The league according to Billy Costacurta. Interview

Having seen him bring such energy and spark debate in the Sky Sport studios time and again, we’ve almost forgotten just how formidable he was at the heart of the defence. Alessandro Costacurta – known to everyone as Billy – is now, after years working in pay-TV, approaching the number of seasons he spent at his beloved Milan (he’s about to begin his nineteenth year). “There’s so much energy in the Sky newsroom – ambitious, curious young people who enable continuous, constant growth: when I took the job in 2008, I had no doubt I’d stay for a long time, though I didn’t think it would be this long – it just goes to show how much I’ve grown to care for the people here,” he tells us on the eve of the start of the football and television season.

“No, never. I’m never categorical; my job in the studio is to provide options, food for thought for the viewers, and to raise doubts. I don’t think I ever cross the line because it’s something I’ve never liked: I’ve been on the receiving end of certain things and I know they can hurt. I try to stimulate debate: I want to be precise and decisive, but never categorical. Let me give an example: when I was asked whether Leao could be a Ballon d’Or-calibre player, I replied that, having played alongside Ballon d’Or winners and knowing full well what they were capable of, I didn’t see that level in him.”

“Clearly, it’s too early to make any definitive statements; I always prefer to speak once the transfer window has closed. I like the choice of Amorim – he’s an energetic manager with clear ideas, and his strategy is to build play. I think the difference between a team that creates the conditions to force the opposition into making mistakes and one that simply waits for the opposition to make a mistake is clear to everyone. I get the impression that Amorim wants to create the conditions to force the opposition into making mistakes: if I press high up the pitch, I do so because I want to win the ball back near the goal and can immediately capitalise to score. That’s something I like.”

“I believe he is a manager who, more often than not, manages to convey his ideas to the team he coaches. If I look at Milan’s last six, seven or ten matches from last season, I wouldn’t blame Allegri: sometimes the manager’s role is overrated; it’s the players who take to the pitch, they’re not children you have to teach everything to. If we assess what a team needs at a particular time – as might have been the case with last year’s Milan side – Allegri was probably not the right choice. But in other situations, I believe he could genuinely be the ideal manager.”

“Gonçalo Ramos. I’ve always considered him a good player, though not an extraordinary one, and I’m curious to see him in Italy because there’s also the factor of how much he was paid to consider: it makes me all the more interested to see how he’ll perform. I reckon the best signings are yet to come. I’m not particularly keen on Stones as a defender, but I think he could really do well in the Italian league because, whilst it’s true that the pace of the game in England was a bit too much for him, in Italy he could still be a key signing.”

“There are plenty of teams that need to fine-tune their squads. That goes for Inter too, who still need to bring in a few reinforcements to perform better in Europe. I don’t think Juventus have made the decisive signing to turn their season around; I’m expecting at least one signing that could prove decisive. I’m also curious to see what Roma will do; I’ve been reading about lots of interesting names, and I think my tastes are very similar to Gasperini’s, especially when it comes to wide forwards.”

“For a player, it can be thrilling; you carry that wonderful positive energy with you. It’s clear that there will be matches – perhaps more in the league than in the Champions League – where they won’t manage to play as attractively as we’ve seen so far. The Champions League takes its toll; I remember that in the year we won our first European Cup – and we were a bit stronger than this Como side – we still struggled to maintain our level across both competitions, and that was a different Europe to the one we have now. The first year can be difficult, especially when you’re young. And I’m very keen to see Liberali; I’ve always been a fan of his and I’d been hoping he’d end up with a manager like Fabregas.”

“I didn’t think the FIGC could persuade Paolo, and I think he explained very clearly what drew him in: an unconditional love for the national team. The Federation is a very different matter from a club; I’ve been there, I know there are too many conflicting interests, and not all parties are pushing in the direction one might wish. Serie A wants one thing, Serie B wants another, the amateur leagues want something else: getting everyone to agree is almost impossible. I wasn’t surprised: I know Paolo’s uncompromising nature and his determination; even when he was persuaded to take the job, I thought he’d face a lot of difficulties.”

“As Paolo also said, especially at the start, Franco was the man who managed to save us from difficult situations. I’m tempted to say that if it hadn’t been for my suspension in the World Cup final – that booking against Stoichkov in the match against Bulgaria – he probably wouldn’t have played what I believe was the greatest match a defender has ever played in the history of football. Franco was someone who didn’t say much on the pitch: it’s true, he’d get angry now and then, but he never said anything he shouldn’t have. He was almost unremarkable in his ferocity, his work ethic, and the determination with which he trained. That ferocity with which he won the ball back and drove towards the opposition’s goal was epic. That was his message to the team.”