Chelsea striker Adrian Mutu has launched a scathing attack on the state of Italian football ahead of his new team's Champions League clash with Lazio tomorrow night.
Mutu joined the Blues for £15.8million in the summer and has been one of the driving forces behind Chelsea's fine start to the Premiership campaign and his winning goal against Everton on Saturday was his fifth of the season.
The Romanian international insists he has found the right club and said: "I'm going through a fantastic period of form with Chelsea at the moment. I made the right choice, even though I miss Parma. But I certainly don't miss Italian football."
"In England the referees stop the game for 10 to 12 fouls per match. In Italy, 60. I prefer the British attitude. Football's a game for men. Then the spectators over here are great - crowds of 40,000 or 50,000 people who support you and never whistle at you. It's not like that in Italy."
Mutu went on to reveal that he felt he was often taken for granted during his time in Italy and said: "Over here they appreciate me. Italians only revere Brazilians and Argentines. In Italy, if you're from the East it's a different story."
Filed by Rob Wright
