RIAD – We start tomorrow with Napoli and Fiorentina, on the pitch for the first of the two semi-finals. The first edition of the four-team Super Cup begins with the match between the reigning Italian champions, ninth in the league, twenty points behind Inter, and the second finalist of the last Italian Cup, lost against the Nerazzurri, who will challenge the Nerazzurri on Friday. Sarri’s Lazio. For Walter Mazzarri’s team, the Arab trophy could be a way to give a semblance of continuity of victories compared to Spalletti’s magical year. For Italiano, fourth in Serie A, it would represent the leap in level, which he came close to twice last year. First at the Olimpico for the national cup and then with the Conference League final.
Half an empty stadium
It is probable, if not certain, that tomorrow the stadium will be half empty. The Neapolitan and Florentine fans will be a few hundred, with 25,000 seats. Even in the morning, in the lobbies of the hotels near the financial district of the Saudi capital, they were offered in the “no price” formula, which if it is not free we are close to it. You paid for the transfer to the stadium and that was enough to an agency. And thousands of seats were still available for purchase on the website, especially in the curves and on the straight not covered by the cameras. There is less availability for Inter-Lazio, and a full house is expected for the final, regardless of who the contenders are. Of course, it is unlikely that the full crowd that there was for the final of the Spanish Supercopa will be repeated.
Mazzarri’s tactical experiments
Outside the Al-Awaal Park Stadium, workers are working to replace the graphics of the Spanish Super Cup, won 5-1 against Barcelona on Monday, with those of the Italian trophy. In the belly of the Al Nassr stadium, which has had Cristiano Ronaldo among its players since the beginning of the season, Mazzarri spoke, a watch for each wrist, the actions of someone who is there to win. He clarified that Cajuste and Zielinski are available, but not Demme, “who seems to have had a strain on his twin, not a very serious one”. He spoke of the derby won against Salernitana, “a victory that did us good”. He assured, like all coaches in the world, that he will not be influenced by the market, and finally hinted that he is considering a change of formation. “It’s true that we tried something different, but it takes time.”
On the Super Cup formula
“13-14 years ago I won the Super Cup with Napoli with the old formula, I won’t comment on the new formula. They probably thought of having these two matches to open the Super Cup to the second ones too. It’s a formula invented by the League and it goes asked them why.” Mazzarri also responded to the question about the market that brings strong players to play in the Saudi Arabian championship: “I don’t like – he said – hiding behind a finger in certain situations. We know that there is a crisis in European football with minors economic powers on the field and so it happens that the most important players can be attracted to this country. The championship here will become so competitive and better, but it takes away European champions who have made the history of football.”
Italian: “It’s been too long since we won the championship”
The Fiorentina coach, Vincenzo Italianohas frozen the fans’ hopes about the possible use of Nico Gonzalez: “He played twenty minutes with the team, he’s recovered and we’re pleased. But it’s too little to include.” As for the fact that Viola were able to beat Napoli in the championship, Italiano said: “Too much time has passed since that match. A lot of things happened and so I think that was a nice parenthesis for us. We managed to express ourselves well, but tomorrow will be a completely different story.” The coach, accompanied in the conference by the defender Nikola Milenkovic, then returned to the two finals we lost last season: “We got to those matches after an extraordinary journey, and when you go to the final you know you’re facing a strong team, who have reached the final. In one it was Inter, in the other West Ham who are doing great things in the Premier League. But it’s obvious that we did a little something wrong. From a defensive point of view you are called into question against these big players and there you have to know how to hold your own. I hope the lesson has been understood.”
De Siervo: “In Arabia just for money? A nonsense”
At the end of the coaches’ press conference, the CEO of the club spoke Serie A League Luigi De Siervo: “We are here for the fourth time, with a new formula. I am sure that the Saudi public will appreciate a match between Napoli and Fiorentina, who put on a great show last season. The Super Cup gives us the opportunity to make our football known around the world.” On the four-team scheme, De Siervo clarified: “It is not certain that in the next four years the formula will always be this.” The same goes for the choice not to include extra time in the event of a draw, but to go straight to penalties. On the controversy of the Lazio coach Sarri, who spoke of the choice to go to Saudi as “taking the money and running”, he replied: “I can’t believe he said such nonsense, it must have been misunderstood”. Looking to the future, De Siervo has announced a system of agreements that will allow Italian fans to take advantage of travel packages to reach the Super Cup venue. Finally, he complimented the growth of the Saudi football movement, “starting from the condition of the pitches”.
2024-01-17 18:03:52
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