“The writing appears to be on the wall for AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri as his side suffered a third defeat in four Serie A games, a 2-1 reverse at the hands of Udinese. The beleaguered Rossoneri boss has spent the last fortnight deflecting speculation his job is under threat and will now face more tough questions should he remain in charge at the San Siro.” ESPN (Video)
“Oscar’s strikes gave Chelsea two-goal lead, but Juventus found a way back into the game. Roberto Di Matteo selected Oscar as the central playmaker in his 4-2-3-1, with Juan Mata on the bench. The rest of the side was as expected. Antonio Conte (and assistant Massimo Carrera) named the expected side. There were no major surprises in the way the sides lined up, either – it was 4-2-3-1 against 3-5-2, and both sides had areas of strength and weakness.” Zonal Marking
“Sooner or later people are going to start believing in Oscar’s genius. Last year, in extra time in the final of the Under-20 World Cup in Bogota, he floated a chip from wide on the right over Portugal goalkeeper Mika to complete his hat trick and give Brazil a 3-2 victory. It was, everybody agreed, a sensational goal — if he meant it. He insisted he did, but there was doubt: could anybody really, in the heat of the game, have had the vision, the audacity and the control to execute such a shot?” SI – Jonathan Wilson
“It’s fair to say that last season was not particularly enjoyable for Genoa. They only just managed to avoid relegation, while their defence was the worst in Serie A, conceding a horrific 69 goals. Matters came to a head when a group of their fans staged a protest during the 4-1 home defeat to Siena, throwing flares and demanding that the players gave them their shirts, leading to a 45 minute suspension of the match.” Swiss Ramble
“Earlier this summer, a group of AC Milan fans gathered for a vigil outside the club’s headquarters near via Turati in the center of Milan. They came with flowers and candles and recited prayers. At the end, they laid their beloved club to rest. The banner outside read, ‘AC Milan, December 16, 1899–July 22, 2012.’ On it, a message that served as a final twist of the knife: ‘He lacked affection for his loved ones.’ Milan received the ‘you’re dead to me’ treatment from its fans the day it sold Thiago Silva and later Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Paris Saint-Germain. The previous season the club allowed Andrea Pirlo to join Juventus instead of renewing his deal. The thinking inside Milan was that Pirlo’s best days were behind him. The midfielder responded by leading Juve to an undefeated season, winning the Scudetto along the way. He then turned in a performance for Italy at Euro 2012 that cemented his position as one of the greatest midfielders of his generation.” Grantland
“Despite his obvious commitments in the English Premier League, there can be little doubt which Serie A result Roberto Mancini looks for first every weekend. Mancini has the club record for both appearances and goals at Sampdoria where he lifted the league title in 1991 at the end of a campaign that saw him and Gianluca Vialli nicknamed the goal twins. Sampdoria are back in the top flight and with two wins in their first two matches, they could be one of this campaign’s pleasant surprises. The last three seasons have seen the team go from the Champions League preliminary rounds to relegation with no lack of off-the-field antics along the way.” In Bed With Maradona
“A man at peace, Adilson Batista, manager of Serie A strugglers Atlético Goianiense, yawned, stretched, and leaned back in his chair. He knew had made the right choice. It hadn`t been easy to turn down the offer to go back to Cruzeiro, a far bigger club than Atlético, and he would never forget those glorious nights in 2009, when he had taken the team from Belo Horizonte to the Libertadores final against Estudiantes. They had called him one of the brightest young coaches in Brazil back then. But he had a responsibility to Atlético. He`d only arrived in April, and it would be wrong to leave the club in the lurch just a few weeks later. He wanted to see the project through to the end.” World Soccer
“An extremely open game finished with Roma on top. Andrea Stramaccioni surprisingly used new signing Alvaro Pereira on the left of his central midfield three in place of Esteban Cambiasso – otherwise, the XI was the same as in the 3-0 win over Pescara last week. Zdenek Zeman gave debuts to Panagiotis Tachtsidis, Alessandro Florenzi and Mattia Destro within his standard attack-minded 4-3-3 system. As with all games involving a Zeman side, this was very open with space all over the pitch, despite both sides trying to play with a high defensive line.” Zonal Marking
“In the era of the ‘false 9,’ there is no truer No. 9 than Radamel Falcao. He’d look wrong with any other number on his back, having worn the traditional striker’s shirt for River Plate, Porto, Atletico Madrid and the Colombian national team. After Pippo Inzaghi’s retirement, the Colombian has assumed the role of being the most renowned penalty box poacher in European football. His hat trick against Athletic Bilbao on Monday night was another demonstration of his brilliant goal-scoring ability.” ESPN – Michael Cox
Antonio Cassano
“When assessing how realistic a transfer rumor is, you can be fairly confident that any mooted ‘exchange’ deal won’t happen, especially when big-name players are involved. They’re often touted, but they rarely happen. Therefore, it’s particularly exciting when an exchange does take place. Samuel Eto’o and Zlatan Ibrahimovic swapping clubs three years ago was an astonishing transfer. The consensus was that Inter Milan had got themselves a great deal.” ESPN – Michael Cox
“Donkeys will fly before Chievo makes it to Serie A.’ This was a chant directed towards and poking fun at local upstarts ChievoVerona from fans of city rivals Hellas Verona. Yet after a decade of contrasting fortunes for both clubs, the underdogs are currently having the last laugh. While Verona have spent most of the 2000s attempting to reclaim a place in the top flight, Chievo have all but sustained a place in Serie A since their historic promotion in 2001, even twice competing in Europe.” In Bed With Maradona
Radamel Falcao
“Atlético Madrid ended last season in some style, just missing out on a Champions League place after surging up the La Liga table and then winning a terrific Europa League final 3-0 against Athletic Bilbao with two goals from their prolific Colombian forward Radamel Falcao, the man known as ‘El Tigre’. This was particularly impressive after their faltering start following the sale of many leading players last summer, including their South American strikers, Sergio Aguero to Manchester City and Diego Forlán to Inter.” Swiss Ramble
“AC Milan have had the kind of summer where season ticket refunds are demanded. Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva have both departed for Paris Saint-Germain, while the majority of their Serie A and Champions League winning veterans have been cut adrift. Alessandro Nesta has signed up for 18 months at Montreal Impact and Clarence Seedorf has agreed a two-year deal at Botafogo after a ten-year spell with the Rossoneri. Filippo Inzaghi has ended his 21-year playing career, including 11 seasons at Milan, to coach their Allievi Nazionali youth side.” WSC
“Fresh from completing an undefeated title-winning campaign, Juventus seemed to have finally put the horrors of 2006 and the Calciopoli scandal behind them. The club is under a completely new management structure, starting with president Andrea Agnelli – son of Umberto and nephew of the iconic Gianni – through to director general Beppe Marotta and ultimately ending with coach Antonio Conte, separating themselves further still from the murky behaviour of Luciano Moggi and his cohorts.” ESPN
“Since the rise of the ‘flat back four’, the sweeper and more specifically, the libero role had all but disappeared from the footballing world for a number of reasons. In part, this was because the position itself was such a specialist one, which demands various abilities from those playing it: on a basic level, they needed both attacking and defensive prowess, while therein they require excellent reading of the game, strong passing both short and long range and vision that will allow the player to anticipate the movement of oncoming attackers as well as acting as their platform to trigger attacks and counterattacks alike for their own team.” Sabotage Times
“Last April AC Milan CEO Adriano Galliani was quoted as saying that the FFP would unfairly harm Italian clubs relative to their continental rivals. AC Milan for example are 7th in the Deloitte money table but Real Madrid have almost double the annual revenue as AC.” Think Football
“Camoranesi was a particularly easy target for critics because he never sang the Italian national anthem before matches, a complaint routinely rolled out during Italy’s triumphant World Cup campaign six years ago; in his defense, Camoranesi stated he simply did not know the lyrics.” In Bed With Maradona
“You knew it was going to be a rude awakening. And it probably should have come sooner and more gradually, because we’ve all known about it for several years. But sometimes, you just have to go cold turkey. Milan’s imminent sale of Thiago Silva and Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Paris St. Germain is probably the first major side effect of UEFA’s Financial Fair Play plan. Coupled with the departures of Gianluca Zambrotta, Gennaro Gattuso, Clarence Seedorf, Mark Van Bommel, Alessandro Nesta and Pippo Inzaghi, it represents a massive overhaul aimed primarily at saving money and moving the Rossoneri towards FFP.” ESPN (Video)
“By most people’s standards Milan have just enjoyed a pretty good season. They were runners-up in the league, only behind an undefeated Juventus; they reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League before being eliminated by the mighty Barcelona; and lost in the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia. However, it was still a disappointment, as they had established a healthy lead in the race to the scudetto, and it was a backward step compared to the previous season, when they had won Serie A for the 18th time.” Swiss Ramble
“On the 25th March 2012, Alessandro Del Piero scored his 288th goal for Juventus. The diminutive forward wheeled off and celebrated as if he was a novice to the art of goalscoring, performing his traditional celebration; tongue out of mouth with an almost crazed look on his face, running towards a section of the adoring Juventus’ public.” In Bed With Maradona
“Football has had some difficult and distressing issues to deal with recently, from Villa Park to Somalia to White Hart Lane, but there was at least some encouraging news this week after it emerged that AC Milan striker and everyone’s favourite croissant eater Antonio Cassano has been given the all-clear to resume playing football. There were fears Cassano might never play again last October when the 29-year-old fell ill on the plane home from Milan’s 3-2 win against Roma. The Italian striker was hospitalised with ’stroke-like symptoms’ which ultimately required heart surgery to repair a small cardiac malfunction.” Just Football (YouTube)
“Juventus were by far the better side – they move two points behind leaders Milan. Antonio Conte, as expected, moved to 3-5-2 with Paolo De Ceglie the left wing-back. There was a surprise upfront, where Alessandro Matri was left out, and Marco Borriello partnered Mirko Vucinic. Walter Mazzarri’s first XI is always easy to predict, and there were no surprises in the usual 3-4-3 shape. The reverse fixture was goal-crazy (although a fascinating tactical battle too) – this was much tighter, and less interesting than it should have been. It’s rare to get a formation battle like this – although Conte has generally played a three-man defence against a three-man defence – having done so twice against Udinese, and now twice against Napoli.” Zonal Marking
“As any Roma fan should know, three clubs were merged together in the summer of 1927 to form the club now known as AS Roma. What may be less well known is that the merger was initiated by a member of the Fascist party, who had taken power five years previously, and that Lazio were the only side to oppose the move and remain an independent club.” World Soccer
“Recent weeks and months have seen a real deterioration in the previously cordial relationship between this season’s leading protagonists in Serie A: Milan and Juventus. The two most successful clubs on the peninsula have descended into a petty back-and-forth squabble that leaves neither looking particularly dignified and both in danger of turning what should be a truly engaging title race into an Italian version of the Spanish clasico, the histrionics of which spoil what is undoubtedly one of the world football’s most prestigious encounters.” ESPN
“As any Roma fan should know, three clubs were merged together in the summer of 1927 to form the club now known as AS Roma. What may be less well known is that the merger was initiated by a member of the Fascist party, who had taken power five years previously, and that Lazio were the only side to oppose the move and remain an independent club. The driving force behind the merger? To create a new, Roman club that would unite Rome’s numerous clubs and provide a strong southern opponent to the dominant northern clubs.” In Bed With Maradoma
“1st v 2nd in Serie A – Milan remain a point ahead, but Juve have a game in hand. Max Allegri still has big selection problems – Kevin-Prince Boateng joined the injury list, while Zlatan Ibrahimovic was suspended. Antonio Conte’s first nine names on the teamsheet were as expected – but Marco Borriello and Fabio Quagliarella upfront was a big surprise. The game finished level, but Milan were the better side here – Conte made mistakes, and Milan played well. The Juve coach seemed to accept this, saying, ‘First of all we must praise Milan, as they played for an hour at the highest level and put us under pressure with our own weapons. Where I see that we went wrong, it’s also because they made us go wrong.’ Accordingly, the majority of the report will be looking at how Milan outwitted Juve.” Zonal Marking
Milan’s ‘ghost goal’ against Juventus leaves Serie A on a knife-edge
“The Milan supporters behind the press box in the Tribuna Rossa craned their necks, trying to catch a replay on the journalists’ TV screens. Others reached for their phones to demand answers from friends sat watching at home. But most of the 50,000 in attendance at San Siro didn’t bother. They needed no confirmation of what they had already seen: Sulley Muntari’s header entering the Juventus goal before being pushed back out by Gigi Buffon.” Guardian
AC Milan 1-1 Juventus: Serie A Highlights
Caught Offside (Video)
“Alessandro Matri scored a classic centre-forward’s goal to strengthen Juve’s position at the top. Antonio Conte switched to three at the back, as he did in the previous meeting between the sides. Simone Pepe and Claudio Marchisio were only fit enough for the bench. Udinese lined up largely as expected – Francesco Guidolin was without various players because of the Africa Cup of Nations, plus Giampiero Pinzi through injury. The sides played in a similar fashion but Juve were clearly the better side, able to offer a threat after long spells of possession, whereas Udinese were too reliant upon counter-attacking.” Zonal Marking
“A draw between 3rd and 2nd means Milan will end 2011 top of Serie A. Francesco Guidolin was without the suspended Mehdi Benatia at the back, so played Damiano Ferronetti, while Almen Abdi played behind Antonio Di Natale. Antonio Conte played his expected line-up. There were rumours before the game that he would switch to 3-5-2, although the line-up suggested that it would be more of a 4-5-1.” Zonal Marking
“L’Aquila, August 2006: The city, an hour-and-a-half drive from Rome, like many others around Italy was still buzzing from the recent World Cup triumph. Piazza Duomo, the central spot in the city, was packed with locals and tourists alike soaking in the atmosphere and aesthetic charm of the surrounds, just as I was doing. The Santa Maria del Suffragio Church, with its lovely dome from which the piazza takes its name, stood above the rest. On the football pitch, L’Aquila was preparing for another season in the regional divisions.” In Bed With Maradona
“It’s fair to say that Inter have had better starts to the season. Although they qualified from the Champions League group stage with a game to spare, they currently languish in 16th place in Serie A. Admittedly they have a game in hand, but they are still a colossal 14 points behind league leaders Juventus with a third of the season gone. The triumphant 2009/10 season when the nerazzurri became the first Italian team to win the treble of the scudetto, the Coppa Italia and the Champions League in a single year under the guidance of José Mourinho seems a distant memory. Inter fans have become accustomed to success, as that triumph meant that their team had won five league titles in a row (including the one awarded to them for 2005/06 by the courts after the calciopoli scandal).” Swiss Ramble
“One of the good things about a very tactical match is that the coaches are pressed for the reasons they made particular decisions at the post-match press conference. Antonio Conte’s approach away to Napoli was very surprising. Having started the season with a 4-4-2 often called a 4-2-4 and more recently moved to a 4-1-4-1, he switched to a 3-5-2 system. Giorgio Chiellini tucked in, Marcelo Estigarribia played on the left, and Simone Pepe moved inside to the centre of midfield, with Claudio Marchisio suspended.” Zonal Marking
“Marcelo Bielsa might be known as ‘El Loco’ but he is far from stupid, and his decision to turn down Internazionale in the summer was rooted in the most worldly of considerations. And as Gian Piero Gasperini’s ill-fated five games in the San Siro hot seat demonstrated, the grandees of the game simply don’t have time for radicalism – particularly with Inter’s ageing, slow squad simply unsuited to the sort of hard-pressing game favoured by both Bielsa and Gasperini. Instead of Italy, Bielsa went to Spain, where he joined Athletic Bilbao, a club almost as idiosyncratic as he is.” World Soccer – Jonathan Wilson
“Another important, impressive victory for Juventus over a fellow title challenger. Here are eight observations on the game. 1. In the first half, much of the action came down Juventus’ right, the area of the pitch with more energetic, forward-thinking players. Like against Inter, Stephane Lichsteiner was a huge attacking threat, and his surges forward often led to Senad Lulic coming out to meet him – in turn leaving Arturo Vidal free. Lichsteiner, Vidal and Simone Pepe often overloaded Lulic and Stephan Radu down that flank, and there were four very good Juventus chances before Pepe’s goal that came from working the ball down that side. On the other flank, Giorgio Chiellini was more cautious and Juve’s left was more static.” Zonal Marking
“Milan have opened talks with Carlos Tevez’s advisors about a January move for the Manchester City striker. At present, there have been no direct talks between City and Milan over the transfer as Tevez’s advisor first seeks to broker a deal with the Italian champions. Although negotiations are at an early stage, it’s understood that both parties have reached agreement on a couple of significant issues that have stalled his career at City: Tevez will not leave the country when Milan have a game scheduled and, provided he’s in the mood for it, the Argentinian has even deigned to play football when asked to do so by his coach.” World Soccer (Video)
Ciro Ferrara
“Juventus fans began with grudging admiration for Ciro Ferrara and now it seems the rest of Italian football may be doing much the same as he rebuilds not only his own coaching career but the reputation of Italy’s Under-21 team. Fans of the Turin club were forced to look on as the defender won two Scudetti and the UEFA Cup as part of wonderful Diego Maradona era Napoli and many held both his style of play and his will to win in the highest regard. When Juventus signed him in 1994 it just felt right and the fact he is the only man Lippi brought with him from Naples speaks volumes.” In Bed With Maradoma
“Sinisa Mihajlovic’s departure from Fiorentina on Monday came as no surprise, after a poor run of form at the beginning of the season and constant calls for the manager to leave from the club’s supporters. Replacing Cesare Prandelli was an almost impossible task. Prandelli had taken charge of Fiorentina in the summer of 2005, when it had narrowly avoided relegation to Serie B on the convoluted basis of its head-to-head record against two other sides. By the time Prandelli left, Fiorentina had enjoyed two consecutive Champions League campaigns — and it would have been more were it not for the penalties of the calciopoli scandal.” ESPN
Gian Piero Gasperini
“This was another amazingly open match – all the goals came in the first half. Juventus move top of the table. The away side weren’t completely dominant. Their first goal came against the run of play as Inter started strongly, but Juve had plenty of opportunities and for a brief spell midway through the first half, they were able to open up the Inter defence at will. Claudio Ranieri’s side lacked compactness and their defence still seems to be recovering from the early season experiment with a back three under Gian Piero Gasperini – their positioning is frequently poor despite the return to their favoured four-man defence. Lucio seems uncomfortable on the turn and Cristian Chivu isn’t a great partner for him, whilst he full-backs are both stronger going forward than they are defensively.” Zonal Marking
Internazionale 1 – 2 Juventus
“Juventus retained their two-point advantage at the top of Serie A and piled even more misery on Claudio Ranieri’s Inter Milan with a win at the San Siro tonight. Mirko Vucinic put the Bianconeri in front in the 12th minute, but Maicon levelled for the hosts in the 28th minute. Claudio Marchisio restored Juve’s advantage in the 33rd minute and he was unlucky not to earn a penalty just before half-time.” ESPN
Jean Lattre and Charles Francois Delamarche – 1800
“An interesting first half, and ultimately a convincing win for Walter Mazzarri’s side. Mazzarri was without Walter Gargano, so played Blerim Dzemaili alongside Gokhan Inler in the centre of midfield. Francesco Guidolin had Antonio Di Natale, Mauricio Isla and Maurizio Domizzi unavailable, meaning there were plenty of changes, resulting in a disjointed side. Antonio Floro Flores played upfront against his hometown club. This was tactically exciting and yet also very basic – Napoli were the clear winners.” Zonal Marking
“Everyone with a modicum of football knowledge has heard of Catenaccio – the system synonymous with generations of Italian defenders. Yet very few remember its finest practitioner Armando Picchi, the man around whom the system of La Grande Inter was built. The first of the famous Liberos made an indelible mark on the game’s tactical history. The memory of Picchi presents football historians with an obvious contradiction. Italian teams since the 1960s have been associated with a pragmatic, safety first approach to the game which was founded on the beauty of the 1-0 victory. Meanwhile individual Italians have long been seen as stylish exponents of the Beautiful Game.” In Bed With Maradoma
“The 4-2-4 is a mythical formation, immediately bringing to mind the Brazil side of 1970, maybe the greatest international side in history. It is seldom used in modern football at the top level, and therefore the arrival of Antonio Conte at Juventus this summer excited many – he was set to play the system, and perhaps bring all-out-attack football to Turin. It’s surprising that so many thought this would bring about a revolution (in pure formation terms), for if there was any other manager in Europe that could vaguely be described as using a 4-2-4, it would be Juve’s manager from last year, Gigi Del Neri. He made his name with a similar system at Chievo, then re-established himself with the formation at Sampdoria, and last year tried to make it work with Juve.” Zonal Marking
“Substitute Kevin-Prince Boateng inspired AC Milan to a thrilling 4-3 comeback victory in Lecce with a second-half hat-trick for the visitors. Guillermo Giacomazzi, Massimo Oddo and Carlos Grossmuller established a 3-0 lead for the home side by half-time, but Boateng sprang from the bench to score three goals in 14 minutes to bring Milan level.” ESPN
“A game that turned on a red card and penalty decision – Luis Enrique won the early battle, but Eddy Reja’s side came through for him in stoppage time. Reja chose his usual shape, a cross between a 4-3-1-2 and a 4-2-3-1. Hernanes was the playmaker, Djibril Cisse a left-sided forward, and Alvaro Gonzalez deeper on the right. Enrique was without Francesco Totti and David Pizarro started on the bench, so Miralem Pjanic played as the number ten in, broadly, a 4-3-1-2. A victory for Lazio, then – they had the better of the game overall, but great credit should go to Enrique for his bravery throughout the fixture.” Zonal Marking
“Life could have been so different for Francesco Totti. ‘If I hadn’t been a footballer, I would have liked to have become a petrol pump assistant,’ he said. ‘When I was little, it was wonderful to smell the petrol fumes and see those guys handle so much money.’ Admittedly one does sometimes have to wonder whether those fumes ever went to the young Totti’s head.” FourFourTwo
“It says a lot about Inter president Massimo Moratti that, despite giving Gian Piero Gasperini only five games as coach, you could see the sacking coming a few weeks ago. This is a man who has now appointed 16 coaches in 16 years. Then again, it says a lot about Gasperini that despite being given no time to settle into the job, it’s rather difficult to defend him. This is a man who guided Inter to four defeats and a goalless draw in five games, an abysmal record for a side expected to be challenging for Lo Scudetto. No one comes out of this looking good, and it is a five-game spell that both president and coach would be happy to erase from the record books.” ESPN
“There’s not much open of a Sunday morning in Carpineto Romano. It’s a tiny little hill town about 50 miles from Rome, which sits high above the former malaria-infested marshland that killed Anita Garibaldi and where Mussolini constructed the nightmarish town of Latina, a Fascist township so fucked up it even has a local office for the separatist Lega Nord. Even in my neighbourhood the shutters go down, and stay down, everywhere on Saturday nights, bar supermarkets and the odd breakfast bar, so it was a relief to be able to buy a pack of fags and a couple of bottles of water, especially after the day I’d had. As I walked back down towards the carabinieri barracks the local football team eyed me up from across the street, and as I got to the locked gate Valerio was there, hands outstretched through the bars and waiting for his cigarettes.” In Bed With Maradona
“Walter Mazzarri’s tactics should be commended after a disciplined Napoli side deserved their point at Manchester City. 1. The battle when wing-backs come up against interiores (wide players that come into the middle of the pitch) is always interesting. In theory, the wing-backs should be very uncomfortable coming inside into the centre of the pitch – they’re meant to be covering the flanks, after all – but the situation is different in a 3-5-2 to with the system that Napoli play, which has two wide forwards.” Zonal Marking
“In kicking off its season with a single match on a Friday evening, as if the start could not come soon enough after the first round of fixtures were postponed because of a players’ strike, the Lega Serie A displayed the kind of awkward creativity borne out of a crisis that seems to run in the Italian blood.” ESPN
Milan 2-2 Lazio: danger down the flanks
“The opening Serie A game of the season was excellent, with all four goals coming in a frantic first 35 minutes. Max Allegri continued with his 4-3-1-2 shape, with Antonio Cassano playing just off Zlatan Ibrahimovic upfront. Edy Reja gave debuts to two strikers, Miroslav Klose and Djibril Cisse, though the Frenchman played in a wide-left role. It was a similar, lopsided 4-2-3-1 to the system Lazio used last season. The main tactical interest here was how obviously vulnerable both teams were in certain positions – and, as it happened, they were both vulnerable in exactly the same ways, despite the difference in formations.” Zonal Marking
“Inter Milan. President Massimo Moratti has once again been cautious with the chequebook. Selling Samuel Eto’o makes much sense from a financial standpoint while the arrival of Diego Forlan seems to be more smart business. The same cannot be said for Mauro Zarate and the lack of investment looks risky, although adding talented young midfielder Andrea Poli is an incredibly smart move. Retaining the services of Wesley Sneijder may prove their best piece of business.” ESPN
“In the last couple of years a number of Italian footballing personalities have moved to Russia to ply their trade. Luciano Spalletti, the current Zenit St Petersburg manager, and Salvatore Bocchetti of Rubin Kazan are enjoying successful stints, while Domenico Criscito looks set to emulate them under the tutelage of Spalletti at Zenit. But the story of one Italian player, whose promising talent disappeared off the radar during a horrific spell in Russia, is in stark contrast to the positive experiences of his compatriots.” In Bed With Maradona
Cristian Ledesma
“Last season was a bittersweet symphony for Lazio, as they missed out on qualifying for the Champions League by the narrowest or margins. They finished up with the same points total as fourth placed Udinese, had the same record in the head-to-head against the team from Friuli, but lost out due to an inferior goal difference. Although this must have been disappointing, as Lazio occupied a Champions League place for most of the season, in the cold light of day it was still a notable achievement.” SwissRamble
Saint Sébastien, Pietro Vannucci
“And so it has come to pass. The first week of Serie A 2011/2012 will not be played this weekend. An emergency meeting between the footballers and their trade union (AIC) leader Damiano Tommasi on one side and on the other, the presidents of the clubs, represented by Lega Serie A president Massimo Beretta and Cagliari’s Massimo Cellino (the League’s other representative Lazio’s Claudio Lotito couldn’t participate because of a ban until September over insulting the Italian Olympic Committee) was held on Wednesday, convened by Giancarlo Abete, president of the Italian football federation (FIGC).” In Bed With Maradona
Players’ strike delays the start of Serie A
“It has been in the air for some time but now it’s official. Italy’s Serie A will not start until the weekend of September 10 at the earliest as a result of an impasse involving the League, the clubs and the players’ union. (The other divisions will not be affected as yet, and Serie B has already started.) The issue revolves around a collective contract without which, according to the union, the season cannot start. There are two sticking points. One involves the recent austerity measures proposed by the government. They include additional taxes to be imposed on those earning more than €90,000 and €150,000 (£80k and £133k). The clubs say that the players should pay the tax.” WSC
“Champions League draw. All eyes were on Monaco yesterday as the draw for the group stages of the UEFA Champions League took place. The annual ritual whereby Europe’s elite discover the identity of the fodder they will consume throughout the autumn months, has long since lost its lustre. However, big spending Manchester City ‘s entry into the competition for the first time, did at least offer the unusual prospect of one or two interesting group matches.” World Soccer (Video)
“And so the new Serie A season is upon us. Or rather it isn’t. After the league’s owners and its players failed to reach an agreement, it was confirmed on Friday morning that the scheduled first weekend of the season will be lost to strike action. How far things could go is anybody’s guess.” Guardian
“As we set off for the new season, it is again a case of rounding up a number of the usual suspects in the shape of polemics, a betting scandal and hardy annuals such as Totti and Juve’s Alessandro Del Piero. One new element in the Italian firmament this season, however, will be an American-owned Roma for which Baldini has been recruited as an experienced guide. As he assesses his return to an Italian football world he left six years ago, Baldini underlines some uncomfortable home truths about the contemporary Italian scene.” World Soccer
“Italian football has experienced a summer of new and old scandals, of threatened player strikes (again) and a transfer market so far more notable for its departures than arrivals. Champions Milan have enjoyed a happier pre-season than in recent years: coach Massimiliano Allegri has just signed an improved contract and, while vice-president Adriano Galliani’s constant talk suggesting the imminent arrival of a ‘Mr X’ has been somewhat self-defeating, reinforcements for the back four (Philippe Mexès in the centre, Taye Taiwo on the left) bode well.” WSC
“Inter were 1-0 up at half time but managed to lose 2-1, after a strange tactical change from their new boss Gian Piero Gasperini. Gasperini was widely expected to bring his favoured 3-4-3 to Inter, but for this match he started with a 3-5-1-1, with new signing Ricardo Alvarez breaking forward from the left of midfield to form a lopsided front three. Max Allegri played the same 4-3-1-2 he favoured last season. In fact, with the exception of Zlatan Ibrahimovic in place of Pato, it was the same XI that started the previous derby. This was, of course, a game of two halves – the only question was why Inter relinquished their dominance from the opening period.” Zonal Marking
“The mainstream football media are convinced that there is a ‘new Mourinho’ at Chelsea. Although I’m inclined to agree, I’m not entirely sure who this ‘new Mourinho’ actually is. Of course, to even ask who this ‘new Mourinho’ is implies a form, a Mourinho, from whom to begin. José Mourinho was a Chelsea manager, young, Portuguese, poached from Porto after a blistering season domestically and in Europe, who was expected to grasp a small but ambitious club by the horns and haul it that final step which it couldn’t take under its previous (Italian) coach.” Run of Play
“Sharing is good, because it breeds a pleasant atmosphere. So with that in mind, here are some things I’ve been reading this week that you might like to take a look at. Kicking things off with A.S. Roma fan, Di Elle, who has translated (with some help) an interview with Franco Baldini. The current England general manager is in the frame to take on a role at the capital club and some interesting comments were made regarding the future running of the club – and in particular with regard to Francesco Totti’s position in the Roman hierarchy.” The Football Express
“The mercurial Jeremy Menez is a player blessed with undisputed ability. With a blend of dexterity and pace, Menez has caused consternation among Serie A defences for three seasons. Deployed in either a wide berth or forward position, Menez has become a linchpin in the famed ‘Giallorosso’ jersey of AS Roma. Technical attributes aside, Menez has recently allowed peripheral club turmoil to blight his mood and dull his threat. A clash of characters with Roma’s temporary manager, Vincenzo Montella, saw Jeremy’s mood and form wane, while Roma’s hardcore tifosi duly became increasingly disenchanted with their man. And as last season expired, a prevailing disquiet suggested the Frenchman’s position was borderline untenable.” FFM
“To some, the words Novara Calcio are about as unknown as ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. After all, it was only two seasons ago that the Piedmontese side was floating around in Italy’s vast third division, now known as the Lega Pro. Most the teams in Lega Pro play on pitches comparable with fields found right outside the highway – complete with live & active growing vegetation. It is here that the curious case of Novara Calcio commenced, right down to their unusual synthetic pitch that could very well be renamed ‘Il Cimiterio’ (The metaphorical graveyard of a footballers career) for its awkward surfaces that have caused plenty of twisted ankles and exploded ligaments from players not used to the artificial ground.” In Bed With Maradona
Scissors Kick 