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Extra Free Episode - The Interview: Chelsea Legend And Ex Lazio & Italy Star Midfielder Roberto Di Matteo (Ep. 375)
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The Italian Football Podcast is delighted to sit down for an interview with Chelsea legend and ex Lazio and Italy star midfielder Roberto Di Matteo for a chat on all things Serie A, Azzurri and Calcio past, present and future.
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Transcript
Introduction and Guest Welcome
00:00:02
Speaker
Welcome to the Italian football podcast.
00:00:06
Speaker
Hello, everybody. Welcome to the Italian Football Podcast. I'm Carlo Garganese. In conjunction with the zone bet, we are absolutely delighted to say that we're joined today by Chelsea legend and former Lazio and Italy midfield star Roberto Di Matteo. Roberto, thank you so much for joining us. First of all, how are you and what have you been up to recently?
Role at Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
00:00:26
Speaker
Because the last I saw that you'd been you were working for the South Korean club, John book, Hyundai Motors as a as a technical adviser.
00:00:34
Speaker
Yeah, that's right. Yeah, I'm very well. Thank you. Thanks also for inviting me to this, for this interview, the podcast. So yeah, I've been working with John Bocci and Diane Motus as an advisor this year. It's been very exciting. Also, a bit of a new role for me, looking at the structures and the process that they have in place and analyzing it and
00:01:02
Speaker
putting in some of my ideas and suggestions to make the process a little bit smoother and so
Career Highlights at Lazio
00:01:12
Speaker
on. So it's been good because also I've learned a lot about the different culture.
00:01:20
Speaker
a different league in Asia. And although Geobook is a very young club, they were only founded, I think next year is the 30th anniversary. They've been very, very successful domestically, but also internationally. So very exciting role for me.
00:01:41
Speaker
Hi Roberto, this is Nima. Nice to meet you and thanks again for coming on. You were a wonderful midfielder for Lazio between 93 and 96. You finished third, second and fourth. First of all, how do you look back on your time at Lazio? You play with some fantastic world-class players. Beppi Signori, Paul Gascoigne, Alim Bocic, Alessandro Mesta.
00:02:03
Speaker
Yeah, that's right. I mean, I had a wonderful time. I was 23 years old when I moved to Lazio and it was all very new to me. It was a dream come true because I was a young boy. I dreamt about becoming a professional football player, which I achieved in Switzerland. But then obviously the move to Italy was the ultimate dream. And I really...
00:02:30
Speaker
enjoyed. I was very proud that I managed to sort of accomplish something in my life and we had and it was a lasso that was just bought by Sergio Granotti. I think it was the year before so it was a club that was on the up and there was a lot of excitement about the club, the environment and
00:02:53
Speaker
a lot of investment going into the team as well and so on. I was fortunate because when I moved I had Dino's office as manager and he sort of put me under his wings and I became a star. I came on for Gaza in the first game of the season and then from there on I started all the other games so I was very fortunate and lucky
00:03:22
Speaker
But I remember those three years as the three years of my life living in Rome as a professional. Do you still follow Lazio today?
Lazio's Current Performance and Manager
00:03:35
Speaker
And what do you make of Maurizio Sarri's team this season? Do you think they'll qualify from their Champions League group? Well, it's a tough season for them because
00:03:46
Speaker
They were a little bit inconsistent at the beginning of the season, but last year qualifying for the Champions League was a big achievement. It's not a regular thing for Lazio, so I think Maurizio Sarri is a very good manager.
00:04:08
Speaker
Hi, he was here at Chelsea as well and he puts a lot of effort on details in training sessions and in the game.
00:04:19
Speaker
I think we all remember the Napoli team. They coached one amazing team that was and did the great football they played. And here in London, as well, he won the Europa League. So a very knowledgeable manager. Well, we'll see. I think the next Champions League game is a sort of crucial game for them. Hopefully, if they manage to win, then I think then everything will look a little bit brighter.
00:04:50
Speaker
Yeah, it certainly will.
Football Evolution: Italy vs. England in the '90s
00:04:51
Speaker
And so I want to go back to your time at Chelsea. And I know you get you get asked a lot about your time at Chelsea. So one thing I wanted to look at was, when you joined in 96, you were part of the foreign and the Italian Revolution in English football. And I would like to know, like, how far behind was English football compared to Italian football, then not only the quality on the pitch, which was obvious, but the training methods, the professionalism, the coaching, all of that kind of stuff.
00:05:20
Speaker
Well, I'm not sure you can put it in terms. Comparisons are always difficult and putting them in terms is even more difficult. I think there was probably room for improvement, for sure. When I came to England, the training methods were not as maybe as professional as we had them in Italy.
00:05:47
Speaker
But thirdly, things changed over the years with the influence of managers as well, coaches, you know. We had Rude obviously who had played in Europe, you know, Holland to Italy and so on. And he certainly brought his own style to it. But I think we were one of the first teams to have a fitness coach as well with Rude. So those were all new things in English football at the time.
00:06:14
Speaker
Yeah, interesting. I mean, at the time Italian football when you were playing there was the best in the world, the best league in the world, Serie A. Now I think everybody agrees the Premier League is the best league in the world. I mean, which league, I know you said it's hard to compare, but which league do you think is stronger? Serie A or the 90s or the Premier League of today?
00:06:34
Speaker
Yeah, not difficult to say. I mean, the Premier League certainly has reached new highs and has broken new records in terms of money spent and so on. And also the players they've been able to attract over the last 20 or even 30 years, you know, it's over 30 years now. So
00:06:59
Speaker
Certainly today the Premier League is a very strong, it's a brand and it's a very strong league as well. Although on the horizon now there is obviously Saudi Arabia that is trying to influence that leadership of the Premier League so we'll see how the future will pan out.
Memories with Gianluca Vialli at Chelsea
00:07:21
Speaker
For sure. And one person I wanted to ask you about was Januka Vialli because we sadly lost him this year and you played with and for him at Chelsea. I mean, as well as a football legend, I mean, he was an amazing person. I mean, what are your best memories of Vialli and how will you remember him?
00:07:44
Speaker
Well, obviously we arrived in the same summer. So we did spend a lot of time as teammates together, both living in central London. So we used to go out for dinner a lot and cinema, trying to improve our English and so on and so on. So we have a lot of memories.
00:08:06
Speaker
on the football beach, but also outside the football beach. It was a nice gentleman. It's always sad when you see a young person pass away. And then after they became manager or player manager, obviously the relationship changed quite dramatically as well. But it's just sad, you know, it's just sad that
00:08:37
Speaker
somebody so young it's not worth us anymore. Indeed.
Romelu Lukaku's Career Journey
00:08:42
Speaker
Moving on to when you managed at Chelsea, you managed a teenage Romelu Lukaku in 2011-2012 so you know him pretty well and he obviously upset the Chelsea fans with his behaviour during his one season back there in 21-22 with that
00:08:59
Speaker
infamous interview with Sky Italia and now this summer of course he really upset Inter, the Inter squad even, this summer by holding discussions with Yuba and I mean that you know he didn't answer his phone according to Pia Ralcili or the transfer collapsed. I mean do you think that Lukaku Deep Down is quite a sensitive person who needs to feel the love and importance of everyone around him at the club
00:09:23
Speaker
something maybe he didn't feel he had at Chelsea and into last season and maybe that's why he's done the things he's done, what do you think? Look, a lot has been written about him and his choices and in his career but ultimately it's his own decision the way he wants to conduct himself. My memories with him working with him as a young
00:09:47
Speaker
professional as a young player when he came to us. I was assistant at the time to ABB and I did a lot of work with him one by one as well because he wanted to improve. He was a phenomenal professional and his mom or his family was very important to him. So he's surely a very sensitive person, but also a family man, or he was, I don't know now.
00:10:15
Speaker
And then you make choices in your life and you live by the consequences of your choices. And I think he's had a pretty good career. He might have upset somebody, but he will have to live with that. I just think he's a fantastic striker. He guarantees a team goals. He's always scored goals when he went alone as a young player.
00:10:41
Speaker
He's always scored his goals and he's also become a very recognized world star striker. He's achieved a lot in his career as well. You could arguably say that he could have achieved more, but I think there are a lot of players that could probably say that.
00:11:06
Speaker
Yeah, that's true. Just two questions on Italy just before we finish up. First of all, you played for Italy at Euro 96 and 98 World Cup. Back then, Italy had the best defenders and the best attackers. That's the one thing I would always say. So many of them, such an abundance.
00:11:25
Speaker
But we can't produce center backs or top attackers now. That's what everybody says. So what are we doing wrong? Do you think it's the youth coaching? Why can't Italy produce the abundance of stars all over the pitch that they did back in the 90s?
Italy's Talent Production Challenges
00:11:43
Speaker
Well, that is a very good question. And I tell you, if I had the answer to that question, I think it would solve a lot of issues in Italian football. I don't know. I don't know exactly what what what has gone wrong, but certainly the Italian national team hasn't or Italian football hasn't produced
00:12:05
Speaker
as many world-class players than in the past. The fact that we haven't qualified for two world cups just confirms that. And also, right now, currently the squad is a very good squad. It's sort of a young squad as well.
00:12:24
Speaker
and they're trying to rebuild, and it's not easy, I have to say. But you look at the future, you know, you look at what is behind the A-team right now, and there are some very, very good players coming, you know, the under 21s are doing very well, the under 20 did well in the World Cup, so there is hope that, you know, we have some youngsters that could maybe feel
00:12:52
Speaker
those voids left by our great players that we had in the past. But let's also put everything into context. We only won the European Championships, what, two years ago or summer 21. So it's eight, yeah, two years ago, let's say, and just over two years ago. So it's not all doom and gloom, I would say. Now, yes, we're struggling, we're struggling, but
00:13:20
Speaker
You know, how many teams have won as much as the Italian team? And there are periods, you know, you look back at the French. The French, when they had those issues, you look back at German Federation had those issues and they made some structural changes. And hopefully we are going through this transition as well and we'll come out at the other side stronger.
00:13:44
Speaker
We hope so, and we hope that we can qualify for the Euros two massive games this month. Yes, that's right. I mean, you played in midfield. Italy's Los Sandro Tonali with this betting scandal. Berratti is in Qatar. Giorginio is getting a bit older now. Who would be your three players in central midfield for this month to start with?
00:14:10
Speaker
I will leave this headache to Luciano Spaletti. I would say this, Barrella is probably a given, I think he's a starter. And then I guess Spaletti will have to choose on the form and whoever is playing regularly as well, because obviously
00:14:34
Speaker
There are some players that are not playing regularly. I don't know what his views are on the Ratty that is now in Qatar. So we shall see. Sandro Tonali is obviously a big mix for the China National because he was a big performer and also a high quality player. So certainly the team were missing.
Quick-fire Round: Personal Preferences
00:14:55
Speaker
Just before we let you go, we play this rapid fire game. Well, I'll give you two or three options. And you tell me which one you prefer. Come on. It's a bit of fun. And you don't have to explain if you don't want to. Okay. So the first one, very simple. Everyone in the world. Both, both, both.
00:15:18
Speaker
If you don't want to choose, just say both. So the first one everyone in the world has been asked this and has an opinion on it, are you going to Ole Miss or Cristiano Ronaldo? As a manager I played against both and so I can't choose between them and I don't think it's a personal choice and I don't really have a personal choice. They are two phenomenal players that
00:15:43
Speaker
wrote the history of European and world football in the last two decades, I would say. Maradona or Pele? Well, I met Pele when I was a teenager back in Switzerland. So, no, I'm not going to choose. Both, both. Okay, well, who was better at free kicks, Gianfranco Zola or Roberto Banjo?
00:16:13
Speaker
I played with Paul, played more with Gianfranco, so I can tell you that Gianfranco's quality in the free kicks is top-notch. So here I'll choose Gianfranco's owner. Who was the funnier person? Gaza or Dennis Wise? Paul Fun in different ways. So pasta or fish and chips?
00:16:39
Speaker
I think you can answer that one for me. You know my answer. I have a big debate in my house when it comes to that. Rome or London? Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Well, you live in London. I live in London for so many years, but also Rome. I lived in Rome and Rome is a beautiful city.
00:17:05
Speaker
It's very romantic and it's very historical, you know, cultural, food wise. I'm not going to choose both. If I could, I would spend six months in Rome and six months in London. Sounds nice. Paolo Maldini or Franco Baresi? How can I choose? Exactly. That's difficult. That's difficult. OK, who will win the Scurretto this year? Inter Milan, Juve or Napoli?
00:17:36
Speaker
Well, Inter looks very, very strong, very resilient, very consistent as well. Milan, I think they did very well to win the Scudet a couple of years ago. Napoli, amazing. Not sure they can reproduce such a historical season. And Juve is always dangerous. I'll say Inter or Juve?
00:18:07
Speaker
And finally, pineapple on pizza, food heaven or food hell. Come on. Come on. Let's be serious. Exactly. I'm with you all the way. Thank you so much, Roberto. Thank you so much for joining and we wish you all the best. Thank you. Thank you.