Former Italy coach Marcello Lippi warns Tottenham Hotspur that ‘everyone wants Conte’ and says Igor Tudor has been the best coach in Serie A this term.
During his latest interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper, Lippi shared his thoughts on the best coaches in Italy and Europe and named Milan starlet Sandro Tonali as the best player of the season in Serie A. “He is a mix between Pirlo and Gattuso, similar to De Rossi,” said Lippi.
Lippi was the last coach to lift the Champions League with Juventus in 1996 and led Italy to win the 2006 World Cup, but who are the best coaches in the world at the moment?
“Among the Italians, I say Roberto Mancini, Massimiliano Allegri and Antonio Conte, everyone wants him,” he said.
“In Europe, Thomas Tuchel, Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp. When Arrigo Sacchi and I met Tuchel, he asked us so many things…he wanted to learn.”
How about the best coach in Serie A this season?
“Igor Tudor. His Verona side is very organised and with strong motivations. I must say that he surprised me a little. He was not like Conte or Didier Deschamps, but a serious and quiet worker, he is such a good coach now.”
Many players of Lippi’s Juventus became coaches after the end of their playing career: Conte, Deschamps and Tudor, just to name a few, played in the same team for many years, along with Zizou Zidane.
“I also like Alessio Dionisi and Vincenzo Italiano” Lippi continued. “But my ideal coach is Ivan Juric. He convinces his players to give their best, he enters their minds. The psychological aspect is crucial and the master is Carlo Ancelotti.
“Let me congratulate Davide Nicola as well. He always takes over at teams that seem dead, but he manages to reorganise them and most of the time, he leads them to survival.”
Nicola’s Salernitana picked up a 1-1 draw against Atalanta yesterday and are unbeaten in the last four games. They are just two points behind Cagliari in 17th. The two Serie A strugglers will meet at the Stadio Arechi on Sunday in a crucial match for Serie A survival.