Antonio Cassano Slams Pio Esposito

Antonio Cassano, speaking on “Viva el Futbol,” didn’t give Roberto Mancini’s national team much of a chance: “The problem is that the national team is weak; the only star is goalkeeper Gigio Donnarumma, who made five saves in France—each one more spectacular than the last. Mancini will give us an identity; he’s also bringing in young players. But I see a lot of weak players, and I don’t know how we’ll turn things around. I don’t know where we’re headed.”

“Romano scored a fantastic goal against Parma and had a few good performances,” said the former Bari striker. “Then I saw him on the national team—he seemed a bit timid, with the pressure weighing on his shoulders. I want to keep an eye on him, but I don’t know if he can be the one to lead our turnaround.”

Cassano, on the other hand, tore into Pio Esposito: “Of the three Espositos, Salvatore is the best in my opinion—better than Seba and Pio, in my view. At one point, Lorenzo Insigne called me over—he was in the locker room, and Salvatore was there. I told him that he’s better than his two brothers, that he needs to lose a few kilograms and get his act together. He’s much better, but he’s lazy and doesn’t want to run. Pio and Seba don’t impress me at all”

“The weakest of the three, in my opinion, is Pio—he’s the least talented, let’s face it. I’ve heard comparisons to Vieri… Vieri was in a league of his own; he was the greatest center forward in Italian history, a powerhouse. He’s like Toni: clumsy, he falls down, and he struggles to run and shoot. He moves well in the box and shields the ball—if you play for Inter like that… but if you have to come out and move, he wants the through ball and goes for the goal. He’s a Toni—a clumsy one—and I don’t like him. Vieri was a champion; Toni was clumsy; and Pio Esposito, when he has to go one-on-one, passes it back—he’s afraid.”