Niel Fiorentina 2. Udenez had so many chances. Fiorentina, I don't know how, but they're up to 4th somehow.
01:07:35
Speaker
I don't know how they're there, but they're in fourth place. Lorenzo Luca. Did you see the open goal of Lorenzo Luca? Missed. Oh my gosh. And just to think that not long ago we were like banking on him being like Italy's next. We were banking on it. We were banking. We were praying. But can you be honest? We were praying. It was a Hail Mary.
01:07:59
Speaker
And we, you know, he was doing good things. But then again, that just illustrates the point about the number nine crisis in Italian football that stretches back 15 years, which we did a segment on a couple of weeks ago. You know, I can't remember a prolonged period of time ever in Italian football history where you've had not had any top class number nines or there's been so few of them for such a consistent long period of time.
01:08:25
Speaker
Okay, final game of the weekend. We were recording this before Roma versus Torino, but I'm sure we will talk about this on the Tuesday Q&A show. So yeah, maybe Nima make a note of that. We'll usually have one question on Roma, so we'll make sure that we talk about that.
01:08:43
Speaker
Then, so it's a middle week round this week. The middle week's area matches are Juventus, Lecce on Tuesday, then Callery Milan, Empoli Selenium, Verona, Atalanta, Inter Sasseuolo, Lazio Torino, Napoli Udenese, and then on Thursday, Prostinone, Fiorentina, Monza Bologna, Genoa, Roma.
Football Culture Clash: 'Prem Face' and Milan vs Brentford Debate
01:09:02
Speaker
Before we get to Badgio and Prem face the week, we're just going to do a little segment for our YouTube page, because we're getting a lot of people asking us,
01:09:11
Speaker
to define what is a prim face. Now the word prim face has now gone mainstream as we will explain in a minute on our bedroom prim face segment. It's gone mainstream, now the mainstream media are now starting to use this term. It's a term, to give you a bit of background on this, it's a term that I coined probably almost 15 years ago.
01:09:35
Speaker
And I have to be honest that I didn't actually come up with the name myself. It was while I was at goal and it was in a work meeting. And I was with a Scotsman called Ewan McDonald, right? Who used to be a football journalist. He's no longer any more. And we can't remember what we were talking about, but we were talking about, I think, some kind of English mainstream media
01:10:02
Speaker
journalist and how, you know, he something stupid that he said about about European football. And you would just come out and go, oh, God, what a prim face he is. I just I just thought that is brilliant. That is just the perfect way of describing like that your typical kind of English Premier League fan or journalist who
01:10:28
Speaker
is just wilfully ignorant about any football outside of England. So I started using this word. This was around the time that Twitter was born. And I started using it on Twitter, almost just jokingly, really. I didn't mean anything mean by it. And then I used it in some of my articles that I used to regularly write features on there on goal.
01:10:59
Speaker
And then it started to take off. People started copying it and using it on social media as a kind of like an insult, as a way to mock a kind of an English Premier League fan who doesn't know anything about football, doesn't watch any football outside of the Premier League, doesn't know anything. Prem faces will repeat kind of stereotypes. So if they're talking about Serie A, they'll call it
01:11:24
Speaker
you know, a retirement home or corrupt or they'll play or it's how Italy play catenacho. And if they're talking about Germany, you know, they call them efficient, efficient, you know, they must never be written off. They must never be written off. You know, they'll never call them Germany. They'll always be called the Germans. No, no, it's that prim face. Germany is never England to play in Germany. It's always England to play the Germans, you know, like they're like they're an alien species, you know.
01:11:51
Speaker
Always notice that and you see it on TV like BBC when they're introducing a World Cup game that Germany are playing. So today on the BBC, we have Ecuador are playing against the Germans. If it's Argentina, it will be their divers.
01:12:13
Speaker
you know, these kind of things. And then if England are playing in a World Cup, you know, they're always the favourite before every tournament. So these are the kind of things, you know, we could go on. Everybody knows what PremFace is now. I think it's starting to start. And then, of course, you know, declare your astonishment and how England could lose, I don't know, 2-1 or draw goalists against a team where not even one player would make the England team. That, to me, is the definition of a... Yeah, there's lots of things that PremFace is, you know,
01:12:39
Speaker
And of course, are Premier League proven or unproven unless you played in the Premier League? Yeah, unproven unless you played in the Premier League. If you're comparing a Premier League team to a team from outside the Premier League, you'll always do how many of that foreign team's players would get into the Premier League team. You'll see that all the time. Whenever they're previewing a Champions League game between, you know,
01:13:03
Speaker
anyone and anyone. Man City and someone else, it will always be, well, how many of that team would get into the Man City team? So these are the kind of things. So that is really the definition of a prem face. And it's just something just, you know, don't take it too seriously. Don't be mean with it. Just something just to kind of have a laugh about really.
01:13:22
Speaker
And it's not all fans of the Premier League or Premier Faces. No, of course not. Or all fans of the England national team of Premier Faces. No, no, no, absolutely not. New journalists in the English media are... Absolutely not. Absolutely not. ... are Premier Faces. There's a specific bunch who are very loud.
01:13:40
Speaker
in the mainstream British media, who are, I would say, are the ones that they're the loudest. They're the ones that, you know, that you hear about. It's always the same same five to 10 people, I'd say. Yeah. And also, also five. Like, I mean, my experience is like most English football fans that I've ever encountered, whether it's when I was when I lived in the UK and went to university.
01:14:07
Speaker
were actually quite knowledgeable, to be honest. Or when I've been invited on other podcasts about English football, usually. More often than not, the person... I was on an Aston Villa podcast and the guy there, it felt like I was talking to a friend of 20 years. He was a complete football nerd. He'd watched the Serie A all his life. He remembered these details of
01:14:35
Speaker
that most people that even watch the city, I don't even remember. So my experience is that this is a very specific, small, but very loud group of people that go on about this, that they do this. And that's something that we discovered this week, didn't we?
01:14:56
Speaker
Absolutely. That brings us nicely on to Bad Joe and Prim Face of the Week. Well, let's start with Prim Face then. It has been, as I said at the top, it's been a prim-demic this week. There is so many Prim Faces to pick from.
01:15:11
Speaker
is that is somebody some one of our patrons did tweet us and said, it's the easiest job in the world picking prim face of the week. But actually, sometimes it's not the easiest job in the world, because there's so many to pick from. It's like, you know, it's like going through, you know, letter after letter after letter, like which one I picked from, you know, it's like, it's ridiculous. I mean, this week,
01:15:36
Speaker
I mean, Tarik Pan just stands out because that went absolutely viral. Yeah. Well, when did he say that? Was that after the... Before Milan versus Newcastle. He said, a lot of the talk about Newcastle facing a tough ask in the Champions League opener away in Milan. I would argue that Brentford at the weekend is tougher. OK.
01:15:59
Speaker
And obviously that really, I mean, to be fair, it triggered the whole not only Milan fan base. I wasn't triggered because I'm used to that particular person saying outrageously stupid things about things he obviously doesn't understand. The thing that was hilarious, and we spoke about this on the Thursday pod,
01:16:21
Speaker
is that what people were reacting to was not the fact that he said that the Premier League outspends every other team and therefore has financial muscles and draws better talent and so on, which is what he also said. But what the point was, and which everyone reacted to, was that Brentford is a tougher
01:16:50
Speaker
opponent than Milan in the Champions League that's a ridiculous thing to say and we're not talking about the stature of the clubs I'm talking qualitatively on the pitch
01:17:00
Speaker
We might be there one day where what he says is true, but we're not there now. And that's what people are reacting to. But instead of him engaging in that and saying, OK, maybe I misspoke, or I didn't mean it like that, blah, blah, blah, he doubles down like an insolent child, like a petulant child, and starts pretending like, oh, people don't like the truth. What? Again, if you find
01:17:28
Speaker
um if you speak to any seria fan I would say that seria fans are probably the most critical of the seria than anyone else on earth there is you're not going to find very many i've come sure there are exceptions to the rule but you're not going to find very many seria fans who think the seria is well run and well organized i don't think you'll find any because seria fans are very very aware of what the problem with the league is and they wanted to change
01:17:58
Speaker
So and also, our fans are generally and journalists are aware of what the issues in the Italian football is. In fact, most of them make fun of it. And they know that the Premier League is better in that moment. Everyone, no one's denying that. The issue is the arrogance.
01:18:16
Speaker
of equating and saying that Brentford away or at home for Newcastle is a tougher team than Milan, when that's just simply not true. No, same Brentford are a better team than Milan. It's just simply not true. It's just simply not true. And people taking issue with that are not, again, I call it, what's his name?
01:18:37
Speaker
Arsenal. Ben White Syndrome. Ben White Syndrome. Being inserted into a situation that you have done nothing to be inserted into. Brentford are a lovely team. They're so well run, hats off to them. But it's not the point. I don't even think they would compare themselves to Milan.
01:18:58
Speaker
You know, yes, they can spend probably more net spend more on the transfer window because of the Premier League pool, TV pool and blah, blah, blah. All of that is true. But I don't think they themselves would say that we're a better site than in Milan or today. And that's the thing. And that's what's so funny about it. And that's why, you know, when people are this arrogant and so easily offended as well and start playing the victims,
01:19:22
Speaker
and as if they're like a persecuted minority and they're just the truth sayers, then it becomes funny to make fun of them because they're being ridiculous. And that's what I did. I just had a lot of it. I mean, I mean, I did. I don't know if everybody listening hasn't seen it yet. Go on to my Twitter or go and see Italian football cast.
01:19:39
Speaker
Instagram account and I made a little a little two minute video where I I did a parody and I played the part of the prim face of the prim face. Yeah, and I and I did I did a I did a reaction to Milan's game against Newcastle actually where I played the the parts I acted the parts of of of prim place.
01:20:03
Speaker
And it went viral. It's had like over 200,000 views. I didn't know I was such a good actor because I was told as a year old, that you weren't was it your acting teacher. So as I said, on the Thursday podcast, I was told at the age of eight at school by my drama teacher that I'm the worst actor that she'd ever seen.
01:20:26
Speaker
This is to me, to tell in it, first of all, if you're a drama teacher for children, like primary school level, I mean, who did you have? Either you had Stanley Kubrick as your drama teacher or a character of a Ricky Gervais TV show. It's just insane. He turns up to an eight-year-old and says, you're the worst actor I've ever seen.
01:20:50
Speaker
I was really bad. She was probably right. As a drama teacher, like primary school, like till an eight year old, you're the worst. I just see this in my head and it just feels like a bloody parody, all of it. It's hilarious.
01:21:09
Speaker
Yeah. Well, there we go. So the most hilarious thing to come out with this is like a few hours after I put out the video, Martin Samuel then was then on some podcast himself. It was the Times podcast. The Times, yeah. The Times, that's right. Yeah.
01:21:25
Speaker
um and he said in the in that he did it was like he virtually copied my entire parody he really did he really did you know without being a parody without it being a parody like he he used all my lines um all your points all my points that he basically copied maybe he did watch it like he said no no no he is like that
01:21:45
Speaker
He started saying how many of the Milan team would get in the Newcastle team? You know, he wouldn't get in a Newcastle team and he's a Chelsea reject and he's a Chelsea reject. Three players. And then he goes there and you've got Brighton. I mean, Brighton, if they finish six in the Premier League, well, that makes them the top ten in Europe, you know? And then about two hours later, Brighton lose to AAK Athens.
01:22:12
Speaker
which was so beautiful. It was so beautiful when that happened. No, but it is that. My favorite comment was somebody calling him a toad.
01:22:26
Speaker
Yeah, that ended me as well, that ended me as well. I saw that too, and I was like, okay, I was like, that's enough, that's enough. And we don't even have time, we don't have time, Nimr, to talk about Max Rushton, if you want to hear about that. I don't want to talk about Max Rushton, but what I will tell you is this, that Max Rushton has spoken extensively on TV, two podcasts that I'm aware of,
01:22:51
Speaker
Because I ask people to stop sending me things, because I feel like at this point I should be changing his diapers now. He's been crying incessantly, saying that he was attacked and yelled at, and I don't know, this, that and the other. And I just feel that either this guy is the most thin-skinned human being to ever live, or he's, I don't know what his endgame is, and it's actually quite pathetic. And so I'm just ignoring it now. I ask people not to send me stuff anymore, because this is... It's such a bully, Noah.
01:23:18
Speaker
Yeah, I'm so mean. It's ridiculous. So I'm just like, I'm just saying, you know what, I hope whatever, like, I can't deal with people who are so easily offended and invent things that haven't happened to prove what a victim they are. I just find it exhausting. People like that exhaust me. And so after hearing about him talking about it on two podcasts and on Australian national TV,
01:23:45
Speaker
I feel like, yeah, I'm done. To be fair, though, those that did say that about Newcastle having a tougher ask against Premier League teams, well, that was proven on Sunday as Newcastle beat Sheffield United 8-0.
Newcastle's Victory and Viral Success: A Humorous Take
01:24:00
Speaker
That's tough. Very tough, very, very tough. OK, do we actually have a bad show of the week? Yeah, don't we? Who are we going for?
01:24:13
Speaker
Dumarco's goal is always beautiful. What about me? What about my acting performance? Yeah, yes. You know what? I think you deserve it, especially since... You deserve an Oscar, yeah? Yes, you do. Since you were traumatised emotionally as a child when you were an eight-year-old. I finally got redemption. I should send it to that drama teacher and say, see, you said I couldn't make it. Well, here I am.
01:24:34
Speaker
Yeah, I can't act, but you see I could. 200,000 people have watched me act now. Yeah, exactly. So good. So good. Tell an eight-year-old that you're the worst actor I've ever seen. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Okay, right. Let's leave it at that. We'll be back on Tuesday for the Q&A, and then we'll be back again for a review of the midweek show. We're not sure 100% when that will be Thursday or Friday. We will review the midweek action.
01:25:04
Speaker
OK, thanks everyone for listening and have a good week. We will see you on Tuesday. Ciao ciao.