CATENACCIO

2010 - Expectations from the New Decade!

2010-01-02T10:57:00.000-08:00

The last decade which saw both the highest highs and the lowest lows in Italian football is now behind us. I look ahead to the expectations from the current decade for the Italians.

A Return To The Top

Ever since the Calciopoli scandal erupted in 2006, Italian football has been in a downward spiral on the European stage. Milan's Champions League victory in 2007 was an exception and by no means the rule.

A decade ago, Serie A was considered to be the most daunting league amongst Europe but now it languishes far behind the English and the Spanish ones. The best crop of players are leaving the peninsula to ply their trade elsewhere.

This was no more evident than last summer when Kaka and Ibrahimovic both moved to Spain. It has been a long time since an Italian team captured a big name and that must change if it is to get more recognition.

The fortunes in Europe must also change if Italy is to become feared again.This year Milan take on United and Inter face Chelsea, if the Milanese are to overcome them it would deliver a great statement for Serie A.

Better Security

The previous decade witnessed a rather disturbing rise in the number of violence related incidents in and around stadia. Numerous instances of fan clashes and police clashes took place around the country to further damage the reputation of the game.

The worst case was the shooting of Gabriele Sandri by the police who mistook the Lazio fan for a miscreant. The killing led to several protests and forced the postponement of one round of footballing action.

There was also the 'rain of flares' which took place during the Milan-Inter game during the 2005 Champions League quarterfinal. That forced the match to be abandoned and resulted in Inter getting a three game home ban.

In recent months there have been growing concerns about racism as Mario Balotelli has been subjected to various levels of racist abuse by the fans. Juventus fans in particular have been the instigators of such abuse repeatedly.

Better Stadia

Over the past few years the quality of stadiums in Italy has also steadily deteriorated. The venues in and around the country are still the ones from Italia'90.

They are thus in serious need of renovation and reconstruction. Most of the stadia are owned by the local town councils and not by the clubs themselves.

Juventus is set to be the first club to have its own stadium which they are due to move in to by 2012. Similarly, Inter have also made positive noises of moving to a private venue away from the San Siro.

As the Italians are bidding to boost their image an overhaul of the main venues will most certainly be welcome. Better stadia will naturally bring in better security and allow games to be held in a family atmosphere once again.

A New Generation of Superstars

The current crop of Italian youngsters seems to be a highly talented lot. Despite Lippi looking likely to take most of the 2006 squad with him to South Africa, the youth should not be let down.

In Sebastian Giovinco, Mario Balotelli, Davide Santon, Paolo De Ceglie, the future of the La Nazionale looks secure. The only problem for these young guns is that their managers do not provide them with enough playing time.

Giovinco in particular will feel highly aggrieved as the boy has made all the right moves but is still without a regular role at Juventus. Davide Santon who burst on to the scene as the new Maldini last year has made only 5 appearances this year.

The problem which the Italians may face is that these youngsters may look to go abroad in search of more playing time. Already there are rumors linking Balotelli with a move to Arsenal and more recently Roberto Mancini's Manchester City.

No More Controversies

This would definitely be the final yet most important wish from the fans of the Calcio. This decade will be remembered as much for Italy's World Cup triumph as for the match-fixing scandal.

As mentioned earlier Calciopoli ate in to the Serie A's competitiveness and distanced viewers. Now with the decade over, one would hope that we have heard the last of such controversies in the Italian game.

There is still noise being made by Luciano Moggi and a few others about Inter's involvement in the whole scandal. Despite the court's rejecting all such claims there are still many in the peninsua who believe that Massimo Moratti may have spearheaded the whole sting.

If Italy is to truly come out of the defamation of Calciopoli it will have to work extra hard to ensure that such controversies don't arise anymore. The desire of every fan is the same - to have a clean, fair and competitive Serie A.

Serie A Mid-Season Review: Milan

2009-12-29T09:18:00.000-08:00

Milan have had yet another unsatisfying campaign so for as the team has failed to consistently get the results. But considering the fact that many labelled this Milan side as the worst in 25 years, Leonardo will be pleased with hi team

For the past few years I have watched Inter dominate Serie A while their city rivals Milan seem to be idling their time away. A sole Scudetto in the last ten years is just not good enough for a team which won five in the preceding decade.

Milan started off the campaign by making huge news in the transfer market but this time it was a departure which caught everyone's attention. Kaka after years of pledging loyalty to the club became the first member of the 'Nou Galacticos' at Real Madrid.

But Berlusconi had financial reasons for the sale and hence greedily kept aside all the money that was earned from it. In typical Milan fashion, the scouts went looking for old beat-up players and the likes of Oguchi Onyewu joined the side.

Milan's transfer dealings were probably the worst ever in my memory. The team made just one more notable purchase that of the good-for-nothing Huntelaar. In fact Berlusconi's pocket strings were so tight that one could see the outline of his tigh in the summer.

So quite predictably the season got off to a disastrous start as Milan were trashed 4-0 by Inter on Matchday 2. And quite frankly if it hadn't been for their keeper, Storari, it might have been six or seven.

The Grim Reaper soon started performing a frantic dance over coach Leonardo's head after the team registered just two wins in their first seven games. The already old Milan squad looked even older and the wrinkles kept increasing on everyone's faces.

The Turnaround

And then something miraculous happened. The oft-used cliche of every disaster movie actually came true as Milan found true strength in their worst moment. A loss to FC Zurich at the San Siro in the Champions League served to awake the team from its slumber.

In phoenix-like fashion the Rossoneri managed to somehow defeat Real Madrid away from home in Europe. The game was more exceptional because the team had produced nothing in the first half but still went on to win 3-2.

This period also marked the return of the error-prone Brazilian keeper Dida. But this was no usual return as in keeping up with the THIS IS NOT HAPPENING theme, he produced one brilliant performance after another.

The Grim Reaper was soon replaced by Cupid as everyone seemed to be happy and joyous at Milanello again. Ronaldinho was smiling and for once it was not just after a missed opportunity. The old squad had under gone some serious botox treatment.

Milan won 7 of their 8 games in the Serie A and climbed to within 4 points of leaders Inter. However, the honeymoon ended all of a sudden with an unexpected loss to Palermo at home.

That game would have scared Leonardo a bit as Milan's deficiencies were exposed in a way my cavities would be at a dentist's. Their final game of the campaign was called off as the pitch at Fiorentina was deemed more suitable for skiing than football.

Post Christmas

The break gives Milan's golden oldies a chance to recuperate their depleted energy stocks. Talking about golden reminds me that 'Golden Balls' David Beckham has rejoined Milan till the end of the season.

The former England captain should give the Rossoneri an option they previously lacked that of using the flanks. Alongwith him another Ghanian wonderkid, Dominic Adiyiah, is all set to join in the winter.

Almost the entire world would have heard of Beckham as well as not heard of Adiyiah. Adiyiah is basically this freakishly talented youngster who led Ghana to the U-20 World Cup. And he is not heard to be as arrogant as Balotelli.

However I believe that these additions are by no means enough for the team, particularly if they are to get past Manchester United. The right-back position is almost vacant in the lineup as the symbol of mediocrity, Massimo Oddo, occupies it.

Similarly even at left-back Zambrotta has lost all the pace he was once gifted with to make any impact for his side. It may be impossible to get two world class full backs but someone like Philipp Lahm will definitely be welcome.

To conclude I feel Leonardo can be pleased with the showing of his team thus far and hope things continue in the same vein in the new year.

SerieA Mid-Season Review: Inter

2009-12-28T11:24:00.000-08:00

In typical fashion of every site I decide to look back at the season so far for all the top teams. Predictably I start off the series with league leaders Inter.

Inter's campaign this year has been... ROUTINE. Anyone who has seen the Italian champions play over the past few years would not be surprised at the current season.

When speculations of Ibra departing emerged in July, I must admit my heart sank like the Titanic. Ibra was a devastating player and for the past three years Inter solely depended on the Swede.

So frankly I was not impressed when his move was finalised and we had Eto'o joining the team. Though the Cameroonian is a brilliant player it seemed like trading an Armani suit for a Marks & Spencer one.

Milito was another of those Tesco high-value additions and Lucio was the best deal available in Camden market. However, these incoming players still lacked a playmaker and for the first time in years Inter bought one in the form of Wesley Sneijder.

Who for me was undoubtedly the buy of the season. When Sneijder plays Inter always seem competitive at the top level and in his absence they have at times looked like the team of five years ago.

In fact his arrival in Milan was marked by the 4-0 drubbing Inter handed to their city rivals AC. And since then the Dutchman has gone from strength to strength.

The Campaign

As described earlier Inter's season has been very run-of-the-mill stuff which translates to successful for the Nerazzuri. Apart from the game against Sampdoria, Inter have impressed in most of their games.

Ibra's loss hasn't proved to be at all catastrophic. My fears and those of the million other fans have been silenced by the Tesco man.

Diego Milito showed that even the best scouts and transfer gurus can easily miss spotting talent despite it being in their faces. Milito was a renowned goal poacher and he has continued in the same vein here.

Milito's supreme instincts have propelled him to the top of the goalscoring charts once again. And surprisingly he has outperformed even Eto'o on the frontlines.

In the middle of the park Stankovic, Cambiasso and Zanetti have been as consistent as ever. They may not impress in every game but at times continuity is more essential than spurts of brilliance.

Lucio and Walter Samuel have become the new Bonnie & Clyde for Inter in defence. It is strange how an Argentinean and Brazilian can think on the same page and that too at the back.

The only issue has been at left back for the team. Maicon is a bloody box of energy on the right flank but the left one is filled in by the dormant Chivu. No blame attached to him though as he is technically a center back.

Other Boring Stuff

Well as this is a review I have to make the over-talked mention of Inter's European form which has been poor once again. The Nerazzuri have been ROUTINE even there as everyone is accustomed to their struggles in the Champions League.

This year it came with reason though as the team was drawn in a tough group. But that should never be an excuse for their low quality of play at times.

I will say that this was again down to the absence of Sneijder in certain key matches. The Dutchman is as important to Inter as stupid comments for Silvio Berlusconi.

However, now Inter are through to the last 16 and they come up against Chelsea in a terribly hyped encounter. The previous two years have seen Inter go out to English opposition, so will this be three?

Mourinho who has had his fair share of trouble dealing with the press will look to alter this streak. Though no one will blame him if he lingers on in London for some more time after the game.

To conclude I would like to say that this season will again by defined by Inter's European conquest or the lack of it. The Serie A looks like its already won so it will be in the Champions League where they will be tested.

Mancini To ManCity

2009-12-21T06:34:00.000-08:00

Source : Wikipedia Commons

Roberto Mancini was announced as the new manager of Manchester City after Mark Hughes was fired in the wake of a poor run of form. The Italian has a huge task in front of him as he needs to live up to massive expectations, but is he up to it?

When Roberto Mancini left Inter in the summer of 2008, he departed with a bitter taste in his mouth. President Massimo Moratti had assured him that his job was safe despite Mancini having announced his resignation earlier in the season.

A stung Mancini refused to terminate his contract and for the whole of last season Moratti was bankrolling two managers for the services of one. Now that Mancini has finally found another job he will welcome the opportunity to silence his Italian critics.

Mancini's time in Italy will always be best remembered for the Calciopoli scandal. His achievements with the Nerazzuri were labelled by many as unsatisfactory due to the weakening of the other teams.

But as an Inter fan I can safely say that Roberto Mancini for all his personality flaws is a great manager. Before his stint at Inter, Mancini had led Lazio and Fiorentina to Coppa Italia glory despite both teams being the underdogs.

His start at the Inter bench was a mixed one as the team lost only twice in the whole season but also drew eighteen times. Many will remember that as the year when Inter played truly entertaining football.

Tri Scudetti

The next year Inter again finished third as they lost at crucial points of the season. However, the Calciopoli scandal saw the Scudetto being assigned to Inter and thus giving Mancini his first championship.

More importantly Inter benefitted through the purchase of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Patrick Viera from Juventus. That season Inter set numerous records as the team won the championship by a massive 22 points.

However, Inter's European fortunes did not change as the team once again lost out in the Round of 16 this time to unfancied Valencia. Moreover, Inter's failure in Europe was seen by many as Mancini's failure as a coach.

The next season things got more dramatic as Inter threw away a 8 point lead in the league and had to fret till the last day to win the title. But once again, Inter's European failure was in the spotlight.

Mancini had quite spectacularly announced his intention of resigning after Inter had lost the knockout fixture against Liverpool. His declaration came out of the blue and shocked everyone including the president.

Despite Mancini later rescinding his comments huge question marks loomed over his future in Milan. So the announcement of his firing came as little surprise to most but Mancini himself.

Job At Eastlands

Mancini has been thrown into the thick of the action straight away. The New Year period will see his side play almost twice every week so the results will have to be brisk.

He has injuries to look at as Kolo Toure and Joleon Lescott both maybe out for a period of time to add to City's defensive woes. We are talking about a side here which has shipped in nine goals in its last three fixtures alone.

So this has been highlighted by Mancini as his first area of action. Furthermore, there will have to be a few changes in the midfield as well. Mancio likes playing with a tough-tackling central midfielder someone who City lack.

So a move for a defensive midfielder in the January transfer window looks to be on the cards. Watch out for Matthew Upson of West Ham movin to Manchester, he fits the bill and has admitted he may be close to quitting London.

Also similar to Sven Goran Eriksson's reign at the club don't be surprised to see a few Italians arriving at City. This time however they may be slightly more high profile than Valeri Bojinov and Rolando Bianchi.

What the City job does for Mancini is to provide an opportunity for him to silence all his critics in Italy. Guiding the Sky Blues to a Top Four finish will most certainly win him the respect of everyone alike.

Barca - A Lesson For The Rest

2009-12-19T10:57:00.000-08:00

Source - FCBarcelona.cat

Barcelona's victory at the Club World Cup is a lesson for footballing sides around the world. The Catalans showed calm and composure despite trailing till the second last minute.

There have been only a few sides in club football which have been remembered for ages and ages. The Real team of Alfredo Di Stefano and Ferenc Pushkas, the Inter side of Giancinto Facchetti and Sandro Mazzola, the Busby babes are among the elite.

And now one can add the Barcelona of Xavi, Iniesta, Messi to that list. The Blaugrana won their sixth trophy of the year after beating Estudiantes in the FIFA Club World Cup earlier tonight.

However, what left me amazed was the mentality of the players despite being behind for a majority of the game. Estudiantes had taken the lead in the first half through a Boselli strike and Barca had to wait till the 89th minute for Pedro to score the equalizer.

There have been and will continue to be pages and pages of rhetoric written about Barca's dreamy style of play and their fluid passing. But I for once want to talk about the mentality of the team because I believe that this is their most fearsome quality.

This past year the Barca team faced many pivotal moments which would go on to define their success. And stunningly on each and every occasion it was a true triumph of their determination and character.

Mental Strength

Today this was evident once more as Barca continued to play their usual passing game despite the minutes ticking down on the watch. Many teams would have gone gung-ho in their bid to score the equalizer but the Catalans played the only way they know.

There was no panic in the team, no peppering hopeful balls into the box at every opportunity, no crazy forays and long rangers by any player. It was just the normal, pass-pass-pass till you wear down the opposition.

And this wearing down is not only at a physical level but one at a mental level too. To see a team enjoy as much possession as Barcelona and to do so as if its second nature to them, must be truly debilitating for the opposition's morale.

Barca have seldom had to resort to desperate last-minute tactics as they have conviction that their style of play will yield the right result. It doesn't matter if the team is 1-0 down or 3-0 up they always always stick to their principles.

One of the great examples of this philosophy was evident in Barca's semi-final with Chelsea earlier this year. The Blues were totally dominant in the game and many would feel that they deserved to win the tie.

But despite being outplayed and overrawed by the Londoners, Barcelona stuck to their guns till the last minute even after going a man down. The reward was there for everyone to see, Iniesta's last minute goal setup their Champions League conquest.

The True Artiste

I feel the credit for this mental revolution at the club must go to Pep Guardiola who has infused his no nonsense approach into the players as well. The ex-Barca man has definitely benefitted from being a player not so long ago.

Before Guardiola took over, the club was in part shambles inspite of all the quality they had in their ranks. Two trophyless seasons for a team boasting one of the best rosters in the world was simply unacceptable.

What Pep did was to give a sense of direction to the players. There was only one route to goal and though the tactic may have its cons but on the whole it has been greatly successful.

I cannot exaggerate the importance of having faith in the system you are playing in. Even the greatest players have struggled to find their feet if they are being played in an unfamiliar position. In Barca's case every man knows his duties and his responsibilities.

And this is truly a lesson for all managers and player's alike. There are better chances of success if you can play with the belief that your players and your team can get the result.

With the New Year upon us, this will no doubt go down as the year of Barcelona. Hats off to them! They have truly exemplified their motto 'Barca - Mes Que Un Club' [Barca - More than a club].

Mama Mia! - A Nightmare Draw

2009-12-18T03:28:00.001-08:00

The UEFA Champions League draw has been made and things don't look good for the Italians as all teams are paired with high-quality opposition. Inter take on Chelsea, Milan take on Manchester United and Fiorentina face Bayern.

All Italian teams face an uphill task if they are to go beyond the First Knockout Round of the Champions League once again. The three sides from the peninsula got probably the toughest opponents they could have drawn.

SerieA champions Inter have been drawn to face the Premier League leaders Chelsea in what promises to be a cracking encounter. It will mark the return of Jose Mourinho facing his older team and one can expect fireworks.

Inter's crosstown rivals Milan, will be up against Premier Leage holders Manchester United. Milan will be slightly confident about this encounter after having beaten the Red Devils on their way to European success three seasons ago.

Fiorentina, the only Italian group winner, have an equally difficult task as they take on Bayern Munich. Bayern's performance against Juventus last week left everyone stunned and the Viola will have to put their best foot forward to have any chances of advancing.

Inter Vs Chelsea

The first leg of this encounter will take place in Milan and so Chelsea will have a distinct advantage. English teams have proven to be the bane of the Nerazzuri for the past two years, so Mourinho will be keen to avoid yet another early exit from the competition.

The fixture will reunite the 'Special One' with his old club and the sentimental value of the tie will be sky high. It will also renew the rivalry between Carlo Ancelotti, AC Milan coach for the past seven years, and Inter just to add to the spectacle.

Chelsea comfortably won their group and were undefeated in the six games. By contrast Inter managed just two wins in their group stages. However, one could put the difference down to the quality of the groups.

Both teams are currently leading their domestic championships and there has been little to suggest they will slip up before the first legs. But as has been all to familiar with the Nerazzuri, domestic success does not necessarily translate into European glory.

The ensemble of stars in the two teams would leave anyone open mouthed. Though Inter may not have the regular household names but in Sneijder, Eto'o, Milito and Balotelli they have a highly formidable side. As for Chelsea their assembly line is packed with the likes of Lampard, Terry, Drogba, Anelka making this an absolutely delectable encounter.

AC Milan Vs Manchester United

Both Milan teams have ensured that the San Siro will be packed with the stature of the opponents they have drawn. Sir Alex's men will travel to Milan for the second year in a row after having faced Inter last year.

One will be able to recollect the same fixture from three seasons back when a Kaka inspired Milan humiliated the Red Devils 3-0. This time however there is no Kaka and Milan's form may gave Man Utd a lot of solace.

But it would be folly to discount Milan as they have already shown their potential in the results over Real Madrid. Milan are the Liverpool of Italy and the European Cup does something to the side so the onus would be on United to take the game to them.

The Red Devils won their group on the last matchday after picking up a win against Wolfsburg. The Rossoneri on the other hand just managed to scrape through their group with an unconvincing draw against FC Zurich.

And this is where the biggest test for Leonardo's team will come. The Milan side have an annoying habit of playing way below par on certian occasions as was witnessed in the 4-0 derby thrashing they got earlier this season.

If Milan are to harbor any hopes of moving forward in this competition they will have to perform out of their socks. If Ronaldinho and Pato can find that deadly touch which is more and more visible these days this may spell the end for United's run.

Bayern Munich Vs Fiorentina

Fiorentina who have had an excellent spell this year were unfortunate to draw the toughest opponents they could have. But the Viola have proved their quality this term and will not be afraid of tackling the Bavarian giants.

Bayern Munich sent a threatening message across the continent after their demolition of Juventus on the final matchday. The team have been reinvented in recent weeks and their strong run in the Bundesliga is evidence of this.

Fiorentina and Bayern locked horns last year in the group stages and the Italians were humbled 4-1 on aggregate. So they would be keen to avoid a similar fate this year, but it must be said the team looks a lot better this time around.

Cesare Prandelli's men haven't had a great start to the domestic season and despite fourth place being in sight they may choose to impress in Europe. The side's European performances have won them many admirers and their Matchday 2 victory over Liverpool was a top notch showing.

If the Viola are to progress further they will need to score in Munich. Bayern are the kind of team who will always find the back of the net so in this case the importance of the away goal will be vital.

The Much Maligned Mourinho

2009-12-16T08:38:00.000-08:00

Jose Mourinho's fractious relationship with the Italian media finally broke down at the weekend after he allegedly shoved a journalist. Is it now time for Mourinho to finally adapt to his surroundings or will it serve as the last straw in his Inter tenure?

When Jose Mourinho arrived in the peninsula last summer, journalists were tripping over each other to get a few words from the 'Special One'. His fluent Italian and the use of 'pirla', a Milanese word for fool, in his very first press conference left the media in awe.

But then pretty soon things started going wrong. The honeymoon period was over and the bickering and squabbling kicked off almost immediately. The first sign of a breakup was during the Pietro Lo Monaco incident.

The Catania president was of the belief that Jose "talked too much" after the Portuguese had said his side should have won by five goals. The media is not like a wife it is like the mistress, so they immediately sprang upon this opportunity to blame the tactician.

Things got positively worse from there as Mourinho sent his assistant, Giuseppe Baresi, to talk to the reporters after the Lecce game. Italians are very passionate, as I discussed last time and they took this as a personal snub.

They accused Jose of "lacking respect towards them". But he has always fought fire with fire and hit back at them claiming "they were petty" and disrespectful towards Baresi. The man had a point but within a month there was a clear dislike in the media for Mourinho.

Managerial Tactics

The media soon found a new area to target Mourinho and that were his tactics. Jose had tried using the 4-3-3 system which was successful at Chelsea, with Inter but the team had failed to adapt.

His summer signings of Mancini and particularly Quaresma, for whom Inter shelled out €18 million, were considered as failures. Furthermore, his tactical decisions were subjected to intense debate on all sports shows.

Jose's quickfire tongue made him more enemies than ever. He ended up insulting Ancelotti, Ranieri and Spalletti and thus lost respect even amongst his peers. The Italians were just not used to a frank man speaking straight from the gut.

Inter's failure in the Champions League gave the media all the necessary ammunition to launch another broadside on the manager. They claimed that Mourinho was no better than his predecessor, Roberto Mancini.

So despite Inter winning the championship with a ten point margin in his first season in charge Mourinho was branded as a failure in Italy. According to the press he was just another over-rated manager who had a massive ego.

The Media Blind-Eye

Despite the country-wide Mourinho bashing very little was said about his grooming of youngsters. Mario Balotelli and Davide Santon played brilliantly and the latter was highly impressive towards the end of the season.

How many Italian coaches would have left the responsibility to mark the world's best player in Cristiano Ronaldo to a 18 year old? Not many I am sure. But Mourinho did so and his move paid off as his countryman struggled to make his way past Santon in both the legs.

Mourinho's way of handling Balotelli has been equally commendable as the coach has made his stance clear on multiple occasions. There is no doubt that Mario is a prodigious talent but his personality leaves question marks over whether he would live up to his potential.

This year, the team has moved from being dependent on just a target man and adapted an overall flowing style of football. Inter have the best attack and the defence in the SerieA and credit for that goes as much to Mourinho as to the bunch of players at his disposal.

Mourinho's decision to play with just three defenders and five attackers in the closing stages of the game at Kyiv effectively saved Inter's CL campaign. However, not one Italian paper decided to pay tribute to his tactics and attitude.

But the same papers were quick to tear into Jose after Inter's no-show in the match against European champions Barcelona. Almost every media outlet suggested that Mourinho should quit Inter solely on the basis of the team's performance at Barca.

Here And Now

And then finally came the boiling point on Sunday when Jose insulted Andrea Ramazotti when he was hanging around the team bus. Ramazotti alleged that the Portuguese attacked him and everyone from the Italian Sports Journalist's Union to the league authorities joined hands to blast the manager.

Mourinho was declared guilty even before the trial had got underway. Mo clarified yesterday that the altercation was purely verbal and involved no physical contact.

Even Inter president Massimo Moratti was bemused by this latest incident and has said he will look into it. And thus begins Jose's sternest test in Italy.

Till Sunday Mourinho was safe in the knowledge that his club was behind him but now that may not be the case. Moratti obviously likes the 'Special One' and has leaped to his defence on numerous occasions but this time he has stayed away.

For Moratti too is Italian and knows he risks turning the whole country against his club, if that is not the case already. Inter will know who they face in the Champions League knockout stages on Friday.

And Europe is where Mourinho's destiny will lie. If JoMo is able to inspire Inter in Europe he can expect to be hailed by not only his own team but surely by the media as well. But shall he fail again, don't be surprised to see him booking the next flight out of Milan.

The Italian Opera

2009-12-14T12:52:00.000-08:00

Italians have always been a passionate bunch but the current SerieA season has seen this fervor reach new heights. Week in and week out we have had scuffles, protests, suspensions to make for truly dramatic scenes.

When I sit at home watching television I always tend to skip straight to the sports channels. Channels 201 to 380 on Sky are of absolutely no interest to me. They tend to slow my brain activity to vegetative state.

It amuses me how people can watch similarly dressed women lament and scheme about the exact same things in so many different eras, countries and planets. What some choose to call drama I choose to call an utter waste of time.

There are loads of other places to watch live soap operas unfolding and one of the best places to start is Italy. If you were to gaze at the front page of any Italian newspaper you would think you have picked up an edition of 'Dramatic Events of the 20th Century'.

And no they don't have Pavarotti or Bocelli plastered on their front pages they have either politics or football. Who as many may know are related - Berlusconi after all being the owner of AC Milan.

When Silvio got docked last night it made news even in the sporting world for the above stated reason. There have even been parliamentary showdowns over the game, the most famous one taking place after an Inter-Juve game in 1998.

And this season I have seen some of the best plots play out not on 'The Tudors' or 'EastEnders' but on Channel 417, ESPN, home to the Italian SerieA.

HOLY CRAP! THAT WAS CRAZY...

This has been my reaction on so many occasions this season, that if there was indeed a holy crap it would have covered London by now. Tolkien and Rowling would have to write a combined decadology to match the drama of this SerieA season.

This past week probably served one of the best examples of what I am trying to illustrate. Bari, a newly promoted team, beat Juventus, Italy's most successful team. One may attribute this to Juve's poor form but the display put on by Bari was one of such magnificence that it left me spellbound.

Furthermore this is not an one-off result for the team as they have been playing extremely well this season. They the second best defensive record in the league and sit seventh in the table.

If that isn't enough to whet your appetite how about this - Parma, another newly promoted team, are in fourth spot. Holy Crap! That's crazy... The Ducali are a glorious example of team work as they lack any stars in the outfit but have achieved their position through sheer grit and determination.

There was more action in Rome this week as well. If Lazio were in a soap opera, they would probably have had every tearful Coldplay song playing in the background simultaneously. The team hadn't won a game since Matchday 2 and 5000 protestors had lined up before the kick-off against Genoa.

And then just like the ten thousand bullet hole riddled hero of old, the team somehow managed to win the game. The fans in the stadium celebrated with the gusto of a championship victory but it was well-deserved for them.

AVE MARIE

If you thought the on-pitch action was all the league offered you were wrong, the off-pitch action is an extravaganza unto itself. No, it does not take place in a church but would rather make churchgoers cringe in distaste.

There is no Metallica or Black Sabbath track yet composed to fully capture the violently passionate Italians. The last few weeks have in fact been so intense that Italy's football governing body (FIGC) have asked for some calm and peace amongst the teams.

But frankly my dear, no one gives a damn! The ever vocal Jose Mourinho supposedly shoved a journalist who was trying to interview him after the Atalanta-Inter game. Jose, who watched the game from the stands was accompanied there by Antonio Conte, the Atalanta coach.

Both managers were suspended for varying degrees of humiliating the referees last week. Conte, did his best impression of Al Capone as he was seen constantly shouting instructions into his mouthpiece from his private box. At one point I actually thought he had some kind of puppet strings in his hand.

But the highlight of the week came in the Sardinian derby when Eziquiel Lavezzi kicked the ball at Cagliari coach Allegri. The latter was playing some keep ball during stoppage time and Lavezzi administered some of his own justice.

The game saw Napoli surrender their 2-0 lead in the last fifteen minutes only to equalize and make it 3-3 in the sixth minute of stoppage time.

I am sure everyone remembers how Balotelli reenacted his role as a dying soldier in Saving Private Ryan last week during the clash against Juventus. And I have just recounted the events of the last week.As you can obviously see the Italian League is but an opera, so please tune in whenever you can! Forza Azzuri!

Inter Extends Lead Despite Dropping Points

2009-12-13T08:31:00.000-08:00

Inter Milan extended their lead at the top of the table despite being held to a draw at Atalanta. Inter's closest rivals Milan were surprised 2-0 at home by Palermo to condemn them to their first defeat since September.

The Inter - Atalanta game had an absurd feel to it as both managers were serving suspensions for their transgressions last week. Inter lined up with the same formation as in the midweek with an attacking trident of Balotelli-Eto'o-Milito.

The move looked to have paid dividends as Milito grabbed his tenth of the season with a quarter of an hour gone. Milito displayed all the strength of his Rambo look-alike Sylvester Stallone to hold off two defenders before firing in.

Sneijder who hits the post in almost every game did so again today with a cracker of a shot which ricocheted of the upright. Inter thought they had doubled their lead when Lucio headed in a freekick but the double barrel shotgun-chested Brazilian was offside.

Sneijder was a tad bit unlucky to be sent off for his second bookable offence after a late tackle on Guarente. With Inter down to ten men, Baresi decided to try to sit and protect the lead. Why managers even try this doomed tactic is beyond me...

Atalanta had more open spaces to exploit and one could see Antonio Conte shouting instructions in an ear-piece to his assistant on the touchlines. Seeing him in that closed VIP box directing his team, made me feel as if I was watching some Bourne thriller with the CIA guys in their suits and mouth-pieces.

The pressure finally paid off as Tiribocchi equalized with only eight minutes left on the clock. The goal suddenly woke up the Inter players who attacked relentlessly until the final whistle but some good defending and better goalkeeping kept them out.

Milan Finally Lose

The past few months have seen Milan go on an incredible unbeaten streak. They have been plain awful at times but still got the result with some last minute goals. However, today they finally got what was coming after another insipid performance saw them lose at home to Palermo.

Milan drafted the discoverer of fire, old Giussepe Favalli, into their defence. The first half was full of action as both sides created a host of chances but neither team really troubled the keeper.

The deadlock was broken just minutes into the second half by the 2 ft 2 inches Fabrizio Miccoli with superb strike. I am sure the reason all these hobbit sized players score so much is because no one can spot them.

Miccoli was up to it again after he positively made a mockery out of two Milan players before crossing in. The ball made its way to Bresciano who made no mistake in front of goal.

With Milan two behind Leonardo tried his best to push as many men forward as possible. Pato and Inzaghi entered the fray but Palermo eventually played out to the final whistle and registered a deserved win.

The results meant that Inter now lead Milan at the top by five points with 36 points from their 16 games. Juventus are third with 31.

Ferrara On The Brink As Juve Lose Again

2009-12-12T14:36:00.000-08:00

Ciro Ferrara was left contemplating his future as his Juventus side suffered another defeat to newly promoted Bari.

Football is a strange game in the space of a week extreme jubilation can turn into acute disappointment. Juventus fans oscillated between the two emotions as their team went from victory over Inter to exit from the Champions League and now defeat to Bari.

For the second game in a row Ferrara appeared clueless and his men looked like an infantry without a general. The game in Bari kicked off on a terrible pitch with the penalty box looking more apt for women's mud fighting than a football game.

Meggiorini gave the home side the lead in the eight minute after his strike deflectedly wickedly off Caceres and into the back of Buffon's net. Juventus were shocked after having conceded such an early goal.

There were opportunities for both sides but it was Juventus who finally scored when Trezeguet tapped in the rebound after Diego's initial shot was parried.

The Bianconeri created further opportunities but Amauri was the culprit on multiple occasions. With performances like today's there's no way he is getting into Lippi's squad for the World Cup.

Just before half-time Bari retook the lead as 'Speeedy Gonzalez' Barreto was brought down in the box. He promptly dusted himself off and stroked the ball home from 12 yards out to put the Galletti back in front.

Second-Half

If Ferrara was expecting to see a completely different Juve side take to the field after the break he was about to be disappointed. The Bianconeri were still struggling to find any kind of rhythm in their forward build-ups.

Tiago wasted a couple of good opportunities to live up to his image of 'Juve's worst signing ever'. Fabio Grosso came on for Molinaro and immediately won his team a penalty.

Diego who had been very active in the game, stepped up to take it but kicked it rugby-style and sent the ball flying over the bar. This served to deflate all Juve hopes and the players faces seemed to grow an inch longer with every passing minute.

Ex-Bianconero Sergio Almiron, who had brought down Grosso for the penalty, showed his former team what they were missing out on with a well placed strike into the bottom corner from 20 yards out. At 3-1 with just ten minutes left, there was no coming back for Ferrara's side and noose around his neck seemed to grow tighter.

It was only then that he realised that he had Giovinco on the bench and threw on 'Atom Ant' with the game well and truly over. Unfortunately this was no sports film and despite Gio's admirable contributions his team had to confront the loss.

The way things stand right now it looks increasingly difficult for Ferrara to continue in his position any longer. There are possible replacements available in the market and with Guus Hiddink being recently added to the Classifieds section, this may well be his first and last Christmas with the club.

Crazy Sardinian Derby

It was an absolutely crazy derby between Cagliari and Napoli earlier in the day with both teams sharing the spoils in a thrilling encounter. The 3-3 scoreline told of only half the drama as the game produced some unbelievable derby madness.

Both teams were separated by only one point at kick-off with Napoli having the advantage over their local rivals. It was end t0 end stuff before the Partenopei took the lead after Lavezzi ran at the defence and scored the opener.

The second half produced as much action as the first and Napoli doubled their lead in the 65th when Pazienza was given too much space in the box. At 2-0 however, the match was just kicking off.

Cagliari produced 13 minutes of pure magic as they turned the game on its head going from two goals down to lead 3-2. Larrivey and then Matri scored to equalize the game before substitute Jeda scored with his first touch of the game.

As the game entered stoppage time, the insanity reached its peak as Lavezzi was sent-off for kicking the ball at Cagliari coach Allegri, who was playing dribble boy with the ball after it had gone out for a throw in.

And just when one thought we had reached the climax there was still some action left as Napoli quite incredibly equalized in the sixth minute of stoppage time. Only in Italia!

Juve's Need For Reformation

2009-12-10T14:28:00.000-08:00

A tumultuous week saw Juventus beat Inter only to succumb to a humiliating exit from the Champions League at the hands of Bayern Munich.

Juventus fans were left horrified by their team's midweek performance against Bayern Munich. What was particularly disappointing for the fans was that the loss came on the back of an impressive win against champions Inter Milan in the league.

Many believed that the win against Inter would serve as a turning point in Juve's thus far disappointing season. The Bianconeri have flattered to deceive on many occasions but on Tuesday night the team was mauled in front of its fans.

Not many predicted that the Bavarians would get the win they needed to qualify for the next stages. But Louis Van Gaal's team delivered such a comprehensive performance that many in Europe were forced to sit up and take notice.

The defeat meant that Juventus had thrown away their passage to the next round with two sucessive losses in the competition. More worryingly still, the team looked terribly short of ideas and it felt as if a defeatist attitude had crept in amongst the players.

Management Troubles

There have been constant talks amongst Juve fans about the need for the club to dump manager Ciro Ferrara. Pundits and spectators alike have suggested that he lacks the vital experience necessary to groom a top club.

But is it really a problem of the manager? Last year everyone jumped frantically and asked for Ranieri to be fired. He was sacked but has there been any change at the club since his departure.

Anyone following the Italian league will tell you that Juventus have never quite looked like the team that dominated in the pre-Calciopoli days. There have been some very shocking decisions made by the management especially with regards to the youth policy and the transfer market.

Regardless of the man in charge of the club, Juventus have almost stifled their youth products. Everyone apart from the manager seems to have noticed that Sebastian Giovinco is blessed with talent and deserves a starting place.

The same is true of Paolo De Ceglie and Claudio Marchisio and the latter has flourished in recent games after being given a chance. All signs yet have indicated that the current squad is way past its prime and needs some new blood.

The transfer policy has been worse as almost all the signings have failed to live up to expectations or were terribly thought out initially. Christian Poulsen, Tiago, Jorge Andrade, Sergio Almiron are players who in all honesty lack the calibre to ply their trade for a big club.

A Vicious Circle

These bad transfers have been partly responsible for the youth being kept on the sidelines. This year the arrivals of Diego, Felipe Melo and Grosso have had a direct impact on the chances available for Giovinco, De Ceglie and Co.

The three who arrived have not had a major impact on the squad and halfway into the season they are yet to capture the imagination of the fans. On the other hand, Giovinco and De Ceglie have seemed to deliver whenever called upon.

The front-line also suffers from problems of its own as Del Piero and Trezeguet have seen far too many winters. You may have a Ryan Giggs or a Javier Zanetti running the midfield despite, being well into their 30s, but you cannot have a senior attacker.

Amauri never had star quality written over him and Iaquinta needs support from a trequartista. Diego was bought in the summer to fill that very role but he has hardly ever been deployed in that position.

Looking at all these problem areas it comes as no surprise then to find Juventus in the position they find themselves in.

The Way Ahead

The Bianconeri now have the best time to recuperate themselves and prepare for a better second half of the season. They have two relatively easy games against Bari and Catania before the winter break.

If the team can win those fixtures it will give them a degree of confidence and self-belief which it seems to lack currently. It will also help the side prepare for the clash with Milan on the other side of the new year.

The squad should now be able to better focus their attention on the Scudetto as they have exited the Champions League. But with the likes of Liverpool, Valencia, Wolfsburg, Rubin Kazan vying for the Europa League a victory in competition will certainly help.

With the year fast coming to a close all Juve fans will hope that the coming year is a better one and that their squad realises its true potential.

Inter Save Grace And Fiorentina Disgrace Liverpool

2009-12-09T13:37:00.000-08:00

Source: Inter.it

Inter won 2-0 against Rubin Kazan at the San Siro to qualify for the knockout phases of the Champions League. Fiorentina beat an awful Liverpool 2-1 at Anfield to spectacularly win their group.

Watching Inter in the Champions League reminds me of an Alfred Tennesse novel - you always expect a sad, tragic ending. Though tonight's game was more like a Scorcese thriller with Russian mobsters running wild. The Nerazzuri performed very well against Kazan to book their place to the next stages.

Mourinho started the game with an attacking trident of Milito,Eto'o and Balotelli. Balotelli was sporting yet another new hairdo, no wonder he is late for training, he has his hair to take care of.

And the stupid hair seemed to have worked well for him as he setup Inter's first with a clever back heel to Eto'o who scored in the UCL after an eternity. Inter finished the half stronger and seemed to be well in control of the game.

But after half-time the team tried its best to let the Russians back into the game. Kazan however were playing roulette with their chances and missed all of them. '

Whacky hairdo' came to Inter's rescue once again as he scored a scorcher of a freekick which keeper Ryzhikov completely misjudged. Maybe he thought it was a stray American missile and tried to get as far away as possible.

It was all Inter from there as Kazan continued to waste any opportunities they had and were lucky not to concede another. The win saw Inter go through in second spot behind Barcelona.

Fiorentina And Their Miraculous Run

If someone had told me that Fiorentina would top their group, I would have given the person some cash to help his mental rehabilitation. Now the lunatic from Arkham Asylum must be doing cartwheels on the bed he has been strapped on and laughing at me.

Fiorentina's win over Liverpool displayed once again how bad a side the Merseysiders have become. If Rafa Benitez was the manager of an Italian club he would have been fired by now... TWICE.

The Reds were outplayed once again and this time it was in front of their touted Kop. They withered a number of chances for Fiorentina and found themselves surprisingly ahead when Benayon glanced Gerrard's cross into the top corner.

Fiorentina came back strongly after the half and Gilardino setup Jorgensen for the equalizer. Fernando Torres made his umpteenth return from an injury in a bid to inject some creativity into his team.

But it was like putting a braindead person on a ventilator only prolonging his 'death' for a while. Fiorentina finally buried Liverpool when Gilardino capitalized on Stupid Darby's mistake.

The win gave Fiorentina top spot in their group and means that they will have a considerably easy draw for the knockouts. Liverpool now have the UEFA Europa League to look forward to where they will come up against the likes of Juventus.

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Italians Fail Again In Europe

2009-12-07T11:27:00.000-08:00

Juventus have crashed to a humiliating 4-1 loss to Bayern at home and are out of the Champions League. AC Milan have barely made it to the knockout stages after a 1-1 draw against Zurich.

There has to be something highly repelling about Champions League. Maybe the players coming in from the rest of Europe smell funny or are a bunch of ruffians because Italians just can't play against them.

Juventus were "expected" to make easy work of Bayern Munich tonight and seal their place in the last 16. But things don't turn out as expected do they - Obama never expected to win the Nobel Peace Prize but he did.

Juve were outplayed and beaten in such a humbling manner that it was reminiscent of Adolf Hitler giving Mussolini a lesson in war tactics. The Germans were just the better side in every department.

Despite Juventus having taken the lead no Bianconeri fan would have been convinced they would hold on to it. Their performance was so lacklustre that one would have been forgiven for thinking that Bayern allowed them to score an early consolation goal.

Butt equalized for the Bavarians from the spot in the first half before Olic, Gomez and Tymoschuk scored in the second. Juventus got their first corner of the game after the 80th minute by which time Bayern had already earned ten. That stat pretty much sums up the game.

Alpine Vacation

The Milan squad looked like they had come on a holiday in Alps when the team took on FC Zurich. For the entire first half one felt as if the players were waiting to return to their hotel, build a snowman and dress Gatusso up as Santa Claus.

The team was in a festive mood as they attempted to play a passing game which unfortunately lacked any killer instinct. It was no surprise when Zurich took the lead through Milan Gajic's 20m freekick.

Milan were finding it difficult to impose themselves in the game after all they didn't have a player named Zurich. They were finally given a lifeline when Alain Rochat was sent off and Ronaldinho scored from the penalty spot. (Told you they are easy!)

With Zurich reduced to ten men it was as if Santa's reindeers were taken away and the poor old man struggled with that. Milan created a lot of chances but they needed someone to deliver their Christmas gifts so they promptly wasted them all.

The embarrassing draw meant that Milan scraped through to the knockout phases in the most inglorious of ways. With the fate of three Italian sides now decided all eyes will now be on Inter to see if they too suffer from Euro-phobia.

Juventus Still In The Race As They Usurp Inter

2009-12-05T13:48:00.000-08:00

Juventus beat Inter 2-1 at the Stadio Olimpico di Torino to reopen the title race once again. Goals from Felipe Melo and Claudio Marchisio gave the Bianconeri a memorable victory.

The Derby d'Italia lived up to all the pre-match expectations as fans were treated to a cracking encounter in Turin. The game featured all the action it promised but it will be the Juventus fans who celebrate into the night.

Both teams were almost at full strength with Inter only missing Wesley Sneijder and Ricardo Quaresma through injury. The game got off to a fast start as both sides attacked extensively. However the defences held up quite well and neither keeper was really troubled.

Juventus scored in the 21st minute through Felipe Melo when a Diego freekick was deflected in by his Brazilian compatriot. There was more drama as Jose Mourinho was sent off for sarcastically applauding the referee.

Melo was cautioned minutes later as he went in on Stankovic for a late tackle. The resulting freekick saw Buffon pull of a great save to deny Walter Samuel. But Inter were level minutes later as a Stankovic cross was headed in by Eto'o.

After the leveller the game continued its eager tempo but Juventus took charge of proceedings. The Bianconeri tried repeatedly to break down Inter's defence but the Nerazzuri defence held firm.

Second Half

The second half kicked-off with Inter controlling possession and looking more threatening. However, the Nerazzuri seemed to miss Sneijder desperately as they lacked that final ball.

In the 57th minute Milito found himself in space in the box and played it across for Stankovic whose shot was blocked and the resulting melee saw Buffon collect. The Italian shot stopper's quick reactions led to the goal as his throw released Marchisio who in turn found Sissoko.

Sissoko fired a powerful shot which could only be parried by Julio Cesar into Marchisio's path. The young Italian kept all his calm and composure to chip the ball over the Inter keeper to give Juve the lead in the 58th minute.

Giuseppe Baresi, Mourinho's right hand, threw on the much-maligned Balotelli to give Inter more of an attacking option. A chorus of boos greeted the Inter star as he came on.

Walter Samuel was lucky to not be recieve his second booking when he tugged back Del Piero who made some space for himself. Juve were pretty much restricted to their own half after this.

Lucio then missed a glorious opportunity as Buffon uncharacteristically misjudged a freekick and saw the ball go inches past the Brazilian's defenders outstretched leg.

A Frantic End

Martin Caceres who was having a great game almost made a hash of things as his clumsy awkward challenge saw Milito go down in the box. The ref however was not interested and waved for the game to continue.

With under ten minutes to go Inter were desperate to find an equalizer and brought on Mancini for Cambiasso. Things boiled over in the 85th minute as Felipe Melo and Balotelli fought for the ball and the former swung his elbow.

Melo was sent off for his intentions rather than their consequence and Balotelli was booked for simulation as he had gone down clutching his face when in fact there wasn't too much contact. More players got involved in the fracas but good sense luckily prevailed.

As the clock wound down Inter seemed to have run out of ideas and despite getting four minutes of added time they failed to create any chance of note.

The final whistle meant that Mourinho's men lost only for the second time this season and have only a slender lead at the top. Milan's victory over Sampdoria sees them trail their cousins by only four points.

Milan Close The Gap

AC Milan took on Sampdoria in the first game of the evening at the San Siro. The Rossoneri have been in scintillating form of late and continued on their path with an comfortable 3-0 win.

The Diavolo took the lead in just the first couple of minutes when Ronaldinho played the perfect cross for Borriello to head in his fourth of the season.

The former World Player of the Year who has been rediscovering his touch of late was at the center of the second goal as well. He played a one-two with Seedorf who scored in the 22nd minute.

Two became three just moments later as Pato took two bites of the cherry before scoring Milan's third and effectively killing off the contest.

The second half was played at a pedestrian pace as Milan conserved themselves for their Champions League tie in the midweek. Luigi Del Neri however will be worried by his Sampdoria team player's as the team risks slipping out of the top four after having made such a positive start to the season.

Italy Get It Easy But Brazil Have All To Do

2009-12-04T15:59:00.000-08:00

The draw for 2010 FIFA World Cup saw Italy being placed in a relatively easy group with Paraguay, New Zealand and Slovakia. Brazil have work to do as they face Portugal, Ivory Coast and North Korea.

Capetown was abuzz with excitement as the draw for the finalists kicked off in the evening. With France not being seeded there was a possibility of a replay of the previous World Cup final being played out in the group stages itself.

But Italian fears were allayed as they were drawn in one of the easiest groups at the finals. The team will be facing Paraguay in the first game of Group F in Capetown on June 14th.

They will take on New Zealand in their second match at Nelspruit on 20th June. The Azzuri will conclude their group stage when they face newcomers Slovakia at Johannesburg four days later.

Tournament favorites Brazil however find themselves in the so-called 'Group of Death'. The Samba Kings take on Portugal, Ivory Coast and North Korea in Group G.

Last year's hosts Germany also find themselves in a relatively tough group as they will take on Serbia, Australia and Ghana in Group D.

European champions Spain have an easy path to the knockout stages as they have been paired with Chile, Switzerland and Honduras.

Three & Easy For The Azzuri

The three teams in Italy's group have just managed eight appearances at the World Cup finals combined. Whereas this will be the first time for Slovakia, New Zealand have qualified only once before at the 1982 World Cup in Spain.

Paraguay have become regular qualifiers from the South American zone now for the last few editions. They will probably be the team Italy should worry about the most.

The Paraguayans had an excellent qualifying campaign this time which included victories over Brazil and Argentina. And this year they come to the finals with a more complete squad than in the past.

New Zealand and Slovenia are two sides who have nothing to lose and hence can be expected to play fearlessly. However with the exception of a few players there is a real paucity of talent in the squads.

Marcello Lippi's men can now board the flight to South Africa with a little less pressure and should be confident of making a postive start to their defence of the crown.

Calciopoli - Why Are We Still Talking About It?

2009-12-02T10:42:00.000-08:00

The 'Calciopoli scandal' which broke out in the summer of 2006 ravaged Italian football, but three years on it is still a burning issue for some.

Luciano Moggi, the ex-Juventus director claimed today that he has proof that Calciopoli was a conspiracy. This is not the first time that Moggi has made pleas for his innocence and it doesn't seem that it would be the last either.

The Calciopoli scandal caused great damage to the reputation of Italian football which seems to be still recovering from its aftershocks. Juventus were relegated to SerieB and as a result a host of talent departed from the team.

However what hurt the Bianconeri more was the fact that their Scudetti for 2004-05 and 2005-06 were revoked and the latter was presented to Inter. This left a highly bitter taste in Juve's mouth, something they haven't managed to spit out yet.

Moggi and a few directors almost immediately after the scandal was revealed and received varying sentences for their involvement. Juve weren't the only team punished as Milan, Fiorentina and Lazio incurred varying penalties.

However it was Juventus who were deemed to be at the center of the scandal and hence they were the only team to be demoted to SerieB.

Aftermath of the Scandal

Following Juve's conviction there was a new regime in charge at the club and it did its best to distance itself from Moggi and Co. But then a few months later things started turning around.

There were always conspiracies that Inter president, Massimo Moratti was the one behind the whole crackdown. People believed that Inter's lack of success in the SerieA had led Moratti to take this extreme step.

They would add further credence to their story as the FIGC chairperson at the ruling would later became an Inter director. Similarly, the phone taps were conducted by TIM a major sponsor of the Nerazzuri.

Inter on the other hand truly benefitted from the scandal as Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Patrick Viera joined their ranks after quitting Juventus. The former went on to become a talisman for the club until his departure this summer.

So Inter definitely had a motive to see the downfall of their great rivals. But what about the proof?

The Proof

This is where things start getting really murky as there are conflicting reports about the proof that was brought forth. against Juve . While the conspiracy theorists claim that there was no substantial evidence the prosecutors seemed convinced at the time.

The same Juve board which so eagerly suspended Moggi and denied their part in the scandal started backing his claims. Moggi himself was his ever expressive self and the Italian media continued to give him airtime.

Accusations started flying around and then demands for the revoked Scudetti to be returned. The proof for all of this was never presented and hasn't been till date.

Soon enough almost everyone jumped on the bandwagon to support Moggi's allegations. It seemed that the man convicted for manipulating matches, paying off referees was suddenly the man to be followed.

'It Is All A Conspiracy'

And now Moggi's claims of the whole thing being a conspiracy and him having evidence to prove so. 'Why this proof was not brought forth before?' is a question which just begs to be asked. But no one seemingly wants to ask it.

The problem is now no longer restricted to Moggi as almost every Juve fan will try to convince you of his team's innocence. Innocent or not, the sad part is that they still choose to talk about three years after the incident.

While most of the team management and players have put it behind them, the supporters are still struggling to come to grips with the incident. Everytime Calciopoli is mentioned the fans forget about everything else and rush to defend their club.

The reaction is obviously understandable but isn't it time that they start concentrating on prevailing issues at the club. Whenever Juve have a bad run of form, the fans generally choose to blame Calciopoli and Moggi's consequent absence rather than the current management.

This year Juve did well in the transfer market and brought in some real talent in the form of Diego, Felipe Melo and Fabio Grosso. The first two started the season well but have started to struggle of late.

On Sunday the team suffered its third loss of the season in a surprise 2-0 defeat at Cagliari. The result which followed a 2-0 defeat at Bordeaux meant that the team slipped into third place.

A New Era Undermined

The constant attention that the media and the public give to Moggi is undermining the work of the new Juventus dynasty. Cobolli Gigli, the latest Juve president, also spoke about the revoked Scudetti rather than the way forward when he bid adieu to the club this October.

It is time now that everyone moves forward from the Calciopoli scandal and restricts it to the confines of history. It has done enough damage to Italian football as is.

Last year saw the league recorded some of its poorest attendance in years and not a single Italian team made it past the Round of 16 in the Champions League. The once dominant league today is a shadow of its former self.

The other teams who were implicated in the scandal have done rather well most noticeably Fiorentina. The team today is the only Italian team to have made it through to the knockout stages of the Champions League with a game in hand.

This year there is a very real possibility that four Italian teams will make it to the knockout stages. Now they should capitalize on this opportunity to regain some of the lost pride for the league.

As for the fans there is only one way to go for them and that is forward. Lingering in the past is not going to help anyone and it is time that they start ahead.

Cagliari Shock Juve As Milan Go Second

2009-11-30T14:59:00.000-08:00

Cagliari beat a hapless Juventus 2-0 sending the Bianconeri 8 points adrift of leaders Inter and into third place. Meanwhile, Huntelaar scored twice in injury time to give Milan three points at Catania.

Juventus suffered a shock defeat at Cagliari to see their title hopes recieve another blow. What will worry Ferrara even more is the complete lack of ideas from his team for the second game in a row.

Cagliari deservedly took the lead on the half hour with a 30 yard cracker from Nene. The Brazilian beat Buffon with a thunderous drive into the top corner.

After the break Juve's performance improved a bit but they continued to struggle against a solid Cagliari defence. The final nail in Juve's coffin was sunk in by Matri as Cagliari scored on the counter with ten minutes left.

The loss meant that the Bianconeri slipped to third place before their critical encounter with Inter Milan next week. And they will need to step up their game quite a few notches if they are to seriously challenge for the title.

Cagliari - Juventus (2-0): résumé
by juventusfrcom

Milan Leap To Second

Milan kept their fans waiting till the very end to register a victory over Catania. Klaas Jan Huntelaar was the Rossoneri's rescuer as he opened his account for the club at a decisive time.

Both teams had few chances in the first half as the defences held firm. The second half however was a much more open affair with Milan dominating the chances.

Leonardo showed his Brazilian instincts as he threw on Inzaghi and Huntelaar to accompany Ronaldinho, Pato and Seedorf up front. After the game Galliani joked saying that "4-5-1 formation is the future for Milan".

The move finally paid dividends in the second of injury time when the Dutch forward curled his effort into the far corner. Two minutes later he finished the game off with an immaculate lob.

The win saw them consolidate their return to form. The Rossoneri have now won six of their last seven games in the league and are undefeated in the last eleven games in all competitions.

Inter Bounce Back From Barca Debacle

Inter's midweek defeat to Barcelona was seen by many as a sign f the team's incompetence in Europe. However, the team paid little heed to critics as they outplayed Fiorentina for a 1-0 win.

The league leaders continued their dominance of the SerieA with an accomplished performance. Inter were the better side for major parts of the game and only the excellent Frey made them wait till the 85th minute to open their account.

Inter spurned a host of great chances in the game or were denied by the Fiorentina goal keeper to take the lead. The Nerazzuri did have the ball in the back of the net early in the second half but it was chalked out for a foul.

Gilardino almost won the game for the Viola in the 81st minute as he produced a magical flick to outwit Lucio and Samuel but could only hit the post. Inter were then awarded a penalty when Comotto appeared to bring down Milito in the box.

The Argentine slotted home his ninth of the campaign to give Mourinho something to cheer about. Samuel Eto'o squandered a wonderful opportunity when he was clean through on goal but Frey saved brilliantly yet again.

Genoa Win Derby

The Genovese Derby saw Genoa run out 3-0 winners. The game was hotly contested as usual and ended with only 19 men on the pitch.

Genoa took the lead in the 10th minute after Milanetto converted a penalty. The Grifoni were however reduced to ten men at the end of the half as Biava was sent off for his second yellow.

Ten men Genoa still controlled proceedings and doubled their advantage through Giuseppe Sculli. The numbers were soon even as Marco Rossi recieved his marching orders for Sampdoria after recieving his second caution.

The icing on the cake for Genoa came through another penalty this time converted by Palladino. Sampdoria finished the game with nine men after Cacciatore was shown a straight red for a reckless challenge on Ivan Juric.

The win saw Genoa move up to within a point of Sampdoria who currently occupy the crucial fourth spot.

Round-Up

Roma earned a comeback victory against Atalanta. The Giallorossi fell behind to Ceravolo goal before Vucinic and Perotta put them back in front. The win meant that the Romans climbed into ninth place just 3 points from fourth spot.

In the other games of the week, Palermo lost again despite firing Walter Zenga last week. Chievo ran out 1-0 winners on the day. Lazio also extended their winless streak to 12 games with a 0-0 draw at Bari.

Parma continued their excellent start to the season with a 1-1 draw against Napoli. The equalizer for Parma came through Amorouso from the penalty spot with just five minutes to go after Denis had given Napoli the lead.

Bari maintained their impressive showing with a 2-1 win against Siena. Udinese won the first game on Saturday against Livorno with two unreplied goals.

Atalanta vs Roma 1-2 Serie A 2010 Day 14 Sintesi SKY
by Roma-eterna

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Fiorentina - The Sole Italian Bastion

2009-11-26T02:17:00.000-08:00

Fiorentina became the only Italian side to book its place in the knockout phases of the Champions League after beating Lyon 1-0. The fate of all the other Italian teams will now be decided only on the final matchday.

Fiorentina's victory meant that Liverpool were sent crashing out of Champions League. The win yet again exemplified Viola's 'European' mentality, a mentality which the other Italian sides seem to lack.

Inter were thoroughly outplayed by Barcelona in a 2-0 defeat at Camp Nou. Mourinho's men had absolutely no answer to Barca's slick passing movement and were found wanting in all departments of the field.

The same could also be said about Juventus who themselves suffered a 2-0 defeat at Bordeaux. The French champions have put up a great display of football throughout the tournament and the victory guaranteed their topspot.

Milan too were extremely lucky to avoid defeat against Marseille. The second half saw the French side being denied a deserved victory as they hit the post twice.

The Italian Struggles In Europe

Last year Italian football was said to have hit a new low after none of the Italian sides made it past the last 16. Inter, Juventus and AS Roma were all dumped out by English sides.

Inter seem to always be suffering from a so-called European curse. The most dominant team in Italy looked completely out of sorts on Tuesday night.

Roberto Mancini was fired because Moratti wanted European glory. But Mourinho's European record is even worse than his predecessor. The Portuguese has won just 3 of the 13 games where he has led the team.

Inter's problem has got to do with confidence levels. The team has not beaten a single European powerhouse in the last six years. They have failed to go beyond the First Knockout phase after 2005/06. Now they need a victory against Rubin Kazan to ensure their progress.

Barcelona 2 - 0 Inter Milan - All Goals & Full Highlights HQ
by FCBarcelona1899ch

Juventus also seem to have been afflicted with this European disease. The team has only won twice and both were hard fought victories against Israeli Maccabi Haifa, a team they are expected to walk over.

Juventus have also seemed very nervous this year when playing in Europe. This was visibly evident in last night's game against Bordeaux.

Whilst watching them in action it almost feels as if the teams are gripped with fear. Passes are all over the place and there is a lack of organisation.

Fiorentina The Fearless

On the other hand we have a Fiorentina a team which is not doing that well in the SerieA but producing great results in the Champions League. Fiorentina's success can probably be attributed to their fearless style of play.

The team is not shy in coming forward. Quick passes, one touch football and shoot at sight are typical characteristics of their game. The type of characteristics which are necessary in Europe.

The other thing the team has which Inter and Juventus lack is speed. Jovetic, Mutu and Marchionni are very fast players and that allows the team to stretch the opposition.

The other feature of this Fiorentina side has been their strong midfield. Inter struggled terribly without Wesley Sneijder and there was no link-up between the midfielders and the attackers. The same is true for Juventus whenever Diego fails to find his footing.

There is also a healthy degree of young blood in the current Viola squad. Players like Jovetic, Marchionni are very keen to impress on the world stage and their desire goes a long way in contributing to the team's success.

Milan Still Italy's Best Bet

However Milan still remain Italy's best chance of European glory. Milan always seem to be able to conjure magical form in Europe.

We already witnessed that in the tie against Real Madrid. The team has what others in Italy lack the belief that they can succeed in the Champions League.

At the start of the season many called it 'The Worst Milan Side In The Past Few Decades'. However, the team's recent performances have revealed the true potential of the side.

Against Marseille the team may have been outplayed in the second half but there were enough chances for the Rossonerri to capitalize earlier.

AC Milan vs Marseille 1-1 09-11-25
by sermon69

One of the most important aspects of the Milan side is that they have a lot of individual talent which the others team lack. As witnessed in Madrid players like Pirlo who are able to single handedly turn a game around make a huge difference.

Similarly Ronaldinho is also finding his form again. Against Cagliari on Sunday, the player had one of his best performances in the Milan shirt.

Alexandre Pato is probably the most talented youngster at the moment in world football. His finishing, his pace, his vision are top quality and that is what provides Milan the thrust to do better than their domestic rivals.

With the final round of matches set to take place in two weeks time there is a strong prospect that four Italian teams will make it to the knockout phases. And this in itself is quite an achievement.

But if an Italian side wishes to win the competition a fair amount of work is still needed to develop the ability to consistently beat Europe's elite.

Italy And Racism - An Ugly History

2009-11-24T04:15:00.000-08:00

On Sunday Italy witnessed a new low as racist chants were shouted at Mario Balotelli by Juve supporters at a game the player was not even present.
Racism reared its ugly head in Italy once again at the Juventus-Udinese game. The Old Lady supporters seemed to take sadistic pleasure in belittling Balotelli, an Inter player, who was not a part of the game.

Mario Balotelli is by no means a fan favourite. Even the Inter fans give him the stick sometimes for his 'selfish' play. The player has also come under criticism from his coach.

However, booing and racist chanting are two different things entirely. Last year Juventus was handed a one match stadium ban after their supporters taunted Balotelli incessantly in the Juve-Inter game.

The fans insisted that the chants were not racist but directed at the player's unsporting behaviour and arrogant attitude. But for an onlooker the situation was very clear.

The chants this time round however were not fully racist as the "se saltelli muore Balotelli" translates to jump up and down and Balotelli will die.

On Sunday the crowd was shocking in its conduct as for probably the first time was a player abused in his absence. It seemed the fans were preparing a welcome for the player when Inter visits Juve in two weeks time.

The Juve response

The Juve fans were also taunting two Udinese players . This despite the fact that one of their own, Momo Sissoko, who was making a return after an injury layoff, is black.

Sissoko recieved a very warm reception from the crowd who applauded his substitute appearance. "It's absurd chanting against a player who isn't even on the pitch.I hope certain things won't happen again," he was quoted saying after the game.

Ferrara was slightly more cautious in his reproach of the crowd. "I am against any kinds of insults and racial discrimination but if you go to football matches it shouldn't shock you, these are chants that you hear in all stadiums," he said.

While what Ferrara says is true it would be folly to not study the growing amount of racism in the Italian game. Racism is not a new issue and Balotelli has only served to highlight it.

Balotelli Not The Only Target

Italian fans have rather attained an ominous reputation in recent times. While the Ultras have always been known for their passion, their love for the game has started expressing itself in dark ways of late.

One will remember the rain of flares at the San Siro four years ago during Inter's clash with Milan in the Champions League which was eventually abandoned. That was just the start of a flurry of incidents.

One may also recollect the racist taunting of Marco Zoro in the Inter - Messina game which prompted the player to take the ball and walk off the pitch. It took a huge deal of convincing from the Inter players to get him back on the field.

Clarence Seedorf the Milan playmaker has also been subjected to various taunts in his highly successful career in Italy. The same has been the case with many other black players.

A Problem Not Restricted To Football

The racism issue is not exclusive to football alone. Many in Italy have complained of the growing tensions between locals and immigrants. And it is not just black people that are the victims.

In March this year two Romanian youths were arrested for allegedly raping an Italian teenager in Rome. Il Giornale, a paper owned by Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi, was quick to declare "The Romanian beasts have been caught".

In three weeks time it was proved that the Romanians had nothing to do with the crime severely exposing Italy's growing xenophobia.

People of Romanian and Bosnian descent have been labelled as gypsies by most people, but in Italy the problem is even more pronounced. Everyone - a group for international cooperation wrote about this problem recently.

The Italian government faced demonstrations last year in Rome as anti-racist groups took to the streets. There has been a steady escalation in racist attacks around the country and urgent steps need to be taken to curb this growing menace.

He's Still Got It! - Totti Scores A Hat-trick On Return

2009-11-23T02:25:00.000-08:00

Francesco Totti proved his value for Roma once again as he scored a hat-trick on his return to the team following a month long lay-off through injury.

'Er Pupone' opened the scoring for the Giallorossi from the penalty box on the 6th minute after Mirko Vucinic was brought down. He then doubled the lead with a well placed free kick on the 14th minute before adding a third on the 28th with a sweet left footed strike from the edge of the box.

Bari's consolation came through a Marco Andreolli own goal. After the game Totti blasted the media saying "Despite my performance, they still continue to say that I am finished. I won't talk to the media for the rest of the day, it would be too easy".

The top four all won their games at the weekend. Inter kicked off at Bologna on Saturday evening and took the lead through Diego Milito from a corner. But their lead didn't last long as Bologna scored straight from kick-off as Zalayeta gathered a long ball and blasted home. Inter spurned a couple of opportunities to retake the lead but eventually did through a Balotelli header.

The second half followed the same pattern as the first with Inter coming at Bologna repeatedly and scored the deserved third goal through Cambiasso. The win ensured that Inter stay five points clear at the top of the table.

Bologna vs Inter 1-3 Serie A 2010 Day 13 Highlights SKY
by Roma-eterna

Inter's closest rivals Juventus and Milan both registered narrow victories to keep up the chase. Milan had the most exciting match of the weekend in a 4-3 victory over Cagliari. Leonardo decided to start with four forwards in Seedorf, Ronaldinho, Borriello and Pato and the move paid rich dividends as all four found the back of the net. But the flipside to playing with the four of them was also evident as the team conceded thrice and it may have been more but for the resurgent Dida.

Milan vs Cagliari 4-3 Serie A 2010 Day 13 Highlights SKY
by Roma-eterna

Juventus however struggled against Udinese who were without star player Antonio Di Natale. The team struggled to find fluidity in their play and Fabio Grosso's solitary goal on the 55th minute earned them a slightly unconvincing win. The game saw the return of Alessandro Del Piero and Momo Sissoko following time on the sidelines due to injuries.

Both the players impressed as substitues and with the Derby d' Italia coming up it will be a welcome return for the Bianconeri. The team had some bad news though as David Trezeguet is expected to be out for 30 days because of a muscular injury he suffered in training.

Fourth placed Sampdoria won for the first time in four games with a hard fought 2-1 win over Chievo. Marco Rossi and Pazzini scored for the Blucerchiati before Mantovani blued one back for Chievo to make for a nervous finish. The win saw them stay in 4th place with 24 points. Rivals Genoa however succumbed to a last minute Pulzetti goal at Livorno as they lost 2-1. The loss sees them drop down to seventh.

The result of the week however was in Florence as newly promoted Parma continued their spectacular start to the season with a highly entertaining 3-2 win. Gilardino opened the scoring for the Viola but Amoruso and Bojinov put the Ducali ahead. Gilardino levelled things for the home side with another header before Lanzafame scored the winner. Fiorentina ended the game with ten men after Donadel was sent off late on. Parma who were relegated last year now see themselves incredibly sitting in fifth place ahead of Fiorentina.

This week promises to be a cracker as Inter take on Barcelona at the Camp Nou in the UEFA Champions League. Stay tuned for coverage.

World Cup Qualifiers Preview : The Final Hurdles

2009-11-12T04:14:00.001-08:00

I would like to start off by offering condolences to the family and friends of Robert Enke, the German keeper, who tragically committed suicide this week. Enke was combating with bouts of depression for the past few years and is succeeded by his wife and his adopted daughter. In lieu of his demise the friendly between Germany and Chile scheduled for 14th November has been called off.

The last round of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup 2010 kicks off at the weekend. 23 of the 32 slots have already been booked for the trip to South Africa in the summer and the last 9 will be known to us by Wednesday night. 4 of those 9 spots would be going to European teams who will lock horns with each other in their first leg on Saturday.

IRELAND Vs FRANCE

Ireland were surprisingly one of the five undefeated teams in all of their qualifying games. Trappatoni's side managed to hold world champions Italy in both the home and away legs of their fixtures. The Irish however showed their inability to get a result on numerous occasions in the other games too as they were drew against the likes of Montenegro and Bulgaria. The team's performance particularly against Italy in Dublin was highly praiseworthy and only a last minute Gilardino strike denied them a famous victory. They take on France in the first leg at home and will hope to get a good result in their backyard. The team has always been strong on home soil and has the quality in its ranks to stand up against the French. Trappatoni will use all his wile to ensure that they are in with a fighting chance for the second leg. Robbie Keane will lead the attack and should be most probably accompanied by Kevin Doyle. The important thing for the Irish will be to keep their concentration through the game as they are in the habit of conceding late.

France on the other hand will come into the match in much better form than the one they started their qualifying campaign. Tolouse striker Gignac has proved to be a revelation this season and scored three goals in his last three appearances for the Les Blues. Thierry Henry also seems to be performing much better for the national side and with Madrid striker Karim Benzema too in the squad, the French boast of an attack which will trouble most defences. The goal phobia which the team had contracted in the middle of qualifying, when they scored just five times in five games, was finally in their last two games when they found the net eight times. Against the Irish the strategy has to be to find that decisive away goal. The Irish are terribly goal shy themselves and if they are forced to score in France they will indeed be facing an uphill task. Raymond Domenech despite all his detractors, within the squad and outside, is a master at getting the right results and one can expect the finalists from the last edition to make it through this time as well.

PORTUGAL Vs BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA

The Cristiano Ronaldo less Portuguese side will welcome Bosnia in Lisbon for the first leg on Saturday. The Portuguese looked a shadow of the side which impressed in Germany and made it into the play-offs by the skin of their teeths. They have now been greatly helped by Sepp Blatter's decision to seed teams for the play-offs. Carlos Quieroz will have to rethink team strategy a bit because of his captain's absence and also that of Jose Bosingwa, who injured his knee in Chelsea's game against Manchester United. Simao is most likely to take Ronaldo's place and he should play behind Hugo Almeida. The defence will have to be alert against the Bosnians who scored seven times against Estonia during qualifying. It would be rather unwise for the Portuguese to invite the Bosnians on if they are to take the lead.

Bosnia & Herzegovina were quite spectacular in their qualifying campaign. The team from the former Yugoslavia defied all expectations and got second place ahead of the likes of Turkey and Belgium in Group 5. As mentioned earlier the team has no problems scoring the goals and will have Wolfsburg stars, Misimovic and Edin Dzeko, lining up for them. The national team has failed to qualify for any major tournament so far and came closest to qualifying for the European Championships in 2004. In Portugal they face a tough opponent but they have the ability to trouble the big teams as they have displayed in the past. If they can somehow sneak a goal in Portugal they will have a big chance to create history in front of their passionate fans in the return leg at home.

GREECE Vs UKRAINE

This is the third game of the qualifiers and the most unpredictable. Both Greece and Ukraine had decent qualifying campaigns. Greece just missed out by only a point the top spot in Group 2 and Ukraine exhibited glimpses of the form that took them to the quarterfinals of the last World Cup in Group 6. But to put truthfully at the risk of sounding blunt, both these teams look like spent forces. There is no new exciting blood in either side and both of them are still hanging onto the glory days of their old and this is no more evident than in the captains of the two sides. Giorgos Karagounis at 32 and Andriy Shevchenko at 33 are players who have seen the best days of their playing lives well past them. Both teams are however capable of playing some excellent football and one can never discount them. The return leg in Ukraine will be played in freezing conditions and if the tie is balanced after the first leg it will be heavily tilted in Ukraine's favor for the second. The Greeks will be aware of this dilemma and so one can expect to see them attack in the first leg on Saturday. Charisteas and Karagounis will still be the main threats in this Greek side while for Ukraine apart from 'Captain Fantastic', Artem Milevskiy, will be a potent weapon in both games.

RUSSIA Vs SLOVENIA

Like Bosnia, Slovenia too exceeded expectations as they finished second in Group 3 which had Czech Republic and Poland in its ranks. However they will have to really perform out of their socks to beat Hiddink's Russians. The Russian team won many plaudits for its display in the Euros and in particular their performance against the Dutch and the team has continued on from there successfully. The only two losses of their qualifying came against Germany and on both occasions the team fought on right until the end. The first leg in Russia will make life easier for them as they can really exert pressure on Slovenia if they get a good result. The Slovenians will find it hard to overcome this Russian side even on their own territory. Andrei Arshavin should lead his side out and look to translate his domestic form on the international scene as well. To me this one is in no doubt. Russia will book their passage to Africa.

SerieA Midweek Roundup : Juve & Inter Dominate!

2009-10-29T01:52:00.000-07:00

The midweek action in the Italian SerieA saw loads of goals and most of them came in Turin and Milan as Juventus put in a stellar performance against Sampdoria in a 5-1 victory and Inter disposed off Palermo in a highly entertaining 5-3 win. AC Milan conceded two late late goals and let a two goal lead slip in Naples as Napoli earned a thoroughy deserved 2-2 draw. Meanwhile Fiorentina lost their second successive game in the league against Genoa and Roma continued their losing streak at Udinese.

Juventus coach Ciro Ferrara knew that his team needed to win the game against second-placed Sampdoria to keep in touch with the league leaders Inter. He deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation which had never been used before with Giovince, Diego and Camoranesi playing behind Amauril. Cannavaro and Sissoko returned to the lineup from their injury lay-offs. After a tentative start to the game by both sides Juve opened the scoring in the 26th minute as Amauri scored from 6 yards out following a corner which the Samp players failed to handle . Three minutes before half-time Juve went two up after some great play by Chiellini. The defender won the ball on the half way line and then ran at the defence and freed Amauri who made his way into the box and squared the ball to Chiellini who duly obliged with a tap-in. Juventus almost went further ahead immediately after the restart but were denied by Castellazzi. The Old Lady did score their third on 50 minutes when Giovinco pulled the ball back for Camoranesi who scored his first of the campaign. Grosso and Giovinco, who showed his true calibre and talent, then shot wide but there was more to come though as in 62nd minute Amauri headed in a Camoranesi cross for his fourth goal in three games. Pazzini did score a consolation for Sampdoria with a close range header two minutes later but it was never going to change the complexion of the game. In fact Juventus went on to score their fifth of the night as Trezeguet headed in a Grosso cross to complete a dominating win for the Bianconeri. Ferrara will be immensely pleased by the success of the 4-2-3-1 and Giovinco proved once again that he deserves to be in the starting line-up.

In Naples, Milan went two goals ahead within the first six minutes as first Inzaghi and then Pato sprung the Partenopei offside trap. Inzaghi volleyed home from inside the box on two minutes and Pato latched on to a Inzaghi flick on near the semi-circle to finish past De Sanctis on six minutes. However after that it was all Napoli as the Azzurri piled pressure on the Milan defence through out the game. They were denied by Dida on numerous occassions and one move in particular saw the Brazilian make three saves. Inzaghi then wasted a great opportunity to kill the game as after rounding Castellazi he failed to hit the open goal. Milan's problems were further compounded when Ignazio Abate was sent-off with four minutes left for his second bookable offence. Napoli then pulled one back in spectacular fashion as substitute Cigarni volleyed home a cleared corner from the edge of the box in the first minute of injury time. This reinvigorated the whole squad who now went looking hungrily for a dramatic equaliser. In the third minute of injury time, the goal did arrive as another substitute Denis headed home to save Napoli from the jaws of defeat. Leonardo will once again have to answer to his critics as he made some questionable decisions in the game. Milan had lost Nesta early on through a muscular problem and despite them being two goals ahead he brought on Borriello for Inzaghi when normally he would have been expected to bring some defensive cover.

Roma suffered their third successive defeat at Udinese. Antonio Floro Flores opened the scoring for the home team with a headed goal on 21 minutes. Roma were on the back foot for much of the half but hit back through De Rossi on 42 minutes. A Juan header was blocked by Handanovic but De Rossi was present to score from the loose ball. The second half kicked off in the worst possible manner for the Romans as Rodrigo Taddei was sent off for hurling insults at the referee. With their numerical superiority Udinese exerted further pressure on the Giallorossi but they held on. Soon both teams were down to ten men as Basta was sent off for his second caution of the evening. And then six minutes from the end Flores scored from another header to give the home side the lead. Roma had a chance to equalize later but Vucinic squandered a glorious opportunity as he failed to connect properly with a Cicinho ball across the face of goal. The defeat meant that Ranieri's men lost their third match in a row and have only collected five points from their previous six games. Protests were taken out agains the club asking Rosella Sensi, the president, to step down. If things do not change fast Roma may be looking at a second coaching change with just ten games gone.

The Romanisti however can take slight comfort in the fact that the capital's other side Lazio are having an equally miserable run. Wednesday night saw the team lose at the Olimpico to Cagliari because of a Muslera howler. The goalkeeper failed to clean collect a freekick and let the ball slip out of his grasp; Matri made no mistake in front of goal to punish this error. The loss meant that Lazio haven't won in the league since Matchday 2. The team have scored only 7 times in their opening 10 games and coach Ballardini looks helpless. The Ultras made their voice heard in the blue section of Rome too as protestors marched to the training ground and reportedly hurled smoke bombs. Like their counterparts Lazio too have to find a solution to their struggles quickly if they are to avoid a long hard season ahead.

Genoa were looking to halt their slide down the table as they welcomed Fiorentina after losing to Inter and Cagliari in the previous rounds. The game was full of chances and like the weekend the Viola had their keeper Frey to thank as he made a number of saves to keep the game level. Palladino opened the scoring in the 43rd minute with a cool finish in front of goal. Fiorentina tried desperately to find an equalizer and were denied twice by the woodwork but it proved to be third time lucky as Marchioini found the net in the 64th minute. But the Genovese side scored the winner through Mesto who half-volleyed diagonally from close range after receiving the ball from Palacio. The win saw them climb up above their opponents into sixth place.

Livorno continued their revival under new coach Serse Cosmi as they won their second game in a row against visiting Atalanta. The Amaranto won thanks to a Miglionico header from a corner. The win sees Livorno move to 18th in the table level on points with Atalanta and Bologna. Bologna recorded their first win in five games as they defeated Siena 2-1 at home. Goals from Adailton and Osvaldo won the game for them, Calaio scored late on for the visitors. Parma too returned to winning ways as two stunning strikes from Bojinov and Paloschi earned them a 2-0 victory against Bari. The result sees the Ducali sitting in an incredible fourth place on their return to the top tier.

Thursday night's game between Inter and Palermo saw Walter Zenga, the Palermo coach, return to the side where he kept goal for 12 years. But Zenga's side were down in the 5th minute as Balotelli was quite foolishly brought down in the area and Eto'o duly converted the resulting penalty. Cavani had an effort sail well wide before a Simplicio drive was palmed away by Julio Cesar. Balotelli got on the score sheet himself after heading in a Maicon corner in the 34th minute. Inter scored two more before the break as first Balotelli got a final touch on a Cambiasso header in the 42nd minute and just a minute later Super Mario turned provider for Eto'o who scored his second of the night. At 4-0 one would have forgiven if they thought the game was over but Zenga's men had other plans. Inter introduced Santon for Chivu at the beginning of the half and then also threw on Milito as Balotelli was suffering an allergic reaction. Miccoli shrugged Cordoba off the ball and looped the ball over Cesar to make it 4-1 within three minutes of the restart. The Sicilians pulled another one back as Cavani squared the ball to Abel Hernandez on the 61st minute and suddenly it looked as if the game may still be alive. Milito then squandered an opportunity to add further distance as his tame shot in front of goal was deflected away. But at the other end unbelievably Palermo made it 4-3 as Miccoli scored his second of the night after collecting a long pass. The Nerazzuri couldn't quite comprehend what was going on. Palermo still had another 27 minutes to complete the mother of all comebacks. However, those hopes were dented when Maicon single-handedly setup Inter's fifth which was scored by Milito on 83 minutes. Milito could have added a sixth in injury time but he failed to control Muntari's ball whilst all alone in front of goal. The 5-3 win was no doubt the highlight of the midweek fixtures and helped Inter extend their lead at the top to four points. Inter have 25 to Juve's 21, Sampdoria are are on 20 and Parma on 17, Milan lie in fifth with 16 points.

In other midweek action from around the globe the biggest talking point was in Spain as third division side Alcoron humiliated Los Galacticos 4-0 in the first leg of their Copa Del Rey tie. The Segunda B side showed little fear of Madrid and this defeat has really put the pressure on coach Manuel Pellegrini. Reports suggest that Roberto Mancini, the former Inter coach, may replace Pellegrini if he is sacked.

Highlights
Juventus 5-1 Sampdoria
Napoli 2-2 AC Milan
Genoa 2-1 Fiorentina
Udinese 2-1 Roma
Inter 5-3 Palermo

SerieA Week 9 Roundup : Status Quo Maintained...

2009-10-26T03:35:00.000-07:00

Week 9 of the SerieA didn't quite produce the excitement of the preceding week as the status quo at the top of the table was maintained. The top three won their games easily and Inter managed to keep their two point lead over Sampdoria intact. Fiorentina and Roma meanwhile dropped points unexpectedly at home losing to Napoli and Livorno respectively. Milan continued their second half revival streak with another come from behind victory away to Cheivo.

Saturday saw Sampdoria host third from bottom Bologna and the Bluecerchiati showed just why they should be considered as real contenders for the Scudetto. Cassano was again in the midst of all the action as he provided Pazzini, wearing a protective mask because of his broken nose, for the first goal of the game after just 7 minutes. It was 2-0 on 16 minutes following some great interplay by the Genovese side. Cassano fed Pazzini who chested the ball and looped it to Mannini who spectacularly volleyed home from close range. And ten minutes later the lead was further increased as Zeigler found the bottom corner from the edge of the area with a diagonal effort. Di Vaio was sent off a minute later and on 33 minutes 'Il Talentino' was at it once again as he drew three defenders and crossed it to Mannini for another tap-in. After an explosive first-half, the second one was predictably calmer and Osvaldo scored a consolation for Bologna in their 4-1 rout.

Inter also were in action on Saturday as they looked to put their Champions League disappointment behind them against visiting Catania. The last encounter between these two produced more fireworks off the pitch as Catania director Pietro Lo Monaco got involved in a verbal sparring with Mourinho. The champions made a dominant start and were gifted the lead by Catania in the 12th minute. Sulley Muntari played a long ball into the box looking to find Eto'o but the Cameroonian couldn't get to it but neither could the keeper who watched helplessly as it bounced into the net. Then on the half-hour mark Sneijder doubled the lead with an inch perfect free kick from just outside the penalty area. The Dutchman really seems to be coming into his own in the past few weeks and his performances have won him plaudits all around. After the goal Inter didn't really have any more meaningful chances but neither did Catania. The Rossazzuri were gifted a lifeline however by Julio Cesar as he spilled an easy catch and subsequently brought down Plasmiati while trying to recover from his error. Giuseppe then made no mistake from 12 yards out to make it to 2-1 with 4 minutes lef. But thats how it ended and the Nerazzuri remain top.

Sunday saw Juventus travel to Siena. The Old Lady were in charge for most of the game but simply couldn't find the net. Buffon made a few important blocks when Siena broke through. The goal finally came in the 72nd minute as a Diego freekick was headed on by Amauri to give the Turin side the lead. There wasn't anything particularly noteworthy to report about after the goal. Juventus thus came away with a deserved but unspectacular victory to end their four game winless streak. Fiorentina however failed to continue their good run in the league as they were beaten by an impressive Napoli side at the Stadio Artemio Franchi in Florence. The Neapolitans exhibited some of the football which people expected off them after spending heavily in the summer. The Viola were stretched to their limits to keep the side from Naples at bay and only some excellent keeping by Sebastian Frey kept the scores level at half-time. Napoli continued to trouble the home side after the break as well and won a penalty after Hamsik was fouled. Quagliarella's effort was however palmed away by Frey. Napoli finally broke the deadlock on 88 minutes as Maggio sneaked the ball in from close range from a German Denis assisst.

Roma meanwhile suffered a shock defeat at the Stadio Olimpico to bottom placed Livorno. The Giallorossi created loads of opportunities in the first half but failed to convert any of them. And shockingly went behind before the break as Francesco Tavano put the ball past Doni with a near post finish from inside the box. The second half played out in identical fashion as the capital side controlled the game but failed to score even after opposing keeper was sent off for time wasting. Livorno recorded their first win of the campaign in the most unlikely of circumstances and now are in second last place above Siena. Palermo won their third game in a row with a 1-0 victory against Udinese courtesy of a late goal by Bovo. The Sicilian side are now remarkably in fourth place and memories and will be hoping for a repeat of the highly successful 2006-07 campaign. In the other afternoon games Parma lost away 3-1 to Atalanta and Lazio too were defeated 1-0 by Bari on their travels. Genoa continued to lose ground as they lost their lead away at Cagliari to succumb to 3-2 defeat, this is their third successive loss in all competitions.

In the final game of the weekend Chievo hosted an AC Milan side, buoyed no doubt by their midweek triumph against Real Madrid in the Champions League. Like in their previous fixtures the Rossoneri fell behind to a Pinzi strike in only the seventh minute. The Flying Donkeys as they are comically called continued to pressurise Milan and forced Dida into a few good saves. Half-time signalled Milan's revival and they began to look more and more threatening. However Chievo keeper Sorrentino made a string of fine saves to deny them. They finally drew level in the 81st minute as a cross by Pirlo was headed onto the crossbar by substitute Boriello but Alessandro Nesta headed in the rebound. Chievo should have taken the lead in injury time but were denied by a miraculous save from Dida who kept out a Granoche header. Then in the second minute of time added on Nesta popped in again at the far post to head home his and Milan's second of the night. The game finished as it was and Milan recorded a 2-1 victory which took them up to sixth in the table.

The 10th Round of fixtures will be played midweek and Sampdoria's trip to Juventus is the game to watch out for. Milan travel to Napoli on Wednesday as well and champions Inter will welcome Palermo on Thursday night. In other major news from around the footballing world Liverpool snapped their four game losing streak by beating Manchester United 2-0 at Anfield. Fernando Torres and David N'Gog scored for the Merseysiders. And in the other big derby around the globe, River Plate and Boca Juniors played out a fierce 1-1 draw in Argentina. Both teams ended the game with ten men. And that is all for now. Come back for the midweek roundup and plenty more of action from around the globe.

UEFA Champions League Matchday 3 Wrap : Shocks All Round!

2009-10-22T12:00:00.001-07:00

The third matchday of the Champions League was being looked forward by one and all for the mega Madrid - Milan clash not only did that match live up to its billing but also there were loads of other stories which caught the football lover's eye.
Tuesday night proved that Michel Platini's plan to expand the Champions League was paying rich dividends. All round there were upsets galore and if anyone was bold enough to put their money on the underdogs must have made a small fortune for themselves.

Group E pitted Italian side Fiorentina against the Hungarian champions Debrecen in Hungary. The home side sensationally took the lead with just two minutes on the clock with a goal from Czvitkovics but their joy was shortlived as some atrocious defending saw Adrian Mutu and Gilardino put the Viola in the lead in a space of ten minutes. Then in the 20th minute Mutu crashed the ball into the bottom of the net from outside the box to give the Italians a 3-1 lead. But Debrecen weren't done yet as Rudolph curled an outrageous effort into Frey's net from an impossible angle to get his side back in the game. But yet again the Hungarian defence was caught out as Santana restored the two goal cushion on the 37th minute. The second half didn't produce as many goals but there was late drama as Coulibaly headed the ball home to give Debrecen an equaliser with two minutes to go. Fiorentina however held on to register a quite remarkable 3-4 win.

The other game in Group E also had plenty of action as Lyon travelled to Anfield to face a Liverpool side which had lost its previous three games. The Reds didn't endure the best of starts to the game and captain Steven Gerrard was forced off because of a recurring injury. The Merseysiders however did take the lead in the 41st minute following a scramble in the box which Youssi Benayoun despatched away. Towards the end of the half Liverpool really piled on the pressure on the French side with Fabio Aurelio going closest to putting them two up but that was not to be and in the 70th minute following a corner Lyon equalised. Reina made two point blank saves put was helpless when Makoun scored with a diving header to put Les Gones on level terms. And then in injury time Liverpool's fate was sealed when Carlos Delgado rolled the ball home from a Sidney Govou pass. The French side condemned the English to their fourth successive loss and now lead the group with 9 points from three games.

Group F was where the biggest upset of the night took place as reigning European champions FC Barcelona were quite incredibly defeated by Russian champions Rubin Kazan. Kazan took a 2nd minute lead through a 30 yard screamer from Alexi Ryazantsev. The Catalans took time to recover from this early shock but couldn't find the net in the first half despite a hatful of chances. But two minutes into the second half Zlatan Ibrahimovic showed why Barca paid as much for him as he controlled the ball on his chest and shot into the botton corner from a long pass by Xavi. But instead of spurring the home team on this seemed to rejuvenate the Russians into action and they took the lead for the second time when Kardeniz scored on the break. The Blaugrana hit the post twice in their efforts to find an equaliser but ultimately Kazan were the ones who walked with all the points from the Camp Nou.

The second game of the group saw Inter Milan take on Dynamo Kyiv at the San Siro. Like the trend of the night it was the unfancied Ukranians who took the lead in the fifth minute via a Mikhalik strike. Stankovic made it 1-1 in the 35th minute following a counter-attack only to see Lucio head into his own net five minutes from the half. Walter Samuel then headed in on 47 minutes following a Sneijder corner and put the Nerazzuri level. However, the Italians were not able to find a way past Kyiv for the rest of the night and were lucky when Andriy Shevchenko squandered a one-on-one with Julio Cesar. That left Jose Mourinho's men devoid of a victory with one round of fixtures played and sitting at the bottom of the group.

Group G also had its share of upsets as Rangers were decimated by Romanian champions Unirea Urziceni at the Ibrox. Rangers took an early lead through a Ricardo own goal but Bilasco put the Romanians back in the game. Steven Davis then missed a penalty for the Gers and from there on the Scottish champions completely lost the plot and two own goals by Lafferty and McCulloch added to their misery. Brandán then put the icing on the cake and Unirea left with an unbelievable 4-1 victory. The other match featured Stuttgart and Sevilla and the Spanish side wholly dominated the Germans and took a 3-0 lead before Elson grabbed a consolation for his side. The 1-3 win for Sevilla put them in charge of the group with a full 9 points from their first three games.

Group H was also not devoid of surprises as AZ Alkmaar scored a last minute leveller against Arsenal. The Gunners had taken the lead through Cesc Fabregas in the 36th minute but the Dutch champions kept on chipping away and they were duly rewarded when David Mendes scored in injury time. There was also a last minute goal in Greece where Olympiakos stole victory against Belgian Standard Liege through a last gasp Stoltidis header. The side from Athens had fallen behind to Camargo goal but Mitroglou made it all square two minutes before half-time.

Wednesday night was also not any less entertaining and the Group A encounter between Bordeaux and Bayern Munich saw two players sent off and two penalties saved. The Germans took the lead in the 6th minute but Ciani got Bordeaux on level terms in the 27th minute. Thomas Müller was the first Bayern player to go in the 30th minute for his second bookable offence and the French capitalised on the numerical advantage through Planus in the 40th minute. In the second half both Yohann Gourcuff and Jussie saw their penalties saved by Butt and Van Buyten was sent off during the second penalty incident.

Juventus were also in action in Group A as they took on Maccabi Haifa in Turin. The Bianconeri had their inspirational captain-goal keeper Gianluigi Buffon to thank for in their slim victory over the Israeli champions. Buffon made a string of superb saves and defended Juve's lead single-handedly. Chiellini was the only goal scorer of the night when he headed in a 47th minute free kick by Diego. The results left Juventus in second place with 5 points two lesser than top placed Bordeaux.

Group B however was a largely dull affair as there was just one goal in the two games. Manchester United won for the first time against Russian opposition as a late Antonio Valencia goal gave the English champions a victory despite having a largely depleted squad. United were the team expectedly who created more chances and Valencia's goal in the 86th minute did justice to the Red Devils efforts. The game in Germany however was devoid of any goals as Wolfsburg and Besiktas played out a goalless draw. The Premier League leaders now top the group with 9 points and Wolfsburg trail them with 4.

Group C hosted the most expected game of the night as Real Madrid took on AC Milan at the Santiago Bernebeau. The game marked Kaka facing his former club for the first time since his summer move to Madrid. The Galacticos took the lead in the 19th minute after a howler by Dida. The Brazilian who had put in a very impressive performance against Roma at the weekend fumbled an easy Granero shot and Raul picked up the pieces. Milan's performance in the first half was mediocre at best but the second half was a completely different story. Pirlo scored an absoulte stunner from a throw-in as he was inexplicably allowed time and space on the ball. However, Milan went from being a goal down to a goal up in a matter of just four minutes as in the 66th minute Ambrosini played the ball over the defence for Pato and Casillas came out of his box leaving the Brazilian the simple job of tapping into the empty net. Los Blancos did find an equaliser in the 76th minute as Drenthe beat Dida with a spectacular effort into the bottom corner from outside the area after recieving the ball from a Raul corner. The Rossoneri had the ball in the back of the net for a third time when Thiago Silva headed in a corner but the goal was controversially ruled out but by the referee for a foul on Raul by Silva. The Milan giants did have the last laugh though as Pato volleyed home a Seedorf cross from close range as the Madrid marking was once again below standards.
In the Group C's other game Marseille defeatead FC Zurich in Zurich by a solitary Gabriel Heinze goal. This was the Argentenians second goal of the campaign and put Marseille in third position in the group. Milan top it over Real Madrid on head-to-head results as both teams have six points.

Group D saw Chelsea earn a resounding 4-0 victory over Atletico Madrid. Ivorian Salomon Kalou scored on either side of half-time to give the Londoners a comfortable lead before Frank Lampard scored a trademark bottom corner strike to give the Blues a 3-0 lead. The game ended with Perea heading beyond his own keeper to hand Chelsea a convincing victory. FC Porto defeated APOEL Nicosia in the last game with the help of two goals one of which was a penalty from the Brazilian Hulk. Nicosia had taken the lead with a 22nd minute Periera strike but the Portuguese recovered from this and maintained their lead inspite of losing Mariano Gonzalez with fifteen minutes to go. Chelsea have now effectively qualified from the group with a perfect 9 points from their 3 games and Porto are behind them with six, Nicosia and Atleti both have just the one point.

And that is all for the midweek action. For those interested in the UEFA Europa League Genoa were beaten 3-0 by Lille in France earlier tonight. Roma managed to steal a last minute draw against Fulham in London through an injury time Marco Andreolli strike from a corner. The other capital side Lazio won 2-1 in Rome courtesy of a late winner by Tommaso Rocchi.

SerieA Week 8 Round-Up : Inter Run Riot!

2009-10-19T05:57:00.000-07:00

The 8th round of the SerieA season brought with it plenty of action and excitement but the top of the table saw little change. Champions Inter demolished upcoming Genoa, Juventus had to settle for a draw against Fiorentina while honors were also shared between Sampdoria and Lazio, Milan meanwhile got back to winning ways with a victory over Roma.

The weekend's fixtures started in memorable fashion for the Scudetto holders as they put in a thoroughly dominating performance at the Stadio Marassi against Genoa to record a memorable 5-0 thumping of the home side. Goals from Cambiasso and Balotelli in the first half hour put Inter in control before Dejan Stankovic outrageously volleyed home a miscued Amelia clearance from the center circle at the stroke of half-time. Viera and Maicon added insult to injury in the second half and rounded up a glorious win for the Nerazzuri. Inter's summer purchase Wesley Sneijder was particularly impressive as he played a part in three Inter goals and seems to be adjusting to life in the SerieA.

The other fixture of the night saw Juventus host Fiorentina. The Old Lady fell behind to a flowing Viola move which was finished off by Vargas after just five minutes but created a host of opportunities after that and deservedly equalized on nineteen minutes through Amauri. The Bianconeri continued creating chances but some stubborn defending by the Florence defenders and good goalkeeping by Sebastien Frey ensured that they left Turin with at least a point. Juventus have now failed to win any of their last four games and coach Ciro Ferrara's tactics and experience have come under the scanner. The team already finds itself trailing Inter in the title race by four points and they need to substantially improve their performances if they wish to challenge for the Scudetto.

Sunday was dominated by the Milan-Roma game which was due to kick-off in the night but the afternoon games saw Sampdoria in action against Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico. Both teams played attacking and flowing football and the visitors took the lead in the 40th minute when Pazzini headed home a Stankevicius cross from close range. But just two minutes later the capital side were level as Matuzalem found the back of the net after beautifully receiving and controlling a knock-on from Rocchi. Both teams ended the game with ten men after Padalino and Baronio were sent off for their second bookable offences, the latter in particularly controversial fashion as he clearly got the ball first before catching Cassano on his follow through.

In the other games of the afternoon both Parma and Palermo continued their good starts to the season as they recorded home and away victories respectively. Parma won through a sole goal scored by Valeri Bojinov against second from bottom Siena whereas Palermo fell behind at last placed Livorno before scoring through Miccoli and Balzaretti to run out 2-1 winners. Udinese's Antonio Di Natale who made the most prolific start to a SerieA season by finding the net 9 times in the first 7 games failed to do the same in his team's 1-3 loss at home to Atlanta.

The final game of the week saw AC Milan host AS Roma. The game got off to the worst possible start for the Rossoneri as a slack back pass by Thiago Silva was intercepted and duly finished off by Jeremy Menez. The Romans continued to pile the pressure on the Milanese side as they had numerous shots at goal which were well saved by the returning Dida. Milan almost found an equaliser in the first half when Seedorf struck the post from inside the penalty area but Ambrosini failed to connect with the rebound. The second half saw a hugely different Milan side take the field as first Ronaldinho scored from the penalty spot following a highly contentious foul by Burdisso on Nesta in the aftermath of a corner. And after that the two-time 'World Player Of The Year' played in a delightful long ball to Pato which the Brazilian excellently controlled and slotted past Doni to give them the lead on 67 minutes. There were not too many clear cut chances for either team after the goal and Milan registered their first win since September leaving Roma to rue the chances they wasted the first half. Ronaldinho's return to form was a good sign for the Milan faithful who will be keeping their fingers crossed for it to continue into the midweek clash with Real Madrid in the Champions League.

Inter are now sole occupiers of the top spot in Italy with 19 points from their 8 games and they are followed by Sampdoria who have claimed 17 points yet. Juventus and Fiorentina both sit in third with 15 points. Milan have now jumped into the top half of the table with 12 points and are in 8th place.

SerieA Highlights
Genoa 0-5 Inter
Juventus 1-1 Fiorentina
Lazio 1-1 Sampdoria
Milan 2-1 Roma

The Italian Job Done - What next for the Azzurri?

2009-10-14T07:08:00.000-07:00

When Alberto Gilardino wrong footed Manchester City's Shay Given and stoked the ball into the net with a close range finish in Dublin he booked Italy's ticket to South Africa ,whilst the Irish will now have to face the play-offs. This was incidentally only the third time that the Azzurri had qualified for the World Cup with one match to spare and on the two previous occassions that happened the Italians went on to win the trophy in 1982 and 2006. But do the Italians really have it in them to complete this unique hat-trick?

Marcello Lippi's side have had quite an uninspiring qualification campaign despite being in one of the weaker groups and scored only 18 times in their 10 games. Wednesday night's victory over Cyprus might have made for an extremely enthralling encounter with Gilardino scoring a hat-trick in the last 12 mins of the game to rescue the Azzurri once again but it also exposed some glaring deficiencies in the squad. Throughout the qualifying games the Italian side looked as if they were lacking new ideas. Lippi has retained the same philosophy of football which he deployed in Germany three years ago and whats even more surprising is that he has decided to stick to the same players as well.

The squad which triumphed in Berlin is no longer what it was and has suffered from a combination of a general decline in form and aging. Only a handful of the members still seem to have the appetite and more importantly the character to maintain a place in the current team. The other Azzurri winners have been very inconsistent with their recent performances and need to put in a lot of effort if they desire to retain the crown in South Africa. Gennaru Gattusso in particular has been a shadow of the player he was both on the international stage and the domestic stage. The same could be said about his Milan team-mate Gianluca Zambrotta who played a pivotal role in the last World Cup. But since then Zambrotta has seen his place challenged by the new generation of Italian footballers including the likes of 19 year old Davide Santon who put in a stellar performance against Cyprus along with Domenico Criscito of Genoa. The defensive department will also need some more work as apart from the Juve duo of Cannavaro and Chiellini the reserves look a little fragile. And if unfortunately one of them were to be injured before or during the World Cup it could prove to be a massive headache for Lippi.

The midfield too could do with a little bit of polishing. Italy's playing style has become highly predictable as they have been using the same tactics for the past four years and moreover the players pulling the strings too have remained unchanged. As mentioned before Gattusso seems to be out of sorts in recent times and the other selections lack in creativity. True, Pirlo can still cut defences with his incisive passing but he has always been used as a deep-lying midfielder and so that essential link between the attack and the midfield is missing and this has been evident time and again as Italy have at numerous times seemed to be at a loss of ideas. The whole of the peninsula feels that 'Il Talentino' Antonio Cassano is the answer to this problem as the man has single-handedly driven Sampdoria to the top of the table from being mid-table regulars over the past two years. Cassano's talent is undeniable and his previously questionable attitude is pretty much reformed and at a time like this where Italy need an injection in their attack he seems to be the 'right man at the right place at the right time' but Lippi somehow chooses not to see it. His stubborn refusal to call up the ex-Real Madrid man has suggested that the issue is more personal than professional if that were to be the case it would be a great loss to the Italian side. Recent rumors have suggested that the dressing room is happy with Cassano's absence and hence that maybe prolonged. There is some good news though as youngsters have again been leaving their marks up for evaluation and they seem to be doing a good job as Marchisio has become a regular feature of the team and others like Pepe, Galloppa continue to do well on the club level.

The forward line also sees more players knocking on the door to book their flying tickets than those with confirmed bookings. Iaquinta has been doing rather well at Juventus and he is sure to travel to Africa and now so is Gilardino who has scored four crucial goals for Italy in his past two games. SerieA's current topscorer Di Natale should also confirm his place in the squad if he were to maintain his current form. Then their are players like Balotelli and Giovinco who risk failing to make the cut as they don't fit into his 'experience and grooming' philosophy. Both the aforementioned players are so enormously gifted that it would be disservice not to take them along. Plus now with Totti having announced his intention to play for the national team again it is likely to give Lippi plenty of headache.

If the Italians are to claim the World Cup for a record fifth time they need to do a lot of work and improve in all areas and to do that they will surely require new blood in their squad as the current one seems to have exhausted its potential. But Lippi is a man who is known to usually stick to the men he has had and so it might prove to be a difficult task for him to change his footballing philosophies so now we can just wait and watch for the next few months to see who will be and who won't be on that flight to South Africa.

Introduction!

2009-10-13T16:48:00.000-07:00

Hello People

This blog is intended for those who share a keen interest in football and especially for those who are followers of the Italian game. I hope that I will be able to keep you up to date with the latest happenings in the SerieA and all that is going on around it. We will also be keeping track of the adventures of the Italian national team as well as the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League. So watch out for this space as we will be filling it red, white and green very soon.....

To those wondering about the name of the blog. The Catenaccio is a tactic whereby the team stresses overtly on defence and it was most famously and successfully by Inter's Portugese coach Helenio Herrara in the 1960s. Since then the Italians have come to be known as the stalwarts of defence and over the generations have consistently produced some of the best defenders in the world from Giancinto Facchetti to Giuseppe Bergomi to Paolo Maldini to Fabio Cannavaro and countless others. Even today the Italian League is regarded as one of the toughest leagues to score and has the least number of goals scored per game among the top four leagues of the world viz. Spanish, English, Italian and German

I would just like to add that I am a journalism student at the moment at University of Westminster in London and following the conclusion of my course I wish to be a full-time sports journalist. I have been writing for Daily-Calcio.com but posts there have been more sporadic though I did have a Team/Player Rating feature running during the 2006 FIFA World Cup where to my great delight the Azzuri lifted the trophy for the fourth time. Last year my SerieA preview managed to guess the Top 4 of the league exactly and just this past month I had a feature on the Italian teams in the CL in my 'UEFA Champions League 2009-2010 : An Italian Outlook' in two parts which you can read here and here. Oh and just FYI I am an Inter fan...