Christian Vieri has little patience for the autumn pause, but he sees reasons for confidence in Italy and a crowded Serie A schedule ready to restart. For the former striker, the next stretch will test clubs, coaches and squads more honestly than six early matchdays ever could.
The decision
Vieri criticised UEFA’s calendar after a break that has left players idle for 20 days before asking them to face four matches in 11. In his view, the sequence makes little sense and is not comparable with the demands of a World Cup or European Championship.
He was far more positive about the national side and Roberto Mancini. Vieri said he had trusted the coach despite the doubts surrounding his return, chiefly because Mancini reshapes his teams and is willing to hand responsibility to younger footballers. That faith, and persistence with young players, matters to Italian football, he argued.
Gianluca Scamacca’s goal against Turkey was an important moment in that regard. Vieri did not accept comparisons with his own old style, insisting it was recognisably Scamacca’s finish. But he felt the strike could give the forward a lift after injuries had interrupted his rhythm. A goal for Italy carries a mental weight, he said, and can renew a player’s hunger to improve.
Daniel Maldini’s move to Cagliari was also welcomed. Vieri’s point was simple: regular football is more useful than occasional appearances at a bigger club. A season of around 30 matches, potentially playing the full 90 minutes, would allow Maldini to understand the physical and mental demands of weekly football and give his club a clearer basis on which to judge him.
Vieri applied the same principle to Moise Kean’s situation at Como: playing time is the key. He considers Kean a complete forward, capable of running in behind and scoring, although his physical profile makes sustained minutes especially valuable.
He also praised Italy Under-21 coach Silvio Baldini as a suitable guide for young players. Vieri noted the quality in the age group, citing forwards who can contribute beyond their scoring and pointing to the creative work of Mattia Liberali and Luca Koleosho. For him, their progress depends on finding room at club level.
On Cher Ndour’s spectacular long-range effort, Vieri acknowledged the element of fortune but said the midfielder should be assessed on the broader qualities he has been showing. He saw a more substantial positive in Sebastiano Esposito’s work with the senior Italy team, particularly his technical link play with midfield and the way he shared spaces with his brother Pio.
Sunday’s picture
Serie A resumes with Como against Roma, a fixture Vieri expects to offer an open route back into the league programme. He described both sides as teams inclined towards attacking football and was particularly interested in the condition of Roma pair Donyell Malen and Paulo Dybala after they remained with their club rather than joining their national teams. Under Gian Piero Gasperini, he expects both to have worked intensely during the interval.
Vieri dismissed early discussion of an Inter challenger after only six rounds. Como coach Cesc Fabregas has again made clear that he would rather lose while following his own footballing principles, and Vieri recognised a familiar Spanish approach: control the ball, dictate the game and generate chances. Defeat remains possible, he said, but that method gives a side a better chance of winning over time.
Inter’s home meeting with Parma looks favourable on paper, but Vieri attached a condition. If Cristian Chivu’s group is fully focused, the difference in quality should emerge; maintaining that level, however, has not always happened so far. He believes Inter now need to accelerate as the championship becomes more demanding and Champions League commitments intensify.
Pio Esposito remains central to that conversation. Vieri noted that the 21-year-old already has seven Italy goals, an exceptional tally for a shirt he described as carrying considerable pressure. He predicted that Esposito could eventually overtake Gigi Riva’s national-team record within seven or eight years, while suggesting the forward may begin producing 20-goal club seasons in two or three years.
That timing reflects an area still to develop: movement, especially inside the penalty area. Vieri sees more of Luca Toni than himself in Esposito’s profile, but warned that comparisons do not help the player. Asked whether Chivu could struggle to choose between Esposito and Marcus Thuram, Vieri’s answer was that such choices are part of managing a major club, and that Chivu has shown he can make them.
Parma coach Alberto Gilardino has Vieri’s goodwill as a former team-mate, although his first task after the break could scarcely be tougher. Vieri joked that an immediate visit to Inter brings the risk of conceding three or four goals quickly.
Lazio have also made a strong start despite the absence of full home support. Vieri would not predict whether they can remain among the leading sides, but felt Gennaro Gattuso deserves credit for what he brings to the job. He singled out Davide Frattesi, whose late runs from midfield are difficult to stop, and believes three early goals could become 10 across the season.
Napoli, meanwhile, must manage a growing injury list. Vieri doubts Massimiliano Allegri enjoyed the interruption and said the coach has time to recover ground, but cannot keep surrendering points while expecting Scott McTominay’s return alone to solve every issue. McTominay has been badly missed, he added, yet the response must be broader.
For Milan and Juventus, Vieri placed the immediate target in the Champions League race rather than the Scudetto contest. Milan, he believes, have found a leading centre-forward in Gonçalo Ramos after years without one, but the striker must be supplied more often. A centre-forward cannot be properly judged without enough balls to work with.
At Juventus, Vieri views Randal Kolo Muani as less of a traditional penalty-box striker than Ramos. Kolo Muani contributes heavily to collective play and is happy to create for others, but with Dusan Vlahovic and Jonathan David unavailable, Juventus require more goals from him.
Vieri ended by extending the same patience he demands for injured footballers to Jannik Sinner. Only athletes who have experienced elite sport can fully understand the workload behind it, he said. If Sinner has stopped, then he needs treatment; the length of his recovery should be decided by the player himself, not by outside noise.
