Fabio Cannavaro is following Serie A from Uzbekistan with the eye of a coach who still finds pleasure in the game. During the international pause, the 53-year-old has been reviewing his national team’s work, planning with his staff and watching his players, while keeping one match firmly marked on his calendar: Como-Roma.
The former Ballon d’Or winner says he is enjoying a particularly fulfilling period with Uzbekistan. He believes the team has made clear progress after lowering the average age of the squad, producing convincing wins and retaining its identity even in defeat, including against South Korea.
Quick facts
- Cannavaro sees Inter as the strongest side in Serie A because of their depth and continued ambition.
- He identifies Roma and Como as the most immediate challengers, while stressing that only six league rounds have been played.
- He expects Napoli under Massimiliano Allegri and Juventus under Luciano Spalletti to improve with patience.
- Cannavaro will attend Napoli-Roma at the Maradona on 24 October.
- Uzbekistan are preparing for a demanding Asian Cup group after their World Cup experience.
Como-Roma is next on his viewing list for more than one reason. Cannavaro admires Gian Piero Gasperini’s Roma for their quality and relentless aggression, describing a side that presses man for man and gives opponents little room to settle on the ball.
He also considers Cesc Fabregas’s Como among the most modern teams in the division. In Cannavaro’s view, the club can no longer be treated as an unexpected visitor near the top end of the conversation: the investment has been significant, but so has the planning behind it.
Inter, however, remain his early benchmark. Cannavaro points to the options available to Cristian Chivu, with players capable of starting regularly emerging from the bench, and believes the champions have strengthened despite already having won. “They are built like a battleship,” he said.
Roma and Como have both impressed him technically and mentally, but Cannavaro urges restraint at this stage of the campaign. The league table is still taking shape, and he does not want the sixth round to be treated as a final verdict on the season.
He expects more from Napoli, despite the injuries that have complicated Allegri’s start. Cannavaro recently met the Napoli coach and spoke warmly of him, insisting that Allegri knows how to address problems once his squad is given a fairer run physically.
Juventus are another side he expects to rise. Cannavaro calls Spalletti a tireless innovator, a coach able to add something fresh to a team, but says the work will require time before Juventus return fully to their expected level.
Lazio have been one of his more pleasant surprises. Cannavaro knows Gennaro Gattuso well and believes his friend has shown his coaching quality in a difficult, or at least complicated, environment, with the team’s principles and organisation becoming increasingly visible.
Milan, by contrast, still appear to him to be between two stages. Yet the presence of players such as Luka Modric and Adrien Rabiot is a reminder of the individual class available to the Rossoneri.
Cannavaro has also noticed a change in the rhythm of Italian football. Matches seem to be running longer, with less time lost, and he welcomes the refereeing approach associated with Daniele Orsato’s work. He sees it as part of the changes introduced around the World Cup, reforms that football evidently needed.
Asked about the Ballon d’Or, Cannavaro looked beyond the most recent headlines. His choice would be Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, whom he regards as the defining football figure in last season’s Champions League. Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi have their own powerful cases, he said, but Kvaratskhelia’s performances were exceptional.
For Cannavaro, Uzbekistan remain the central project. The national side experienced the World Cup with excitement and treated it as an education, coming away stronger regardless of results. He described the month as one of the finest periods of his life.
The manager’s satisfaction is also rooted in the future. Uzbekistan handed an international debut to a player who was still 16 and would turn 17 three days later, a moment Cannavaro regards as proof of the path being built. The federation is pleased with the direction of the work, he says, and the upcoming Asian Cup will test that progress in a tough group.
There is still room in his schedule for Italy. On 24 October, Cannavaro will be in Naples for Napoli-Roma at the Maradona, a fixture he says he cannot miss. For a coach living a new chapter abroad, Serie A remains part of the weekly story.
