In a candid interview with Corriere della Sera, former Italian national team striker Christian Vieri shared his thoughts on the current state of Italian football, offering insights on various players and teams.
Something is finally moving among the potential Italian national team strikers.
“It’s still not a particularly brilliant period in terms of abundance, but Retegui seems to have really made a big leap forward.”
Surprised?
“No, the Gasp effect was to be expected. At Atalanta, Retegui has met one of the greatest coaches in the world, and it’s no coincidence that he’s scoring a lot, consistently, in addition to guaranteeing great overall work for the team. He’s important for the National team. And now we’re also waiting for Scamacca…”
How does it feel to see another Maldini in the national team?
“Daniel has a lot of quality, he’s already showing it in flashes, and he has everything to establish himself in the National team. Sometimes I talk to Paolo, to the Captain, and I tell him that it depends only on Daniel and how much he wants to become important and special. His technical qualities are remarkable, he’s a player different from all the other strikers we have.”
The National team seems to have come out of a long dark tunnel…
“I’m not getting ahead of myself yet, it doesn’t make sense, and the Nations League doesn’t excite me as a competition. For me, only the World Cup qualifications count, we can’t fail those, it’s not an option, we must be at the World Cup. Certainly, we’ve started well after a European Championship without ideas, without anything that had perhaps also distanced fans from the national team jersey.”
Let’s talk about the league: Conte and Napoli are scaring the competition.
“This is Antonio. Then, he also has the fortune, in quotes, of not participating in European cups. The team is free, can work all week, and it’s ideal in a phase of construction, of restarting. Yes, I have no doubts: Napoli will fight for the Scudetto.”
Is Lukaku a decisive factor?
“I like that he didn’t go to the National team: he’s aware that he still needs to fix some things in terms of general condition. Conte is readjusting him physically and tactically. You can already see the real Lukaku: he moves, holds the ball, makes the team go up. I expect almost a goal per game from him.”
What more does Conte give?
“He improves the team, always. And he does it in a short time. Not everyone can do that. When someone like Antonio is leading, you already know that during the week there will never be a need for the president or sporting director to go to the field. You can sleep peacefully. In terms of seriousness and professionalism, you have the top of the top.”
Is Inter less overwhelming compared to last year?
“After the Euros and Copa America, it’s understandable that the most important players struggle to restart. There’s never any rest. That said, for me Inter is the strongest in Italy.”
Is Inter’s candidacy in the Champions League credible?
“The right mentality is to take the field with the certainty of being able to beat anyone. When you wear certain jerseys, you don’t have the right to look for any kind of alibi.”
Has the 0-0 with City given greater awareness?
“Inter knows it’s strong, regardless of the performance in Manchester. But the head must always be connected, otherwise you end up like in the derby, for example.”
Lautaro?
“I spoke with him at Dazn, and he told me he was struggling. But I explained to him that it was only a matter of time, because even though he was missing some goals, he was always on point. There are periods when everything, or almost everything, goes wrong, but people like Lautaro will never have a problem with scoring. He’s a great champion.”
Milan turbulence?
“I’m not interested in corporate issues. I only talk about the field. I see predictable ups and downs. They still have to find the right balance, with a coach who asks for different things compared to the past. Time must be given to Fonseca. Milan beat Inter, and only if you’re really strong can you beat this Inter.”
How do you judge the “undisciplined” Hernandez, Leao and Abraham?
“Certain mistakes shouldn’t be made, but often everything is magnified by results. Nothing would have emerged if the penalties had been scored in Florence… They’re intelligent guys, they will have already talked about it in the group and from now on they’ll know how to behave.”
Are you convinced by the new Juve?
“It’s the right path. Motta is young and good. He has many ideas, always wants to play the game, and Juve has changed a lot in terms of mentality: the victory in Leipzig explains a lot in this sense. The club has then taken players suited to Thiago’s beliefs. I really like Francisco Coinceiçao, son of my great friend Sergio, whom I call every week to remind him that Francisco is much stronger than him (laughs). Juve is young, technical, fresh with the various Koopmeiners, Yildiz, Conceiçao, Nico Gonzalez, Thuram, and so on…”
Speaking of Vlahovic…
“He must stay calm, zero anxiety. The important thing is to always be there. The goalkeeper saves and he shoots wide with an open goal? I would have been worried if he hadn’t been there, but he was. In my career, I’ve missed goals from zero meters, without a goalkeeper… There will never be a Vlahovic problem.”
What role will Atalanta play this season?
“I think of Dea and smile, proud to have been part of this club. It’s a war machine in terms of talents. If I were a young player, today I would only choose Borussia Dortmund or Atalanta to complete myself. And, I repeat, Gasp is number one. This summer I was thinking about what Atalanta would be without the sale of Koopmeiners and the injuries of Scalvini and Scamacca… It would be Scudetto material. Now in Bergamo they think like a big club: in 24 hours they replaced Scamacca with Retegui. There are very high-profile professionals who do an exceptional job, with their own stadium and a super coach. Atalanta in a single match can beat anyone.”
Who could be the wild card of the championship?
“Lazio! They’re fighting to go to the Champions League. Lotito is one of the best presidents around. I’ll go see them live soon, along with wonderful fans who have a unique sense of belonging.”
Let’s venture into social media: how do you comment on the latest statements by Adani and Cassano, your old adventure companions in Bobo TV?
“I’ve heard too much inappropriate talk, both about me and my family, and my family should never be touched by anyone. I had already put a full stop to it when I made the press release, and in fact I haven’t talked about it anymore. For me, they no longer exist.”
