Zambrotta crowns Inter as favorites, rejects Pio Esposito as a starter

Gianluca Zambrotta gave an interview to Tuttosport after the first matchday of the championship, analyzing the teams that could compete for the top positions in the standings. The former full-back gave a clear opinion on the favorites for the title and on the value of the Nerazzurri squad.

Asked about his feelings after the opening round, Zambrotta shared Allegri‘s assessment: “As Allegri said, the team to beat is the one with the Scudetto on its chest. Inter has a clear identity and is the best equipped.”

As for the other big teams, the former world champion pointed to Milan as the team that has moved most decisively to close the gap: “The team that changed the most was Milan. One matchday is not enough, but even in terms of approach, something new could be seen.”

On Napoli under Allegri, Zambrotta sees interesting potential but does not hide his doubts: “They are the team that can fight with Inter the most: Allegri comes in again after Conte, as he did at Juve, and finds a well-coached team. But in Genoa they struggled.”

Finally, regarding the Nerazzurri’s attacking hierarchy, the former defender ruled out a possible inclusion of Pio Esposito in place of Thuram: “I don’t think so, but Inter has more commitments, so everyone can play. Taking the place of the Thuram-Lautaro duo, especially in the most important matches, won’t happen. But Pio has confirmed he is an Inter-level player: that’s good for the National Team as well.”