Gianni De Biasi, former Udinese coach and former Inter player, spoke on “1 Football Club”, a radio program hosted by Luca Cerchione on 1 Station Radio. Here is an excerpt from the interview.
On Sunday, Udinese could play a crucial role in this league championship. They are having an excellent season and, if they manage to trouble Inter, they could reopen the Scudetto race.
`Yes, certainly Udinese is having a good championship, but Inter is in a more than optimal condition. Everything seems to be in favor of Inzaghi`s team, although in football you can never take anything for granted.`
Could this be the right match to worry the Nerazzurri? We also saw it against Napoli: Udinese is a very tenacious team.
`Yes, it is a very physical team, well-led and with interesting players. After a not very brilliant start to the season, they have found balance and consistency. I believe they can have their say even in a complicated and difficult match like the one against Inter.`
Speaking of Udinese`s physicality, Oumar Solet has attracted Napoli`s interest. Do you think this guy is ready for a demanding environment like Naples?
`He has the qualities. At 25, he is no longer very young, but he already has a history behind him and is in his prime. If Napoli has set their sights on him, it means they have already made the necessary assessments, both from a technical and character point of view, and that he is certainly suited to Antonio Conte`s game.`
Vincenzo Italiano`s Bologna has still managed to maintain a very high level, despite losing some key players compared to last season.
`Yes, Vincenzo moved from Florence to Bologna, crossing the Apennines and finding a consolidated reality. Bologna had already had an excellent championship last year. Some fundamental players have left, but when you have a director like Giovanni Sartori behind you, you can always make everything work out. I believe Sartori is one of the best directors at a national level, even if he is always talked about too little. He works in the shadows, but his results are there for all to see. Giovanni Sartori, at the time of Torino with Urbano Cairo, we tried to bring him to us. He had even signed a contract, but then nothing came of it. These are stories experienced firsthand, nothing extraordinary. We are talking about episodes from a few decades ago, so now everything is statute-barred!`
How do you judge the sacking of Thiago Motta with the consequent arrival of Igor Tudor at Juve?
“The situation at Juventus is complicated. Tudor is a sure bet: he was a Juve player and also Pirlo`s assistant, so he knows the environment and internal dynamics well. On a character level, he is a determined person, and I believe he will try to have an impact above all on the mentality of the players. I think this change can benefit the team. Juventus, in the last ten matches, have had a performance worthy of fourth place in the league, so they have not collapsed, but have slowed down in the last five games. The defeats against Fiorentina and Atalanta were the last straw and the club decided to intervene. The primary objective is to qualify for the Champions League, which has a fundamental economic value.`
Staying in Turin, but let`s talk about the Granata side. Vanja Milinković-Savić has shown incredible growth this season, so much so that he has been linked to Napoli. Do you think he is ready for a step up in quality?
`Milinković-Savić has great qualities, both physical and technical. He is a very modern goalkeeper, good both in distribution with his feet and with his hands. He has the right characteristics to make a step up in quality, but I don`t know how much Torino wants to deprive themselves of him, because he is an important element for the team. Furthermore, Torino has had an excellent championship: they had an excellent start, then they lost their most important player in attack, Zapata, but they still managed to maintain a good performance. If you look at the standings of the last ten days, Torino is fifth, which demonstrates the great work done by Vanoli. It is not easy to work in Turin, but he was very good at entering on tiptoe and earning the bench.`
Would Antonio Conte do well to deny the continuous rumors about his future to give serenity to the team in this final rush of the season?
`Denying news sometimes means giving it even more strength. If instead you let it drop and focus on work, it is the best choice. Antonio is a serious person and, if he has made a commitment, he will carry it through to the end. It is not only what is written on a contract that counts, but also the moral commitment he has towards the team, the city and the players with whom he has established a relationship.`