Di Canio criticizes the state of Italian football and calls Spalletti a “fool.”

Paolo Di Canio, one of Lazio’s legends, did not hold back and launched a scathing attack on the state of Italian football, following a disastrous week for Serie A teams in European competitions. The former West Ham player and Sky Italia commentator expressed his outrage, especially after witnessing Juventus being humiliated by Galatasaray and Inter Milan suffering a shocking defeat to Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League qualifying rounds.

Di Canio did not hesitate to criticize the exaggerated self-image that Italy has of its football. “Let’s set aside the Premier League, which is a completely different league. The same goes for other European teams: Qarabag even beat Barcelona once, but that doesn’t mean the Azerbaijani league is the strongest in the world,” he said, challenging the narrative that places Italian football on a pedestal. His sharp analysis did not spare criticism: “The perception we have of ourselves is that we are phenomenal, but then we concede six goals to PSV. This year, everyone thought Napoli could go far in the Champions League, and they ended up conceding six goals to a team that only earned three points against them and just five in the other seven games.”

The criticism of Di Canio did not stop there. He also highlighted the defensive fragility of Inter, which could have suffered even more in the final against PSG. “Conceding five goals in a final is unacceptable. They could have conceded ten,” he emphasized, underlining the urgent need for reform in Italian football.

Furthermore, Di Canio commented on the immediate impact of Donyell Malen at Roma, following his transfer from Aston Villa in January. “He is 27 years old and has never received the attention he deserves. We talked about him in cup games with Dortmund, where he was little more than a substitute. He arrives here, scores five goals in five games, and who are we going to mention? Gianluca Vialli? My big brother, a kiss to the heavens, I regret that they mentioned you,” he lamented, highlighting the lack of recognition that many talents face in the league.

The highlight of his criticism was directed at Juventus coach Luciano Spalletti, whom he referred to as a “fool,” a term Di Canio claimed was used in a friendly manner. “He says that ‘(Liam) Kelly doesn’t even know how good he is!’, but in reality, he is a fool. In a good way, of course, because he is a great guy, but there is no narrative, not even from the coaches, that leads people to believe that Kelly can become a Juventus defender capable of winning the league and the Champions League,” he stated.

Di Canio did not shy away from criticizing the lack of motivation and leadership in Italian teams, pointing out that, despite attempts to inspire players, the reality of their performances on the pitch often contradicts those words. “They cite this from time to time to motivate, but then we see performances like the one from (Andrea) Cambiaso,” he concluded.

Di Canio’s words resonate as a warning about the need for renewal and a critical look at Italian football, which, according to him, is far from what people think. Time will tell if this strong criticism will lead to the necessary changes in a system that urgently needs a new direction.