Blog – Diego Petrucci

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.

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

Ramsey admits he could not turn down the opportunity to join Juventus

Wales international Aaron Ramsey has said that he did not think twice before securing the move to Juventus this summer. The midfielder had spent the past 11 seasons with Premier League side Arsenal but it was evident by November last year that the north London side had decided against extending his contract.

As such, he had received offers from many clubs across Europe and Ramsey has now revealed that he had no second thoughts about joining the Bianconeri, he told Goal.com: “As soon as I knew Juve were in for me, there was no question about where I was going to go. You can’t turn down that opportunity. I’m so excited to be here and hopefully I can be a part of a new history. There were other clubs, but this is the right club for me. When I knew Juve were interested, I couldn’t refuse them. It’s a great club, one of the biggest. To have the opportunity to come here, play for them, is a dream to play at the top level.”

Ramsey has struggled with calf issues over the years with Arsenal and that could remain a potential concern for the Bianconeri. Nonetheless, he has proved a crucial performer whenever he has been offered an extended set of matches and it remains to be seen whether he can replicate the same with the Turin giants without suffering any niggles along the way.

Apart from Ramsey, Juventus have recruited Adrien Rabiot on a Bosman to reinforce the midfield and the duo could prove influential towards the club’s bid to win the Champions League next term. Elsewhere, the Serie A outfit have re-signed legendary goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon while they have sought to bring young blood to the backline with the recruitment of Luca Pellegrini, Merih Demiral and Cristian Romero.

Borja Valero’s agent dismisses the midfielder’s prospects of leaving Inter

The representative of Borja Valero has said that the midfielder is content with the proceedings at Inter Milan and has no ambition of parting ways with the club this summer. The 34-year-old has been with the Nerazzurri for the past two seasons and during this period, he has racked 75 appearances across all competitions for the side.

Speaking in a press gathering outside of Inter’s headquarters, agent Alejandro Camaro insisted that his client is pleased with the situation at the Nerazzurri and it is certain that he would remain with the club beyond the summer, he said: “Inter is his team and he is very happy at Inter, it is a marvellous squad. He is very happy at Inter. He will play for the Nerazzurri and it is 100% certain that he will stay.”

The Nerazzurri did not have the best of endings to the previous campaign but they nonetheless managed to cement the fourth spot which has assured them of Champions League football for the second season running. Despite this, the board decided to part ways with manager Luciano Spalletti and they have now recruited Antonio Conte with the aim of pushing the title.

Meanwhile, the club are on the hunt for top-class recruits and their recent focus has been on Manchester United’s Romelu Lukaku. Conte had failed with an approach to land the Belgium international when he was the manager of Chelsea and reports suggest that the Italian fancies a fresh attempt to pursue the marksman. Lukaku has been with the Red Devils for the past two seasons and during this period, he has racked 42 goals across all competitions. Still, his future has remained a subject of speculation with reports emerging that manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would prefer replacing him with a more mobile striker. United are likely to demand around £80m for the Belgian’s sale.