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Juve Sneak Past Napoli, Racism in Cagliari, Icardi Leaves Inter, and More (Ep. 17)
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Transcript
Mauro Riccardi's Loan to PSG
00:00:01
Speaker
Welcome to the Citya Show! All right, everybody, we are back. It is another edition of the Citya Show. Chloe, Nima, how are you two doing? Not so good after fear and seeing his performance, to be honest.
00:00:28
Speaker
Well, I know Nima is doing better, right? Yeah. I know he is. What's happening right now. Yeah. What's happening right now is that it seems that the penny finally dropped in the Maro Riccardi brain. He's on his way to Paris to join Paris Saint-Germain on a loan, which we'll see him stay there. And he's going to extend his contract for one year before going there. And at that point,
00:00:55
Speaker
He's gonna be loaned out to PSG. We're gonna sign him next summer for 65 million euros in total 70 million So let's start there.
Racism in Serie A: Ongoing Issues
00:01:04
Speaker
There's a lot of great things we can talk about from this last match day Certainly the these these first two match days in the city are probably some of the most entertaining particularly when you discuss the big matches between the big clubs that we've seen in quite a long time, but unfortunately
00:01:21
Speaker
the Serie A finds themselves in a position not talking about the things on the pitch. Caillieri, Inter, Nima, just because we'll let you take the reins with this one just because it is your club. But how many times are we going to have to be discussing these putrid, racist, embarrassing incidents that keep happening in the Serie A? Because as I said,
00:01:44
Speaker
These first two match days were fantastic. And guess what? What are we talking about today? We're not talking about Napoli, Juve. We're not talking about Intet. We're not talking about the Derby and the Capitol. We're talking about another embarrassing, putrid, racist incident that happens once again from a small faction of Cageti supporters. No, it's so draining and it's so
00:02:12
Speaker
infuriating because, you know, I want to make this absolutely clear. This isn't about Caliari. This isn't a Caliari problem. This is an Italian problem. This is a problem that Italian clubs have had for more than 30 years. Those of us, you know, John, you and I and Chloe were old enough to remember Zorro and Messina in the 90s, early 2000s, when he walked off the pitch because of the disgusting behavior by some fans.
00:02:40
Speaker
against them. So this has been done by Uwe fans, Milan fans were a group of then Commandantas Tigre were openly fascist, Lazio have their problems, the Roma have theirs. All clubs have some form, not all, but almost all clubs in Italy have problems with racism and this kind of behavior. And the reason why it never gets better is because the Serie A has on paper some really harsh
00:03:10
Speaker
uh things that they can do but they never never never uh apply them they never apply these punishments and it's always you know close the close one part of the stadium down for two three matches and then that's not that's not how it works you have to be able to identify the people who are doing this and ban them for life it's just that simple they all have to
00:03:32
Speaker
They all have to there has to be a coherent zero tolerance policy Enacted from start to finish from all the way up to live from all from Syria all the way to lega Lega pro and that's something that the city and the lega culture have to do and and and they haven't done that and therefore there nobody takes them seriously because They just don't seem to care.
Impact of Racism on Serie A's Reputation
00:03:53
Speaker
I mean they spent most of their time yesterday trying to remove
00:03:58
Speaker
trying to ban Twitter accounts for copyright violations for showing what happened when Lukaku took the penalty rather than putting out a statement that this is enough is enough. But because of the fact that these videos went viral and because of the fact that the Guardian or the BBC wrote about it and the Guardian wrote about it and all these other outlets wrote about it and it became an international scandal,
00:04:22
Speaker
That's when stuff started happening in Italy, and it's just this classic Italian Okidoke that I've always told you about. Sweep everything under the rug, everything looks good so it must be good, and on we go, and nothing changes. You're absolutely right, and Chloe, you could probably speak to this a lot better than anybody else, but listen, the Citià, we all complain about how the Citià times
00:04:45
Speaker
tends to be underappreciated and we have these opportunities where again these first two match days are fantastic and then unfortunately particularly on social media Chloe I mean these are these are the the perceptions that many foreign
00:05:01
Speaker
fans have of the Serie A. They think it's racist. And those of us who watch the Serie A consistently and have done so for many years, it's so tough fighting these fires because it's like, listen, it's such a small faction, but it doesn't matter because these instances keep cropping up. Yeah, I think, and as well, you know, I completely agree with what Nima is saying is that there is a problem almost all Italian clubs, but
00:05:27
Speaker
I mean, Calgary, I have to say in the last few seasons, they have been the absolute worst. And it is a small number of people, they are making a loud noise because it's very clearly audible on the videos. And, you know, we are trying to be English speaking ambassadors for this league and
00:05:51
Speaker
you know, people are doing things that are not acceptable, they're not acceptable anywhere, but certainly for English-speaking audiences, they're like, you know, what is this? You know, it's completely unacceptable. And we are left trying to, like John says, put out these fires and say, you know, not everybody in Italy is like this, but
00:06:17
Speaker
you know unless we're just banging our head against the wall over and over again because the league is doing nothing about it and Calgary are kind of you know the club itself are kind of
00:06:32
Speaker
sweeping it under the carpet as well and distancing themselves from it and yeah I'm sure there are Callery supporters that aren't racist and lots of people in the stadium that didn't join in but there are those that did and they need to be rooted out and nothing has been done about it and we're just saying here we are again saying same things
00:06:50
Speaker
team the fact that there would be a player of a different skin color who is worried about coming to play in the city because he is worried about potential racist acts is just beyond disgusting. It's it's so incredibly bad for the league and Mima you you
00:07:14
Speaker
You hit the nail on the head, in my opinion. I mean, where is the legal? I mean, come on. You can't just sit here and worry about somebody putting out the video on Twitter because I saw that there were actually multiple accounts who were getting their videos flagged for copyright infringement.
00:07:32
Speaker
I mean, for me, I'm sitting here watching this thing. That's what you're worried about, really? Unbelievable. Unbelievable. Unbelievable. It's so infuriating that in the middle of all that, because I mean, this this this this went global. Everyone in the world saw this. Those who were, you know, and the fact that I'm so I want to give a massive shout out to Peter Drury, the commentator for for for highlighting what happened when it happened in the in the international live feed.
00:08:02
Speaker
and handling it with such elegance in class and saying, you know, so it became so utterly clear for everyone who saw those clips on social media. And, you know, that forced Callieri to act today.
00:08:20
Speaker
And also when Glucaco put out that statement, because I mean, he handled it with such class. I mean, last year when it was Mois Keane, they tried this ridiculous, you know, back, you know, walking it back saying, well, he was provoking the fans, which is other nonsense, whether or not he was provoking the fans is completely irrelevant, because you don't, you don't do racist, you don't you don't harass people racially. It's just that simple.
00:08:44
Speaker
But even, but you can't say that in this situation. He was just, he was, he looked a bit surprised and annoyed. He scored the goal and he looked at them with disgust, which everyone in the world would do. And he walked away and he, and he handled it with such grace. And he put that statement out saying that, you know, we keep talking about things being done over and over again, but nothing gets done in the end. And it's, it's so tiresome because look, if this were to happen in the Bundesliga, if this were to happen in the, in the Premier League,
00:09:15
Speaker
there would be repercussions. The clubs would immediately put out a statement. It wouldn't take 24 hours for a club to put out a statement. This would be within minutes of the game ending. This would be the subject of talk on all the post-match shows in every media outlet
00:09:33
Speaker
This would get attention. The English FA would immediately take action. Say they've opened an investigation into it. But in Italy nothing happens unless the shit hits the fan big time. And that is what's so tiresome. That after the BBC did an article on it and after the video had gone global and an hour had been seen by five million people, that's when they start acting. And this culture is just so exhausting.
Juventus vs Napoli Match Analysis
00:09:59
Speaker
So as tough as it is, let's transition a little bit to what actually happened on the pitch. And as I predicted a couple of episodes ago, I thought Cagiri is going to be an incredibly difficult out, particularly when they're playing at home for just about anybody. And Nima Inter were tested until the end. That was a incredibly difficult three points. Absolutely.
00:10:27
Speaker
Caliari played some really good football, and it's very surprising to see that they're on zero points after two games. They lost their first two home games now against Brescia and Inter. Brescia won. I still don't understand how they lost, but this is a good Caliari team. They should be able to get back on track, otherwise I think Maran's job will be on the line pretty quickly, because this team is really, really good.
00:10:55
Speaker
and I mean they're midfield and they're full backs and I think Nandes
00:11:02
Speaker
was fantastic. The 19-year-old Pellegrini was excellent. No, and Naingolan was actually pretty good. No, they have a really good team. Robin Olsen was actually pretty decent as well. But I mean, then again, he's used to playing with a defensive line that's pretty low, that defends deep. So this was more to what he was used to.
00:11:27
Speaker
than playing with the Francesco where he had to be like Manuel Noyer and look completely clueless. So no, Calleary got a good team. I think Giovanni Simeone is going to score quite a bit playing for them because he never stops running.
00:11:44
Speaker
and he creates a lot of space for other attackers, for Joao Pedro, so as long as they don't play that Serie C, Serie C player, Cherri, anymore, I think they should be fine. With Simeone and Joao Pedro, I think that definitely topped him. Yeah, Chloe, what did you make about Simeone joining Cagliari? Were you surprised that Fiorentina seemingly gave up on him so soon, it seemed like, after just one poor season?
00:12:13
Speaker
I think in a lot of ways it made sense for him to move.
00:12:19
Speaker
I hope that it's going to be just a dry loan, as they call it. I hope he doesn't end up signing for them. I hope he can come back because his first season at Fiorentina was excellent. He was determined. I think it was 12 goals that he scored in his first season. But last season, mentally he was drained and he didn't look
00:12:47
Speaker
He was so frustrated with everything. He couldn't just get the break that he needed. And I think he needed to move on loan just to get backscoring again and get his confidence back. And I hope that he can come back and I hope that he can succeed at calorie because he has got the potential to be a really good striker, I think.
Key Players in Serie A Clubs
00:13:13
Speaker
Yeah, and if he does unleash that potential, unless I'm mistaken, I'm pretty sure they added a pretty, in my opinion, for the amount of talent that he has shown in the past. I believe they put in a 30 million euros release clause, which my goodness, if he breaks out, I mean, that could be a steal for anybody. Nima, getting back to the match real quick.
00:13:35
Speaker
Listen, when you have Antonio Conte, there's going to be certain areas of the pitch where you could just tell it's an Antonio Conte side and that is midfield. Oh, my gosh. Sensi was spectacular. I was so impressed with him. He's been fantastical preseason and he's continued that into this into the start of the season. Stefano Sensi,
00:13:56
Speaker
just suits Antonio Conte's system so well. And it's so interesting to see from a tactical point of view. This is the second game now. Both him and Brozovic, they share a lot of similar traits. They can both play in that deep-lying playmaker role. They both have a good shot on them. They both never stop running. So they can both play really well as both a deep-lying playmaker and as a mezzala.
00:14:25
Speaker
So they alternate roles all the time and that's really interesting because that makes it really hard for the for the opposition midfield because then they have two players that can both handle playing in two different roles and they interchange so it becomes rather difficult who to who to mark and who to do who to stop and who to put pressure on. So I think that those two together is a strength for content to have.
00:14:52
Speaker
And, and since yesterday just showed his skill. I mean, that roulette, that Zidane roulette thing he did for the penalty, the clearest penalty you'll see all year. It was, it was a gorgeous piece of skill. And, and the Calleoli defender just had no other choice than to bring him down. And, and, and, you know, no, I got to say, I thought the referees handled it pretty well.
00:15:15
Speaker
to be honest. I think they got a lot of it on. I think the var was used properly for once. And I thought the game was evenly balanced. And I saw Maran talking about that he didn't think it was a penalty after the game, which I think is really pathetic, because just look at the video. There's no doubt in anyone's mind who knows. I mean, that's the clearest. If that's not a penalty, nothing is a penalty. That's the clearest thing I've seen all year.
00:15:43
Speaker
So no, the most important thing was to win for the important thing was for content to hit the ground running and go into this international break with a maximum points and give him time because after this international break, the season starts. It's the Champions League. It's the Derby. It's Juventus, you know, all this stuff. So it's the serious business starts soon.
00:16:07
Speaker
So speaking of Juve, Chloe, what in the world did you make of that display at the weekend? I mean, if you want to talk about a tale of two halves, my gosh, Juve looked like at one point, honestly, they looked like they could have won that five or six goals to zero. I mean, it looked like they were absolutely going to embarrass Napoli. And then in the second half, I don't even know. I can't even properly explain that because Napoli really turned it off. Yeah, I think
00:16:37
Speaker
It was funny because Nima and I were having a conversation on Twitter about it and saying, oh, you know, maybe you've held waltz to the league after all, you know, because they were just in that first half, they were just so, so good. But it was a similar tale in their first match against Palmer as well. They were really, really good in the first half and then they tailed off in the second half. And I think
00:17:02
Speaker
I think really what happened is that Napoli demonstrated against Fiorentina that they're clearly good going forward and they can score goals. So when Juve did drop off like they had done against Palmer, Napoli punished them for it.
00:17:22
Speaker
When you can see two goals in quick succession like that and you're 3-2 up, it's almost inevitable somehow that the third goal seems to come because the momentum shifts so quickly onto the other team. And I just felt so sorry for Cooley Barley when he scored that own goal. My heart just sank and I was just like, oh, the poor guy, because
00:17:49
Speaker
You know, that was, it was just such an unfortunate thing to, to happen to him, um, to give you the win like that. Um, you know, my heart went out to him. It really did. Yeah. I mean, for me, I thought, I think as you both say a tale of two halves, but above all, I thought for me, the game was a perfect 90 minute condensation breaking down of all both of those teams, all their strengths and all their weaknesses.
00:18:17
Speaker
With Napoli, it's the midfield. I wonder if it was a mistake selling Diabara, because now they only have Alain. And Zielinski, I don't think, can do well in that two man in the hole there, because he's too much of an attacking player. And so Alain gets overrun.
00:18:37
Speaker
and there's no balance in that midfield. However, in the second half you saw what happens when when when you have when when Ancelotti made a few changes and they they get that midfield going when they can play through their opponent's press, then they're unstoppable.
00:18:57
Speaker
With Juventus, the first half was the reason why I think they're going to win the Serie A. They're just unstoppable when they get to work. The Sarri football, the high pressure, everything clicked. But in the second half, Cellini was missed. And the fact that Sarri ball's weaknesses, when it doesn't work, when the players don't follow it to a tee, it's actually rather fragile.
00:19:21
Speaker
So I thought both of those, it was a perfect demonstration of what was wrong with both those teams. Um, uh, and it's a work in progress. I mean, if you, for you vent, I mean, sorry, he's, he's had pneumonia and all that. And once he gets back, you know, now he has two weeks to work with this team and really, you know, get everything in the fundamental fundamentals into it. But we would be a miss if we didn't speak about Gonzalo Higuain.
00:19:47
Speaker
I mean, what a match. What a form this guy is. And they do not need Mauro Icardi. They have Gonzalo Higuain in peak form in 2015 form. And then they don't need anyone else. When he's in this form, he's the best number nine in the world bar none. And he's perfect for Saribol.
00:20:05
Speaker
And I, Jesus, I mean, just think of it, Douglas Costa Ronaldo, when, once they get those two into it, and now they're playing with a midfield trio with Pianic in the Georgina role. And then you have Mattoidee and Khedira, who also looks completely rejuvenated. Now you've, you've are good. They just need time to gel and understand Sari more. And when they do, as I said on Twitter to you, Chloe, God save us all because this team is already strong. If they can get that system to work, then there's no stopping them.
00:20:34
Speaker
Yeah, I suppose it was unfortunate for both sides that this fixture came so early in the season because they both exposed each other's weaknesses. Whereas if they'd not played each other until later on, maybe other sides that they'd face wouldn't have done that the same. I mean, I know Fiorentina sort of pushed Napoli all the way, but, you know, Napoli still in the end got the win.
00:21:01
Speaker
it's probably a little bit soon, a bit like the Rome Derby as well, it's probably a little bit soon for this kind of fixture before, as we've all discussed, the transfer window shut.
00:21:12
Speaker
Yeah, so real quick, Nima, you just brushed over this very quickly, but are we sure that Jojo Chiellini is not going to be a big, big, big loss than maybe we're realizing right now? I mean, whether we like it or not, still, in my opinion, part of the heart and soul of that Juve, we all saw, and I think real quickly, everybody was having a go at the Licht. Come on. First start in the city.
00:21:43
Speaker
I tweeted out that he was doing his best Jean-Gézos impression, and it really was. I mean, first match in obviously a much better league than the Dutch one.
00:21:57
Speaker
filling the shoes of Keelini. I mean, that was never going to be easy for him. But this insistence on especially social media where we're looking for this instant gratification where he's either great or he's terrible after one performance is absolutely hilarious. And maybe come on, let's be honest. None of us actually think
00:22:16
Speaker
None of us think that he's a bad player. I mean, it was just a bit of fun, wasn't it? He had an absolutely shocker of a game. And I think it was his first game, as you said, in the new league and in this league against this Napoli side, who are one of the best teams in that league. It wasn't exactly an easy game, but he had a shocker. Let's be honest. It was a nightmare performance. It was
00:22:41
Speaker
It was like performance, but it doesn't mean, but again, as you said, he's only 19 years old and he proved last year that he's a great defender, that he will be able to, you know, that this is just, you know, he just needs time to grow. But having said that, you know, as I said, two weeks now where he can, you know, sure, he's also away with Holland on the international break. But once Sarri gets him back, he will have time to work.
00:23:08
Speaker
on that training ground every day to get used to it. So I have no worries. We poke a bit of fun, but I don't think anyone really thinks that the lift is as bad as Juan Quizos. I mean, come on.
00:23:23
Speaker
So, Chloe, I mean, in your opinion, then, how does this affect Juve in the long term? Are you confident enough that the lect can fill his shoes? Or do you feel that the absence of Keilini could prove maybe a bit too much? I think that he is a bigger influence than people realize. I think that Juve rely on him massively. I mean, not only for his footballing ability, but for his intelligence, his tactical awareness.
00:23:53
Speaker
his ability to teach other players. And I think, you know, Diluc probably struggled because since he has come back from Milan, especially, that Leonardo Bonucci is not really a leader, in my opinion. He's no Chialini.
00:24:12
Speaker
you know I've seen it for myself that Keilini was on the bench away at Bologna and he was standing on the touch line and it was Bonucci and Rugani and Keilini was having to tell them where to stand and what to do and I think you know if Bonucci needs Keilini to help him to do that with Rugani then
00:24:35
Speaker
he's going to miss out of that guidance if he's having to play just him under licked. So I think they are going to have problems. I kind of half expected them to try and bring someone in on the deadline. It doesn't look like that's going to happen now. And I think he will be a big miss, and especially against teams in the Champions League, which is obviously where they want to do well.
00:25:03
Speaker
Going to the other side of this, then, in one of the first couple of episodes of this season, I said, Coolie Bali Manolas, in my opinion, could be one of the strongest pairings in all of Europe.
00:25:16
Speaker
They've conceded. Now I'm not a mathematician, but what I'm being reliably told, I believe four plus three is seven. So seven goals conceded in their first two matches. Is this something that maybe we feel is an anomaly or do we feel maybe they're not as strong of a pairing as we initially thought?
00:25:39
Speaker
I actually tweeted about this. I think they're going to be good together. Obviously, they're still settling in, but I actually feel that it's the issues in midfield and the fact that he's going with a 4-4-2, he's only got two men in midfield.
00:25:56
Speaker
I could recognize it immediately because I'd seen it last year with Fiorentina that if you've got a poor midfield, it makes the central defenders look bad because nobody's protecting them and they're having to go out and cover in positions where they're not supposed to be.
00:26:11
Speaker
and then they get exposed inevitably. And I think that's it with Napoli. I think, you know, Alan and Zielinski in the midfield are not providing enough defensive cover, especially as a lot of teams in Serie A played 4-3-3, so they're up against three midfielders. So for me, it's that I don't necessarily think they're playing poorly in themselves.
00:26:38
Speaker
For me, it's as I mentioned before, I think it's the issue, it's the tactics that, as I mentioned in the Juve game, that they get overrun.
Challenges in Rome's Midfield
00:26:48
Speaker
I think Alain Zielinski doesn't, you know, they're supposed to play like a double pivot in this 4-2-3-1, and Zielinski can't do that properly. It becomes Alain is alone. When they were playing 4-3-3 under Sarri, Alain, and you know, he had Giorginio next to him. Now he had Giorginio behind him,
00:27:07
Speaker
and he had al-Hamsikh a little bit further up ahead. But now it's Allah alone. And it's clear that the midfield is not balanced. And that's something that An-Chaloti needs to address. And I'm starting to think that it was a huge mistake sending Diyawara to Roma. Because I think that Diyawara would have been absolutely perfect to play together with Allah if you want to play a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3.
00:27:33
Speaker
So I think they might have made the biggest mistake by letting him go. Maybe they should have just paid the cash for Manalas and kept the Yavara, because I think he would have been ideal in this midfield. But again, it just shows that Napoli are vulnerable in midfield, because if you put pressure on them, they get overrun.
00:27:59
Speaker
and you saw that with you but then if they play through your first pressure you're the one who's in trouble because Fabian Ruiz, if it's Luzano Cajon in Signia and you have Zielinski, they can put you in a world of trouble.
00:28:14
Speaker
I could, in my opinion, think of a better way to describe Roma and how they've performed in their first two matches. Roma, Lazio, they draw 1-1. An astonishing amount of balls hitting the post. I believe it totaled six. It was either five or six. Lazio had three. Roma had two.
00:28:35
Speaker
Astonishing. I don't think I've ever seen anything like it before in my life. And a lot of these were coming within the first half hour of the match. I actually don't think Roma's defense is necessarily playing as bad as perhaps the score line or even the amount of chances suggest. I think this is this in Roma, Paulo Fonseca playing a 4-2-3-1 in front of the defense. You're putting a pairing of Cristante and Lorenzo Peregrini
00:29:03
Speaker
neither of whom are midfielders who possess the defensive qualities or the work rate that perhaps you would like to see from a midfielder playing in front of the defense, they're playing in that mediano role. And for me, after the international break, if I don't see Diavora and Verutu, I may go nuts because
00:29:25
Speaker
maybe you guys disagree, but I don't think the problems are actually the defense. I think it's a setup in the midfield. Absolutely. Couldn't agree with you more for the same reason that I gave about the Napoli game. I mean, I think.
00:29:36
Speaker
And Veratou and Diabara, I mean, Diabara has the ability to play in that mediano role, as you say. And Veratou, it was the only midfielder that Fiorentina have had for the past two years. And so we know that he's good. So I don't get it. I mean, I like Cristante and I like Pellegrini, but they're not the kind of midfielders that you put in a double pivot role in front of you to protect your defense. They're the midfielders that you put if you're playing a 4-3-3 with Georgina or Diabara behind them.
00:30:08
Speaker
So I completely agree, I don't understand what Fonseca is trying to do and I've got to be honest I'm a little bit worried here because I feel that it's been Fonseca's decision making or lack or poor decision making that have cost Roma will definitely the win against Genoa
00:30:27
Speaker
when he for some reason started with Juan Jesus. And now, again, against Lazio, so at least three points have been disappeared by Fonseca's lack of leadership, in my opinion, which I find a little
Lazio's Strong Contenders for Champions League
00:30:45
Speaker
bit worrying.
00:30:45
Speaker
Yeah, and Chloe, maybe this is something you can add a bit to, but I feel like for, again, I brought this up on the previous episode, but for that fourth Champions League place, I feel like Lazio is not being talked about nearly enough as perhaps they deserve. Listen, this is a team where the bulk and the most important pieces have been together for a number of years. They have a good manager. They have a clear way of playing. They understand how to play with each other.
00:31:14
Speaker
And I think they've really improved, particularly in attack. They're midfield, obviously strong.
00:31:24
Speaker
Chloe, I mean, do you think they should be deserving of more of the attention for that final Champions League place than they're getting? Or listen, this is a team that has gotten quite a bit of attention over the last few years. They do real well. We've spoken on this podcast before about some of the trip ups that they have throughout the season.
00:31:48
Speaker
And then we have Inzaghi crying about said trip ups or refereeing mistakes. We've talked about the moaning at length, but do you think that they're sort of going a bit under the radar in this case, or I should say for this season? Yeah, I do.
00:32:03
Speaker
I think perhaps they're not as, maybe not quite as glamorous as some of the other teams who are going for the top four. They have a lot of players who are not sort of household names, apart from, you know, obviously we know Milankovitch Savage and Louis Alberto and Immobole, but
00:32:28
Speaker
A lot of the other players are not, should we say, as famous as some of the other squads who are competing for the top four.
Montella's Struggles at Fiorentina
00:32:36
Speaker
And maybe it will serve in their favor that nobody's paying them much attention. Maybe they're quite happy with that and they're just going to get on with what they're doing. And then, you know, come sort of December time, we'll suddenly say, oh, look at that. Yeah, well, you know, they're doing better than we expected.
00:32:57
Speaker
There's something about them that doesn't attract attention and I can't quite put my finger on what it is really.
00:33:04
Speaker
Yeah, you're absolutely right. So shifting again to the other matches throughout the week, we had Milan win while we also had Chloe Fiorentina lose. So let's start with your Fiorentina. We were talking before we recorded and you brought to my attention and it just hit me. Oh my gosh, you're right. Vincenzo Montella has still not won a match since he came back when venturing back into the previous season. So what do you make of this?
00:33:32
Speaker
His actual last win as a manager was in March 2018 when Sevilla beat Manchester United at Old Trafford in the Champions League, which is an incredible statistic really.
00:33:46
Speaker
Um, but I think, well, considering, yeah, it's, it's, I am being, I'm being told today is actually the second of September of 2019. So that is a pretty daunting statistic. It is really, I mean, um,
00:34:03
Speaker
The end of last season was a disaster. I don't blame Montella in any way for what happened when the team just fell apart last year. There was all sorts of things going on behind the scenes at the club and they were about to be taken over and all of that stuff.
00:34:24
Speaker
It's really funny when you can wipe that slate clean and let him start again at the beginning of this season. All I have to say is... That's all I'm saying.
00:34:43
Speaker
And it's not a bad thing, Chloe. I know that the man is bonkers. Let's be completely clear about that. But I think that with this team and Comiso and this organization at Fiorentina, Spaletti could do a job and a half at Fiorentina. I promise you, I really, really believe that.
00:35:01
Speaker
because he always gets players to raise themselves. Sure, he'll only be there for one or two seasons before he finds a way to argue with his own shadow and piss Commisso off somehow. But I honestly think that Spalletti is a good job, is a good shout for you, and I think he would suit that. I mean, that's the one job he hasn't had, which I think he really should have.
00:35:25
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, somebody pointed out that actually when Mantella was around last time and they got four fourth place finishes in a row that
00:35:37
Speaker
When he first came, obviously it was a similar situation. They had a really brand new team and he lost the first few games then and then went on to be really good. So I have a higher opinion of Monteler than some other people, I think, because those days when he was around the first time were really fun times to watch for your antenna. So I guess I'm giving him a bit more credit than some others might, but I think that
00:36:07
Speaker
the obviously the transfer window is only just closing now and again it's general they didn't really have a full compliment to put out and you know i hate the rule that that says that the transfer window finishes after the season starts so i think obviously if you're into to play uv next which is like just the worst
00:36:30
Speaker
turn of fate, you could imagine, for a manager trying to get his team going. But I think he, I think they owe it to Monteler to give him a little bit of time just to see. If by then he's still useless, then fine, I will say, okay, I hold my hands up, he can go. But I think, and I think Miso will give him the benefit of the doubt just for a little while longer and see if he can
AC Milan and Sampdoria's Coaching Critiques
00:36:57
Speaker
He can get the scene, but like Nima says, the pieces are all there. He should be able to get them winning, and if he doesn't, then it's going to be out. Well, hang on, can we talk about maybe a topic just as depressing. Now listen, Milan, they get their first win under Giapallo. Bravo, great work.
00:37:23
Speaker
However, he did it again with his lineup. He starts Andre Silva, who 48 hours later is now on his way to the Bundesliga.
00:37:34
Speaker
Can somebody explain this guy to me? Can somebody? Come on. He's way out of his depth. That's what that tells me. When a coach is this clueless, this early on in the season, after three, four months, a honeymoon period at the club where he was basically declared to be a genius by everyone,
00:37:55
Speaker
This is very worrying for Mila. You know, it is never a good thing when a coach throws tactics and formations out the window the way he does. And the way he, you know, Gian Paolo, he's got a face. You can always tell on his face if he's happy or not. Always on the sidelines. He looks scared. He looks like a deer. It was, you know, he's got, you know, caught in headlights kind of look on his face against the, against the Udenes, against this weekend.
00:38:23
Speaker
against Brescia. It did not look good at all. And I wonder if Maurio Balotelli had been on the pitch, Brescia could have won that, not only drawn, but won that. And that's pretty bad. But I mean, having said that, the midfield, sure, if Sarri was a 4-3-1-2 guy as well, then he became a 4-3-3 guy and the rest is history. But I don't think Gianpaolo has that in him. I don't see that, because if there's one thing Sarri has, it's stubbornness.
00:38:53
Speaker
the Gianpaolo just looks scared and it doesn't bode well for Milan at all. Think about it. Game four is against this Inter, Contes Inter. And Contes Inter don't take their, Contes teams don't take their foot off the gas. They could be completely destroyed in that game. If he approaches that game with the same confusion and fear, Milan could be in all sorts of problems.
00:39:22
Speaker
Chloe, are you worried about him as well? Yeah, I think he looked tired, and he looked like he hadn't slept, like it was really worrying him. And that's really strange for the second game of the season to be that stressed about it. They were marginally better, I thought, than they were against Udinese, but not really very much better.
00:39:51
Speaker
So yeah, it's worrying times at Milan. You kind of wonder if they've gone for the wrong man.
00:39:59
Speaker
Yeah, it was really weird. I couldn't agree with you more. He looked extremely stressed about it. And, guy, you just wanted to go give the guy a, you know, a tap on the shoulder. Be like, hey, relax. It's the second match. There's, there's 36 more of these to go, my friend. Calm down. Yeah. So going throughout the rest of the league, we had Torino beat Atalanta 3-2. We had Pardama beat Udinese at 3-1. We had Verona beat Lecce 1-0.
Inter Milan's Transfer Market Success
00:40:28
Speaker
I don't think he's going to be Panatone. Maybe you guys disagree. Forget the Panatone. He may not last until Halloween.
00:40:47
Speaker
This is not good. They looked absolutely terrible. And it's hilarious that it's Berardi who was the guy that just tried for forever. At that moment when the third goal went in from Berardi, I bet he thought, I wish I'd just stayed put at Sasualo. I was fine when I was at Sasualo.
00:41:11
Speaker
I mean, he was ready to give his left arm to bring him to Roma. Munchi, not a fan of him. Didn't end up bringing him to Roma. And now this, and guys, it's not even, listen, we can have a go at Usabio de Francesco. It's a bit fun. We can laugh about him not getting to eat the panettone before the holidays. It's not even that he doesn't...
00:41:35
Speaker
Listen, he's easy to have a go at because you all left. I mean, this team, I mean, if we want to talk about a team that does not fit his ideals, I mean, this team does not fit his ideal football, even remotely, not even close. And it's not just that, as I said, he's not the kind of manager to be able to steady a ship when things are unstable, as they are inevitably.
00:42:03
Speaker
Inevitably, when you change an ownership and I mean, there is no doubt in my mind that when when if this ownership change once it's completed, once it's fully completed, then they have to get rid of this man because he is a beauty. Francesco has shown that he's way out of his league. He just he's not.
00:42:21
Speaker
He's like a poor man's Italian zeman. He doesn't know how to organize a defense. He just knows how to overflow with attack in a 4-3-3, which he religiously holds on to. And he needs to have an exact certain kind of players. And he does not have that at Santoria. You have to be flexible at Santoria. And he's just not that guy. So, no, I'm genuinely worried. If they don't do something fast, they will get sucked into that relegation battle without a shadow of a doubt.
00:42:52
Speaker
100%, I mean, he's playing Gaston Ramirez on the wing. I don't, for the life of me, cannot understand what is going through his mind. And I, you know, when we talked about him, I said his inflexibility is his biggest downfall.
00:43:07
Speaker
clearly cannot continue. I mean, this just goes beyond, you know, oh, we're missing a player in defense or, you know, we need a name in the middle. And this goes beyond individuals. This is clearly a system issue. No, no, you're absolutely right. I think it's it's I agree. And that's what I mean. I am worried about some and I don't want some to go out. So I hope they get rid of this man as soon as possible. I really do. And I don't I think he jumped on that some to train way too soon. You know, with Ferrero,
00:43:37
Speaker
That's not a nice legacy to leave the club because I think he's done some great things for Sampdoria. Yeah, so as we're recording this, the transfer market in the city is about to end. So I was just curious to hear from each of you before we end here.
00:43:54
Speaker
Who really stood out to you throughout the summer for having reinforced really properly? I know we talked about it in our preview episode, but that was obviously a couple of weeks ago. There has been some time. There have been some more additions throughout the landscape of the city. So has there been another club who has really jumped off the page to you that you think, wow, they've they've really improved themselves. Chloe, let's start with you. I think into really, I think
00:44:21
Speaker
they've really strengthened well. They've, they've brought in some, you know, they've strengthened all over the pitch. But not only that, it seems like they've managed to get rid of Riccardi, which, you know, I know me, my whole thing is a huge, a huge weight lifted, because, you know, he was a bit, he was a toxic person to be having hanging around the club. And we already knew that Conte wasn't going to play him. So I think
00:44:51
Speaker
getting rid of him is just as beneficial to them than the players that they've actually brought in. I couldn't agree more. I think La Regina del Mercato, the queen of the Mercato, as the Italians call it, is without a shadow, without Inter. Inter have done exactly what they needed to do, and they've done it, and they've gotten rid of all the players that they needed to get rid of. It was a complete clean-out, everyone is out, and even though
00:45:19
Speaker
Marotta gets fooled for not being able to sell players. Well, to be honest, he's going to be able to sell them because Perisic is doing great at Bayern Munich. 25 million, 20, 20, 15, 20 million for Bayern Munich. To get a player that's ready to play another two seasons is nothing. Jean-Mario for 15 million, for Locomotive Moscow, who can cement
00:45:47
Speaker
who he's already had a great start there. And he's suited to that league. These are good players. It's just just that the entire struggle to offload them. And now Gabi Gol is being sold to Flamingo for 18 million plus a 25 percent salon for future salon fee. Icardi, if PSG, you know, next next summer, Kavan is going to the MLS and David Beckham's new footballing venture in Miami.
00:46:15
Speaker
there's going to be a hole there. And if Neymar doesn't leave, he's probably not going to leave in January. He'll probably leave in next summer. So they're definitely going to buy Icardi for 65 million. So definitely he's kind of he's resolved all these issues and he's done it on his terms. And he's brought in exactly the players that Conte has wanted. Conte has no excuses whatsoever.
00:46:41
Speaker
It's time for him to show why he's the highest paid manager in Europe. And I think it's... I think you'll do that. It's a very... No, for me, it's hands down. But second place I'd put Juventus, I think, Delic, Rabio, Ramsey, all these players are great additions. And I'd also like to add Roma and Fiorentina to that. Because I think in third place, because I think they've done exactly the revolution they needed to do.
00:47:12
Speaker
Roma for sure. I just want to see if Fonseca is the guy who can show that he can handle this the way that everyone hopes that he can. But other than that, no, I'm
00:47:25
Speaker
I think all the teams in the Serie A have really strengthened and it's going to be so interesting to watch this Serie A season above all see how they all do in the Champions League because if we look at the groups Inter are in the most difficult group but Juventus
00:47:44
Speaker
Napoli and Atalanta should and could go through easily.
00:48:04
Speaker
But beyond that, yeah, I think everybody, particularly the first six to seven in the city are reinforced really, really well. So that's where we will leave it. We will be back next week when, or no, we won't because it's an international break. So we will.
00:48:21
Speaker
be taking a week off and then we will return when the city hour turns so if uh if you can wait until then we look forward to chatting again soon so if you could continue rating liking leaving us a review we would really really appreciate it and we will talk to you next time bye bye