Antonio Conte gets his worst possible character witness and Aurelio De Laurentiis has a Chinese twist as Susy Campanale rounds up the week’s silliest statements.
“Conte is a man who wants to win the games and has nothing to do with the betting systems. I have known Antonio for 10 years and the very thought of him fixing games is out of the question.”
If there’s one person you don’t want as a character witness in a match-fixing trial, it’s probably Luciano Moggi
“I am happy to have brought Napoli here, as Italian football needs it.”
Yes, that is the same Aurelio De Laurentiis who until a week ago was trying desperately to cancel the Super Cup in Beijing
“In terms of communication, the FIGC is infantile and makes us look terrible on the international scene.”
This coming from De Laurentiis, the expert on spitting out his dummy
“At least I can relish the fact I’m saving money...”
Massimo Moratti moulds a pile of cash into the form of Lucas Moura
“In every locker room there are moments of tension, but it’s not as if in the Scudetto season we were all hugs and kisses. There are characters you need to be kind with and others who need to be thumped.”
Massimiliano Allegri takes the ‘carrot and very big stick’ approach
“We could’ve done better, but I guess I’m happy.”
Zdenek Zeman shrugs at Roma’s overly-defensive 13-0 win
“What would I do if Juventus called me? It’s those challenges, and those teams, that it would be difficult to say no to.”
Unlike, adds Fabio Cannavaro, staying with the side in Serie B
“I have often been told I’m too short to play football! But I’m hard-headed.”
Lorenzo Insigne has not one, but two handicaps
“Kaka? He can play in front of the defence, of course!”
After letting Andrea Pirlo go, Allegri shouldn’t even say that in jest
“Have any agents rung me today? I need to charge my phone, and I have no credit…”
Genoa President Enrico Preziosi takes cost-cutting measures seriously
“After the age of 30 when you start training for the first two weeks, it’s normal to have a few aches and pains, because the engine has to warm up again.”
Gigi Buffon needs an oil change
“Ibra and Cassano threatened to cut my Mohawk off a few times, but never got scissors in their hands. The girls really like it, so I keep it...”
Stephan El Shaarawy was Milan’s Fonz – don’t touch the hair