MADRID, SPAIN – MARCH 17: Joao Miranda enters the pitch prior to start the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg match between Club Atletico de Madrid and Bayer 04 Leverkusen at Vicente Calderon Stadium on March 17, 2015 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images)
Former Atletico Madrid and Inter defender Miranda has aimed a dig at his former Nerazzurri boss and current Juventus head coach Luciano Spalletti, who he describes as ‘the worst coach I had in Italy’ on a personal level.
The former Brazil international gave an interview to La Gazzetta dello Sport ahead of the meeting of his two former sides, Atletico and Inter, in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
During his talk with La Gazzetta dello Sport, Miranda claimed that his partnership with Diego Godin at Atletico Madrid was better than Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane at Real Madrid, and better than Juventus’s legendary combination of Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini.
He also described Spalletti as ‘the worst coach I had in Italy’, admitting that the current Juventus head coach is a ‘winner’, but criticising his interpersonal skills.
Miranda on Inter, Atletico and Spalletti: ‘As a man, let’s leave it at that’
Asked to describe his centre-back partnership with Godin during his prime days at Atletico Madrid, Miranda said: “Unparallelled. To be honest, back then, there was nobody like us. Not even Ramos and Varane at Real Madrid or BBC at Juventus. Individually, there might have been some, but we were so strong together.
Though he would later go on to represent Inter for five years towards the end of his career, Miranda has revealed that he had previous interest from two other Serie A sides before joining Atletico.
“I was a starter for a Sao Paolo side that didn’t concede a lot of goals. Lazio and Milan had also looked at me, but Atletico came up with a project and I signed six months in advance.”
Discussing his time with Inter between 2015 and 2019, Miranda said that his experiences in Serie A ‘completed’ him as a footballer.
“When I arrived in 2015, one of (Roberto) Mancini’s assistants told me that I had to improve a lot defensively. I was a bit surprised after everything I had done, but he was right. Serie A completed me.”
He was asked whether he would be a starter for either Atletico Madrid or Inter with today’s squads, to which he replied: “Yes, the best version of Miranda would have started for both sides. The Nerazzurri have three very strong centre-backs, but my favourite is (Alessandro) Bastoni. He’s fast, technical, he’s built like me.”
Miranda was asked if he felt he could have given more during his time with Inter, which prompted a dig at his former coach and current head coach of Juventus, Luciano Spalletti.
“It depends on who you’re asking,” Miranda said. “In general I think so. I was a starter under Mancini, (Frank) De Boer and (Stefano) Pioli. Then Spalletti came in, one who brought fear.”
When asked to clarify what he meant by ‘fear’, Miranda said: “As a coach, there’s nothing to say. He’s a winner. He brought Inter back to the Champions League and laid the foundations for the future. But as a man, let’s leave it at that. The worst coach I had in Italy in that sense.
“Mancini was a gentleman, De Boer was misunderstood. But Spalletti lived with this terror that someone would speak ill of him. If you notice, there aren’t many players who have good relations with him.”
Expanding on his issues with Spalletti, Miranda added: “We argued about things on the pitch. He doesn’t like those who go against him and have different opinions. After one argument, in my last year with Inter, I started to play less and less. Then it’s difficult to get into your best condition, especially if you only find yourself playing in big games.”
Miranda was also asked about Spalletti’s decision to take the Inter captaincy away from Mauro Icardi in 2019.
He said: “Personal stuff, that’s how it is. I don’t think he always thinks about the team. When he targets you, it’s over. However, despite the things that Wanra (Nara) has said, Mauro was always professional with us, and he scored so much.”
And finally, Miranda gave his prediction for Wednesday’s Champions League match between his former sides, Atletico Madrid and Inter.
“I would say a draw. I feel a little more affection for Atletico, but I felt like a god in Italy. Four wonderful years.”
