CM talk EXCLUSIVELY to Marcello Lippi! Former Juventus, Azzurri legend wants coaching return
One thing is certain: Marcello Lippi doesn't have peli sulla lingua, he's never afraid of telling it as it is, and speaking his mind:
"When I returned from China, I said: that's enough, I'm not up for it anymore. But after a few months I felt that I was far from fed up of football, but that I couldn't stand being so far from my family, and returning only once every six months. Now, however, I feel like throwing my hat in the ring once more, and I say: I'm here, I'm ready, with all of myself fully up for the challenge. If an opportunity doesn't arise, too bad".
Are you surprised that you could potentially land in a very balanced league?
Five teams in four points is amazing, it's the result of Juventus changing the guard, and struggling after injuries to Marchisio and Khedira. Now they've recovered and are level with the others. All five league leaders can win the title.
You really don't think there's a favourite?
Many say Juventus are and it may well be true, they're the most used to winning. But how can one ignore Inter, who are so solid, and boast a coach so tactically intelligent and well-prepared as Mancini? And the others...
Napoli, for example...
Last year, Napoli scored seventy goals, two less than Champions Juve, but conceded almost as many as those who were relegated. Sarri has been excellent, because he's been able to maintain the team's attacking efficiency and also bring balance to the defence. But his true triumph is of having convinced the players that following him was in their best interest. Look at Higuain, he typifies how the attitude has changed inside that dressing room".
Paulo Sousa played with you back when you were with that great Juve team, and he was already a kind of coach in the middle of the park...
I met him recently in Genoa, for Sampdoria- Fiorentina, and we spoke of the good things he's doing with the Viola. Come to think of it, he was already taking a lot of interest in my Juventus team's preparation, and how we played. Remember the Scudetto-winning team, and how much it pressed? He was already taking notes back then, he wanted to understand why we moved in a certain way. Truth is, I only thought one of my Juventini would become a great coach, and that was Didier Deschamps. It was how he acted on the pitch, and how he acted in relation to me. In hindsight, that first Juve midfield certainly had a lot of tactical acumen, didn't it? Deschamps now coaches France, Conte is with Italy, and Sousa manages Fiorentina. Not bad, huh?
Conte was already a leader back then, wasn't he?
That's right, Antonio was already a fighter, a leader, both on and off the pitch. And he's still like that today. But Sousa has struck me in a different way..
What has struck you about Paulo Sousa?
His ability to communicate has impressed me, he presented himself and his work to the people of Florence in a nice, intelligent way. He's added one thing to the good things Montella had brought with him, namely forward passes. In today's game, the big European teams don't just pass the ball around, they pass it fowards. Especially Barcelona.
Do you think Roma are still in the Scudetto race?
Of course Roma are still in the race, after all they're only four points short of Inter despite having had a few difficulties. It's a great team, they just need to find a way to maximize their striker's impact. Totti's return will do the rest.
