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Extended Clip - Champions League Preview: Do AC Milan Have Napoli’s Number?
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Following AC Milan dismantling Napoli in the Serie A this past weekend, Nima Tavallaey and Carlo Garganese discuss, debate and analyze the impact the 4-0 drubbing will have on the upcoming Champions League quarterfinal clash between the two sides.
This is an extended clip from this weeks free Monday episode of The Italian Football Podcast which is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google podcasts.
To listen to ALL complete episodes of The Italian Football Podcast, go to Patreon.com/TIFP and become a Patron for only $2.99 USD per month (excluding VAT).
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Transcript
Psychological Impact of Milan's Victory on Champions League Tie
00:00:02
Speaker
Welcome to the Italian football podcast. Yeah, let's move on then to the Champions League. So the big question is...
00:00:11
Speaker
But one, psychologically, how much will this 4-0 result affect both teams going into the tie next week? First leg is in Milan, isn't it? San Siro, the first leg. Second leg is, am I got that correct? And second leg is in Naples.
Is Milan's Style Effective Against Napoli?
00:00:26
Speaker
So how much will this affect that tie psychologically? And the question I want to ask you is, do Milan have Napoli's number?
00:00:35
Speaker
ahead of this Champions League title. Is it just a style issue? Because, I mean, they've beaten them, and they've not just beaten them, they've absolutely battered them. Well, yeah, they did batter them. If you rewatch the game earlier on in the season, Milan would have a much better team in that game. People forget that, but Napoli got the win. They were just very lucky to win that game, Napoli. Milan outplayed Napoli
Football Styles Compared to Boxing: Milan vs Napoli
00:00:58
Speaker
for a lot of that match at San Siro.
00:01:00
Speaker
early in the season. So is it the case of like a boxing match where they say in boxing styles make fights and certain boxers are suited to certain other boxers? I'll take your word for it because I know absolutely nothing about boxing. I'm not interested. So you could literally be telling me a bunch of lies and I'd just be nodding because I know nothing about it. Okay. Well, is it a case? You could tell me, in boxing they say marshmallows are, you know what I mean? You just can make shit up.
00:01:28
Speaker
I wouldn't be able to know how. I wouldn't know how. Okay. Well, in boxing, you get certain fighters that are just, just their style suits another fight. Just suits another fight. Yeah, I know what you mean. Yeah, I get it. I get it. So is it a case here with Milan that does their style just suit Napoli style? I think that there could be an element to that as well. But the fact that, like I keep coming back to wake up call, Napoli will
Napoli's Focus and Preparation Post-Defeat
00:01:52
Speaker
The Spalletti won't exactly have much difficulty getting these guys back to earth, getting them to realize that they're not the best team in Europe, actually they've got quite a bit of work to do, and that they've got a Champions League tie next week.
00:02:08
Speaker
that they're going to go away to Milan to play a Milan who absolutely smashed them.
Psychological Effects of Heavy Defeats on Teams
00:02:15
Speaker
So that in and of itself will be a wake-up call and a concentration. So I think from that aspect it's good for Napoli because they will come out at that game
00:02:26
Speaker
concentrated having a point to prove. For Milan, it's absolutely an advantage in the sense that, well, we have their number. Look what we did to them just last week, not months ago, just last week. So I think it will have an impact, but who will benefit more from it?
00:02:45
Speaker
I think that's impossible. It's got to be Milan. It has to be Milan, surely. I mean, again, I go back to the result. Psychologically, I'm inclined to agree with you. Yes. It has to be. That's it. It's the battering. If it was a one nil, I think it could be more minimal.
00:03:02
Speaker
You know, if it had been like Inter beating them or Lazio beating them, I think it's not the biggest deal. I still think it's important psychologically, but it's not like 4-0. I mean, these kind of heavy defeats, I mean, Saki said it post-match as well. You know, these kind of heavy defeats, they can weigh heavily on you. And I'm looking at, I mean, yesterday I was covering the Manchester United game against the Newcastle.
Lessons from Manchester United's Slump Post-Defeat
00:03:26
Speaker
Newcastle beat them 2-0. They absolutely battered them. They totally played north of the park. United looked like a shell of the United that we saw just a month ago. Since they got hammered, United were flying. They won the cup, the league cup.
00:03:43
Speaker
Then they got hammered 7-0 by Liverpool at Anfield. Since then they've been absolutely horrible. They've not scored in three games in a row in the Premier League. They're now fighting for top four. There's the very real risk now. They might not even get in the top four. Everything is concerned now at Man United.
00:04:02
Speaker
And that 7-0 has had such an effect psychologically on them. And this is a team that has been, let's be honest, since you count out those first two games, they've done so well on the 10-hug. He's the 10-hug, the best manager since Ferguson.
00:04:18
Speaker
you know, they're running for all the cups, you know, they're going to get in the top four, they're really building something next year, they're going to possibly win the league, you know, and now all of a sudden, they look broken. And you know, so I'm not saying that's going to happen with Napoli, because you know, Napoli have always bounced back this season. You know, they bounce back off the inside, they bounce back off the after Lazio, and they've always gone on long runs after every single. But this is the biggest test yet, because they haven't been battered and just
Concerns Over Napoli's Composure Before Next Match
00:04:44
Speaker
destroyed off the path as they have early on in the season. It's a test for them. It's definitely a big test for them. The other thing I would say, Nimra, is they need to keep their heads because this is the first time, even with those other losses, the first time I'd seen Napoli look rattled, not just on the pitch, but
00:05:04
Speaker
you know, off the pitch as well. I mean, that Rafael Liao celebration, you know, the clown celebration he did. I mean, he's wound them up. Why are they getting wound up by that? You know, like Maldini said, they're going to win the league. Why? Why are they letting that get to them? You know, why Spiletti have to criticise him? What was he? Why is he getting involved? Why is he causing a
00:05:21
Speaker
causing a problem out of all this.
Impact of Napoli Fan Protests on Team Performance
00:05:26
Speaker
That's the old Napoli mentality or the old Roma mentality, the mentality of the teams that are not befitting of a Juventus or Milan or Inter that's always held back the teams like Napoli and Roma from winning more trophies in the past. They don't have that, I hate to say it, because I hate corporations, but that corporate side to them. Do you know what I mean? Why are they getting rattled?
00:05:51
Speaker
You know, there's that, and also Nimble, we have the Raiders, the Napoli fans shot themselves in the foot. What the hell are they doing at such a pivotal moment of the season? Why are they doing a protest, a silent protest? And they're fighting with each other as well. I mean, I think the fans have shot themselves in the foot as well. Well, I mean, they were upset at the ticket prices. That's why they were doing that. And I think that they were
00:06:15
Speaker
They were, you know, it was the ticket prices, they were they were pissed off with that. And that's something that's always gone on between De La Rentaison and the fans. They don't. I mean, if you remember, we had Vincenzo, you know, everyone who subscribes to the pod is a patron. Last summer, we had Vincenzo Credendino from local Naples TV and
00:06:32
Speaker
Calcianapoli and the site MTV. They were ready to revolt
Fan Influence on Game Dynamics: Napoli vs Milan
00:06:38
Speaker
last summer. Then before they signed all those players, they had a good Mercato, and then they went on this thing. So there's always been a little bit of bad blood between the fans and the Laurentiis. I don't know if they shot themselves in the foot. I think it's not exactly
00:06:57
Speaker
Adrian Del Monte, I forgot a good friend was at the games covering this match. And he said, I've spoken to him and he said that Milan fans, only the Milan fans could be heard during the game. So it was basically a home game for Milan. Now, I just think, listen, I'm all for protesting. You know me, I'm on the most anti-establishment, anti-authority person you'll find in the whole world.
00:07:21
Speaker
I'm all for protesting and fighting the system. I'm totally for protesting, but there's ways about protesting and be bloody smart about it. You've got Milan in the Champions League in 10 days. You're playing Milan. Think psychologically. Do not give your opponent any kind of psychological advantage at all. Don't even give them a sniff. Go in for the kill.
00:07:49
Speaker
do not be silent against Milan and give Milan the initiative. Now, Milan might have won this game anyway, even with the club. It would have been a hell of a lot harder with that, with that, with the whole 80,000 Maradona bit, you know, you know, intimidating them. I can be sure for, I can be certain of that. So I think they've made a huge, huge own goal here. And then you had the fans fight you, fighting each other as well. But we don't even know, we don't know what that is about. So apparently it was over how to protest.
00:08:18
Speaker
If that's true, that is the most important thing I have ever heard in my life. Let's have a fight amongst ourselves about how to protest. I love it. I love Naples. I really love Naples. I love the South of Italy. It is my kind of people. This is the chaos. I just love it. I absolutely love it. I love that.
00:08:39
Speaker
No, it's funny, but I mean, I just think it's stupidity for the Napoli fans. Why didn't they just wait? I mean, you know, or if they wanted to protest, protest for, you know,
Role of Fan Actions in Napoli's Defeat
00:08:49
Speaker
I don't know, protest for five minutes if you really want to do it during the game, or protest before the game, or protest at the training ground, or I don't know, you know, wait till the skiddo is won, or wait, or do it in a game not against Milan, against your opponents that are coming up.
00:09:02
Speaker
I think that's why they did it, to show that they've got power and the influence they've got. And I think now, if De Laurenti has a bit of diplomacy in him, he doesn't go like a bulldozer and declare war on them. But if Milan go out in the Champions League now, Napoli fans have to accept some responsibility. It might only be minimal responsibility, but they have to accept some responsibility.
00:09:23
Speaker
because Napoli have got smashed here they've given Milan all the confidence in the world going into that game and you know the Napoli fans helped Milan win the game. I really wouldn't go that far like to me that is a little bit too much like I wouldn't say they helped Milan but they didn't help Napoli.
00:09:42
Speaker
But, uh, same thing really, isn't it? No, you're playing at home. You want your fans to help you. That's your advantage of the home fans playing at home. I just, I, I just think it's ridiculous. I think it's just, no, I thought it was, I thought, I thought the timing of it was a bit silly. Um, but I,
00:09:57
Speaker
I think it was one of those nights when everything... Look, I always say on this pod that with Naples, when things go well, they fly off into space, and when things go to hell, they go straight down to Satan's balls. There's no in-between with Napoli. That night, everything went right to Satan's testicles.
00:10:18
Speaker
Like they were, that's how bad it went. And that's Naples in a nutshell. And you have to be able to handle that. And Spoletti so far been able to really, really channel that and handle that madness and that energy really well.
00:10:29
Speaker
I want to give him the benefit of the doubt before saying too much. I want to wait and see how they
Victor Oseman's Crucial Role for Napoli's Success
00:10:34
Speaker
play. The final thing I would say though is I do think that Napoli absolutely need Oseman back for the penalty time. He seems to think he will be back, but we'll see. We don't really know. He obviously faces a little bit of a
00:10:50
Speaker
battle to be back for it, but they absolutely need him back. No, he's pivotal. He's the best striker in the league and one of the best in the world this season based on his performance and form. Anyone who misses one of the best strikers in the world would be weakened. I also think they might need the first goal in that tie as well, because if Milan get the first goal, that could be good. And Napoli opening themselves again and getting stretched. No, you're right. Yeah.