Fairytale for Atalanta and Fiorentina & the Brilliance of Ancelotti

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[00:01:32] It's Mina. I do apologize. I should have done this voice note a little bit earlier,

[00:01:37] but I did want to just come on here and speak to you a little bit about all the happenings

[00:01:43] in European football and it's been a great week for Italians. It really is just a shame that

[00:01:50] we don't have any representative in the Champions League, but we do in Carlo Ancelotti.

[00:01:55] But I'm not going to start with him. I'm going to start with Roma actually because while they lost

[00:02:02] and didn't make it, they actually drew with Biolaverkusen 2-2, but obviously they did lose

[00:02:07] the first leg. But while they didn't make it to the final, it was such an impressive performance.

[00:02:14] And you know, we had spoken a little bit in our main pod about what Daniela de Rossi would do

[00:02:23] in this particular match. Would he accept the loss and concentrate on the big set he had

[00:02:28] game to seal a Champions League spot? Would he actually try to give it a shot against Biolaverkusen

[00:02:34] despite being 2-0 down? And obviously knowing the warrior he is and knowing the personality

[00:02:40] that he is, it seemed to me that he was always going to be somebody who gave his all in every

[00:02:44] match. And he didn't have Dibala, it was they were 2-0 down and yet Roma were brilliant against

[00:02:52] an extraordinary team that had won the world that hadn't lost in 48 consecutive matches.

[00:02:59] And they scored a goal, but Perreides got the penalty. He got a second penalty.

[00:03:07] And when they were 2-0 up, I genuinely believe that Roma had now the opportunity to go

[00:03:13] all the way. But Leverkusen were still very good in that match and unfortunately they just have

[00:03:21] unfortunate for Roma but rather fortunately for them, there were just so many similarities to I

[00:03:26] guess a little bit to Real Madrid if you like on a smaller scale. I mean that winning mentality

[00:03:31] to not let go of the winning streak that they've got going. The fact that they still haven't

[00:03:36] lost a single game in any competition this season, it is a remarkable feat. The way they play, the

[00:03:44] style they play, the attitude, the intensity, the ideas, it is one thing that Der Osi said so well

[00:03:53] is you know the point is as we go out there and we do everything as well as we can and if we

[00:03:58] lose to a better team then we shake their hand and we tap our hat to them. And I just,

[00:04:02] I love that he said that because that's exactly what football should be about. And Roma

[00:04:08] tried his best as they can to play this game and to come back and to do something very special

[00:04:13] and they came very, very close, very close. But unfortunately for them, they were just up

[00:04:19] against an opponent that is truly having the season of their lives at the moment and competing

[00:04:25] for the treble. I did enjoy at the end though that Jacque was trying to run down the clock

[00:04:29] and he was like, I'm going to accept a loss. I just want to make sure we make it to the final.

[00:04:34] But the rest of the team were like, no, we're not going to accept a loss because we've got a

[00:04:38] winning streak. There was different, there was things that when I said that this reminds me a

[00:04:42] lot of, I guess Real Madrid is because that was an extraordinary game if you did watch Madrid

[00:04:49] against Bayern. But Noia was fantastic throughout the entire match for Bayern Munich and then

[00:04:57] makes one mistake that Jose Lu from Real Madrid as opportunistic as he was, you know, had already

[00:05:06] bet on that mistake and basically was in the right position to score the goal. And it was

[00:05:12] brilliant for him. There was an exact moment when Ková Levokousen's goalkeeper spilt. But

[00:05:17] unfortunately no one from Roma had taken that chance. And that was spoken about so much

[00:05:22] because it was like, ah, if only there was someone there then maybe there would have been

[00:05:25] another goal. We could have said this a thousand times if only Tammy Abraham had scored his

[00:05:29] opportunity in the first leg, then maybe there would have been a chance as well. But

[00:05:35] ifs and buts I guess also his fielder was certainly man of the match. He was just

[00:05:41] outstanding. He was brilliant in stopping and shutting down everything that Levokousen

[00:05:48] was throwing at him. But unfortunately for him, it wasn't brilliant all the way through. And

[00:05:56] Roma were too nil up. There's a corner. He makes a mistake. He doesn't get the ball. And it then

[00:06:03] bounces off Mancini and it's an own goal. And so Levokousen were now only two one down

[00:06:11] and looking for the second goal, which they then got on a counter attack to draw the game

[00:06:16] and win on aggregate. But it was a remarkable match. Unfortunately, we did see,

[00:06:26] we did see Spinazola come off. And Zalevsky was having a towering time against Frenkpong until

[00:06:33] they had to change over. So he switched wings. He switched flanks with El Shuawi.

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[00:07:42] I'm Alex Rodriguez and I'm Jason Kelly from Bloomberg. This is The Deal. Each week,

[00:07:50] you'll hear us in conversation with business icons. This show will explore deal making across

[00:07:55] sports, media and entertainment. That is a harsh lesson in business. Sports is not as simple as

[00:08:01] bringing a bunch of big names together. I didn't want to do another stomp you out speech. It

[00:08:04] opened up so many more doors. The Deal. Listen to the deal. Listen to the deal on Spotify.

[00:08:14] But yes, a few players. Lukaku didn't shine in this one either. We would have expected a better

[00:08:19] performance but I think that we need to tip our hats to Pérez who had an excellent match.

[00:08:26] Really showing himself up to be a great midfielder and I really think learning from another

[00:08:31] midfielder, just his movements, his confidence, his ability on the ball. He's been fantastic.

[00:08:37] Even Allegri said he was always a great player. Didn't work out for him at Juventus but he's

[00:08:40] always been a great player and I think we're starting to see that now at Roma. Actually,

[00:08:44] we have been seeing that now for a while. So that's what happened there. So congratulations

[00:08:50] to Bayer Leverkusen. Commiserations to Roma but they were outstanding. Big game coming up now

[00:08:55] against Atalanta. We wish them luck. As for Atalanta themselves, aren't they just the fairytale

[00:09:02] of Italy? It was a brilliant game. I mean they had drawn 1-1 at the Stad Velladrome which is

[00:09:10] a notoriously difficult stadium to play at. So they were the favourites to come back

[00:09:15] to Italy and do something special and special they did do. They won 3-0. Nothing more

[00:09:21] spectacular than his goal which was the second for Atalanta. A really truly beautiful goal.

[00:09:29] So if you have a chance please do look at Rogeri's goal. It was in the beginning of the second half.

[00:09:37] This is a fairytale story. Interestingly enough, Gesetta Dellosport

[00:09:41] wrote a piece about how Gesperini's career at Atalanta is really about showing

[00:09:49] patience to a project, showing patience with a coach, believing in him even if there are problems

[00:09:57] and helping and supporting him in order to create a great project.

[00:10:03] The writing and the column was based on purely and elegri and whether or not we

[00:10:10] should question their sacking when you consider how much Gesperini has been able to build

[00:10:15] because he's had patience. I don't agree entirely with the thought process behind this. I do agree

[00:10:23] with purely. I don't know if patience is what elegri really needs at Juventus. I think he's

[00:10:30] been shown a lot of support. I think sometimes something's just not working anymore right?

[00:10:37] But you know me, I always never really want to sack a certain coach if I think he's done

[00:10:43] something special before. I'm more likely to look at what's going wrong if I do think he's a winning

[00:10:47] coach and purely and elegri are winning coaches. So if something's not working, then I'm inclined

[00:10:54] to believe that there's a bigger problem than what they're doing. But with elegri,

[00:10:58] I do think it's a clash of cultures. He's used to veterans. He's used to experience. He's

[00:11:02] used to a different team and working with youngsters and developing a style of play for them

[00:11:08] is much harder task than what he is, I guess, capable of. It's a different job for a different

[00:11:14] type of coach put it that way. But it's an interesting thought because there was a moment

[00:11:19] there when Atalanta were not pleased with Gesperini. There was a moment there where they

[00:11:23] were talking about potentially sacking him or letting him go. And I remember last year and

[00:11:29] I we talked about this on the main part. It was Nikki and I and I remember thinking

[00:11:33] this is the worst thing you could possibly do is let go of Gesperini. And you have to understand

[00:11:39] that with the squad that you have and the fact that he does like small squads,

[00:11:44] that it wasn't an exceptional team that it had a lot of injuries at the time. And yet he

[00:11:49] continues to build something special, but he needs time. He can't always be competing

[00:11:54] at a top level every single year. Like no team can even Manchester City has expressed has

[00:12:00] had a bit of a downfall from what they produced last season. It is normal to do that. But the

[00:12:07] patients shown and the project that they've had, and I do think having a coach where there's a level

[00:12:11] of stability at the top, and you're not sort of biased by what the because he's fallen out

[00:12:17] with players, players have left because of him, players have come out and talked about

[00:12:20] the fact that they don't like playing for him. We've seen that happen with Timothy

[00:12:24] Castania, for example, or Papu Gomez, obviously. We've had players come out and say that they

[00:12:31] don't like working with Gesperini and they've left. And yet it has always been certain and clear that

[00:12:37] he says what happens, that the presence, the ownership believe in him. So what he dictates

[00:12:44] goes. And so if it's between the coach or a great player, the coach wins. And I think

[00:12:49] that's the right mentality to have at a big club, and any club. And the fact is, is that they

[00:12:55] at Atlanta behave like a big club, which is why they are witnessing the kind of

[00:13:00] success that they are. And it is a beautiful night for them for the stadium that is being

[00:13:05] rebuilt, well still has has a stand that's being rebuilt. But it's brilliant for them to

[00:13:10] have reached a final for the first time in their history. And it's so warranted and so

[00:13:16] merited for everything that they have done for Italian football and for the project. And

[00:13:21] they've done it right. They are the fairy tale that continues to surprise us and

[00:13:28] excite us with the style of play that they produce. So congratulations to them.

[00:13:34] Congratulations as well to Fiorentina for making their second consecutive

[00:13:38] Conference League final. This time around, they won't be facing an English side,

[00:13:42] but Olympiacos. So that should be fun. Well done to them because it was difficult to go up against

[00:13:49] Club Brugge. The Belgian side is a very, very well run side. It is meticulous in its management.

[00:13:59] And so I really, I did fear for them, honestly speaking, but I'm very happy that they've

[00:14:05] managed to overcome and to be playing another final. I do want to speak to about Angelotti

[00:14:12] a little bit because I think that it gets glossed over just how much of a great coach he really is,

[00:14:19] just how much what has been built around Madrid, but especially right now in the dressing room,

[00:14:25] is down to him. This episode is brought to you by Shopify, whether you're selling a little

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[00:15:59] I also want to mention David Angelotti, his son, who is the man in charge of training sessions,

[00:16:07] who is the man in charge of developing the relationships with the players. He's been a

[00:16:12] terrific assistant coach. And this is despite all the accusations of nepotism thrown at him,

[00:16:18] the idea to bring on Hosselou in towards the end of the game was his that was his

[00:16:24] substitution. He said he went up to his father and said, I really think we need to

[00:16:28] bring on Hosselou. Hosselou, if you don't know is a 34 year old striker. He has been a Real Madrid

[00:16:35] fan all his life. In 2012, he tweeted out if anyone had a link to watch a pirated,

[00:16:48] it's a legal link basically to stream a Real Madrid game. This was he wouldn't miss a Real

[00:16:55] Madrid match. In 2022, he went to the final to watch Real Madrid to watch the win again.

[00:17:06] And he was taking pictures as a fan just to go and watch his favorite team play. So imagine,

[00:17:12] imagine being the guy that scores the goals that they need to reach the final of the competition

[00:17:19] this year for a 34 year olds who had missed and squandered a thousand opportunities this year

[00:17:26] with lots of people trying to figure out how on earth he's the striker at Real Madrid for him to

[00:17:32] be able to produce like that. It is just so fantastic. And that's so much down to Angelotti

[00:17:40] believing in him and his son believing in him and saying he should be the guy that comes on.

[00:17:45] He's going to nail it for us because he did. He was the guy that nailed it for them.

[00:17:50] And I, you know, they talk about Pep Guardiola and there are so many brilliant coaches in the

[00:17:54] world and Pep Guardiola is certainly one of the very, very best but Angelotti is really king

[00:18:02] of finals. This is his sixth final. It is incredible to watch potentially winning his

[00:18:08] fifth now. There was only one he lost and obviously that was to Liverpool. But I think

[00:18:14] people sometimes say, oh, there isn't really an identity is too pragmatic. It's

[00:18:19] by pragmatic. Remember that doesn't mean defensive. It just means pragmatic because

[00:18:23] and you don't really understand what's going on because what Angelotti focuses on is

[00:18:27] raising the IQ of the players. So it's not about playing a certain style of football that

[00:18:33] is, you know, this is our planning and will always be a planning and opponents have to

[00:18:36] figure us out. No, he adapts his squad to whatever the needs are. And I think that

[00:18:41] they've become so clever. They're allowed so much freedom and obviously it's easier to do

[00:18:46] when you have very intelligent players, but it's also about unity and he's created a dressing room

[00:18:51] that is young, that is young by much younger than what he's had before with Korean Benzema

[00:18:57] or Ronaldo. I mean, he still has obviously Luca Modric and Tony Cruz, but it is the young squad

[00:19:03] that learns that being there for one another playing for one another results in victory.

[00:19:09] And that is single-handedly down. That is all down to him, what he's created at Real Madrid right now.

[00:19:16] He's supported by obviously Perez and Jose Alcáchez, who's an incredible, incredible director.

[00:19:25] They are very lucky to have the kind of stability that one dreams of at top level.

[00:19:32] The kind that Inter have right now that Juventus once upon a time used to have.

[00:19:38] But theirs is on another level. It's a winning mentality that they have right now that

[00:19:43] by Levacuzin looks like it's starting to develop as well. And I do think it's interesting that

[00:19:49] obviously Giabi O'Lonso had turned down Liverpool and turned down all the big jobs to stay at

[00:19:54] Levacuzin because the truth is, is that the job that he really wants is Madrid. And as long

[00:19:59] as Angelotti's there, he can't take it. And Madrid are also just waiting for one of

[00:20:04] Angelotti wants to go. That's when they'll go to Giabi O'Lonso. So a perfect man to take over,

[00:20:11] but it's not about Madrid. It's about Angelotti. It's about him and it's about his son.

[00:20:17] So we've got some young kids, some younger coaches making their making a difference right

[00:20:24] now, whether it's Thiago Motto or Daniela De Rossi. But I would be so excited one day

[00:20:28] to see Davide Angelotti in charge of a club. I'm actually going to write a piece about it.

[00:20:33] And so I will link it one when I have it published on the BBC. But anyway,

[00:20:40] thank you for listening to my voice note. I hope you have a terrific weekend. Ciao for now.

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