Been that way for many years. The issue isn’t the players; they have the ability and personality to play that way, but they aren’t allowed to. They’re joystick-controlled, forced to stick to the coach’s game of chess.
Tonight’s Champions League final for me really solidifies an opinion I’ve had for a while.
Modern football has produced incredible systems, coaching, fitness and tactical organization.
But the elite players of previous generations were more capable of imposing their personality on a match regardless of the system around them.
The modern game produces better collective solutions and I have no doubts that teams are stronger than ever. However, the previous generations produced more individuals willing to create their own.
Players who took responsibility, changed the rhythm of matches and bent games to their will instead of waiting for the system to provide the answer.
Football evolved, the footballer didn’t.
They tried the Roma one, the chosen one and the special one amongst others. The false starts, through all the chaos & doubt Gasperini has led Roma back to the top table in his 1st season. 👏
The verdict is in: with only one game a week, Allegri and Milan’s performances were utterly pathetic.
Talked up De Zerbi for too long now, but delighted he kept Spurs up. A club that should always be in the top flight of English football. Exciting times ahead under RDZ.
Regardless of whether they finish top 4, Spalletti should stay on at Juve. He’ll rightly face criticism for failing to get over the line, but there’s also been bad luck & costly individual player errors which have played a part. He’s shown enough & the club need some continuity.
Grosso rightly getting heaps of praise with how well coached his Sassuolo team have been & how they have performed for a newly promoted club. Interestingly he’s the same age as Italiano & been coaching for a similar period, yet Italiano seems to be judged more harshly.
2 foreign coaches in Serie A deserve more credit.
Cuesta has done an underrated job keeping a limited Parma up at 30,with many already writing them off when he was appointed. 2nd season is always harder, but Runjaić stabilising Udinese back into mid-table is just as good. 👏
I find it strange that Davide Possanzini isn’t back coaching somewhere. Mantova had flaws, especially out of possession,but he showed enough to suggest he’s a coach with progressive ideas & a modern understanding of the game. Feels like he’d have a lot to offer in the right setup
An incredible season ends with Porto crowned champions of Portugal for the first time in four years. Farioli’s journey hasn’t been easy, but he’s grown immensely—blending De Zerbi- traits with a solid defensive structure. A young coach making a big statement. 👏
A very good manager who has bounced back after an unsuccessful spell with the #Azzurri. #Inter have the strongest squad & should go on to win the Scudetto, but Spalletti’s #Juventus could end up being the best of the rest.
Conte invested heavily in the summer, yet once again his teams have struggled to cope with playing twice a week. His side fell short—especially in the Champions League, where they finished 30th. Now, in typical Conte fashion, it’s a matter of making excuses and shifting the blame
Conte: "Fatevi una domanda e datevi una risposta. Se il campionato partisse ora e vedeste il Napoli con questa rosa, dove lo mettereste il Napoli? Vedo che le altre si stanno pure rinforzando in maniera importante sul mercato. A noi ce l'hanno pure bloccato il mercato, siamo l'unica società che ha 240 milioni in cassa e ci bloccano il mercato. Fantastica sta cosa. Numeri 1. Oggi sono troppo incazzato per Di Lorenzo, meglio che finisco qua sennò devo dire altre cose"
Cathro is doing more than just well. His reputation in Portugal continues to grow and now being linked with bigger jobs.
Fabregas has rightly received plaudits for the way his Como team have played this season. However, interestingly, Grosso, operating with a modest budget at newly promoted Sassuolo, is only three points behind them and has attracted little fanfare.
😂😂. Gasp the coach > Gasp the man. I’ve said it for many years Gasperini is the best Italian coach of the modern era.
Don’t think anyone is celebrating reaching the playoffs. In fact I think it would be an underachievement to not get out the group stage of the WC itself never mind just qualify. 🇮🇹 should be aiming to get to KO rounds next year.
A game that lacked quality for much of it. Milan had the better chances and will probably feel they could have taken all 3 points. Juve had their moments, but was in bursts here and there. #JuveMilan