Emanuele Giaccherini has added his voice to the growing debate surrounding Pierre Kalulu’s sending-off and Alessandro Bastoni’s reaction during Inter’s win over Juventus. Speaking as a pundit in the DAZN studio after the Derby d’Italia, the former Juventus midfielder analysed both the incident and the wider implications for the Scudetto race.
The flashpoint came with the double yellow card shown to Kalulu following contact with Bastoni, a decision by referee Federico La Penna that heavily influenced the match and will continue to be discussed for some time. Giaccherini, now an analyst, did not hide his admiration for Juventus’ display on the night, despite the controversy that overshadowed it.
“I’m going to stick my neck out: this is the best Juve of the season,” he said. “They played a stunning first half, then the incident conditioned the match in a huge way. They created chances, their spirit came out, I’m seeing again the Juve from when I was there, with that mentality, and huge credit goes to Spalletti.”
Giaccherini then underlined how crucial the victory was for Inter in their pursuit of the title, while still pointing to Milan’s role in the run-in. “For Inter this is almost the Scudetto,” he explained. “I’d wait for Milan–Como: if Milan don’t win, then this becomes the title match, won at the end, with suffering, but a lot will depend on Milan.”
Finally, he turned to Bastoni’s reaction after Kalulu’s dismissal, making clear that the defender’s conduct had struck a nerve. “Bastoni’s celebration annoyed me as well, you need to have a bit of clarity of mind,” Giaccherini remarked. “He pulled a sly move, let’s be honest: I understand he plays for Inter, it’s a tense, hard-fought match. But I was lucky enough to play with Chiellini and he taught me correctness on the pitch, even though he never held back.”
