Torino beat Bologna 1-0, but coach Walter Mazzarri was extremely irritable, warning Simone Verdi will be dropped if he “doesn’t show respect.”
The tactician was visibly irked during the post-match interview with Sky Sport Italia and exchanged some tense words with pundit Gianluca Marocchi.
“I tip my hat to Sinisa Mihajlovic and his collaborators, because Bologna are an impressive team and caused us a lot of problems today,” started Mazzarri.
Torino beat Bologna 1-0, but coach Walter Mazzarri was extremely irritable, warning Simone Verdi will be dropped if he “doesn’t show respect.”
The tactician was visibly irked during the post-match interview with Sky Sport Italia and exchanged some tense words with pundit Gianluca Marocchi.
“I tip my hat to Sinisa Mihajlovic and his collaborators, because Bologna are an impressive team and caused us a lot of problems today,” started Mazzarri.
“We were a little lucky, but I think we earned that good fortune with our approach and deserved the victory. We fought hard with Bologna, were tired after the Coppa Italia on Thursday and Simone Zaza was hurt too, so there were few options to rotate.
“It was a win from the whole group. It’s remarkable we’ve had our recent results in these conditions.”
Despite the result, the Torino ultras continue to be on strike and protest the players, something Salvatore Sirigu ranted against earlier this week.
“I am a coach and want to talk about football only, not what happens in the stands. The lads put in the utmost effort and I don’t want you stirring up trouble.
“What’s happening with the fans has nothing to do with football, as there are other issues under the surface, other mechanisms in action, which have nothing to do with our performances.”
Mazzarri was even more annoyed when it was pointed out that Verdi stormed off the pitch after a substitution.
“When I substitute Verdi, I do it for a good reason and he knows full well what that is. If he starts losing the ball repeatedly in midfield, the way he did in the second half today, then he’s getting taken off.
“He is a player like all the others and ought to have respect not just for the coach, but also his teammates. If the club looks at his attitude, Verdi will be fined.
“I was not happy with his performance, and in fact when Diego Laxalt came on, we were no longer under pressure. If he continues to play like that, he’s getting benched.”