Bobo Vieri interview: “Inter, Pio Esposito, Milan, Juve, Napoli and the transfer market”

A trip to Saudi Arabia for the Super Cup, another to Sicily to visit his in-laws for Christmas, before returning to Milan and leaving again. Between one plane and another, from one tournament to another, Cristian Vieri observes our ball moving towards 2026.

Vieri, after the Super Cup which you saw live, what remains on the path to the Scudetto?

“The fact remains that Napoli is still… Napoli. Conte’s tough and strong team, who wants a second scudetto. He proved to be a great team in the final in Riyadh: it ended 2-0, but it could have been 4 or 5. It was like a warning for the championship.”

Yet there was a moment when Conte seemed to have lost his grip on the team.

“Antonio didn’t ‘take back’ the team, in reality he had never lost it: he always had control of everything, even in difficulties. Napoli lost matches, even badly, but that’s normal, especially if you’re in the Champions League. In the toughest moments there was no need to raise your tone, there’s no point in going on TV to complain: Conte is a champion on the bench and, if there are problems, he simply has to solve them. That’s what he did, he was very good, he corrected what was wrong and now he has a title plus. He was smart to mix the cards a bit, but never losing is impossible.”

Is Neres also among the corrections?

“Certainly, Conte has seen that he is no longer the footballer he was last year: he is much more concrete, now he literally ‘breaks’ matches. He is quick, quick, with a brilliant touch: people love these players, they make everyone fall in love and have fun.”

Bomber’s assessment: who should play with Lukaku’s return, the Belgian or Hojlund?

“I consider Hojlund, potentially, one of the five best center forwards in the world. He can score goals, but he knows how to attack in depth and wear down defenses. Let’s add that he has a soft left foot, who is strong in head and body: he has everything, in short. It’s not easy to take his place away, but it must be said that Lukaku also knows how to make his teammates play well. Both are needed, but deciding who plays is up to Conte alone: here’s another wonderful problem to solve! I must say, however, that in Riyadh the team that surprised me the most was the one that lost the final…”.

What did Bologna surprise you with?

“It only deserves compliments: it doesn’t have the budget of the big ones, but it is in all respects a big one. Even just playing this final is a sign: it shows that competence and ideas make the difference. And Italiano has already… ‘arrived’: he is modern, European, courageous. He could coach anywhere and will have a great career, but Bologna is holding on to someone like that.”

Bologna mocked Inter: how is it possible that the Nerazzurri no longer win direct matches?

“Let’s start from the rankings: Inter are first, it must mean something… These defeats are the result of small, large inattentions, details that Chivu will be able to fix. His team almost always controls the game, but when they lose the ball they often risk a counterattack. They must be more attentive and concentrated there, in the hot areas of the pitch, but they are the best in the championship, of this I remain convinced.”

There is also the emergency on the right: without Dumfries until March, is it necessary to intervene in the market?

“I say that without Dumfries… there’s no need to complain! This applies to all teams, not just Napoli or Inter: stop crying, the squads are all deep. Injuries are part of the game and only come into play when you lose. Regardless of the transfer market, Inter should give definitive trust to Luis Henrique: you can see that he is strong, he just needs the continuity that he is finally finding. There is a time for everything, this is his time to prove that he is a top player.”

As a striker, how do you suggest managing these four Nerazzurri strikers?

“Having them… Better four strikers who score at least ten goals in the season, like in Chivu’s team, than just one with 20, even if at Inter, as always, Lautaro will score a lot. The good thing, however, is that there are many solutions: in addition to him and Thuram, this year we’re on the safe side with Pio and Bonny.”

Between penalty and injury, however, it is not the happiest moment for Bonny.

“He’s very talented, but now he’s discovering what we’ve all learned playing in the top clubs: there’s always pressure. Maybe at the beginning they wait for you because you’re young, but then they judge you too harshly. He’ll have missed a penalty, so what? The truth is that when you don’t win you stick to everything.”

What do you think when Pio is defined as “the new Vieri”?

“I think those who say that don’t understand much… In my time they said I was the new Boninsegna, but Pio has different characteristics from mine. He’s more similar, in terms of structure, to Toni, another real bomber.”

However, will 2026 really be the year of Pius?

“He’s doing well when he plays, but he’s very young, we have to be patient. Everyone sees him as big, tall, blond, but they don’t say that last year he was at Spezia in Serie B: going from there to Inter is a triple leap. You end up having eyes on you right away, even too much. Pio can improve, he has the head and is in the right place: it will only depend on him. But I’m not Harry Potter, I don’t know if he’ll explode immediately or later.”

Has Milan fixed their attack with Füllkrug?

“Everyone said that Milan needed a real 9 and they got it straight away. Now he has to settle in, but in the meantime he has already solved a problem: Pulisic and Leao, also thanks to the contribution of Modric and Rabiot from behind, have made great performances so far, but due to their characteristics they cannot provide presence in the area and physicality. The new arrival adds these qualities: Allegri is a master in management, it’s up to him to understand how and when to use it.”

In the long run, how much will it benefit Milan to never play in the middle of the week?

“It’s a great advantage, but you still have to always score points: here no one gives you anything. For example, Milan does well with the big teams and then fails with the small ones, while the exact opposite happens at Inter. Years sometimes go like this, they are strange and fortunately unpredictable: there’s no point in looking for a reason, every match is a battle and contains a thousand games within it. Whoever manages the unexpected better will make it in the end. In any case, Serie A is the best championship of Europe: the leaders always change, but we will still have fun with those four up front.”

Does he therefore exclude Juventus?

“But two weeks ago wasn’t everything black and negative? And now, after a few victories, everything is beautiful and positive? It would just be enough to maintain a bit of balance. I think it’s too early to talk about Juve winning the Scudetto: we’re starting to see something new, but we’ll really evaluate the Spalletti effect in 2 or 3 months.”

Would you see a Frattesi inserted there, in the Juventus engine?

“Frattesi would fit in with any team in Europe and not just in Italy. You don’t find midfielders of this type around, capable of entering the penalty area with that strength.”

Without Vlahovic, the new attackers will have to play more: will they surprise us too?

“Those who come from abroad always struggle, why shouldn’t this law apply to David and Openda? In Italy the game is more tactical, more closed, you need time and acclimatization. It’s tough at the beginning because maybe you play for half an hour, then you don’t see the pitch for two weeks, then you play a half. Now they’ll both have more space and we’ll see: they’ve always scored those two goals. Then Juve have Yildiz who creates: he’s different, special, he kills you one-on-one.”

Well, Inter are really missing someone who can jump the man like Yildiz.

“Inter get to the goal in a different way, with an incredible collective technique and a beautiful game. They are based on memory, you would just want to clap your hands, regardless of the result. I repeat, they have the best squad of all, but it doesn’t mean they will necessarily win, otherwise the football would be too easy. They were stronger last year too, yet in the end Napoli won, who were better, more organized, hungrier. We’ll see if it will be different this time, but also watch out for Milan and Roma.”

By the way, Gasperini desperately wants some tips…

“You simply have to listen to Gasp: if he says that two strikers are needed, two strikers are needed. Roma actually score few goals: if they could collect more from the strikers they would become very dangerous. Regardless of the names, Zirkzee or Raspadori, they must break through up front. And you shouldn’t discuss Dybala: he’s not finished, he has qualities that the others don’t have. And if he doesn’t invent it, there’s still Soulé’s foot.”