Sabatini has criticised Juventus’ lack of progress after their defeat by Genoa, saying he cannot identify a single player whose performances have improved over the past year.
Speaking on a video programme, in comments reported by FCinter1908, Sabatini also discussed the way coaches influence individual development and assessed the situations at Juventus and Milan.
“It’s easy to reference the popular saying from two or three years ago that coaches can make players better,” Sabatini said. “That saying is somewhat outdated. I’ll mention someone no longer competing in Italian football: ‘Inzaghi can make all players better.’ But I’ve always said, don’t take this as a universal formula.”
He used Hakan Calhanoglu as an example of why players’ progress cannot be explained entirely by a coach’s influence.
“Otherwise, wasn’t Calhanoglu poorly utilised under Pio Esposito and then better utilised by Inzaghi?” he said. “Players all have their own development paths.”
Sabatini then turned his attention to Juventus, who he believes have shown little individual improvement during Luciano Spalletti’s time in charge.
“At Juventus, I don’t see any player who is stronger than a year ago,” he said. “The so-called one-year anniversary of Luciano Spalletti’s tenure at Juventus can only be celebrated with quotation marks.”
He added that the problem was visible when assessing the squad player by player, rather than only judging the team collectively.
“If you look at the squad individually, Juventus has no player whose performance is impressive,” Sabatini said. “When the entire team has no player who can offer a glimmer of hope, it means the coach’s work is not good.”
Sabatini also rejected comparisons involving Inter midfielder Nicolo Barella, saying he now viewed him as operating at a different level.
“To be honest, I’m starting to disagree now, even when comparing with Barella,” he said. “Barella is on a completely different level. Good grief, who was the first journalist to say Barella was stronger than Goncalo Ramos?”
He nevertheless said Ruben Amorim should continue to receive backing, before outlining an unusual attacking selection he would consider for Milan’s derby.
“Amorim certainly deserves trust,” Sabatini said. “In the derby, I would try a surprising trident pairing Omari Hutchinson, Pulisic, and Alphonso Davies, with Davies playing as a false nine.”
Sabatini concluded by highlighting the importance of Adrien Rabiot to Milan’s balance, arguing that his absence significantly affects the team.
“But it’s clear that Milan without Rabiot is a completely different team,” he said.
