LIVE: Italy wait for Guardiola
Welcome to the second episode of the Football Italia LIVE show discussing the latest developments on Italy talks with Pep Guardiola and the latest transfer updates from Serie A.
Transcript
Welcome to a new episode of the Football Italia live show. I'm Loreno Bettoni and I'm back with Richard Hall to discuss all things Italian football, Syria, Pep Guardiola, transfers, everything. So, make sure you send your questions in, your thoughts, what you think about what we're saying and all that. We're very happy to uh for you to join uh the conversation with us. Richard, first of all, thank you so much for joining me again. >> No, it's great to be back and again there's a lot going on. a lot to get through and like you say it's good to good to see the questions coming in all the time. >> Yeah. Um we start from uh where we left off the the other time uh Guardiola. Uh there is uh this sense of waiting here in Italy because obviously he is the top name for the Aduri and Maldini and Donardo did this trip in Barcelona last uh last week. So all we have to do now is uh just wait. Um it's possible that Guardiola will send a reply to the Fiji, Maldini and Leonardo uh by tomorrow because tomorrow there is a Lega Syria assembly in Milan where Milan where Maldini and Leonardo uh will take part. they will be presented even if of course all Syria clubs know really well who Maldin and Lunardo are it's the first time they officially they are officially unveiled to the Syria clubs alongside Malago and the the feeling towards among Italian media is that alongside the presentation of Maldini and Leonardo there will be uh the confirmation on the new coach whether it's Guardiola or another name uh again obviously everyone's waiting consciously I would say Guardiola is very much the top name and uh I will show you now a poll made by Gazeta and published in today's paper obviously the majority of Italian football fans hope Guardiola will actually say yes it's not easy yesterday Fabit Romano said the Maldini and Ronaldo will need a miracle to convince Guardiola but the hope is still alive >> yeah massively I mean look from um that perspective you do wonder a little his pep sort of been. He always wax his lyrical about Italy. He always wax his lyrical about Italian coaches. He obviously loves the country and loves the league, but you do wonder how much his lip service and how much he's actually going to transform into a move. As we said only a couple of days ago, you know, it will take and as Romano says, big money, you know, big money, big big decision. Um, you I know there's been some in the English media saying, hold on, if he's available, go get him. there would have been a lot more storm over in England if that was the case. Um it a lot of reports also going on that Sky Sport Italian report that he you know looks like he could be going to Italy. Everything seems like it's pointing in that direction. Um and it seems strange as we mentioned last time that you would make a statement that we're going to decide on the coach unless you already knew didn't already know uh in a couple of days time. So it does look like that. So uh let's see. You can see here uh I'm showing these quotes from Alago that came in last night and it practically confirmed that negotiations are ongoing with Pepo Gardiola discussing the financial side of things as well. Some exceptions have been made for example exceptions that regard the name making such waves at the moment who is Pep Guardiola. Uh so Malago confirms in first person that there are talks ongoing with him. He said that uh if Guardiola says no, the other name uh will be an appealing one anyway. It's clear that there is no other coach currently out there who is as appealing as Pep Guardiola. Um we'll try to examine the pros and cons here. Uh I only see I mean I see mostly pros obviously for for hiring somebody like Pep Guardiola especially for the state of Italian football. For example, yesterday we posted a video um regarding Spain victory at the World Cup uh their playing style, but mostly how they've been developing their talent going from the youth teams to the senior team and uh suggesting that Italy should be following somewhat the same path. Now what I mean with this uh I want to clarify it's uh Italy don't need to hire Guardiola to necessarily play Tikkitaka or necessarily play the best football in the world. What we're talking about here is having somebody who is able alongside Maldini and Leonardo to start a pathway that helps the whole football system in Italy >> to actually you know get the best out of our talents help them you know get great results at under level which is happening already but be able to bring these results and these performances at the senior level as well. So it's not I see the the appointment of Guardiola not much as something like we need to obviously we need to to fix something in the short term but what we need the most is to have a clear idea on how to fix things on the long term. So this is where I'm most exciting if Guardiola actually comes in. It doesn't mean we have to play like Spain national team. That is not our identity and it's partially I think one of the problems we've had in the past trying to copy somebody else's identity. We need to rediscover our own identity. But we need to use the tools that Spain has had that Guardiola has had clearly in his career and try to implement the qualities that we have with our qualities with strong defense with technique in attack. It doesn't necessarily mean we highola, we play titaka. I don't see it that way. >> I've never seen it. I think we mentioned this a little bit on Monday that that's exactly right. I don't see it that way either. I think that you have especially with Italy which has such a strong um culture of football. Of course you can adapt it. know Italy is actually strange when you look at Italy and England I always think it's a great comparison because England's almost struggled for an identity for so long and that's when Pep Guardiola came to Manchester City the style of football that he played because England's such a melting pot of footballers which is similar to the culture in a way that's that's what England is you know it takes from every single other culture and melts it and that happened with the football and you see that transition into the national team but there still uh through other ways with Pep going into Italy though I think that he's got enough knowledge, of course he has, he's played here, he loves the country to know that that Italian national identity of football in some ways when we talk go back into the past and we look at Katanachio, we see it's almost been a hindrance to them in some critique that's been held on them to merge the best of what Italy has of course to to fuse it with a bit of something that he has in the short term of course. However, the biggest thing for me is like you say, how do you transition the youth system of the products? How are they produced? How do they transition into the youth teams? How does that structure go through all the way through? Italy need to formulate a nice new sense of identity with Pepa Maldini, etc., and Leonardo and then play that throughout the youth teams all the way through. And that in turn, as I think we'll go on to the comments in a minute, will be great for Sydia in in in general, Italian football in general, because that will then leak back into the league and people will want will hopefully get to see the best of Italian young talent. >> I'm showing you this uh comment, the first one we got today from Harry. I really hope Pep comes. I've always said he has to go to a team that isn't doing well. Build them up to the top. This could be a great challenge for him. It can give culture a boost. Gracia seat for your comment Harry. Um I agree with this honestly the one of the few critics that Guardiola has received in his career is that yeah he's he's a top coach. He changed football in a way but he's always done it with top sides. I don't necessarily think this is true especially for his first years at Barcelona. Then obviously he became a top coach and I know no top coach that has had great results without getting top signings, big players and the strong club behind him. So it's not uh something that Guardiola has to apologize for getting big signings and going to big clubs. But I think this that Harry says um could be a reason why Guardiola is actually convinced to join Italy national team. I wrote an article yesterday on on Football Italia saying uh it's it's almost an impossible dream, but if if it's a dream that we have, it's mostly because of uh of Paulo Maldini, the strong relationship that he has with uh um with Guardiola and the respect that Maldini has from everyone in football, including Guardiola. You remember when he won the um Champions League in 2009, he dedicated the victory to Maldini, who had just retired. So I think if there's one if there was one person who could take a flight go to Barcelona and talk eye to eye with Guardiola, it was Maldini. Every other attempt from any other person except maybe Bajjo U would have signed a bit ridiculous probably given the state Italian football is in. But given that Maldini is actually going there, it it gives everyone all of all of us a bit of hope. >> Yeah, massively. And I think when you look at Guadiola as a person, we saw that situation which we talked about um a couple of days ago in his playing career when he went to Brussia he took on a very you know different challenge in that sense and he wanted to look at football in a different way wanted to challenge himself in a different way. Look Italy still has a lot of quality players and they are not playing to the sum of their parts at the moment. Yes, of course it could be better. Yes, there are, you know, holes in the squad, but it's not it's like you say, it's a a dream that, like you say, impossible dream in a sense, in the sense of I understand why Italians think like that. I think from an outside points of view, you also look at it and think, well, actually, there is a group of players there that can be molded, but as you say, that chance for Guardiola to come to test himself a n the national team management situation and setup, which is different, that's a challenge. Italy are a fallen giant and that's a challenge changing the infrastructure of how Italy works. >> I would say fallen rather than falling. >> Yeah. [laughter] >> Yeah. Falling for Yeah. Exactly. So, it's one of those situations. You could look at it and flip it and go it's almost a win-win for him in a sense because I can't see a team that Guardiola has full control over and which you will have here I think with Maldini not be successful. you know, they're gonna have a very key idea of what that identity is. I think Guardiola already knows that. Um, and he will be able to implement that uh with full support. And for me, I don't get me wrong, Italy have underperformed, but there is still, we've talked about this before, there's still quality there. There is still players coming through. How whether they're used well enough at the moment, that's another story. But these are all things I think with ch small changes and many small changes. All of a sudden you could see a quicker transition than than we possibly think. >> I show you these poll published by Gazeta newspaper this morning and something done alongside SWG that's actually done by SWG and published by Gazeta Sport this morning. uh uh you see 34% of uh they spoke to 70 uh 700 uh Italians um obviously with knowledge of football uh 34% want Guardiola as the head coach the percentage rises to 40% among those who follow football actively and closely 19% for Antonio Conte 17% for Andrea Pirlo and Roberto Mani I it's pretty much what I would expect. It's quite surprising to see actually PLO on the same um on with the same numbers as Roberto Manchini and I think it it says a lot about the feeling than that there is in Italy currently towards Manini. It's personally my feeling the way he left Italy national team. I don't think he should be ever allowed back to to to coach the ador. He's he's a very good coach. Probably he would accept uh I mean surely would he would demand less money than than Antonio Conte, but I think we're not that desperate. I mean we are desperate, but the way he left is just something that I personally wouldn't uh wouldn't accept to have him back really. >> It's difficult, isn't it? I think you Yeah, I think with Manini for myself, I look at him a little bit differently. I can totally understand from your point of view absolutely of why. I think that when you look at it though um you know where Italy are that steadying of the ship I think probably in my opinion he's probably a better person to do that for a little bit of a longer period of time than than Conte. Look with Manini I think we've all known you know the mood swings and everything else. They're both I don't think Manini nor Conte are an easy character to to probably look after and so but they both get results. So again, the one I'm surprised about there is Pillo. There's nothing massively, you know, anything against him at all. I just think with obviously the name, it's fantastic, etc. But I suppose based on results of experience, is he the right man? I'm not sure. Um, >> I'm not sure either. >> No, I I don't think it's it's not I think with every will in the world, everyone would want PLO to succeed. He's one of those players, isn't he? you know, your buffs, your Maldinis, it's impossible not to like Perlo, but um yeah, whether he's the right man for the job, um I wouldn't be so sure. I think it's those that's more of the the d the dreaming section rather than anything else. But you know what? What a great thing to say in a in a in a poll that includes Pep Guardiola and we're talking about Purlo as more of the dreamers section. So that shows that just how how it looks that Pep could possibly join. So it is quite exciting. >> [gasps] >> There's another number that surprised me uh because there was another question made I made by SWG um through and [clears throat] published through Gazit in this poll uh and it was about Maldini named as technical director. The official decision came um a few days ago. Uh it's very positive for 21% of those interviewed quite positive for 40% neither positive nor negative for 24% which is higher than very positive. And this surprises me a little because uh I think the view we had on Maldini and still I think the majority of Italians have has of Maldini is that uh if again if there's one man that has clear ideas on how to bring Italy back especially in terms of long-term planning and developing uh young players because this is something that he also did in his career. He started in the Milan youth sector and then he continued his career through the Milan senior team completing football doing everything getting really close to winning the World Cup a few times with Italy national team. But uh what we want to see here is more Maldinis in terms of development. So you start with a youth team at Juventus in a Milan aroma Napoli whatever you want and then you become a top player for them. And he's done it already in his career. So what we expect is to have this sort of long-term vision uh from him which integrates I think the Fiji, the Italian Federation but mostly Syria clubs because I still think this is the big change that has to be made especially in terms of mentality of Syria clubs. If it's Maldini, if it's Leonardo, if it's Guardiola coaching great great names but it has to be a team effort. Yeah, 100%. Just to put that poll into context, I would imagine that both of those questions were asked at the same time to the same same people. So when you when you look at it, when anyone asks anybody about the two roles, the the coach of Italy is an exciting question. Director of football, nah. And I think that probably people have gone, you know, yes, we're excited about it being Pep or something like that or Conte or Manini Pillo. But when you then asked the question afterwards about director of football, it seems a little less exciting. So that's the only reason because I don't see why people wouldn't be excited about Maldini. I would my secondary question to that was would be well if not Maldini then who because like you say you know he will have the blueprint and to have that backing of people like Leonardo and also you know if it is Pep who comes along that's quite a strong uh triumphant that could go and really change the attitude and the culture of how Italy see players progressing to the national team. Um and as the previous comment said as well you know look that that will be good for for cityb city ch because um for me you know you are looking then that people understanding what the culture is what the path is to growth that will then impact players decisions as well of how young players view where they want to play and how they want to develop. Um so it'd be really interesting. So I think you know for me on that poll Maldini really will have the right idea and uh yeah I'm just putting that down to the timing of the question rather than the real enthusiasm. >> Yeah, you know what probably is not something like directly related to Maldini but having Italy missing out on the World Cup three times in a row. Uh you know fans are getting a bit t I'm not say yet I would say tired of football here because the feeling is that put whoever you want in there. You got we got different coaches. We got Ventura, we got Manchini, we got Spaleti, we got Gatuso and nothing really changed. So maybe it's not something like people not entirely convinced about Maldini, but it's more people not entirely convinced about whether it can have an impact in the whole system. >> Yeah. Exactly. Exactly. And I think that context is always important. And I think that that's probably the case because it is like you say, I think that I think they take anybody if there's a guarantee of qualifying for a World Cup. So hope hopefully Maldini and whoever the coach he ends up being will be the person there. So yeah, we'll see. >> You see here another um article Steve from Gazetas highlighting that uh Germany will get Klopp, France will get his done. So underlining that our rivals, our historic rivals will resume uh from September with Nationals League games with top coaches and very well-known names somehow suggesting Italy should be doing the same. Certainly Maldini and Lunardo have tried. I'm showing you another comment here from Pickle Pictures. We heard the same few names with the managers, Manchini, Honto. Do you think there's any other surprises if Pep says no? Paladino would be good. Pilo a terrible choice. Now, um Malagos spoke about this as well. He said Pilo Pep um and Manchin are not the only names. We know Paladino has been linked in recent days. Honestly, um, as I said many times in here, I would be quite intrigued by having a coach that has, uh, more knowledge of, uh, Fiji than club football. So, even promoting CIO Baldini to me would be an intriguing option. if he if it's just not enough experience, if it's not enough a big name, if if you need somebody who manages who who has bigger experience to cope with the pressure coming with Italy national team, probably among all these names, I would go for Paladino. Uh he's not a big name, but he has a great track record with Italian strikers. You remember Moen at Fentina two years ago this season with Skamaka with highs and lows but with um with some good results from him as well. So why not? >> Yeah, I think Paladino for me would be the good choice. I mean it's difficult isn't it? Because for me, I agree with you in the sense of if it's not going to going to be Pep, um whilst we've said this last time, Conte and Plo for instance, uh it's not Po, sorry, Conte and Manchini, we know what we're going to get. It almost feels like short termism, more of the same. Um they wouldn't do a bad job, but it wouldn't change anything. They might qualify for the World, you know, they m