Sven-Goran Eriksson RIP: Our Interviews With England, Man City, Roma, Viola & Lazio Legend (Ep. 450)

Eulogy RIP. [Music] welcome to the Italian football podcast hello everybody and welcome back to a another edition of the Italian football podcast this is a very special edition a very somber Edition which we had not planned to do which we never wanted to do but when we were when yesterday on Monday the 26th of August we were re we reached we like all of you were reached by the sad news of the passing of swen gor swen Yan ericon we thought that we had to do something and we wanted to do a podcast to Tribute to pay tribute to him um and the idea that I came up with and Carlo quickly agree very quickly agreed uh or actually Carlo was the one who sent me the message saying well maybe we should release the two podcasts we did with him um as a tribute and and it kind of went from there because when we started this podcast in 2020 in September on the 17th of September uh on the 17th of September 2020 we released one of our very first interview episodes we did was with soran eron we were just we just started the podcast we had absolutely no we barely had an audience um there was no one there uh we just rebranded myself John and Carlo and we were looking to bring someone on uh someone big on and I managed to get in touch with s and he he of course said yes because he was very kind um and very we which you know which again speaks to the kind of person he was he treated everyone the same he didn't care that an independent journalist who you know just started his podcast contacted him and wanted to do an interview it was more about how you presented yourself and if you were professional he was he you know uh he would be he would he was very kind to you and professional back which he was um and so for us and for us and particularly you know for us it's very very it becomes particularly emotional because we spent an hour with him on that first time on that very very first interview one of our very I think it's the very first interview we did with anyone in football for the Italian football podcast um where we spoke at Great Lengths um about his career a full career you know basically rund down from when he joined IFK gothenberg to how he came to Benfica what the success he had there Italy Roma his you know the success he had there when he wasn't allowed to coach on the sidelines because Italy didn't allow foreign coaches to to be on the sidelines um the problems he had with with that aging team and especially bonc who who was according from you know in his words was negative to leaving Roma coming back to Italy fantina Sor and then obviously Lao you know was very close to winning the skto with Roma finally winning it with um with uh with ltio winning trophies with pretty much every Club he ever managed um is um is is is is is a true was was a truly truly interesting fantastic interview and we feel honored that we were able to to that he to to to uh to take up so much of his time and he detail everything he remembered from his fantastic career and then fast forward almost a year exactly later 2021 uh 16th of September we published an interview with him where he we spoke more about maybe perhaps his time at England um but also focused more on more um current events um by you know he he's you know he revealed to us the he'd heard that alri uh doesn't believe that Koski can read the game very well um we spoke of zatan Ibrahimovic and and his return to the Sera manini and so on and so forth um so yeah um we decided that we were going to reproduce or republish these two interviews the first one is from the 17th of September 2020 the second one which follows it is on the six it was published on the 16th of September in 2021 um so after this introduction um you you will start with a one in 2020 and then after that finish finishes it we it'll go segue to the Pod from 2021 the 16th of September 2021 we'll put time stamps uh down in the description so you can easily go between them but uh uh we um yeah I hope you hope you enjoy them and hope you share and and find um the memories and these interviews as as as warm as we find them especially now when one of the most beautiful and kind gentleman that football has ever seen um has left us so rest in peace Sven um thank you for everything and thank you for the Memories ever and hope you all enjoy the two podcasts starting with the one in 2020 now welcome to the Italian football podcast with John Solano Carlo gargan and Nima Tali [Music] First ever interview episode of The Italian Football Podcast with Sven-Göran Eriksson. hello everyone and welcome to the Italian football podcast and welcome to the very first interview episode of the Italian football podcast we are very very very excited during these weekly interview episodes we will be bringing you a special guest from the cou show world and for our very first one we have a very big one we're starting it off huge we are very pleased to welcome Sven goren Erikson the former man maner of Lazio fantina Roma the English national team before we bring him on though if you would like to gain access to all episodes of the Italian football podcast you can go to patreon.com tifp again that is patreon.com FP so without any further Ado we are proud and honored to welcome managerial Legend Sven gor Ericson to the Italian football podcast Sven how are you doing first off thank you so so much for joining us because this is a massive honor how are you doing I'm fine it's a blessure to be with you I'm fine thank you even if it's Corona times yeah yeah you're not joking it is absolutely a very delicate awkward moment for everybody but again I I hope you're doing well so let's just start with the beginning of your career particularly the beginning of your career in the CD so you arrive at Roma in the summer of 19 1984 this is following successful stints at IFK gothenberg and Benfica so with Roma you won the Copa Italia you fall just short of winning lto in your second season despite being level with uve with just a couple of matches to go so what are your memories from your first job in Italy and that title race particularly is there anything that you remember that stands out Above the Rest well h of course I remember a lot of things uh I came to a team who has been very successful during the year before I I arrived there H they've been winning the league two years before and the year before I arrived I played Champions League final against Liverpool at home and they were losing penalties uh I struggled the whole first year a lot with the mental I had a very good team but a very old team and a very not hungry team because they had Bruno Conte Roberto kuto graani they were all big big big big stars there were Kings in in in Rome and to do what I asked them to do to run a lot to come on time they didn't really like that so I struggled and then during my whole first year I was not allowed to sit on the bench I had to sit on the in the stands and I couldn't go into the dressing room in half time neither so many times during my first year in Roma I uh I regret that I left Bena really but second year was much better and uh uh we should have won the league we second game from end uh we only had to beat leche and leche was already in in C B and we didn't so we we would have won the league then but we didn't as a followup to that though can you discuss how difficult it is to work in the city of Rome people such as Fabio Capello have been very outspoken about this it's a difficult environment with a very particular set of supporters is that something you agree with you agree that this city is quite challenging to work in I totally agree I mean the the teams winning the big titles scudetto and and Europe and so on and cop Italia that is U Milan and Inter historically I think rarely another team will win the the league very very rarely I don't have any percentage any statistic but uh that that that's a three big teams and if you can win the league with one of the other teams like uh in Rome or Verona or something like that that's great that that's uh big big but the interest of football in Rome is incredible they have their own more or less their own newspaper coming out in Rome kport yes and that covers Roma and latio mainly more than half of the paper is full of ROM and Lao they have I guess four or five radio channels in in the city of Rome and they talking four hours Lao and four hours Roma every day seven days a week do it's it's beautiful if you are successful it's very tough if you struggle uh winning games I just wanted to ask you quickly you said you weren't allowed in the dressing room and you weren't able to coach in the first year on the bench or or near the team why was that what was the reason for that because I didn't allow four Rangers uh to sit on the bench really yeah yeah but then second year they allowed for Rangers but you had to work with the Italian you have to sit on the bench with the Italian coach interesting you know before me it was Leon he he he's Swedish but he didn't count as Swedish right he had all his life professional Italy so he was Italian good to see Italy hasn't changed much with these with these old rules no no no Italy is Italy yeah it absolutely is okay well so so moving on after Roma you you you took over at Fiorentina where you coached the young Roberto badgio so I would like to know what was it like coaching badgio and and is he the best natural Talent maybe that you that you coached in your career for is one of the best I had many I had wi Rooney he was not bad neither but you know you know bud was fantastic when he came he came with a coming back from a bad knee injury so in the beginning of the first season there he he was not really ready he played but he didn't play well and he couldn't train 100% but you could already see at that stage that this this will be a big big player he had uh more or less everything as a football player he had the vision he scored goals he made assist he could dribble and physically he was not a monster but physically he was good he was very strong very very strong legs uh so he became better and better and I mean second year we we reach Europe and that was very much thanks to him and donga and bonovo yeah he was my hero as a as a kid I I used to I used to have his yellow deodora boots and I used to want to have his ponytail but my my mom wouldn't my mom wouldn't let me have okay well so after Fiorentina you you returned to to Benfica and uh and you enjoyed great success once again but for for fans of Italian football they most remember that spell at Benfica for the the European Cup Final in in 1990 where you lost to Aro saki's um legendary Milan team one nil in the final what what do you remember about that final and and and is that Milan team maybe the best side that you that you ever faced in your career and Milan at that time was the best team in the world the best club team in the world no doubts about that I mean if you if you only take the four renders G through G from Bast and ra those all over 190 all quick good technique extremely good football player then you add half of the Italian national team more to that with B Costa Malini andelot name them that was a great team great great team so with benica there we know that it would be extreme difficult to beat them and and it was I think we did we Ben we did very well we defended very well against them but we couldn't get in behind bar Malini many times in 90 minutes and you know how Milan with saki they played they played very very short team they played offside all the time pressure on the ball so it was very difficult to come in behind them and we were not good enough to do that we had maybe one chance in 90 minutes so but we lost one n and well nothing to say about it they were better than me to move on a little bit further after that um you came back to Italy you came back to Sor in 1992 and and I find that part of your career maybe some of the most fascinating work you did in your career mainly because of the limited resources you had with the blue chti and also the fact that you you were you worked with Roberto manini and sisa movich two players which you had a very close relationship uh moving forward I'm ke to hear what your first impressions impressions of them as people and and and players were and and how important do you think they were for the succcess you had later on in your career oh it's a lot of things to say about that uh you know when uh I first heard from Sor I was in benf I got a phone call from uh someone I don't think it was a owner it was a vice chairman someone and I was invited to Monte Carlo to have a talk about moving because my contract with Benfica finished this was at Eastern time before I started the work I arrived there to a very nice hotel in Monte Carlo by private plane and uh I met in that hotel the owner the president manani with two players manini and the Ali and I was surprised what what are they doing here I thought when you're going to negotiate with new coach and he presented himself the chairman said uh I have heard your name he said but I don't really know a lot of football so I don't really know if you're good or not he said to me but these two guys here probably you know them he said they have put into your head that the only coach they want for the next time next years in santor is you so that's why you were here he said so I was chosen by V and and manini I would say h it made a we we made a contract and I stayed in Sor for five years and unfortunately before I started there manani phoned me and said Mr I have I cannot compete any longer with Milan Juventus and Inter economically so I have to sell the Ali before you start and he sold into Juventus so I never was a coach of Y even if he chose me as a coach but uh yeah it was a great time because Soria was very familiar club and we had good Scouts bought young players like kambur seedor Von who later became great great football players among the best in the world and as you said manini of course manini he was Soria he was coach he was Kitman he was fixing the the food he did everything with that club he was a president as well I think so and the captain of course and um I met movich there of course Movic he was on loan from Roma and he was a left Winger and after some month I told him Sina you are not a Winger he said you are a Defender I said no he said I'm not a Defender so we started to put him as a left Defender but after a while I said no Sena you're a central Defender and he protested he didn't want to play there so after some weeks I forced him you have to play there in another way on the bench and he was Furious and he did the for game very very well and that then he became one of the best in the world he came and hugged me after every every goal he scored and that's the minimum he could do because I saved his football life economically and and by years by far well you also these two players of course I when I went to Lazio after that these two plus Sebastian Veron these three I wanted to take with me then then obviously Lazio as you mentioned too mentioned and and your go the go I mean the the real golden age of your Italian career where you won won pretty much everything that was to win and another UEFA Cup final which you lost but you won the Cup winners cup after that I mean I mean aside from um crotti's Financial backing what do you think was the secret to this fantastic success that you had at Lazio in Rome a city that youself you see yourself earlier said today is in this interview said that it's it's a very difficult place it's a very it's a it's a PR pressure cooker pressure cooker that's a good expression yeah [Music] um the secret one of the secrets as you said was that between kot and me we became uh professional friends but also personal friends and he did more or less everything I asked him to do by selling senori which was Scandal according to to the Italian media at that time by buying more or less every player I asked for he should have bought manini M which andon the first year I told him buy these three plays and I guarantee you we win the the the league scudetto he only bought manini and second year he bought Movic and third year he bought Veron and then we won the league so when we won the league I told him you could have bought these and we would have won three times and he said Mis it's enough with one it's okay oh God so the only one he didn't buy which I asked for was batistuta and I can understand that he was extremely expensive and he was not young at that time when he played for fantina but he W sell us instead so it was not bad were you close to buying batia cuz he I mean obviously going I wanted bsta before he went to Roma but at the end kotti said no Mister we will never get any any kind of money back from that so we found Salas and we bought him instead yeah and and you won you finished the in Runners up one year and then you won this the year after that after the most dramatic I mean if we talk about dram Matic quto deciders youve against peruja away you winning in in Rome that that night I mean it must have been crazy I mean have you got any great stories to tell us from the celebrations that night because it must have been mad the celebration was great but before that when you you finish your own game and you have done what you should do to to be able to win the league and it the L game and finished and then you sitting in the dressing room and I remember no player took the shower no player changed position they were sitting just sitting for 45 50 minutes waiting for the game in perua to finish perua Juventus and it was sto because of a heavy heavy rain coming and that's a very particular way to win title because you sitting I couldn't sit I was moving all the time and and uh you cannot do anything you can only pray if you want and hoping that Juventus will not score Peru had scor then and that what happened but there were a long 45 minutes extremely long the longest in my life I think and but it's beautiful because I think the whole 70,000 at stud Olympic who stayed more or less all of them or extra 45 minutes minutes to wait and see what happened in perua and when uh when it was clear that we had won the league that was that was a big party Jews and half of the city not the whole city because half of Roma got crazy absolutely crazy and I lived it in the center of the city and I should go home after hours and it was impossible and they recognized me I had a Volvo and stopped in the traffic and I think 10 people fans were on the roof of the Volvo the police had to come and take the Volvo and take me home by police car but yeah scary but it was great and uh I think we deserve to win the league and we should have won it one year before we didn't but as not to said once it's okay well it was certainly certainly an amazing achievement and and after latio you went to to to take over as the manager of England and you know they were in a crisis when you I remember it well struggling to qualify for the World Cup um you immediately turn their fortunes around you you you thrashed Germany 5-1 in Munich and which is historic result and then at the 2002 World Cup got to the quarterfinals and and only went out to to that Ronaldinho goal which was a bizarre goal lobbing David Seaman from from miles out what do you remember about that game and and more importantly I'd like to know do you think Ronaldinho meant that or was it a fluke every time I met ralo after that go think for years in different occasions uh football occasions I always told him you didn't mean to score from there and he always told me yes Mis I I don't believe you you are a liar no no no no no he said of course he didn't want to score from there that's impossible and uh yeah what I remember from that game we started very well scored One n and just one minute before halftime they scored in the Counterattack we lost the ball we could have won it back once twice in Midfield we didn't and they scored 1-1 then they scored 2-1 and they got one man sent off as well so especially what I remember was when they had 10 men and they didn't need to score a goal and we in 11 we couldn't take the ball from them I was criticized the whole team but I especially was critized in England said why didn't you attack more I said bloody hell to attack you have to have the ball and if you can't win it from them they I mean technically they they were the best team and they were overhead the best team and they won the the the World Cup but when they just went on to keep possession it was very very difficult to get the ball from them and we were had to run from right to left they change side and uh we got very very tired and when we got it we didn't have the force to to attack as good as we should have done but looking at that game the same day we lost it and even today Brazil were better than we we they deserve to win and that's it and you were unlucky with England I mean you you lost on penalties in Euro 204 and and then again um World Cup 2006 in your last match against against Portugal which is a game that's famous for the Rooney red card and and then Ronaldo's wink to the sidelines were you I mean you're ly everybody knows you to be to be a very calm uh to have been a calm coach a calm man a gentleman but a part of you must have been a little bit unhappy with with the role that say Ronaldo played in in the Rooney sending off well uh Ronaldo was smarter than Rooney but he was older as well so more experienced but what I really regret regret what I difficult to accept is that 2006 I think there were no better team team than England in the World Cup I wouldn't say that we were the best but there were no better team Italy won it but they didn't play brilliant football Spain hasn't come to became the great team they were later Germany was so and so so Brazil so on so no I thought and I think the players as well they thought that we could reach the final 2006 and then once again penalty shootouts and of course you talk about luck it we are not very lucky because in that game we played one hour with the 10 men against 11 and we we created chances against them and could have scored but at the end it became as it became and what I regret there is that I didn't take in a mental coach for penalty shootouts I should have done that but I thought the team I had was very experienced with Lampard J beckan and so on and so on uh but um no we came to penalties and we we we failed I should have taken a mental coach for that and maybe the result would have been different maybe the same who knows I just wanted to quickly ask you speaking of Gerard and Lampard that never- ending debate about why they you know whether they could play together or not I I've heard you say that you think they can play together and I I kind of agree with that but why don't you why do why don't you think it worked any better well when you say that I will put the question to you the same question as I sometimes put to the to the to the journalist at that time okay you have Beckham you have Lampard you have yard and you have skulls you tell me who do you put on the bench and who do you take in that's a good question well you couldn't put anyone of them on the bench and no one from the bench would even be close to the Quality these four players had different kind of qualities but so that was for me not even I I I didn't even think about putting out one of them absolutely not and for me they could play together and I mean that they played it was not the reason why we didn't win the World Cup for sure final question on England looking back at your legacy do you do you feel you were treated a little bit unfairly by the British by the British press and and to follow up on that how would you compare the British press to the to the Italian press because they're very very different of course I was not fairly treated by the English press but also by the English FA because I was sacked because the fake sake what they said at the end I was not sacked because football reasons and uh the making up all that story was News of the World and that was before World Cup 2006 so they did it on purpose of course because they didn't care about England and the World Cup they wanted to sell and they wanted to Scandal and they knew that they wrote bad things and not true things and later on a year after I won a in the tribunal against them and I got right and I got wrong but that was too late but my my big disappointment was that I was sacked by the fa and I told the people in the F so you are the same as News of the World you let news of the world run the country and you you you you allow them to run the fa as well because you know it's not true well it it was a chance to se me I would have accepted to be sacked after after the last game in Germany against Portugal because we didn't reach semi-final or final that would have been better because that would have been football reasons and that time they would have Saed me because of football reason because at that time quarterfinal was not good enough for the press or for the fence or for anyone they wanted more yeah and we all saw what happened to the news the world after I mean they they closed down they they they they hacked phones they I mean yeah IL legal stuff wasn't it yeah no but I mean how they treated a lot of people I I suppose I mean yeah putting out a lot of money costing them for for making up a story and then they destroyed a lot of lives they've destroyed a lot of a lot of a lot of people's lives and they they listening to your mobile phone for years when I was that's that's not fair of course it's not but anyhow life goes on and that's that was England and I don't know if it's the same today maybe maybe not but but if you compare that to the Italian press how would you I mean no Italian press they couldn't care about your private life and they would never ever try to to make your private life difficult to have a story no no no no no if you lose football games in Italy they kill you but that's fair that's fair because that's what I that's my job that's my professional job if I don't do a good job kill me then but uh you could do whatever you wanted in your private life and no one would care about that absolutely that's a big big difference bone he done a lot in his private life he certainly has to I wanted to ask you about a little bit General about this Italian team your your your Roberto manini your the guy who who was part of choosing you to Sor and will follow you Lazio he's I mean he's he's actually he's had a really good managerial career now and this Italian side that he's in charge of is looking really really exciting um how well do you think they can do at the Euros well I saw part of the games uh the game they played against who was it against Holland they played won one nil and I think they did very very well I've seen some other games as well and bini is doing a great job and I think he hasn't lost one game so far in in the qualification rounds and things for for the next Juro it is well it might be time for Italy again in the next big tournament U I wouldn't be surprised and you know Italy normally they defend extremely well they are very professional they are also a little bit dirty if it's necessary but they can defend one against one and as a collective and then if they found if they can find the goal scorer goal scorers they are very dangerous so they have now the LSU Center forward and he's scoring goals for fun so who knows and uh that manini would be a great coach that was I was sure about that because he lives of football he he thinks football he dreams football and he's doing everything as I said when in in Soria he was Soria and to have him on the pitch or in the dressing room it's always he always wanted the best for the players and for the team if it was uh santoria or when he came to Lazio the same and he wanted to win um just you know being an inista and also being from Sweden I have I have a quick question here were you ever how close were you to taking over the Swedish national team and also is there any truth that you were close to taking over in at some point 2010 when Mourinho left cuz there were rumors of this no in no I didn't have any I had the possibilities to go to inter when I was in Benfica in my second spell uh the year before I arrived to Soria then I had benf didn't let me go Sweden yes it was close once when that must have been 2008 2009 when they changed coachh but I had just signed another contract with another club so I couldn't do it but that at that time I I should have done it but I agree I think you could have worked wonders with that generation of players to be honest I think you could do that now I think I'm the only one one of the few people who wants you to take over the Swedish national team now thank you right uh speaking of Sweden I mean your strength as a coach has always been to build a team out of strong individuals Glenn stai spoke of this of having you as a coach this is your ability to build and also vieri Christian vieri saying you're the best coach he ever had your ability to build a team out of strong individuals yeah I I've seen him say that um and in Sweden there's been this debate that the Swedish national team was a better team without Zlatan Ibrahimovic who was a strong individual technical player what are your thoughts thoughts on that whole debate do you think Sweden are were better without him or are better without him well that's very very delicate discussion you're coming with you know Sweden has been successful you could say during the last years and they have a collective uh team they defend extremely well in set pieces and in the open game and they work extremely hard if you take the Strikers during last Toyon and Barry and L tournament they worked they were Defenders and attackers and now to is away but the other one he runs the whole day but you have always a but you don't have a Messi you don't have a Ronaldo you don't have a slatan you don't have a Jung Bell you don't have a broline if you talk about Swedish football m in the team you don't have that guy who can take the ball and dribble once twice and put the ball in the net easily by himself because Sweden it's Collective work hard work good work and they do it brilliant so I can understand the coot if he wants to play like that and be very Democratic on the on the field everyone's running like hell uh you cannot take in Zlatan because Zlatan I don't know if he can but he wouldn't do that he wouldn't run like marus SP that's impossible but probably would score goals and uh so it's well it's very difficult to say what's right what's wrong but um Zlatan is one of those players who can score a goal by ins in Sweden we really don't have those kind of players it's coming an interesting one now he signed for Juventus kuski yeah K think he will he's only 1920 I think yeah I think he has something who can do things for himself he can decide a game for himself and Sweden needs that and Sweden always had that but recently no we don't but anyhow you cannot complain on the results Jan Anderson the coach has done you cannot do that I mean speaking of the kki and Yan andeson and Zlatan recently as I'm sure you're aware I mean in January Zlatan Ibrahimovic implied very strongly that Yan andeson had wasn't choosing players with an immigrant background and then earlier this week when we're recording this on uh on the 10th of September earlier within the last week slatan went out on Twitter harshly criticizing Yan andish saying it's further proof you know koseski not starting against France was further proof of racial bias implying that that strongly I mean what are your thoughts on that whole debate what what do you think is going on here first of all I don't want to be involved in that debate I don't think it has nothing to do with racism or things like that absolutely not uh I know John Anderson a little bit and no no it's not that I think it's more about his philosophy that he trust the players he had for many years and he's very loyal to them and they are very loyal to the Swedish national team and to him and uh as I told you tactically physically all those players who play for Sweden tactically and physically it's very important that they do the job that they know how to do the job and all these he he's playing normally from start they know it and they do it you can be sure that they do it if you wake them up in the middle of the night they know what they do on the pitch defending and attacking for sure yeah I completely agree so last question here Sven and again thank you so so much for your time it is uh this has been great we uh we truly truly appreciate it so our final question comes from our Patron Luca over at patreon and I will bring him on now to let him ask you hello Sven my name is Luca chriso during your career you coached some legendary Italians such as Roberto manini Bobo vieri Roberto badjo and a whole host of others of the Italians you've coached which of these players do you think would have a spot in your England team and how would they fit in if you if you have badjo manini Nesta that's difficult to put anyone on the bench of that badjo will score manini will create things which nobody else normally could do and neest as a Defender well J ter fer and andesta I don't know you have to play three Central Defenders I think if you talk about these three players they could play in any team at when they were at their best absolutely they could and they did and just to finish off just for a bit of fun um we like to play a quick game with you it's a rapid fire game so basically what I'm going to do is I'm going to go through um a very quick list and give you two options and you have to tell us which of the two you like better so to start off are you Messi or Maradona Maradona Maradona Zlatan or van Baston Zlatan because I'm Swedish good answer romor or Lazio Lazio or Lampard or skulls that's a draw that's a draw pizza or pasta pasta sopia Lauren or Anita egberg Sophia Lauren most beautiful woman in the world at that time I agree Nadal or fedra I know fedra a little bit so feder finally who's going to win the sceta this season it's easy to say Juventus hopefully Lao because Lazio before the Corona virus they were playing the best football they played better than inter and better than Juventus but after the Corona virus I don't know what happened with Lazio they lost everything next season no Corona virus Lazio and they're coached by one of your former players Simon inagi right yeah yeah yeah yeah fantastic what does the future hold for you now I mean we're hearing that you might be taking over national teams what's happening what can you tell us uh nothing it's a lot of rumors a lot of contacts with agents some pre-contracts going here and there and no I don't know and uh it's always like that when jobs coming up agents contacts all the managers coaches who is out of work so I know that I'm not the only one they contact it's a long long list so no nothing so far nothing would you be open to returning to Italy yes but that would not happen you know I left Italy 2000 2000 yeah 2000 2001 so that will not happen but yes of course I would and I think Italian football is getting better and better Italian football when I was there during the '90s that best football in the world then Premier League took over and probably premier league is the best football in the world today the best league but I think It Italy's on the way back which will be very good yeah yeah yeah that's something we all hope for we I'm sure most of us would love to see the city out return to even halfway to what it was in the 90s for those of us who remember so I completely agree with you Sven this has been amazing you've had an incredible career and it was absolutely fascinating to have you share it with us you have been far too kind with your time we greatly greatly appreciate it thank you so so much please stay safe and everyone again thank you so so much for listening to the Italian football podcast again if you would like to get all of the episodes patreon.com tifp so thank you all so so much for listening and until we talk again next time bye-bye welcome to the Italian football podcast with John Solano Carlo garan and Nima tuvali [Music] Second interview with Sven-Göran Eriksson. hello everyone and welcome to another interview episode of the Italian football podcast I'm K gari and on today's show we are absolutely delighted to welcome back the legend that is former Lazio Roma Fiorentina sdor Benfica England and many more um the manager of all these of all these teams Sven gor and Erikson Sven thank you so much for coming back how are you doing that's a pleasure thank you I'm fine uh very good thank you well hi s this is Nan thank you for joining us um um I just wanted to start I just wanted to start off by talking about the serat um many of your play former players are coaching in the Syria and one of them is Simon inagi um and he's made a decent start at inter uh despite losing his two best players you could say or inter's two best players last season in ROM Lukaku and ashimi um do you see in as favorites to win the scudetto and one of our patrons Magnus cman from Uso asks did you expect Simon inagi to become a top coach during your time at Lazio no no I didn't expect uh him to be a great coach but he was very young when I had him so he was not ready to take a big step like like this but I must say the work he did in l with the team during many many years that's great I mean laio it's not a team who which invest a lot of money to try to win the league but they were close many times with the with with him and he has done a great job there now he's taking a big big step up uh where the pressure is much higher where winning is uh almost normal for inter Inter Milan and Ju if you are in one of those clubs you're expected to win something more or less every year and if you don't do that it's like a failure so it's a big pressure on him so we'll see how things will go um do do you think that in are the favorites to win the sco I think on the paper I haven't seen all the games now and they just started so but I think on the P it's one of them and I mean they won last season but you said here before they lost very important players and it's not easy to replace them so I'm not sure Juventus well Juventus lost Ronaldo so um but U Milan looks rather strong I saw them yesterday evening in Champions League and they were almost almost beating Juventus away they had 2-1 at a certain point but to be fair Liverpool they were the better team but anyhow Milan will be dangerous I think I agreed I mean speaking of Juventus they only have one point from three games and Max allegri are back is back but the club is I mean the team that they're already in crisis what do you think is going wrong at U well it's very difficult to say uh I mean if Juventus is not the one the num Wonder number one in the table something is wrong uh Juventus is a club they they must win if they don't win the league they must win the cup or doing very well in Europe so something for sure is wrong maybe they changing the team I I don't know I think to answer that question question you have to live together with them and see them training and playing every game but it's not normal for Juventus and I can imagine inside the club with the family and near and so on that's not good enough for them I mean speaking about a Juventus player Dian kuski he was tipped to become a big star when he joined jua last year but he hasn't really quite fulfilled expectations um why do you think that is and do you think maybe you know do you think Juventus is the best place for him to develop I heard something yesterday someone told me that the coach thinks that they can't read the game jeets they can't read the game good enough and I don't really know what that meant but uh obviously something the coach seeing in him that he doesn't trust him 100% or something like that because with the talent keski has and he can do things on his own uh it's strange that he doesn't play more or less every game that he starts more or less every game do you think maybe they should that he should leave youa then for him and you that's the best thing well I I I I think he shouldn't leave now but if he this goes on the whole season that he sitting on the bench coming on now and then then I think he should leave because at his age and with his talent and so on and also for the Swedish national team he needs to play uh regular if not regular 100% but he has to play a lot in other way he will not go on being the great player we all hope that he will be I mean speaking of the Swedish national team a certain Zlatan Ibrahimovic turns 40 next month but he's still playing incredibly well um I mean can you remember in your opinion has there ever been an outfield player not a goalkeeper an outfield player in history who's ever played as well as Zlatan is at the age of 40 no I don't think so uh I can't remember it anyhow I know that many many years ago a player called gag you don't remember him you are too young but you heard about him I'm sure yeah I think he played in alven at that time at the age of more or less 40 but on the level slatan is playing I never heard about it the only one I heard about was de s which I had as a chairman in Lazio I think he won the World Cup at 40 or something like that but he was a goalkeeper that's totally different we have to ask you about your former clubs Roman and Lazio where Jose Mourinho and Macio sari are and I mean they've both made good starts especially Mourinho has been an excellent start uh to life I mean you know Rome Rome is a very unique place it's a it's a very hot environment or Piaza um do you think that Mourinho and Sari are the perfect kind of personalities to to manage the the the Piaza that is Rome well first of all I was very surprised that Mourinho took Roma normally Mourinho takes teams which can for sure win something I'm not sure that Roma is good enough to win the scudetto I I might be wrong there I know them but it was a surprise for me anyhow I think Mourinho as usual will do very well first year second year then we'll see what's happening that's the story of Mourinho normally and um I'm quite sure that the players will like him especially the first years it's been like that wherever it's been I think and if someone can do something very positive during the first years now with r I think it's more so that shall be very very nice to see and but I'm not sure they they Roma or Lao can compete with with Milan and normally Juventus and in and in this case it seems to be Milan and in who's doing better than Juventus so far I mean just a final question uh on this year I mean Napoli have started really well as well and some people have them as an outsider to win the Sy what do you make of spalet Napoli and their chances to win the Syria but I don't know where spalet has been during the last year if he has done something I don't know about or nothing holiday he's been on holiday yeah he's been on holiday in Tuscany he has a Vineyard in Tuscany that he's been staying at yeah no but uh I mean as a coach you can't uh he's a good coach you can't say anything other than that he's been doing very well in Italy in Russia and so on so I think it's a good choice and uh I suppose he's very hungry to show that he still can do it and uh yeah hry of success of course and I mean Napolis very special team a lot of emotions a lot of feelings and things like that and I mean if you can make Napoli work and they playing good football and doing rather good result life should be life I suppose is beautiful in Napoli it's like Rome but even more I would guess in Napoli yeah well talking about beautiful things your your former player and pup Roberto manini he led Italy to the to the Euro European championship title this this summer um what did you make of the Victory and and have you spoken to to Roberto since since the since they won the title no I left a lot of message to him congratulations I haven't spoken to him but uh that was very well deserved because Italy they were the best team in in in that tournament h i I guessed before and during the tournament that everything was done for England they played six of seven games at Wembley I think they were lucky with some decisions from the referee and things like that so I I thought they they would win it but U they didn't and that was fair Italy the best team manini I can I can talk the whole day if you want about manini and I mean he that he's a good coach I knew that since 20 25 years ago when he was a player when I had him he if anyone will be a coach a good coach that will be him because he's thinking he's living football is always in his brain and it's been like that since he was 20 years old I guess and they played such beautiful foot that's not a surprise and and that he plays good football with his teams yes it's not a surprise because he is and uh manin is a perfectionist you say in Swedish in everything he's doing he dressing elegant his training is elegant his way of playing football is elegant it's it shall be good but good with CLA as well that's important for him yeah it sure it sure was that's what he produced in the the Euro yeah yeah absolutely and and and manini's Italy staff had a lot of former players you coached at Sor Lombardo iani nari tto salsano um I mean a part of you must feel responsible a little bit for Italy's Victory V as well man is very uh attacked attached uh Fidel you say in it Italian to his old teammates and he trust them he support them then he's always been like that wherever he's gone Lombardo's been with him Ian has been there and and players ex players he played with them he and I think it's a very good idea and it's very nice of him to remember his old mates and and he shows that he trust him and also the made part of it so V and manini years ago that they were a legend both of them in Soria yeah absolutely and perhaps the biggest reason why Italy won the final was because they they dominated Midfield and like Italy has this golden generation in Midfield uh England though there I mean there's a lot of debate about this in England right now that they struggle to produce I mean England has a good generation right now but they still struggle to produce Central midfielders who can you know dictate and control the game like aista type you know they have Runners defensive players like Declan rise Calvin Phillips but they don't have players like georgino verati or you know a jaavi or Iniesta these kind of players who are comfortable in with the ball they control the game and I think it was probably the same maybe a little bit when you were England manager you had you had worldclass midfielders like Lampard Gerard but these these guys were not regas they weren't the kind of guys that controlled the game um so you you probably the best person to why do if you talk about if you talk about yeah if you talk about number 10 maybe you don't find it in England and I I really didn't have it it wasone or steeven Gerard Lampard or Paul SC maybe was the closest to to be that guy who controlled the game and things like that but unfortunately during my time he after Portugal 2004 he didn't want to play in the national team anymore and that was a p but why Italy won it yeah good players of course but I was happy to see that his the style of Italy won the the big tournament and the style when I say that it was they good at keeping the ball but they playing very direct when they win the ball they attack they attack they attack and I think like a symbol a little bit of a symbol for how they was how they played was kiaa kiaa I mean he he's not a brilliant tactical player but he attacks all the time he try to take on players he lose the ball next time he get it you think maybe he lost a little bit of confidence no he tries again and again and again yeah and I like that by Italy when they won the the ball they they looked forward they tried to get forward it was not like in Spain I mean Spain that's been number one in football for many many years on Barcelona the style and now Manchester City and so but it's good to see that it's exists another way to play football and you can do it with style and you can do it with results and that's why I was very happy one of the reason I was happy that Italy won it so yeah they played both ways and um just final question on International football arson Wenger revealed last week that FIFA is planning to hold the World Cup every two years instead of every four years our Patron mes wants to know is that something you support a World Cup every two years well it's a huge tournament but I I I doubt it because in one way that will kill the Euro uh and I mean the the Europe we play it in Europe but they do it in Asia they do it in America and Africa and so on so I don't think you can take away that and then I mean if the world C is every second year and you call Collision with the EUR you must have time to qualify for these big tournaments as well I mean uh if you take away the qualification or or things like that lot of countries losing Albania against SP Spain for example I mean that's a dream for Albania you cannot take away that from football so World C every second year I'm not quite sure about that yeah no but I can understand FIFA because that's money of money but I I uh no I would think twice about that people I say yes but just one final question on Italy um I mean one of the biggest talking points in in Italian football the last few years has been the lack of a number nine a lack of you know the you know like someone like manini themselves during his play day playing days or luconi or filipo inagi the lack of a natural number nine that can score goals belotti and chiro imob obviously not functioning that well I mean what what do you think Italy manini should do do you think he should maybe go to a false nine and play Maybe Zolo there what's your thoughts on that well he tried be mob very much during the tournament and I don't know how many goals he scored in over not many two yeah two okay maybe not good enough for a team like Italy to have one in a big tournament only scoring two goals but I if when you are the the coach of a national team you cannot go out by number n so you have to trust what the clubs coming with and I I don't know Italian football that well so I don't know under 21 and so if they have someone's coming in another way I mean he did it without the big great number nine in the EUR so why not go on with it okay um I mean during your during the height of your career you were one of the best coaches in the world which coaches impress no but it's true true I mean what you did with my team IFK gothenberg was a miracle in ' 82 um which coaches impress you the most today well one of them I must say manimi because I think uh before the EUR started I I don't think many would say Italy will win it maybe some people but uh so I'm impressed of what mantin has done with Italy and if you see the statistic that's incredible then of course if you want to follow the the the flow it's Guardiola back Guardiola back Guardiola and is the best but if you are the coach of Barcelona Bayern Munich and Manchester City with all the money you [Music] have it's easier to win than Italy winning the EUR so it's very difficult to say who is the best coach and and things like that and so so sorry Sven so smini you say he should win the coach of the year when they decide it at the you know the balandor or the FIFA Awards he should he should win Coach of the Year this year I I think he he will be a very strong candidate to do that uh absolutely because that City wins the league or Barcelona when that was when they were at the leag I think um it's more easy not to win the league than to win it yeah um as you mentioned uh Italy and Germany um they're probably the best countries in the world in producing Top Class coaches and although Gareth Southgate is doing very well with England and he don't forget Portugal yes absolutely I was yeah you're right Portugal as well absolutely um um but and and if we look at I mean Garth South Kate is doing well with England and he did really well with the English under 21s as well before that but there aren't really that many English coaches top coaches in fact an English manager has never won the Premier League in in the years of its of in all the years of it it's been in existence um in fact not even an English manager finished second in 25 years that's not a good result um why do you think that England doesn't produce any top managers anymore I know what you you're talking about and and I think the last one winning the first division that was before Premier League that was Howard Wilkinson he won it with the leads and that must be 90 I don't 1992 yeah 1992 1992 yeah and that's amazing if you think about it because uh you should not mention that to the English coaches I worked with a lot of them with the national team and also in city and so but that's a fact and I can't explain it uh why it is like that it's very strange and when you see a small country today like Portugal I mean when Mourinho started his career he went to inter and then to Chelsea it seems like they're coming new new new Portuguese coaches and they got in top jobs around the world and they doing very well of course coaches they are all over as well so it's I I can't I can't explain why English coaches is not are not that U I understand successful yeah um two final questions first of all there's been a big debate um about the European Super League um and your former player a certain Roberto badjo he said last week that he supported a change in the structure of football given the financial dominance and Monopoly that the Premier League and PSG have um is this something you support too no as it was presented as super league in in Europe absolutely not I don't support that because that would kill football in many ways um I mean Bera against Juventus or whatever EMP against Juventus or whatever it is Atalanta I mean Atalanta doing very well now and so on I mean there must be those matches when Juventus coming wherever Juventus goes or or if it's Milan or in whatever it is or Manchester City or Barcelona I mean for many players for the clubs it's money it's it's a highlight you want to beat Barcelona when you're a small team and if you take away that from football you take away a lot of things and I I I think that uh for football itself it would be very very bad and I was very happy to see when this came out that a lot of football players in important teams even players in those teams who should take part of that new Super League went against it they said I I no no no we cannot do like that and um yeah I I'm very against that I think you can always make it better maybe more teams in in Champions League or do something but keep the structor of the football and give the chance to every small team to beat Barcelona to beat whoever it is so no no don't take away that well I mean the the reason I think many people myself included has have been positive towards the European Super League is because you know you have state actual States owning football clubs like PSG and Man City I mean shouldn't do you believe that shouldn't that be banned as well that actual countries and states and governments own football clubs well maybe you're right but then coming who who shall who shall which organization which company which private person shall be able to buy a football club or not so I mean Paris San they didn't win yesterday and made a draw in Champions League no with all the players and all the money they have then that Manchester city is one of the richest clubs in the world everybody knew knew that but it's not a guarantee that they will win the Premier League the F cup for Champions League so I think uh what what we're talking about is shall you be able to buy all the best players in the world maybe but no don't put any restriction Let It Go for a while still and we'll see what's happening League I think it's it's it's fantastic because if you want to put 100 Swedish Crowns or 100 euros who is going to win Premier League this season yeah if you and me and 10 or 100 other people I think it will be very divided it will not be one team who sticks out completely yeah even with all the money city has it's not sure City will win the league no no yeah you're right um just before we let you go we're just going to race through some questions from our from our listeners um so um to start off with Robin Berner asks which player playing today would you pay the biggest transfer for transfer fee for sorry well I'm always been a huge fan of Messi I mean Messi when he's at his best still even with the age he has that's art when he gets a ball and he turns and he dribble and no space and he has four players around him and he comes out with a Bard so that's one of them but he's his teammate and B I always thought that he will have a great great future he is great but will he be a p will it be a Ronaldo Messi I'm not sure about it so I don't know I should put a lot of money on Kane because Kane is not a brilliant brilliant brilliant football player but he's a very good football player and then he's a good goal scorer yeah and that's what you need yes he's a guarantee of his 15 20 goals in Premier League yeah and that's what inter were lacking last night against Real Madrid a goal scorer creating chances you got to got to put the ball in the net I'm a little bit bitter today as an interista for that loss but anyway let's move um anuda nag Narayan asks how do you look back on your Roma experience now almost 40 years later um was it a great learning experience it was a great learning experience and I I think I came to Roma not in the exact right moment because Roma had been very very successful with leol yeah they've been winning the league and they played the final in Champions League the year I came but it was a player rather old players and they were a little bit spoiled they were old they were not hungry I talking about Roberto pruto graani we we bought bonc and he was not hungry at all for Success so I had difficulties to make them be a fighting team to be a Unity team it took me more than one year before we started to play really good football so Leon did great with them and he took out most of [Music] everything with them and then I came and I was I was suffering the whole first year but second year was a great year with Roma and of course the the the supporters of Roma and things like that that's absolutely incredible Peter nicolus ask what was it like coaching El commandante Gary [Laughter] Neville uh uh well jary Neville is uh professor mner in everything and Beckham told me one of the first training we had he said boss don't listen to him he's born like that and he will die like that he said but he's a good man he said he doesn't really need so no he gell is very very professional in what he's doing but he has that that he has to say his opinion always and especially if it's something negative but he was very very much respected of all his teammates and everybody knew how he was and nobody listened to him no one listened to him that's brilliant um Costa says which Sera player that you've coached was the worst at following your tactics on match day no I had a long career and most of the players and especially the big players were great uh take manini take Roberto fala and so but I had some players and one of them was sh bonac I he and me we we didn't uh we didn't became friends professional friends we had different opinions about how you should be in a football team and and so that was the main reason why I left Roma and U we were not on good uh we were fighting a little bit because of how to play and how to act and things like that so sometimes it happens that U yeah so sometimes yeah Mark morale asks he says with the advance of high press in football or high pressed football I consider Sven to be a Vanguard of this exciting form of football um I want to ask you what are you seeing as a problem in modern football for example do you see that players length of careers can be shortened due to increased injury no High Press I mean that's normal today when I was in Goen we did that that was 1982 and that's why we won the title in Europe because we did things that was not normal and we could beat Spanish team and German teams very much thanks to that to be aggressive and to keep the team very short and things like that uh today everybody knows that and it's nothing new everybody are aggressive and I mean if you take 20 years ago a strike he was a striker and defending that that was a job for other people yeah today everyone has to defend and at the same time everyone is attacking as well yeah you have probably only two two or three plays a goalkeeper the two Center halfs not taking that part of attacking but the fullbacks of wing backs or whatever you call them they are Wingers and so people has changed for sure um der F asks what was the proudest moment in your career as a manager well to win with Goldenberg I guess was one of them to win the league with the team in Italy which is not Milan inter or Juventus that's great and with LA we did it and also siging um signing for England that was a great moment and and uh the first time you hear the national him of England when you're standing on the bench that was that was beautiful yeah sure was um okay last few questions and then we'll let you go um you had you had Andre barilaro says you had some wonderful players on your Lazio team who had the best foot in your in your career that you coached well I think I've been lucky I had the maybe the best left foot in the world and I had maybe the best right foot in the world the right foot was Beckham the left foot was niilo no doubts about that yeah you can take Roberto Carlos of course and you can take a lot of right footed players but that be and and the AL had something special with the right and left foot pets up absolutely for the best free kick taker as well movich maybe ever absolutely both both of them incredible um Muhammad bin Shams asks uh what is your prediction for the top four in the Seria so like from one from Place one to four what's your prediction [Music] oh I know Milan inter let's hope I think Juventus more or less are among those for sure and number four one of the teams from Roma but well now I forgot atanta they are doing very well but the three big will be there and one team from Rome yeah that's fair enough okay penultimate one question basa Barakat this is an interesting one he says should a manager have a way of play and that he sticks to wherever he goes so I guess somebody like Pep Guardiola or should a manager always look to tailor the the best suited approach depending on the squad that he he has available to him well I think the best thing looking at that is when you take a national team where you cannot buy players two suits in it's not like having Barcelona or having Manchester City you buy the players you want for the money and you can buy whatever you want more or less in the world so that's that's uh easy than to to play the way you want as a manager to any cost but if you are in a smaller team or a national team you have to think twice before you say I want to play this way and it must be this way because if you don't have the players to do it then you suit yourself in your foot for sure uh I remember when in santoria we bought Clen sidol from Ajax and he was 18 years I think at that time when he came he said he came from Ajax he came into my office and said we can't play like this we are too defensive we have to play like Ajax and I told him Karen next Sunday we're going to play Juventus away and if I put up santoria as you put up when you play for Ajax we will lose 8 mil for sure so here it's Italian football and if we don't uh we have to defend when we go up there and then we might have a chance to beat them and uh I met seed of man many times and uh he said that was a big lesson for him that football is not only the way Ajax played football at that time they want this champions league and they played brilliant football attacking attacking attacking but uh the reality is that you cannot do that with any team you have no you can't James asks in his in your 15 years in the syat what was your approach to managing different personalities both player and Club hierarchy well it was great I think and I was lucky to be in Italy when CIA was the best league in the world every football player wanted to come to Italy it's not like that today today everyone wants to go to the Premier League where the best players are where the biggest money PE and so on so when you're in the big league and you're taking in players like well the team I had in laa for example that was absolutely world class and I had very few problems with players there because they were winners they were Champions they were very very professional they helped each other so more or less happy time in Italy very happy thank you so much for coming on S and I also want to let our listeners know that in during this year's soccer aid for Unicef this it took place on September 4th and it was broadcast live on ITV STV and the ITV Hub they raised a record-breaking 13 million for Unicef which you took part in so that that's fantastic job um on that and thank you so much for coming on thank you take care [Music] n