It seemed like the type of trash talk that was sure to stir up bad blood. Sweden midfielder Albin Ekdal, in discussing Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini, said his former Juventus teammate “can be a swine” on the pitch.
Here in the States, that’s the kind of talk reserved for brash instigators like Draymond Green, the kind of talk that feeds hysteria into our all-powerful Hot Take Industrial Complex. But over in France, ahead of Friday’s Group E matchup between Sweden and Italy (9 a.m. EST, ESPN), Ekdal’s comments elicited only shrugs. After all, Edkal prefaced the comment by praising Chiellini’s qualities as a teammate.