Article by Aurelian Botezatu – published on Thursday, September 18, 2025, 09:31 / Updated Thursday, September 18, 2025 09:31
The former big Italian coach Fabio Capello spoke at the end of the match won by Inter at Amsterdam, against Ajax (2-0), in the first stage of the Unique Group of the Champions League.
Among the pleasant surprises of the Inter in the duel with Ajax (2-0) also counted Francesco Pio Esposito. Hitted by Cristi Chivu to the detriment of Captain Lautaro Martinez, the 20-year-old striker was unexpectedly harmonized with Marcus Thuram, the scorer of both interview goals, impressing the former great coach Fabio Capello.
Fabio Capello about Pio Esposito: “The best thing in this player is the control of the ball. It is fantastic”
“I do not know him well, I saw him playing a few times, but the way he moved in the symbiosis with Thuram is nice. It means he is intelligent, he knows how to see the game, he knows how to position himself. It means a lot.
The best thing for this player is the control of the ball. It is fantastic, physically capable of staying in the Champions League. Playing with this quality impressed me, “said Capello, who also noted an aspect:”Another great thing he has is his vision: when he has to keep the ball, keep it, and when he has to pass it, he gives it. He is a player that, if we talk about Dzeko, I can compare him to him in terms of intelligence. “
In this way, indirectly, Capello puts pressure on Chivu to change more and thus put his own imprint on the new Inter. Exactly the same thing was suggested by Walter Zenga, the first to discuss Pio Esposito.
Cristi Chivu Holded on Pio Esposito after arguing Walter Zenga
After 3-4 with Juventus, the former great goalkeeper of the Inter was unhappy that the Romanian technician uses almost exclusively the same players on whom his predecessor, Simone Inzaghi, was based.
The legend of Nerazzurra also came with concrete examples: “Juventus has won due to Adzic's entry in the last minutes. So I do not understand why Inter brought home Esposito if it is not given time to play. These details are the ones that truly make the difference.”
Inter restores Pio Esposito from Spezia, this summer, but Chivu had not used him with Juventus. In the first 3 stages of the series of 2025 – 2026, he granted to the Italian striker only 22 minutes, all in the previous stage, at 1-2 with Udinese, on Giuseppe Meazza.
