Category: Deep Dive

An in depth look at what’s happening currently in Calcio…

Assessment: Juventus

In the first of a series, we look back at the Bianconeri’s season last year and assess where they were strong and where they need to improve heading into 2025/26.

Season Overview

Last season Juventus finished 4th in Serie A after a bizarre start to the season in which they were unbeaten after 20 games, somehow drawing 13 of them. Thiago Motta was wishing for draws, however, when consecutive defeats to Atalanta (4-0) and Fiorentina (3-0) led to the end of his short reign in late-March.

Thiago Motta applauding something in his short reign

Igor Tudor took over and in 9 matches managed to win 5 and lose just one of them. Overall, however, Juventus will be disappointed with their season, 4th is too low for a club the size of theirs. Add to this a semi-final exit in the Supercoppa, a quarter-final Coppa Italia defeat on penalties to Empoli and exiting the Champions League in the play-off round against PSV and it was a disappointing campaign.

Strengths and Weaknesses

So where did it all go right, and wrong, for Juve this year? In a league campaign in which they lost only 4 games, they were clearly still hard to beat. High numbers of draws takes the shine off this consistency, however.

A balanced, consistent and disciplined defence helped them on their way, conceding an xGA of only 1.17/game and receiving no red cards.

However, it was in front of goal that the problems are stark for Juventus. They have a high shot volume but with remarkably low efficiency. Juventus converted only 8.3% of shots to goals in Serie A last season, and their top scorer only hitting 10 goals is a consequence (or cause) of this.

Juventus’ shot conversion ration lagged behind everyone except Roma and Milan

Vlahovic with 10 was too far ahead of the next highest scorer Yildiz, who managed 7 goals all season. Two of these coming in that barmy 4-4 draw (yes, draw) with Inter. Don’t just blame the strikers though, no midfield player for Juventus managed double-digit assists in Serie A.

Where should they improve then?

It’s easy to say “everywhere”, but that’s probably the correct, if short, answer. Juventus desperately need a striker when you look at the above, but they also need a capable playmaker. A number 10 to get the fans off their feet, someone like, I don’t know… Zidane, Del Piero? Wishful thinking.

With Igor Tudor preferring a 3-4-2-1 formation, wing backs wouldn’t go a miss and there’s always room for a back up centre back. But really, they look fairly well set at the back. In front of goal has to be the priority.

Transfer Rumours

It’s usually always a busy summer in Turin. Juventus are rightly considered the biggest club in Italy and they will want to get back to the top level as quickly as possible, having not won a Scudetto since 2019.

With their poor record in front of goal, it’s no wonder that along with the rest of the big European clubs they’re maintaining an interest in Viktor Gyokeres. His value of €70m may be a stumbling block for an Italian team, especially with Arsenal and Manchester United also interested.

Sporting Lisbon striker (for now) Viktor Gyokeres

Any sale of Dusan Vlahovic would be welcome funds towards Gyokeres, however, and talks are rumoured to be ongoing over a move to Fenerbahce for the big Serb.

One player potentially on their way out would be Nicolas Gonzalez who has failed to impress after his big move from Fiorentina last summer. Another, who Juve fans would be more reluctant to lose would be Andrea Cambiaso, reportedly on the shopping lists of Atletico Madrid, Manchester City, Liverpool and Milan.

As ever, Juve are linked with all the big names looking to move in the summer and rumours persist around Victor Osimhen, Jonathan David and Sandro Tonali. Tonali looks the longer shot given Newcastle also qualified for the Champions League, but at least he’s used to wearing black and white.

Josh Doig, Scottish full back at Sassuolo is a versatile player who would offer good back up coverage. He would fit the profile of young players to develop given he’s only 23. Another player who would work in that respect is Giovanni Leoni, 18 year old centre-back from Parma. Roughly €15m would be needed to pry him away from the Tardini, and Juve would face stiff competition from his former manager at Inter.

So how will Juve do next season?

Who the hell knows? Not a great answer for a blog about Juventus, accepted, but they have been notoriously up and down in recent years and this current spell looks no different. One thing for sure though, if they can add goals to a solid defence they’ll do well.

Juventus tend to be that team that if they start well, they’ll sweep all before them, but if they start poorly – write off the season in October and enjoy either one of Inter or Milan collapsing in on themselves.

A lot will depend on their transfer window, and that all depends on the Club World Cup. A strong run in that competition would add much needed lira to the club coffers and enable them to be more aggressive before Serie A returns in mid-August.

One thing is for sure with Juve, don’t you dare write them off. Watch this space…

11th Jun 2025
Calcio Weekender: Day two – Florence

Overwhelming success of the Calcio Weekender day one post was so warmly appreciated, thanks so much for recommending it to everyone you know! I promised that it was three matches in three days and as promised, here’s day two.

Sunday morning was just as beautiful as day one and it’s fair to say that after a long day in Parma we didn’t exactly spring out of bed. Again, anyone else who’s raising a 15 year old girl will know that it isn’t as simple as just getting up and going again!

But we rose at the sound of an alarm, there was more travelling to be done and no time to lay in bed waiting. Now, in the previous post I was extolling the virtues of the Italian rail system but today I curse it. Nothing to do with the network, but the pricing of it this time.

So, it may be cheap if you’re travelling in the same region, but leaving Emilia Romagna and heading to Tuscany shoots the price up a fair bit! Over €100 for the two of us. Surely there’s a cheaper option? You better believe it.

For a fraction of that price and frankly the same amount of time, Isabelle and I would be travelling to Florence for the day with the big green Flixbus. Shockingly comfortable is how I would describe the experience. Isabelle and I would be on the 8:45am bus to Florence from Bologna bus station, which arrived at a reasonable 10:05am.

Firstly, the drive through the Tuscan hills was bloody spectacular, some beautiful scenery. Secondly, there was plenty of comfortable leg room even for me at 6ft4in. The temperature was comfortable and the ride smooth. And all this for a mere £23 return. For us both. Incredible value I thought.

The Flixbus takes you to Villa Costanza, a small bus station on the edge of town, serviced by a regular tram that comes straight to the main station. Easy.

When we arrived, there was just enough time to grab a quick snack at the shop before loading up onto the tram and heading into Florence. The point of this day trip was to suss out what Florence was like. It’s been on the list for some time, everything I’ve ever read about sculptures, art, renaissance etc all seems to point you in the direction of Florence.

So I wanted to check it out first, this seemed like a good idea. I have to say, it’s beautiful. Isabelle and I headed straight for the Duomo and it lived right up to the expectations I had of it. History pours out of every building. We didn’t head into the museums or Duomo, it was a day trip so we just came here to check out the scenery more than anything.

Plus, this is a football blog, this is a football trip. There was a match to get to in the afternoon. Sunday is football day in Italy and the gods of Futbology had informed me there was a derby going on locally in Serie D.

You guessed it, we were heading to Prato to see the city derby between Zenith Prato and AC Prato. Now, no, I’d never heard of the city or the teams, but football is football. I’ll go watch anything.

Prato is around 20 minutes by train from Firenze and the trip out there cost us less than €10 for us both. The Stadio Lungobisenzio is less than ten minutes walk from the station and in the sun it’s a glorious walk. I’d tried through Twitter/X to get some information on tickets and there wasn’t really any at all. The two clubs share a stadium in the city, much like in Milan, although the level is a little different.

The stadium is old, but has nods to a former golden age, with a large structure for one stand which looks quite grand from a distance, until you get close and see the paint peeling off the walls and the faded Olympics logo.

There’s a Gillingham style temporary stand behind one goal and flats behind the other. The opposite side of the main stand has a lovely view over a mountain. Now, I’ve watched Serie C before and wasn’t entirely bowled over by the level, so I wasn’t sure what to expect from D.

Well, that question was answered when we arrived at the ground around 45 minutes before kick off and everything was closed up. People were sat on the steps waiting for the one entrance to open. The little ticket booth was open, however, so I offered up my €10 and was presented with one adult ticket and a free kid ticket.

When the gates finally opened around 30 minutes before kick off, we made our way in to the unreserved main stand and took a seat. Things started to get busy about 10-15 minutes before kick off but there was something nagging at me. Where were the away fans? AC Prato fans were all hanging around a bar by the station, but shouldn’t they be here now?

Well, as it turns out, this derby was about to lose a big sting in the tail. The AC fans had decided to boycott the game and subsequent other games due to a dispute with the clubs ownership. Something I see happening a lot here in Italy.

My concerns about the level of the Serie D football was confirmed when two of the AC Prato players were warming up in full kit as they didn’t seem to have training tops. The warm up seemed to consist of groups of players stood in a circle doing keep ups. I was more than a little concerned…

Concerns that were indeed well founded. Twenty minutes into the game and still nothing had happened. Wayward passes, shots looping way off target and defensive mix ups, yet still nothing. Now, I’m no snob, I just love football, but with the missing away fans this game was lacking any real spark.

But hold on, what’s that noise? I can hear drums and chanting off in the distance. And is that a whiff of smokebomb I just got? It was, there’s some white smoke off behind that away end. I’m sure I just saw a flag wave too.

The AC Prato fans were in attendance, without being in attendance. They came down to support their team, from a distance and without going in and funding the owners they protest against.

They don’t hang around, however, and soon the game drifts back to silence and very little action. There’s a few bright sparks out there, one of the Zenith lads in centre midfield is tricky. He’s got pace and he can take players on, confident. Perhaps over confident though, he keeps taking it a step too far.

We make it all the way to the 89th minute before there’s any action to speak of in this game. After a typically rough scramble in the penalty area, AC are awarded a penalty. Players are down all over the pitch, walking wounded. Well, not walking, they’re all prone. This delay could get in the head of the taker. Surely not though? He’s still got to put it away, penalties are easy.

Well, nope. As it turns out, this game was about to take another lurch to the ridiculous. The penalty is ballooned over the bar, high. In fact, two months on it could still be rising. At least the bar was open though. Cheap beers, in the sun, watching football, what could be better? That’s what these trips are all about!

We head back to Firenze straight after full time, we have a bus to catch after all. One piece of advice for anyone travelling by Flixbus like us, get an early tram. The exodus from the main station at the end of the day is almost ridiculous. Americans are everywhere and the queues to get on a tram to the outskirts of town is excessive.

Once we make it to Villa Costanza, we board the coach and take the opportunity to relax. Another hectic day of travelling around, but less intense than the previous day, less panicking and less rushing around. And less alcohol.

I’ll go back to Florence for a proper trip at some point, I’d love to see La Viola play. The food and drink as usual in Italy was spot on, although we weren’t able to get into the viral sandwich shop All’Antico Vinaio, next time I guess…

Part Three will come later in the week…

10th Jun 2025
Americans in Italy: Christian Pulisic

The first blog in a regular series looking at some of the players from English speaking countries who are affecting things in Calcio. If you’re anything like me, the first player who immediately springs to mind is AC Milan’s Christian Pulisic. Italy seems to be a hotbed for American “soccer” talent and what better place to start than the first American to score in a Milan derby.

Hershey, Pennsylvania isn’t a traditional hotbed of football talent like Paris, South London or Milan would be but in September 1998 Kelley and Mark Pulisic welcomed their son Christian to the world. Kelley and Mark had both previously played “soccer” at college level at George Mason University and Mark had gone on to play professional indoor soccer for the Harrisburg Heat in the 90s.

Christian’s idol growing up may surprise a lot of Milan fans, identifying Inter star Luis Figo as his hero when he was a child, but seeing him run at defenders at the San Siro, they can surely forgive him for adopting his style!

During a year in England as a child, Christian briefly played in the youth academy of non-league side Brackley Town, however, it was the return to America that saw his soccer career really kick on. He played as a youth for Michigan Rush and then for US Soccer Development Academy club PA Classics.

At the age of 16 Christian decided to head to Germany, eligible through his Croatian grandfather to travel and play at 16 rather than 18 in the States. Sure enough, Borussia Dortmund picked up a young Christian Pulisic and the rest is history. He made his first team debut at the age of 18 in a victory against Ingolstadt in January 2016.

It wasn’t long before the USMNT recognised this young talent and in March 2016 he made his National Team debut in a 4-0 win against Guatemala. As of June 2025 he’s made 76 USMNT appearances, contributing 32 goals and 18 assists for his country.

Pulisic made the move from Germany to England in 2019 for a spell with Chelsea often harshly viewed by a partisan English crowd. While at Chelsea he became only the second American to score a hat trick in the Premier League, at the same time becoming Chelsea’s youngest ever hat trick scorer. He became the first American to win the UEFA Champions League Final and only the second ever to play in one when Chelsea defeated Man City at the final in Portugal. Injuries and increased competition would put paid to his career in England and he would eventually join Milan in 2023 to seek more playing time.

Christian scored on his debut in Serie A against Bologna in a 2-0 win, making him the first ever American to score in 3 of the top 5 European Leagues. In his first season in Italy he contributed 15 goals and 10 assists in 50 appearances. He was the first Milan player since Kaka to score more than ten non-penalty goals in a single Serie A season.

Last season Milan struggled and as a result, the players form largely went with it. However, Pulisic still achieved several milestones. The main one being the first American to score in the Derby della Madonnina when he gave Milan the lead at the San Siro “away” to Inter. Milan went on to win the game and break the curse of 6 consecutive defeats against their city rivals.

The goal was a perfect example of Pulisic’s energy and leadership, pressing Mkhitaryan in the midfield, running at the Inter back line who seemed to run away like scared sheep before passing the ball into the back of the net. It’s this kind of all action performance that earned him the nickname Captain America from the Curva Sud.

Although the season was not a classic for Milan, he did also score in the Supercoppa Final victory over Inter and his 15 goals and 9 assists earned him a spot in the Serie A team of the season and he led the league in chance creation.

Italy seems to have taken to the American from Hershey, with La Gazzetta commenting after one performance that, “He comes from Hershey, famous for the best chocolate in America. Yesterday, CP was pure sweetness too.”

The Milan fans have taken him to heart too, his willingness to learn Italian and conduct interviews in Italian will always see you right in Italy. One fan even remarked, “For me, he’s Milan’s best player, and I also really like his attitude whenever I hear him speak.” and MilanTV commentator Mauro Suma frequently chants “U-S-A, U-S-A” after his goals!

The pundits like him too, with popular and respected Tiago Leal saying, “For me, Pulisic can play on the right. He did it under Pioli, he is humble and he is a great professional, so he can play a lot of positions.” Fabio Caressa from Sky Sport Italia is also impressed. The esteemed journalist praised Pulisic as “the best signing of the entire summer transfer window,” highlighting his versatility and goal-scoring prowess.

His importance to Milan was also underlined with Stefano Pioli tailoring tactics to leverage Pulisic’s defensive diligence, with the team encouraging opponents to play towards Pulisic’s flank, trusting his work rate in defence.

The more attention that falls on Pulisic with these performances, the more chance there is he’ll be lured away from Milan and Italy, but for the time being he and his audience seem quite content to continue in each other’s company.

3rd Jun 2025
A Champions League Disgrace: What Happens Next For Inter

In Milan fans of the Rossonero were holding a mock funeral for Inter’s Champions League final last night, but inside Inter’s organisation there’s already a full post mortem underway. On the receiving end of a record Champions League Final drubbing to a brilliant PSG, coming second in Serie A and losing to Milan in both the Supercoppa and Coppa Italia it’s not exactly a marquee season for Inter.

Until March they were very much looking at the possibility of a banner season and a second ever treble, going down in history with Mourinho’s team of 2010. However, a complete collapse in the league and a hiding from Milan in the Coppa semi final put paid to that. But morale boosting ties with Barcelona gave Inzaghi and his team some breathing space from too many external questions.

Last night, however, the chance to save their season and go down in history passed them by. Inter simply never arrived in Munich. A midfield that went completely missing, a confused Acerbi marking no one, Di Marco running in rings and an isolated forward line and this was not the Inter we’d come to appreciate over the last couple of seasons.

Everything Inter did to beat Barcelona’s press in those two memorable matches recently was missing, they completely went to pieces. Inzaghi didn’t seem to have an answer, rigidly sticking to his 3-5-2 in the face of its obvious failure on Saturday. Confusing substitutions and the refusal to use last minute hero Davide Frattesi meant Inzaghi faces legitimate criticism from both outside and inside the club.

Speculation began over Inzaghi’s future in the run up to the final with Gazzetta breaking the news that Al-Hilal were prepared to pay him €30m a year to break free from Inter and go to the Club World Cup with them. Last night, in his post match press conference he refused to confirm he’ll lead Inter in the tournament in America next month.

The rumours are now picking up with La Repubblica reporting that everything will be decided in a meeting Tuesday with the clubs hierarchy. There’s even a rumoured list of ready made replacements with Cesc Fabregas the front runner after his fabulous season at Como. Roberto De Zerbi from Marseille and former Inter defender and current Parma manager Christian Chivu are also on the list.

This fits firmly with the owners plan to introduce some young fire into the club. Oaktree made it clear that their strategy is to reduce the average age of the squad, something fans will be delighted by after the leggy performance of an ageing side last night. Nico Paz, the 20 year old Argentinian midfielder at Como is reportedly high on the list along with 25 year old Canadian striker Jonathan David.

They have already added Tomas Palacios, Argentinian Centre Back last August, he spent this season on loan at Monza. The club also secured their 11th Primavera title this season (the Under 20s crown), with a 3-0 victory over Fiorentina in the final.

Oaktree have a plan to freshen Inter up and last night’s “performance” probably sped this process up significantly. However, all isn’t doom and gloom over at Inter. The Gazzetta reported this month that Inter have money to spend. The Oaktree takeover from Steven Zhang is complete, the last few seasons of free transfers and big sales have boosted the coffers and given some Financial Fair Play breathing space. The almost successful European run has added millions to the bank and the Club World Cup will do the same.

The one thing Inter need to do before any of this freshening up is decide what to do with their manager. Inzaghi exposed his own weakness on Saturday night against PSG and his negotiating position isn’t as strong as it was in March. It wouldn’t be a surprise at all to see the club decide on a different direction, but don’t start writing the obituary of Inzaghi’s Inter yet…

1st Jun 2025
Breaking down a nightmare: Inside AC Milan’s 2024/25 season

Look away now Milan fans… it’s time to break down this absolute breakdown of a season from one of Europe’s biggest teams. The Red Devils experienced turmoil in the boardroom, changed managers, didn’t qualify for European football and had their lowest finish for years. Milan and Manchester are united in their red half being in disarray while their blue half powers on. But what exactly happened this season to Milan?

After the close of the 2024 campaign, Pioli was out and on his way to Saudi Arabia and Lille manager Paulo Fonseca was on his way to Italy. He wouldn’t see 2025 in Milan. In a reign framed by internal dispute and strife, a fall out with Rafa Leao over his defensive contributions would lead to his ultimate departure.

Leao and Theo Hernandez were left out of the line up in late August against Lazio, with Milan trailing 2-1 in the second half both were introduced. However, shortly after scoring the equaliser Leao and Hernandez chose not to join the team huddle for tactical advice during a drinks break, instead opting to stay on the other side of the pitch, to the embarrassment of Fonseca and Milan.

Both parties tried to play it down, but the message was clear – we don’t respect the coach.

Still, a month later and facing the prospect of a record breaking seventh consecutive defeat to cross town rivals Inter, Milan finally showed up. A swashbuckling performance led by season’s silver lining Christian Pulisic drove the team on to a 2-1 victory which in truth could’ve been more. Milan were back. Or were they? Despite beating Lecce in their next outing, they were beaten by Fiorentina and Napoli in the coming matches and drew with Cagliari and Juventus.

It was an odd few weeks for Theo Hernandez who equalled Maldini’s record of 29 goals for a Milan defender, then followed it with a missed penalty and a red card against Fiorentina. Encapsulating the inconsistency that defined Milan’s season.

Fonseca’s short reign ended on 29th December 2024 after a rather tame 1-1 draw with Roma, another side who would change managers in the season. His replacement, Sergio Conceicao was appointed a day later and would take the team to Saudi Arabia and the Supercoppa campaign. Milan easily despatched Juventus and would face the old enemy Inter in the final.

By half time, it was business as usual and Inter led Milan 2-0, appearing to be heading for defeat. Conceicao sparked something other than a cigar at half time and Milan’s comeback was complete when Tammy Abraham smashed home a last minute winner to hand Conceicao a trophy before he’d even managed a league game. His famous dance moves in the dressing room would come back to haunt him later in the season though…

Theo would surpass Maldini’s goalscoring record with his 30th goal in a 2-1 win over Como in January. Corner turned by Milan then? Well, not quite, the popular Davide Calabria was stripped of the captaincy and loaned to Bologna prompting him to comment, “I will miss everything”.

Milan would spend the next few months lurching from one headline to another, inconsistency on the field was becoming the norm, while off the pitch turmoil gathered pace. The Curva Sud were vocal in their criticisms of the club’s American owner Gerry Cardinale and the board running the club.

During the 125th anniversary celebrations, chants of “Cardinale you have to sell” and “We are not Americans” were heard, banners were erected and directors had to use a secondary exit to escape.

Against Roma in Fonseca’s last game, the first ten minutes of the match was dedicated by the Curva to constant criticism of the owners and the manager, in January against Parma they did the opposite and stayed silent during the entire match. Then, in March in a match with Lazio, the ultras delayed their entry until the 15th minute and as they entered, they chanted insults against Cardinale and Conceicao.

This came to a head in the final game of the season with the famous choreography of the fans spelling the words “GO HOME”. The Curva Sud were quick to point out their issues, “Incapable directors, a club without ambition. You are not up to the level of our history. Players without desire and dignity, you are the mirror of this ownership.”

Conceicao managed to make it to the end of the season and not much further. He was dismissed on May 29th rather unceremoniously and has already been replaced with Massimiliano Allegri. Expectations are high for Allegri in his second spell, having won the league in 2011. He’ll need to do something quickly because morale is very low.

Allegri hasn’t spoken publicly yet, but there’s concern for the English players in the squad, Kyle Walker, Fikayo Tomori, Tammy Abraham and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are all facing uncertain futures.

But was it all bad this season? Pulisic had a real breakout season, bagging 17 goals and 12 assists, Theo Hernandez became the highest scoring defender in Milan’s history and Tammy Abraham contributed 10 goals.

Milan stopped the rot against Inter, with three wins and two draws in various competitions including winning the Supercoppa against them and knocking them out of the Coppa Italia. A brief high point included the 3-2 comeback win at Parma scoring two goals after the 90th minute.

And let’s not forget the thrilling 3-1 win at the Bernabeu against the imperious Real Madrid. Morata, Reijnders and Thiaw with the goals on a night when Milan could’ve won by so many more. There’ll be none of that next season, with Milan finishing the Serie A season in 8th and not entering Europe at all. Napoli weren’t in Europe this season though, and the extra time on the training ground seemed to work for them.

So it’s not entirely a “banter era” for Milan, but Allegri needs to get it right to stop it becoming one. And quickly too…

30th May 2025
Scott McTominay: What the hell happened in Naples this season?

The casual observer may have missed Scott McTominay’s deadline day move from Manchester United to Napoli, dismissed it as an average player joining a 6/10 team not expected to pull up any trees. What the hell happened then? Fast forward 9 months and the newly crowned Serie A Player of the Year was scoring a bicycle kick in the final game to win Napoli only their fourth ever title.

It was 12th goal of a stellar season which also included 6 assists in his 34 matches and it underlined his importance to Napoli and, perhaps more importantly, to Antonio Conte. A dynamic midfielder himself, he saw something in “McSauce” at Manchester United and knew it would set Napoli on their way to a title.

The numbers speak for themselves too, in the top 5 European leagues this season, he ranks in the top 10% of all midfielders for goals per 90 minutes. His non-penalty xG of 0.21 goals per 90 minutes puts him in the top 4% of European midfielders his average touches in the opposition area per match of 2.84 is in the top 10% of European midfielders.

So is this simply a case of a player not being great in a top league and excelling at a “lower” level? Well, anyone who watched the Europa League final would argue that the Premier League standard isn’t exactly among Europe’s elites at the moment. There is something to be said for the breath of fresh air that seems to be achieved by leaving Manchester United. Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and others have all experienced a renaissance outside of Old Trafford.

But there’s something else at play here… McTominay has taken on a more attacking role in Napoli’s midfield. Traditionally viewed as a box to box player, Conte has shifted McTominay into an advanced playmaker role, finding himself often between the attacking and midfield lines and exploiting the gaps that brings. Aerially he’s a threat too, Napoli’s other midfield players don’t carry the same physical presence of McTominay – making Napoli a handful on set pieces with Lukaku also involved.

“Scott has goals in his blood; he’s very good at making runs into the box.” Antonio Conte

It’s notable how much McTominay has been able to improve his pressing and his off the ball runs. Timing has significantly improved, yes Serie A is played at a slower pace than the Premier League, but Conte and McTominay have clearly worked hard to improve this part of his game.

This marked improvement and desire to get better has had a ripple effect on a squad who last season rather limply defended their title. The entire squad is clearly working harder, thinking more and getting the results that go with it. McTominay was emphatic when asked on Conte’s influence on him, “When a coach like that wants to bring you into the squad, it fills you with confidence. The conversations we’ve had are obviously between me and the coach, but all very positive and really demanding, which is really good for a player of my age.”

Conte wasn’t holding back when he spoke about McTominay either, “Scott has goals in his blood; he’s very good at making runs into the box. He has excellent technical qualities, as well as an important physical stature. And he’s strong in the air. In his DNA, he has quite a few goals.”

In fact, pundits in Italy have been falling over themselves to praise the Scottish contingent in Naples, especially McTominay. Paolo Di Canio was decisive when he said, “How can you sell Scott McTominay for £30 million and sign Ugarte for £50 million?”.

It’s hard to argue with Di Canio too, while United were labouring to a 15th place finish in the Premier League after losing the Europa League final, McTominay was enjoying the adulation of Neapolitans by swigging from a whiskey bottled thrown onto the team bus during the victory parade.

Naples is the birthplace of pizza, and I have a feeling it won’t be long before we start seeing the deep fried…

30th May 2025
The three players who can win Inter the Champions League tomorrow night…

Inter seem to be an overwhelming second favourite for tomorrow nights Champions League Final in Munich. This despite dumping out Bayern Munich and a rather spectacular punchers victory over Barcelona in the Semi Final. The British Media are unashamedly pre-crowning PSG for the first time with Europe’s greatest prize.

So can Inter actually pull it off? Well, anyone who’s watched anything in Serie A this season will have a definite opinion: “maybe they can?” Inter have been consistently inconsistent. An absolute schellacking of Lazio 6-0 at Olimpico in December was hot on the heels of defeats in Leverkusen and Florence.

Unconvincing results against Milan and Fiorentina in January was followed up with a disappointing defeat to Juventus and when Napoli stumbled in May, Inter tripped over their own feet to throw away a victory against Lazio and with it, the scudetto.

But there was always a sense in these final months of the season that Inzaghi’s eyes were on a much bigger prize, one he never got his hands on as a player and one he let slip away two years ago as a coach. Inter’s rotation was heavy in the final weeks of the season because tiredness was clearly affecting this ageing squad.

Which brings us to tomorrow night in Munich, and after scoring 7 in two matches against the probable “best team in Europe”, Inter have a chance to make history and become European champions for a fourth time. To do it, they’ll need some key players to come big for them – and I’ve picked out three who will be key to bringing “old big ears” back across the Alps to Milano.

Lautaro Martinez – The Relentless Captain

Lauti – or El Toro – has hit an impressive 9 goals in this seasons tournament and the captain is likely to be fit to start tomorrow. He’ll almost certainly be partnered with Marcus Thuram, one of the most fearsome duos in Europe.

Martinez hit his 150th Inter goal against Bayern Munich and became their all time top European scorer, overtaking the great Sandro Mazzola. He’s their all time top foreign scorer and 5th all time scorer.

Il Capitano has a habit of flying under the radar when it comes to recognition across Europe, but the World Cup and Copa America winner will have the keen attention of the PSG defence tomorrow evening.

Davide Frattesi – The Midfield Dynamo

It’s almost guaranteed that Frattesi won’t start this game of football, Inzaghi is known to prefer his three of Calhanoglu, Barella and Mkhitaryan. However, you only have to glance at his scoring record from the bench to realise that he doesn’t just contribute – he scores HUGE goals.

Last season in March, Inter were faltering in their scudetto pursuit away at Udinese. 1-1 with seconds left on the clock when Lautaro hit the post, everyone on the pitch was watching except for Frattesi who followed in and smashed home the winner – exactly as he had done in the 2-1 home victory against Hellas Verona in January that year.

Then there’s the winner at tomorrow’s final venue earlier in the tournament against Bayern and the extra time winner against Barcelona. In fact, 5 of his 14 Inter goals have been scored on or after the 88th minute. If the game is tight in the second half, Inzaghi will 100% turn to this bundle of energy to tip the tie in Inter’s favour.

Francesco Acerbi – The Defensive Pillar

While all those around you are losing their heads, keep yours. In the San Siro on May 6th 2025 that’s exactly what Acerbi did. He bid a fond farewell to defensive partner Darmian and head off up to the attacking positions. The man that had overcome depression, alcoholism, the death of his father and testicular cancer (twice) has very little to be afraid of and incurring Inzaghi’s wrath for abandoning his post is one of them.

Sure enough, in the 93rd minute, the boyhood Inter fan smashed a Dumfries cross high into the net and the rest is history. He’s not only a great makeshift attacker though, Acerbi is a downright pain in the backside to play against. A master of the Italian art of defending, the 38 year old will have to pull out all the stops against a much younger, quicker and fitter PSG forward line. But you don’t get where Acerbi is without a few tricks up your sleeve…

So in short, yes Inter can win it. I wouldn’t mind betting that if they do, these three players will have a significant say in matters.

30th May 2025