Analyzes that leave the time they find, in a fair amount.
And let’s start from the Champions League.
First goal conceded and Inter’s first defeat in the Champions League. Bayer Leverkusen wins with merit (0 shots on target from the Nerazzurri) and the Germans are really good at taking away oxygen for the entire 90′. The chances of direct qualification to the round of 16 remain high (4 points are needed in the last 2 matches), the bitterness remains for a match where for once Inter only conceded.
Atalanta also loses but plays a match at the level of Real Madrid, a giant team regardless of the moment. The idea that the Goddess is able to put on such performances is in itself impressive, even if in this case we are talking about a defeat. And Lookman is currently out of category.
Napoli shouldn’t blame themselves too much for Sunday’s defeat – they played a good match against an excellent Lazio – as much as the one in the Italian Cup against Lazio themselves. Conte will never admit it but he chose to leave the national cup and he did badly. He says that other teams have squads numerically superior to his and he is telling a lie. Perhaps they are qualitatively, certainly not numerically, and only in the second lines. But the fact is that if many of the second lines of Inter and Atalanta – to name two of the most accredited with the title – are almost at the level of the owners it is thanks to the management of the technicians, rather than the market. And this is precisely because coaches are able to give responsibility to those who play less through cups, competitions that Conte historically finds difficult to digest. The result is there for all to see: Napoli will be in the running for the Scudetto all the way thanks to an all-in move which, however, is the result of an ancient way of thinking. Clubs are confident in building long-term teams, those that generate revenues and opportunities; the so-called instant teams, on the other hand, perhaps bring unexpected successes – and that’s no small thing – but then leave considerable consequences in terms of costs and prospects. As always, time will tell us the truth: if Conte wins the title he will have been very good, he will take the credit and demand new and further investments from the sciur padrun (not that this year he hasn’t made any: 110 million for the Good morning, McTominay and Lukaku), vice versa he will blame the same management that “it was impossible more than this, with this team where did we want to get to?”. A great classic.
The anti-Thiago Motta bass drum has started. It was inevitable. They blame him for poor play and very uninspiring results. There is. But only in case of significant myopia. Motta is not perfect and, of course, he is making some management errors, but the biggest part is the total impossibility of alternating players, in addition to the choices – some bizarre – made during the construction phase of the squad. “Allegri still managed to do everything even in difficulty.” Allegri was and is a great coach who made pragmatism his creed. He asks defenders to defend, midfielders to defend and attackers to score goals. And then to defend. This is not at all deplorable, on the contrary, it is a merit, it brings results even in the absence of top-level players but, trivially, it is not what Motta wants (or would like) to do.
The football idea of the new Juventus coach can only be put into practice in the presence of those players currently absent due to injury or not present in the squad at all. Motta asks the defenders to attack. For the midfielders to attack. For the attackers to score goals. And to all of these to defend. The Under 23s cannot do this, players are needed “for Motta”. And until they return (and until the holes in the squad are properly fixed) it will make little sense to expect more than what we have seen to date. Oh, personal and highly questionable opinion.
Fonseca leaves the Bergamo pitch and attacks the referees. It shouldn’t happen but, in our area, it happens often (almost everyone does it). The problem is that the Portuguese coach does it in a messy, messy and messy way. Strategy is also needed when protesting. Conte knows it, Fonseca doesn’t. Above all, Fonseca was once again abandoned to his fate.
In the following hours, many reported the following sentence: “Milan let it be known that they are in agreement in principle with their coach”. And in doing so it leaves him even more alone. If you think like him you have to speak for him or intervene immediately afterwards. Otherwise you imply that this is the speech of a technician who spoke out of pure personal initiative and you make him look like a desperate man. And alone. If then owner Scaroni speaks and “the referees are always right”, well, the mess turns into an omelette.
Many think that Milan needs a new coach, they certainly need someone who behind the desk knows how to indicate a common path and is a real point of reference. At the moment, that someone cannot be seen.