Marcello Lippi believes Milan will win the title, but refuses to blame Inter boss Simone Inzaghi, who made just ‘one mistake.’
The 2006 Italy World Cup winner discussed the Serie A title race in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, where he also spoke about the best coaches in Europe and Italy.
Only two points divide Inter and Milan with three games remaining in Serie A, so who will win the title?
“Over the last two months, I had thought that Inter would make it,” Lippi said.
“They seemed the favourite, more angry, determined and with a game in hand, but the match in Bologna changed everything. Now Milan have the edge. Two-point lead and a better head to head record. I say Milan.
“I like Stefano Pioli, he’s a practical coach with a great organisation. He transmits serenity to his team. To some extent, we are similar,” Lippi continued.
“I don’t think Inter play old-fashioned football. Inzaghi handles technical resources well. He got the Bologna game wrong, but every top team has struggled against Inter. His plan B is to introduce players with different characteristics.”
All Serie A clubs have been eliminated before the Champions League quarter-finals for the second successive season. What’s the biggest issue for Italian sides in Europe’s elite competition?
“It’s a matter of quality. We don’t have great players. Liverpool, City, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid are better teams and they go all the way through,” said Lippi.
Juventus have snatched a top-four finish with three games to spare, but should Max Allegri’s boys have regrets about this season’s results?
“No, they shouldn’t. One season like this can happen. They signed Dusan Vlahovic and many more will come. Allegri is a warranty. A very concrete coach and excellent at handling top players. That’s why I think he would need some more.”
During the second part of his interview, Lippi praised his former player Igor Tudor saying that he is the best coach in Serie A this term, while he named Milan starlet Sandro Tonali as the best player in the league for 2022-23.
Lippi: “Milan favorito: mi ha sorpreso, i miei Oscar vanno a Tonali e Tudor” https://t.co/qqzcKx1pO7
— La Gazzetta dello Sport (@Gazzetta_it) May 3, 2022
Verily, He hath spoken.
Lippi at least speaks something understandable and not completely absurd. Sacchi on the other hand is deep in senility.
Which is why Lippi has a World Cup (as well as everything else) and Sacchi doesn’t.
Nonsense.
One lost on penalties in the final, the other won, nothing to do with the coach.
Lippi was a great coach, if a bit drab in playing style (very much the Allegri of his day), Sacchi is widely credited with transforming football, and creating one of, if not the, best club side ever.
@Ricky
I’m surprised you refer to Lippi as ‘a bit drab’. His teams played with attacking full backs, usually three strikers, and I never saw them play it safe. Formations varied from game to game, even 3-3-4 on one occasion. And in extra time in the WC semi-final against Germany his team had 4 strikers on the field. Perhaps I misunderstood and you were referring to the man himself, who was usually very calm.
Inzaghi has no plan b, he just throws players on the pitch and hope for the best. He is a clueless coach,
Lippi must have a terrible memory as well, Inzaghi got so many games wrong in the second half of the season, not just the bologna game. That bologna game was just the final match were they threw away the scudetto.
In reality Inter really lost the scudetto with the awful results and performances before that Bologna game,