Benitez Suggests Mentality Change in Italian Football

Discussion in 'Italy' started by dor02, Mar 21, 2014.

  1. dor02

    dor02 Member

    Aug 9, 2004
    Melbourne
    Club:
    UC Sampdoria
    Nat'l Team:
    Italy
    Sampdoria has its moments like in the Livorno game. I reckon under Mihajlovic, we are better at passing the ball but we aren't always entertaining. I do agree that it is better to watch than what we had under Rossi. He was too conservative for Samp and the midfield lacked creativity and ideas. I thought it was a shame

    Bologna do look boring this season. At least the Felsinei had Diamanti, Gilardino and Gabbiadini last season. Even Kone was chipping in with some great goals.

    Chievo has looked boring post-Del Neri and he left nearly 10 years ago.
     
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  2. dor02

    dor02 Member

    Aug 9, 2004
    Melbourne
    Club:
    UC Sampdoria
    Nat'l Team:
    Italy
    I don't agree with everything Rafa says. He once criticized Cuper's Inter for playing defensive while he was coaching Valencia and when he coached Liverpool, he ended-up parking the bus against Juve.

    I still believe that calcio needs a mentality change because catenaccio may be gone but not enough teams have the initiative to seize control of the game. It doesn't need to be Rafa saying this. It could have been Conte, Garcia, Montella, Seedorf, Mihajlovic or Di Francesco making those same comments. Not only that, if Italy struggled to produce quality attacking players, I would have disagreed with what Rafa said.

    I agree to a degree. They develop more youngsters but more than anything, I reckon they can make the transition better than Italian coaches and teams. I think Italy's youngsters can be just as good as the German or Spanish kids, if not better. The coaches just need to give them chances and not crucify them when they do badly.
     
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  3. Falc

    Falc Member+

    Jul 29, 2006
    Club:
    Juventus FC
    And Arsenal are definitely giving football fans across the globe a show this morning.
     
  4. JCNapoli17

    JCNapoli17 Member+

    Aug 23, 2012
    Winning
    Club:
    SSC Napoli
    Don't think that counts, Wenger is French!
     
  5. La Magica

    La Magica Member+

    Aug 1, 2011
    Club:
    AS Roma
    I was quoting ciucc. Who's opinion went 180 in a week just because Rafa is talking.
     
  6. Calcio Pauly

    Calcio Pauly Member+

    Jun 17, 2012
    Club:
    AC Milan
    #31 Calcio Pauly, Mar 23, 2014
    Last edited: Mar 23, 2014
    So Rafa is complaining because he doesn't know how to play against these teams then?

    You're joking right?

    I wish Milan actually sat back and defended more. There's like 7 more points that the team could have had if they did that.
     
  7. Calcio Pauly

    Calcio Pauly Member+

    Jun 17, 2012
    Club:
    AC Milan
    Wasn't it Wenger who said his teams are meant to play pretty first, then seek results later? Maybe Mourinho is right and Wenger's a specialist at losing? It's funny when you think about it since Mourinho isn't shy about sitting back and defending when he needs to.
     
  8. Il Ciuccio

    Il Ciuccio Member+

    Feb 17, 2010
    Club:
    SSC Napoli
    Nat'l Team:
    Italy
    I think the Inter-Atalanta game is a perfect example how serie A games should always be played great attacks great defense nobody sitting back both teams were going for the result of victory. I think thats all Benitez was saying teams going for more than just wanting a point.
     
  9. Calcio Pauly

    Calcio Pauly Member+

    Jun 17, 2012
    Club:
    AC Milan
    Honestly, I read that as a potential preemptive post-season firing excuse. All he's doing is repeating the same crap most English media throw out there whenever referring to Italian football. I can understand premmies falling for it but not those who actually follow Serie A. Really? There are few teams left in Serie A who only defend any more, no more than what you find in the EPL. For Benitez to say that Italian teams need a mentality change is just him being a frustrated fat hypocrite. I didn't watch, but I read some of you guys complaining that he had your team sitting on the 1-0 lead to Porto? If that's not true it still wouldn't mean that he isn't a hypocrite since he's no stranger to those tactics. Honestly, using out dated criticism like that is just a cry for help.

    As for the English media... please don't make me laugh. Did they cry that "catennacio" won Chelsea the CL in 2012? How much criticism did England get for parking a double decker vs Italy in the Euros? None. Instead you hear about work ethic, organization and maybe a few token references to nobility or some shit like that. If they complain about Italian teams, then change nothing because they'll mostly complain when Italian teams are doing well.
     
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  10. Il Ciuccio

    Il Ciuccio Member+

    Feb 17, 2010
    Club:
    SSC Napoli
    Nat'l Team:
    Italy
    I have no doubt in my mind if any other coach would of said this everyone would be agreeing.

    That's your interpretation I saw it as what I saw in the inter- atalanta game.
     
  11. Calcio Pauly

    Calcio Pauly Member+

    Jun 17, 2012
    Club:
    AC Milan
    This is not a message/messenger error distinction. I could care less who makes a stupid statement. Why would I have allegiance to any of these over paid dudes who earn far too much to play a game? Fvck em, and the car the drive in with. Just evaluate the message. La Magica even debunked it using goal stats. Who cares if they run around more in England!

    And you think that game is an exception to the rule? If anything Benitez style more represents what he is criticizing than most other coaches of Serie A, these days, making his criticism obviously veiled.

    Maybe you think Serie A is too defensive because you watch too much Benitez? ;)
     
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  12. Il Ciuccio

    Il Ciuccio Member+

    Feb 17, 2010
    Club:
    SSC Napoli
    Nat'l Team:
    Italy
    people dont care about stats they want the illusion of entertainment. I like Serie A because I have a connection to it like I said before there isnt a league thats better than the other it comes down to preference. Im not saying Serie A should play like England im saying a show needs to put out there something that will grab attention perhaps this will occur when Serie A has new stadiums but I know for a fact that teams that play 11 behind the ball in hopes of getting a goal or tieing the game is not going to help Serie A any.

    I cant get anyone to sit down and watch a Serie A game my dad has watching Serie A all his life and he cant even get excited about games anymore.
     
  13. Calcio Pauly

    Calcio Pauly Member+

    Jun 17, 2012
    Club:
    AC Milan
    :confused: Stats like goals, wins...trophy count?Funny but wasn't that one of the reasons why Dela hired the fat waiter.

    Certainly it couldn't have been for style.

    They should just listen to more of Fabio Carresa then...very entertaining dude, rather than entraining their brain to boring English football pundits!

    Did you watch Milan/Juve a few weeks ago. End to end for 60+ minutes before Milan ran out of steam and Juve took over.

    I've seen more games like this, this season than what the Fat waiter has been whining about.

    Name the teams in the specific games that have done that this season. Let's count the times you've seen this.

    My Dad got tired of football and all sports nearing his 60's

    Sometimes people change their tastes in life.
     
  14. Il Ciuccio

    Il Ciuccio Member+

    Feb 17, 2010
    Club:
    SSC Napoli
    Nat'l Team:
    Italy
    Whatever thats your opinion I have mine.
     
  15. Calcio Pauly

    Calcio Pauly Member+

    Jun 17, 2012
    Club:
    AC Milan
    Sometimes your problem is that you make no attempt to understand what's being communicated to you. Rather than fit it into your existing frame of understanding, ever consider trying to figure out what's really being said?

    You want more people to like Serie A and think the problem is the style? Maybe if all they watch is Benitrz. But understand that the average sports fan is a drunk who wants to yell at the screen. If all soccer was watched without commentary, they'd see little difference. So long as English speaking pundits who's job is to sell the EPL are broadcasting in English speaking countries, Serie A will never gain popularity. You're missing that because you've bought into their programming, so its easy to understand why you've fallen for Benitez's most recent excuse for failure.

    That said, I'm still really interested in hearing about all these catenaccio playing teams and games you've witnessed this season.
     
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  16. La Magica

    La Magica Member+

    Aug 1, 2011
    Club:
    AS Roma
    Im not sure you have an opinion on this. I know I like to joke with you about sitting on the fence, this thread is proof why you do so. When you get off it you make no sense.


    Again one week ago you had a totally different opinion and now your manager has spoken you go along and agree with him for no other reason than he's your manager. True?

    Pauly is also right in saying you criticise him for his tactic's on the Napoli forum. The style Rafa is criticising here is his style of play, its laughable. He's a hypocrite and that's the reason we're questioning it, don't use its because Rafa said it excuse as that's even more embarrassing.

    I guess you will ignore this and think I'm a prick but oh well.
     
  17. Falc

    Falc Member+

    Jul 29, 2006
    Club:
    Juventus FC
    Benitez is a fool. If the provincial sides are bunkering against Napoli it is a sign of respect. Juve get it all of the time. The lower sides are not going to open up and look like Arsenal.
     
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  18. Calcio Pauly

    Calcio Pauly Member+

    Jun 17, 2012
    Club:
    AC Milan
    Chooch explained it though. Benitez is just pissed that he can't open it up against these teams, but he seems to have no problem using tactics like this when it serves his purpose. Ditto many EPL managers. Himself included when he was there.
     
  19. indestructible

    indestructible Member+

    SSC Napoli
    Jan 14, 2007
    Mercato Professor
    Club:
    SSC Napoli
    Nat'l Team:
    Italy
    Benitez is right, but he's also wrong. Yes the old style italian way of winning is dead. Today players are bigger, faster and stronger than ever. The style that these old italian managers cling on to that worked in the 80's and 90's is dead. If you want to win you need to score. It also doesn't help that we don't produce the same calibre of defenders we used to. However that's not just a problem in Italy but internationally as well.

    I see positive changes already happening in Italy though. They're just happening slowly.

    At the same time I don't subscribe to his football mentality. Guys like Benitez, Wenger can only win if they have a war chest of money to spend. I can coach and manage Napoli too if I had that money. I'm a fan of well balanced squads.

    Or maybe we can just take the Spansih approach:

    "DRUG THEM WHEN THEY'RE YOUNG"
     

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