De Zerbi sidesteps comparisons between Manchester City and Juventus' Calciopoli era
Roberto De Zerbi refused to draw parallels between the current situation at Manchester City and Juventus' relegation following the Calciopoli scandal.
Ahead of Tottenham's match against Manchester United, Roberto De Zerbi was asked about his experience playing against Juventus during the 2006/2007 season. De Zerbi was a Napoli player at the time, facing the Italian giants in Serie B immediately following their forced relegation due to the Calciopoli scandal.
The question served as a clear segue into the current scrutiny of Manchester City, who face similar speculation regarding potential heavy sanctions. The journalist asked if other Serie B teams felt wronged by a promotion spot being taken by the relegated Turin side, implying a comparison to the current English landscape.
De Zerbi, however, refused to engage with the comparison. He stated that as a player at the time, he did not dwell on such matters, and his current priority remains his own team, who are struggling at the bottom of the table.
"What do you mean, are you trying to get to Manchester City? As a player I was out of my mind, I don't remember what I used to think about. The focus now is on the players, especially now that we are bottom of the table, I don't have time to think about problems other than my team." Roberto De Zerbi
The manager added that he leaves the handling of the case to the relevant commission, hoping for fairness and responsibility, while successfully avoiding any direct comment on the comparison to Juventus that has become a recurring theme in England.