Tag Archives: Serie A

Serie A title race blown wide open as Inter take eye off the ball

“”The fox is wounded,” yelped Gazzetta dello Sport, and they weren’t talking about Goldenballs. David Beckham’s ruptured achilles represents a cruel blow for the player and perhaps also for England (then again, perhaps not) – but on a weekend like this it was never going to get top billing in Italy. As if a Ferrari one-two in the first grand prix of the season wasn’t enough to be getting on with, this was the weekend when the Serie A title race got blown wide open.” (Guardian)

Beckham in Finland for surgery

“David Beckham checked into a hospital Monday for surgery on his torn left Achilles’ tendon, hoping for a ‘swift and full recovery’ from an injury that will keep him out of the World Cup. Beckham left a private jet on crutches at Turku airport and was whisked away in an SUV. Minutes later, he arrived at the Mehilainen hospital surrounded by security guards amid cheers from hundreds of fans who had gathered outside the entrance. Surgery is set for later Monday or Tuesday.” (ESPN)

David Beckham Ruptures Achilles Tendon
“Video of David Beckham suffering a ruptured achilles tendon while playing for AC Milan in their 1-0 win over Chievo Verona in the Italian Serie A on Sunday, March 14, 2010.” (Free Soccer Highlights)

Uncertainty stalks Gianfranco Zola as relegation clouds gather over West Ham

“Italian coaches will be everywhere at the Bridge. The Impossible Job has become the Italian Job. Marcello Lippi has won the World Cup while Giovanni Trapattoni wins friends with the Republic of Ireland. Zola, though, is under pressure. Widely considered one of the nicest men in an often heartless profession, the Sardinian who made the ball smile as an elegant maestro with Napoli, Parma and Chelsea, among others, now battles to keep West Ham United in the Premier League.” (Telegraph – Henry Winter)

Italy coach Marcello Lippi still has plenty to ponder

Marcello Lippi
“At the start of the season, looking forward to the World Cup finals in June, Italy coach Marcello Lippi said he was ready for any number of tormentoni (literally, pest or nuisance) on the run-in to South Africa. The tormentoni in question, let’s be clear, do not concern player injuries, match schedules or training facilities. No, these torments are media and fan inspired and take the form of pretty forthright “advice” as to who he should take to the finals this summer. In particular, Lippi was bombarded with suggestions for his attack.” (World Soccer)

Milan no longer able to mask the decline of Italian clubs’ fortunes

“Milan had come to fail. Despondency was close to the surface and bound to overwhelm the side as soon as Manchester United scored. The visitors were diligent enough, but they could not fend off a weariness of soul and body in the 4‑0 loss. Too much has rested on them for too long.” (Guardian)

Beckham Grabs the Scarf, but Not the Reins, of Protest

“It was a highly significant game in the Champions League knockout match between Manchester United and AC Milan last night and Wayne Rooney continued his devastating form with two more goals in what is a 30-goal season so far. Nani made one of the assists of the tournament to set up his second, curling the ball into Rooney’s path with the outside of his foot. The 4-0 defeat exposed AC Milan as an aging, blunt shadow of their former selves, increasingly reliant on Ronaldinho’s capricious flashes of brilliance. But guess who stole the show?” (NYT)

Which Side of Fiorentina Will Play Tuesday?

“There are two sides of Fiorentina. There is the inconsistent Italian Serie A team that has won only three of its eleven games in 2010. And there is the European Champions League contender that won five of six games to finish top of Group E and qualify for the Round of 16. Which group of purple-clad soccer players will take the field in Florence on Tuesday against Bundesliga juggernaut Bayern Munich remains to be seen, but Coach Cesare Prandelli is boisterously optimistic.” (NYT)

AS Roma 0-0 AC Milan – Recap and Video Highlights – Italian Serie A – Saturday, March 6, 2010

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“AS Roma and AC Milan met in the Italian Serie A with both teams looking to keep their Scudetto hopes alive. Milan is now four points back of Inter Milan and could close that gap to one with a win at AS Roma. Roma could move back to within four points and tied on points with Milan if they were to win. Both teams are several points above 4th place and likely to earn a Champions League spot for next season.” (The 90th Minute)

Frugality Is European Goal

“Faced with their toughest opponent for a generation, Europe’s leading football clubs have been forced to adopt a new tactic: frugality. Creditors have caught up with the beautiful game in recent weeks, raising fears that spiraling wages and reckless spending could put the future of some of the world’s most iconic teams at risk.” (WSJ)

Udinese 2-3 Inter Milan (Internazionale) – Recap and Video Highlights – Italian Serie A – Sunday, February 28, 2010

“Italian Serie A leaders Inter Milan looked to rebound from a draw last week with a trip to face Udinese on Sunday, February 28, 2010. They lead AC Milan by four points heading into the weekend and looking to get their fifth consecutive Scudetto. Udinese were just above the relegation zone and in need of points.” (The 90th Minute)

Notts County: The Long View

“Notts County might not be a name that sets the pulses of football fans around the world pulsing. It doesn’t even do that for most of the city of Nottingham, never mind the rest of planet football. In recent decades County has been comprehensively outshone by its near rivals just across the River Trent at Nottingham Forest.” (Pitch Invasion)

Fiorentina 1-2 AC Milan – Recap and Video Highlights – Italian Serie A – Wednesday, February 24, 2010

“AC Milan played a midweek match in the Italian Serie A with a chance to close the gap behind Inter Milan to four points. They currently are third, two points back of 2nd place AS Roma, and have been unable to catch Inter Milan all season. Fiorentina is in the middle of the table, safe from relegation, but probably to far back to earn a spot in Europe for next season.” (The 90th Minute)

A Rising Star Despite the Taunts

Mario Balotelli
“Could 19-year-old Mario Balotelli be Italian football’s Jackie Robinson? The latter changed a nation, became a symbol of the fight for equal rights and left a legacy that’s made him a national hero in the U.S. The former may be given the chance to achieve all that for Italy, and maybe more, but so far hasn’t shown he wants the responsibility.” (WSJ)

Mourinho Stretches a Record and Our Patience

José Mourinho
“There might never have been a coach more intent on turning his teams into a sideshow to his own performance than José Mourinho. Yet he is not the pretty sight he imagines. On Saturday night in the San Siro, his Inter Milan was reduced by foul play and gamesmanship to nine men before halftime for the second match running. No matter, Mourinho applauded them, mocked the referee, and boasted that a team of his would have to be reduced to six players to lose a home game. He is a bitter and twisted man — and a successful one.” (NYT)

Breathe and Stop… Manchester United: ‘An Italian Team from Another Era’

“… Where else to start but Manchester United’s impressive 3-2 win over AC Milan at the San Siro, which hands them a desirable advantage heading into the 2nd leg of their Champions League round of 16 knockout clash. United have become a truly masterful European outfit over the last three seasons, winning the tournament once and reaching two finals, and on the evidence of Tuesday’s game they look capable of making it all the way to Madrid for round three.” (Just Football)

Why I’ll Be Cheering For Man United, Arsenal and Liverpool This Week

“Watching European football has always had an exotic element for us in Britain. In the 60s and 70s, abroad was a long way away. The world seemed much bigger and the visit of a team from Italy, Germany or Albania was like a visit from another football planet. We hadn’t heard of most of the players, we didn’t know much about the teams. How could we? They were not on TV and rarely covered in the press. Our only exposure to non-British players was at World Cups and on European nights. Hardly any played in the UK.” (EPL Talk)

Play-Offs For A Champions League Place: Game 39 Revisited?

“Small wonder that Ian Watmore’s brain-child of ‘reforming’ the FA Cup senseless was leaked to the press at the weekend. No more than forty-eight hours after the story broke in the press (with more or less no fanfare anywhere other than in The Times, which broke the story), the Premier League comes up with its proposal to jazz up the end of the season. Their answer, a play-off for the fourth Champions League place, is an act of evil genius so simple that one is almost tempted to stand and give grudging applause. And let’s make this absolutely clear, this idea has nothing to do with evening things out or redistribution of money. It’s about the Premier League snatching the end of the season away from everybody else.” (twohundredpercent)

European heavyweights meet again

“While the Champions League takes centre stage this week with the ever enticing first knockout round, arguably the biggest fixture of all is scheduled in the backwaters of Thursday night’s Europa League. Ajax vs. Juventus has been played out as a European Cup final as well as a Champions League final, and the sound of the fixture may well have the same effect on the ears of lovers of football history as the Madeleine cake in the mouth of Marcel Proust.” (ESPN)

Beckham to put emotion to one side

“AC Milan’s press conference on the eve of their UEFA Champions League first knockout round first-leg tie against Manchester United FC was even more animated than usual as the massed ranks of the media jostled for positions at Milanello.” (UEFA)

Beckham comes face to face with his spiritual descendents

“The last time José Mourinho went to watch Chelsea, he noticed something curious. Though he had been sacked as coach in 2007, hardly anything had changed in his absence. ‘Even the warm-up is the warm-up they did in our time,’ he remarked. He still knew almost all the players. This was still his Chelsea. The Champions League this month will provide us with two reunions: Mourinho and his new club Inter Milan will meet Chelsea, while David Beckham and AC Milan play Beckham’s old team Manchester United.” (FI – Simon Kuper)

AC Milan 3-2 Udinese – Recap and Video Highlights – Italian Serie A – Friday, February 12, 2010

“AC Milan hosted Udinese on Friday, February 12, 2010 in the Italian Serie A with a chance to close the gap on leaders Inter Milan (Internazionale). Inter Milan led by eight points before the match but a win from AC Milan would move that down to five. Udinese is just above the relegation zone and in need of points to ensure they stay up in the Serie A. AC Milan 3-2 Udinese – Video Highlights” (The 90th Minute)

Football Weekly Extra: Super Saha stars as Everton stun Chelsea

“James is back with another top-banana podcast featuring John Ashdown, Barry Glendenning and Paul Doyle. Midweek Premier League matches mean plenty of talking points: including Louis Saha increasing John Terry’s woe, Arsenal back to winning ways, and Aston Villa’s limited ambition against Manchester United. Sid Lowe is on the phone from Madrid with the truth about those Cesc Fábregas to Barcelona rumours, while James’s Italian round-up includes news of Ultras storming Lazio’s training ground.” (Guardian – James Richardson)

Football Weekly: Different season, but same old Big Four

“The pod squad analyse Chelsea’s demolition of Arsenal, Liverpool’s bruising battle with Everton, and Tottenham Hotspur’s snoozefest with Aston Villa and ask: why are we getting another dose of the same old same old? Also in the show – and lest we be accussed of Big Four-centricity – we discuss Hull City’s recent revival now that Phil Brown ditched the earpiece and the goatee. Plus, we ponder whether Fabio Capello’s done the right thing in stripping John Terry of the England captaincy. And we get dewy-eyed about those Brat Pack movies of the 1980s. Finally, our favourite Teuton Raphael Honigstein brings us news of a rift in the German national team and the latest from the Bundesliga; Sid Lowe brings us up to date with Spain’s La Liga; and Jimbo tells us about Lazio’s mounting woes in Serie A.” (Guardian – James Richardson)

Inter’s victory over Milan appears to have settled the title race

“If ever anyone had any doubts about the current domination of Internazionale in Serie A, they were definitively dispelled by their emphatic 2-0 win over Milan in a thrilling city derby at the end of January. For much of this season, Inter have looked as if they will soon run far and away with another scudetto and, after this latest triumph, their escape to final victory has already begun.” (World Soccer)

A Week Is A Long Time In Serie A: Feb 3rd 2010

“Another eventful week in Italian football, both on and off the pitch. Following the possibly season-defining Milan derby, both Milan teams faced midweek Coppa Italia quarterfinals at San Siro. Milan were humiliated by Udinese in a 1-0 loss, while Inter bounced back from a Francesco Toldo error to defeat Juventus 2-1, courtesy of goals by Lucio and Juve-killer Mario Balotelli. Juventus’ exit from the Coppa was the last game in charge for Ciro Ferrara, who was replaced by former Udinese, Milan, Inter and Torino manager Alberto Zaccheroni, after Juventus’ public courting of Guus Hiddink and Rafael Benitez proved fruitless.” (First Touch Online)

Sergio Aquero interviewed

“World Soccer: What do Argentina need to do to improve ahead of the World Cup? Sergio Aquero: I think the main problem is that we’ve had very few days training together. Normally we’d get together on a Tuesday and play on the Saturday, which doesn’t give us time to do very much. Now, ahead of the World Cup, we will have plenty of time and we can work on various aspects, like combinations and how we use the ball.” (World Soccer)

Behind José’s madness, a method

“Here’s a little game you can play at home. Type the words “Mourinho” and “referee” in your search engine. When I do it, I get more than 3 million hits. Here are some random headlines…” (SI)

Sympathy for the devil not enough for Milan

“It was billed as a contest between strength and beauty, substance versus style and whenever that’s the case the public generally side with the latter. And that’s why you should never trust the wisdom of crowds as Inter showed absolutely no difficulty in dispatching Milan, the overwhelming people’s favourites.” (Soccer Lens)

A Good Defense Isn’t Enough

“The old adage about defenses winning championships is starting to look outdated. Across Europe’s leading football leagues right now, the major title contenders have ditched the defensive mindset traditionally associated with success in favor of a new adventurous line of attack, in which teams are far more interested in scoring goals than preventing them. The result has been a deluge of goals that has delighted supporters and sent statisticians scurrying to check the record books.” (WSJ)

A Tale of Two Cities: Gloom Over Liverpool & Turin

“Liverpool and Juventus have endured miserable seasons so far with both teams crashing out of the Champions League and struggling to make the top four. So what went wrong for these two sides?” (Bleacher Report)

Sympathy for the devil not enough for Milan

“It was billed as a contest between strength and beauty, substance versus style and whenever that’s the case the public generally side with the latter. And that’s why you should never trust the wisdom of crowds as Inter showed absolutely no difficulty in dispatching Milan, the overwhelming people’s favourites.” (Soccer Lens)

Seedorf Responds: 10 Answers From Milan’s No. 10

“Clarence Seedorf, the A.C. Milan midfielder, participates in a monthly exchange with New York Times readers. On Friday, two days before his team will take on Inter Milan in the season’s second derby at the San Siro, he answered questions about Milan, how club’s can better manage their business affairs and the World Cup. Previous discussions can be found here.” (NYT)