Blog – Diego Petrucci

Chile manager suggests Arturo Vidal could return to the Serie A

Chile manager Reinaldo Rueda has said that there is the possibility of Arturo Vidal heading to the Serie A during the next transfer window. The 32-year-old is currently in his second season with Barcelona and he has been in good form from the centre of the park with six goals and three assists from 31 appearances.

Despite this, there has been the talk of him of heading through the exit door, particularly with his contract due to expire at the end of next season. A move to Inter Milan has been heavily fancied through the media and Rueda has hinted that Vidal could fancy a reunion with former Juventus boss Antonio Conte.
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Carragher slams Dejan Lovren after woeful display against Watford

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has slammed Dejan Lovren following his poor performance against Watford earlier in the month. The Reds surrendered their unbeaten run to the league campaign with a humbling 3-0 defeat at Watford and Lovren had a forgettable performance at the heart of the club’s backline.

Speaking in a podcast, Carragher was critical of the Croatia international and said that the centre-back tends to make the same kind of mistakes. He added that the defender tends to close down the forwards at times when it is unnecessary, he told: “I’ve watched Lovren in a Liverpool shirt for so long, making the same mistake. He wants to fight everyone he plays against.Harry Kane started this season and stands on Lovren, just uses his body and knocks him out the way.He’s 28, he should have learnt by now. There’s no problem letting Deeney bring the ball down.”
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Inzaghi insists Lazio must concentrate on maintain their league form

Lazio manager Simone Inzaghi has said that his team must concentrate on their own league form rather than pondering over the results of their title challengers. The Capital outfit have been in sensational form in the Serie A since the backend of October and they have dropped just four points from the previous 17 league matches.

As a result, they find themselves just one point behind league leaders Juventus but Inzaghi does not want to get carried away with the sublime run, he told: “Talking about others is always difficult. They have 60 points, an incredible rhythm like us and Inter. We have the obligation to try and stay in contact. 25 days have passed, 16 victories and 4 ties.

Rodrigo De Paul Labels Conte as of the Best

Udinese’s Rodrigo De Paul has labelled Antonio Conte as one of the best coaches in the world alongside Maurizio Sarri and Pep Guardiola. However, he has refused to place these three managers in a rank. The Argentina international has played for a number of managers despite being only 25 years old. The likes of Luigi Delneri and Nuno Espírito Santo have been able to coach the Argentina international more than other managers. Strangely, he has never played under Guardiola,Sarri, or Conte, he has had the opportunity to come up against teams managed by these managers.

All three have been able to experience immense success during the careers. However, Conte has been able to establish his own style in the process. After guiding Juventus to successive league titles and helping Chelsea in several trophies, the manager is back in Italian football with Inter Milan. He has already started making a difference in the Italian Serie A with the Nerazzurri back to the top of the table following the weekend’s results. It has been a while before Inter Milan have been able to end up as winter champions, but they are seemingly heading towards such a position. Udinese take on Napoli this weekend andDe Paul will come up against a great manager in the form of Carlo Ancelotti.

Roma Coach Pleased with Draw against Inter Milan

Roma were able to manage a goalless draw with Inter Milan recently and manager Paulo Fonseca went on to praise his team’s courage. Giallorossi were forced to come in with an alternate line-up as a result of injuries to key players. Edin Dzeko was suffering from flu while Pau Lopez had suffered a muscular injury prior to the game. As a result, Nicolo Zaniolo was used as a false number nine. Antonio Mirante was extremely crucial in goal as he made a couple of important saves to keep out Matias Vecino and Romelu Lukaku.

Fonseca claimed after the game that Roma’s opportunities to win the game were spoiled as a result of some poor options in the final third. Even then, he was happy with the courage and display shown by his team. Roma have not been a consistent outfit this season, as they have already dropped multiple points in the first 15 matches. The team has failed to win seven out of the 15 league matches so far this season. As a result, they are nine points behind leaders Inter Milan after this weekend’s results. The club are facing a stiff fight from Cagliari and Atalanta for the fourth position.

Jurgen Klinsmann backing Inter Milan for the Serie A crown

Former Inter Milan star Jurgen Klinsmann believes the Nerazzurri have a strong squad at their disposal and they can offer a serious challenge to Juventus for the Serie A crown. The Nerazzurri made the perfect beginning to the campaign with six victories on the bounce but the streak came to an end last weekend as they suffered a 2-1 defeat to the Bianconeri.

Speaking on Sport Mediaset, Klinsmann acknowledged that the reigning champions have the squad with the better depth but feels the Nerazzurri can end the Bianconeri’s eight-year league dominance, he told: “I think Inter have a pretty strong squad, they could win the title despite Juventus being there. Let’s hope it is the year of the Nerazzurri. I really think that Inter can be the anti Juve all the way. The Bianconeri have a deeper squad, but you never know what can happen. I do not think there will be psychological repercussions after the San Siro defeat because the season has only just begun.”

Emerson says he is at the best period of his career

Italy international Emerson has said that he is at the best period of his career after becoming a regular for both club and country. The left-sided defender had spent the past year-and-a-half playing second fiddle to Marcos Alonso but things have changed this season with manager Frank Lampard tending to prefer him ahead of the Spaniard.

This has contributed towards a consistent run of performances at the west London side and that has also been recognised by Roberto Mancini at the national level. Speaking after Italy’s 3-1 win over Armenia, Emerson said that he is pleased with how things have shaped up during the current season where he has become a regular starter with the Blues, he said: “I think it’s the best period of my career. I’m very happy at Chelsea, just as I was last season, but obviously a player is always happier when he plays regularly.”

Giorgio Chiellini says the pressure is on Inter Milan and Napoli for title

Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini has said that the pressure is on Inter Milan and Napoli to stop the Bianconeri from winning a ninth-straight league title. The Bianconeri have experienced a change of head coach this summer with Maurizio Sarri replacing Max Allegri at the helm but they are still regarded as the outright favourites to win the Serie A crown.

Speaking to reporters, Chiellini said that the Bianconeri have the less pressure when compared to Inter and Napoli. He added that the former have strengthen their squad further this summer and they alongside Napoli, who have been consistent will experience more pressure in the quest to end Juventus’ dominance in the Italian top-flight.

Darren Bent believes Everton have made a top signing from Juventus

Former Tottenham Hotspur star Darren Bent believes Everton have landed a major coup after agreeing to secure the services of Moise Kean from Juventus this summer. The Italy international made his breakthrough with the Bianconeri last term, where he contributed seven goals from 17 appearances, and he has now accepted a fresh challenge with the Toffees in the Premier League.

Speaking to Football Insider, Bent acknowledged that the Toffees have been making top signings over the past few seasons and the arrival of Kean could enhance their top-four prospects next term, he said: “What a signing, I thought he was good at Juventus and he would stay at Juventus. If Everton can get this over the line then what a signing.

“Everton have made a number of really good signings, if they can get him as well then they are really pushing for that top-four positions. You’ve have to put them in the same bracket as Arsenal, Chelsea with the transfer ban, they’re in that bracket with Manchester United. They’ve made some really good signings and Marco Silva’s done a really great job.”

The Merseyside outfit were one of the leading teams during the final three month of the previous campaign and that came about from an undefeated run against the top six where they beat the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United. A repeat of the same appears difficult with the gap between seasons, but they should nonetheless carry positives from the performances.

Meanwhile, the arrival of Kean should sort the club’s concerns upfront where they have struggled for regular goals. Dominic Calvert-Lewin showed an improvement in terms of the goalscoring during the backend of the previous campaign but the arrival of Kean can be regarded as a bonus, considering Cenk Tosun has not quite delivered over the past year with the club.