The Chief Executive of Sassuolo, Giovanni Carnevali, has ignited a fresh debate in Italian football circles with his bold assertion that the Azzurri....
The Chief Executive of Sassuolo, Giovanni Carnevali, has ignited a fresh debate in Italian football circles with his bold assertion that the Azzurri. �s failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup may actually have been a blessing in disguise for the game in Italy. In an exclusive conversation with GoalZaza, Carnevali defended this view with the conviction of a man who has seen the inner workings of the system for decades. Carnevali, a man known for his sharp football mind, lavished praise on the current Brighton and Hove Albion manager Roberto De Zerbi, describing him as an. �enchanting. � coach whose methods have given European football a new flavour. He argued that De Zerbi. �s rise to prominence in the Premier League is a direct result of Italian football. �s willingness to rethink its approach after the painful World Cup disappointment.. �Maybe Italy. �s failure at the World Cup was a good thing for the scheme of things,. � Carnevali told GoalZaza.. �It forced the powers that be to look inward, to give young coaches and fresh ideas a chance. Roberto De Zerbi is the product of that introspection. He is creative, he is daring, and he has given Brighton a clear identity in England.. � The Sassuolo chief did not hold back when detailing the qualities that make De Zerbi special. He said the former Shakhtar Donetsk boss approaches every match with a clinical plan and the ability to adjust on the fly. In a game where rigidity often reigns, De Zerbi. �s flexibility has been the lion. �s share of his success. Carnevali recalled how De Zerbi transformed Sassuolo into a formidable outfit that troubled even the giants of Serie A. While some critics argue that Italy. �s absence from the global showpiece has damaged the reputation of the league, Carnevali sees it differently. He believes the national team. �s downfall forced clubs to develop homegrown talent, a move that has already begun to yield fruit. Players like Nigerian international Victor Boniface, who honed his craft in the Italian system before making waves at Bayer Leverkusen, are evidence of this shift. Boniface, a Super Eagles talisman, has cited his time in Italy as foundational to his explosive style of play. Carnevali also emphasised that Italian clubs can no longer rely on big spending to compete. Instead, they must rely on astute scouting and player development.. �We cannot break the bank like the English clubs,. � he said.. �But we can match them in strategy and patience. That is the way forward.. � The message from the Sassuolo camp is clear: Italian football may have stumbled, but it is now walking with a new spring in its step. The question remains whether the rest of Europe will take notice. At a viewing centre in Surulere, Lagos, the reaction to Carnevali. �s comments was lively. Fans clad in the green and white of the Super Eagles debated the merits of his argument with the passion of men who watch the Premier League every weekend. Some argued that Italy. �s absence only weakened the World Cup, while others nodded in agreement that the Azzurri. �s misfortune had forced Serie A to become more innovative. One elderly gentleman, a diehard AC Milan supporter, raised his voice above the din to declare that De Zerbi would one day manage the Super Eagles, a prophecy that drew both laughter and applause from the crowd.
