Former striker Paolo Di Canio believes Italy requires Antonio Conte’s leadership more than Pep Guardiola’s, suggests Sandro Tonali would be an excellent acquisition for Inter, and asserts that Harry Kane is considerably better than Lautaro Martinez. He also voiced concern that Italy is becoming accustomed to mediocrity.
In a candid interview with Corriere della Sera, the former Italian international expressed a blunt assessment of the current state of Italian football.
Di Canio: Italy is ‘Getting Used to Mediocrity’
“We are becoming accustomed to mediocrity,” stated the ex-West Ham player. “We react with outrage, only to return to discussing Italian players as if they were the world’s best a few days later.”
Following Italy’s defeat in the World Cup play-off final against Bosnia and Herzegovina, the national team coach Gennaro Gattuso has resigned, as has FIGC President Gabriele Gravina. Silvio Baldini, the current Italy U21 coach, will manage the Azzurri for the upcoming June friendlies. A new coach will be appointed after the election of the new FIGC President on June 22.
While some Italian football commentators, including former defender Daniele Adani, have suggested that the FIGC should pursue Pep Guardiola, Di Canio disagrees. “We need someone like Conte, who already understands our context,” he argued.
Di Canio also pointed out that the problems in Italian football extend beyond the playing field. “Firstly, we in the media are not fulfilling our responsibilities properly,” he contended. “Many are preoccupied with self-promotion and creating content for social media, neglecting the fact that we are struggling at the bottom.”
Italy’s captain, Gigio Donnarumma, a Euro 2020 winner, departed Milan on a free transfer to join PSG nearly five years ago. Last summer, he moved to Manchester City.
“It’s a matter of money, plain and simple. Legitimate, of course, and I don’t criticize him for it,” Di Canio commented. “In Italy, he would have had to accept half his salary to play for a team that isn’t competing at the highest level. For me, he is very, very strong, but at times he makes mistakes like an average player – errors that Buffon made only once every three years. At certain clubs, one blunder in a crucial match can negate ten brilliant saves.”
With numerous rumors linking Sandro Tonali with a move away from Newcastle this season, the question arises: which Serie A team would be the ideal destination for him?
“Inter, as they already possess a true playmaker,” Di Canio suggested. “He is by far our best outfield player, but where does he play? In a team currently in tenth place in the English league.”
Finally, the former striker for Juventus, Milan, and Lazio discussed Federico Chiesa’s limited playing time at Liverpool and how this highlights the disparity between Serie A and the Premier League. “If he were to return to Italy, it would only take a couple of sprints, and we would be exclaiming: ‘My God, why wasn’t he playing at Liverpool?’ The reason is simple: the Premier League operates on a different level, akin to the NBA, while we are like Italian basketball. Malen, who was the third-choice backup at Aston Villa, looks like a world-beater at Roma. Lautaro scores against Pisa and Lecce, and I hear people comparing him to Kane; Kane scored 49 goals across all competitions. How can such a comparison even be made?”
