Monday 08 February 2010, 15:00
RESULTS Sat Feb 6 Livorno 1-1 Juventus, Palermo 2-1 Parma Sun Feb 7 Atalanta 1-0 Bari, Bologna 0-0 Milan, Fiorentina 0-1 Roma, Genoa 1-0 Chievo, Internazionale 3-0 Cagliari, Lazio 0-1 Catania, Siena 1...
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Friday 05 February 2010, 11:30
The Romans know a thing or two about the fall of an empire – and they also recognise that it does not collapse overnight. Regal rule is chipped away over time and that is why AS Roma have not been making...
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Wednesday 03 February 2010, 11:30
Transfer deadline day has come and gone and probably the biggest story was the non-transfer of Antonio Cassano. They say that one person’s misfortune is another person’s gain, and that looked to be the...
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Monday 01 February 2010, 11:30
RESULTS Sat Jan 30 Bari 4-2 Palermo, Napoli 0-0 Genoa Sun Jan 31 Cagliari 2-2 Fiorentina, Catania 1-1 Udinese, Chievo 1-1 Bologna, Juventus 1-1 Lazio, Milan 1-1 Livorno, Roma 2-1 Siena, Sampdoria 2-0 Atalanta...
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Friday 29 January 2010, 12:30
It doesn’t take much to get Neapolitans excited, but even those exuberant types can be justifiably thrilled with Napoli’s current 14-game unbeaten run in the league. Such is the buzz around the city that...
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Wednesday 27 January 2010, 12:30
Let’s play a game. It’s not too taxing – just think of the first coach’s name that comes into your head and let’s see if he has been linked with the Juventus job. Guus Hiddink springs to mind and if reports...
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Monday 25 January 2010, 11:00
The Milan derby is like opening night at La Scala: the performers can enter to a rapturous welcome but by evening’s end they may be showered in flowers or boos. The San Siro is the Milanese fan’s equivalent...
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Friday 22 January 2010, 10:00
The Milan derby is in danger of losing its good-will status, and about time too. The fact that Inter are feeling a bit rattled and punchy in the build-up suggests they are once again worried about losing...
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Wednesday 20 January 2010, 11:30
Revenge is a dish best served cold, and even if he is much too polite to say so in public, on Saturday evening Claudio Ranieri will want to ram the full à la carte menu down Juventus throats. He was unceremoniously...
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Monday 18 January 2010, 13:00
He may have the most annoying goal celebrations in football, a ungainly frame and an unruly hairstyle, but it’s good to see him all smiles again. No, not Ronaldinho – Luca Toni. The Brazilian may have...
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Friday 15 January 2010, 09:00
Ciro Ferrara has been comparing himself to Rocky of late and he certainly looks more like a plucky contender than an undisputed champion. NEWS , Tue Jan 12: Ferrara: I'm a fighter, like Rocky He may...
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Wednesday 13 January 2010, 11:30
Ronaldinho having scored twice in Turin on Sunday, you'd expect him to have a night out to celebrate. Of course, that is what the Brazilian party boy did and few should have been surprised – and if...
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Monday 11 January 2010, 12:00
The first fires caught light after the second goal and by the time AC Milan’s third had gone in the bonfires of the Juventus vanities were in full blaze. It's not as if many saw Ronaldinho round off...
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Friday 08 January 2010, 16:00
It's hard for Juventus and AC Milan to accept having been second best to Inter for such a long period of time. So acute is the risk of an inferiority complex, it would come as no surprise if the Bianconeri...
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Wednesday 06 January 2010, 13:30
It's so good to have David Beckham back to sweep away the January blues. There he is, smiling away in a manner only the recession-proofed or the simple-minded can get away with – bringing cheer to...
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Monday 04 January 2010, 10:30
The last decade was dominated by Calciopoli and as a new decade starts, a central figure of the match-fixing scandal is back in the game. Along with “Lucky” Luciano Moggi and Antonio Giraudo, Roberto Bettega...
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Thursday 31 December 2009, 11:30
Serie Aaaaargh! casts a rose-tinted look back over a decade for the ultimate team that would do Serie A proud: The Noughties XI. Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Buffon has maintained his high standards throughout...
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Monday 21 December 2009, 09:30
As exiles go it was beginning to take on Napoleonic proportions, but after 18 months sailing around the Mediterranean and healing the scars inflicted at Inter, Roberto Mancini is back. Unfortunately, we...
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Friday 18 December 2009, 16:00
Now we know what Silvio Berlusconi felt like when he was walloped with a model of Milan cathedral. No doubt Jose Mourinho and Leonardo had a similar look of utter shock and disbelief when the names of...
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Wednesday 16 December 2009, 11:30
Christmas came early for Jose Mourinho on Tuesday when he finally got what he always wanted: a press conference without the press. Well, almost. There was a sparse gathering for what was the pre-game media...
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Monday 14 December 2009, 11:00
We all know the ancient proverb, my enemy’s enemy is my friend – and of course the old sporting favourite: stranger things have happened in football. So, uniting such words of wisdom we come up with the...
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Thursday 10 December 2009, 11:00
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE RESULTS involving Italian teams: Juventus 1-4 Bayern Munich, Inter Milan 2-0 Rubin Kazan, Liverpool 1-2 Fiorentina, FC Zurich 1-1 AC Milan Italy has finally found its place in Europe:...
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Monday 07 December 2009, 15:00
RESULTS: Sun Dec 6 Bologna 2 v 1 Udinese Fiorentina 2 v 0 Atalanta Genoa 2 v 2 Parma Livorno 0 v 2 Chievo Napoli 3 v 2 Bari Palermo 2 v 1 Cagliari Roma 1 v 0 Lazio Siena 3 v 2 Catania Sat Dec 5 Juventus...
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Friday 04 December 2009, 14:00
Juventus are loved and loathed in equal measure throughout Italy. But the fear is that if they do not take something from Inter at the weekend then the fat, rather than the old, Signora can start tuning...
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Wednesday 02 December 2009, 11:00
No man is received as a prophet in his own land, so the homily goes. The way events are supposedly unfolding, Mario Balotelli is set to be dismissed in Italy as someone frittering away their talent only...
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Monday 30 November 2009, 14:00
The city of Genoa hasn't witnessed such carnage since the G8 summit back in 2001. On a night of high emotion at the Marassi stadium, Genoa slapped Sampdoria into submission in one of the most one-sided...
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Friday 27 November 2009, 14:00
The first of the winter winds are sweeping down from the mountains and a chilly blast can be felt in the centre of Milan, in the halls of Inter’s headquarters. Reporters from the local media outlets have...
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Wednesday 25 November 2009, 10:00
While one team rose to the occasion, the other fell well short of great expectations. That just about sums up Fiorentina and Inter’s Champions League performances. The Nerazzurri will point out that defeat...
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Monday 23 November 2009, 14:00
RESULTS: Sun Nov 22 Juventus 1-0 Udinese, Livorno 2-1 Genoa, Sampdoria 2-1 Chievo, Napoli 0-0 Lazio, Siena 0-2 Atalanta, AS Roma 3-1 Bari, Palermo 1-1 Catania, AC Milan 4-3 Cagliari. Sat Nov 21 Fiorentina...
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Friday 20 November 2009, 11:00
It doesn’t take much for Italians to get into a pickle over the French. And so it was no surprise to find the old rivals demonised at every turn following Thierry Henry’s helping hand. You would have thought...
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Wednesday 18 November 2009, 09:00
Whether it be in the biggest city or the tiniest hamlet, Italy is the home to the football school. It is there that the tradition of ensuring children have the correct grounding in the national sport,...
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Monday 16 November 2009, 15:00
Gigi Buffon could not have wished for a more relaxing way to celebrate his 100th international appearance for Italy in what was the most benign of friendlies with Holland. The country’s attention had turned...
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Thursday 12 November 2009, 11:30
Rich, famous and in some cases good-looking, no one would ever think that a professional footballer would suffer from depression. However, even the profession that just about every school-boy dreams about...
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Wednesday 11 November 2009, 15:36
Another international call-up and once again no Antonio Cassano amongst Marcello Lippi’s hopefuls for South Africa. Speculation has been rife throughout the peninsula on why the Italy coach continues to...
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Monday 09 November 2009, 11:00
RESULTS Sun Nov 8: Bari 1 - 0 Livorno Bologna 3 - 1 Palermo Cagliari 2 - 0 Sampdoria Genoa 4 - 2 Siena Internazionale 1 - 1 Roma Lazio 1 - 2 Milan Parma 2 - 0 Chievo Udinese 0 - 1 Fiorentina Sat Nov 7...
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Friday 06 November 2009, 12:26
It has been a season of woe in Rome and there seems no end in sight. It has got so bad that AS Roma and Lazio ultras can't even bring themselves to laugh at the plight of the other. As Fabio Capello...
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Thursday 05 November 2009, 12:00
If a week is a long time in politics, 90 minutes can be a lifetime in football. Jose Mourinho must have lived through a few of them against Dynamo Kyiv but in the end Inter Milan are alive and kicking...
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Wednesday 04 November 2009, 12:00
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE RESULTS, Tue Nov 3: AC Milan 1-1 Real Madrid, Apoel Nicosia 0-1 FC Porto, Atletico Madrid 2-2 Chelsea, Bayern Munich 0-2 Bordeaux, Besiktas 0-3 Wolfsburg, Maccabi Haifa 0-1 Juventus, Manchester...
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Monday 02 November 2009, 11:00
WEEKEND RESULTS Saturday Oct 31: Juventus 2-3 Napoli, AC Milan 2-0 Parma. Sunday Nov 1: Cagliari 3-0 Atalanta, Chievo 1-1 Udinese, Fiorentina 3-1 Catania, Livorno 0-2 Inter Milan, Roma 2-1 Bologna, Sampdoria...
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Tuesday 27 October 2009, 15:00
Italy is slowly waking up to the fact that the concept of the midweek league game is not going away. Unless it’s a European fixture or Italy are in action, football-goers have never seen the point of giving...
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Monday 26 October 2009, 12:30
When a struggling side come visiting you want to put them to the sword before half-time and then inflict the coup de grace early on in the second half before deciding to sit back and relax. However, when...
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Friday 23 October 2009, 13:30
Massimo Moratti used to believe that Inter had to win the Serie A title at all costs. Maybe lifting the Champions League trophy would be a nice diversion, but really that was secondary to domestic dominance...
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Wednesday 21 October 2009, 11:00
AC Milan are acting like the spurned lover who is about to head off to the ex's house for a party. They are putting on a brave face, insisting that they are doing fine and aren’t at all concerned that...
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Monday 19 October 2009, 11:00
A much-cherished tradition will soon pass into the annals of folklore. The time when anyone in Italy could turn up at a ground, buy a ticket, stroll in and take your seat – unless someone else had nabbed...
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Friday 16 October 2009, 10:00
We all know what it feels like: you do all the hard work and then someone else comes along and steals all the credit. A number of those trotting around the pitch at Tardini stadium on Wednesday night at...
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Monday 12 October 2009, 11:00
There have been enough stings around the Italy camp over the last week, so the last thing Marcello Lippi wanted was another in Dublin. Thankfully, Alberto Gilardino soothed away any pain of having to search...
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Thursday 08 October 2009, 09:00
Roberto Donadoni must feel like one of those characters who populate the Italian equivalent of the Carry On movie where Aurelio De Laurentiis made his name. They are usually the fool wandering into all...
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Monday 05 October 2009, 12:00
It will be interesting to see if Wesley Sneijder’s late winner against Udinese on Saturday will finally kick-start Inter’s shilly-shallying start to the season – and in doing so draw the rest of the league...
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Thursday 01 October 2009, 10:00
AC Milan’s fall from grace is now complete. The former masters of Europe suffered the worst humiliation imaginable: a giant defender in the daftest of John McEnroe headbands scored the deftest of Gianfranco...
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Wednesday 30 September 2009, 13:30
He may possess a set of dentures that would put Ronaldinho to shame and a curly mop that would shame Kevin Keegan in his heyday, but there is nothing unattractive with the way Stevan Jovetic plays football...
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Monday 28 September 2009, 16:00
Jose Mourinho isn’t a man you’d usually associate with getting as far as possible from media attention. But this hasn’t been a usual week. Tatarstan, home of Inter’s Champions league opponents Rubin Kazan...
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Friday 25 September 2009, 11:19
Have Italian clubs developed patience? Five rounds of the campaign have gone and so far only one coach has taken a ten-count. Standards are certainly dropping amongst the rottweiler Serie A presidents...
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Wednesday 23 September 2009, 12:34
Italian football has missed out on another opportunity to face up to racist behaviour inside one of its grounds. No surprise really, as the authorities continue to bury their heads in the sand and ignore...
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Monday 21 September 2009, 11:04
The sheer folly of AC Milan’s infatuation with Ronaldinho has finally come home to roost. Silvio Berlusconi was so attracted to the dazzling Brazilian that he ignored the stories of late nights spent on...
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Thursday 17 September 2009, 12:00
Of course they couldn't ignore him. Serie Aaaaargh: How do you solve a problem like Ibra? Zlatan Ibrahimovic received the predicted chorus of whistles and jeers from the San Siro faithful, but at the...
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Wednesday 16 September 2009, 14:00
NEW: Champions League news , results and fixtures RESULTS: Juventus 1-1 Bordeaux; Marseille 1-2 Milan He has been written off more times than a bad debt but his goals keep piling up like the interest on...
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Tuesday 15 September 2009, 14:00
Inter fans are caught in quite a quandary over the most appropriate way to react to Zlatan Ibrahimovic when the big fella makes his return to the San Siro on Wednesday night. There are those who feel that...
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Monday 14 September 2009, 11:00
Genoa has a glorious past as a centre of trade, and now it seems the port city is set for a glorious future on the football pitch. It’s been 18 years since the league title found its way to Liguria. But...
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Friday 11 September 2009, 14:00
Airport arrival lounges throughout Italy have been chock-a-block with weary footballers returning from all points around the world. Stretching hamstrings and regaling each other about World Cup exploits...
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Thursday 10 September 2009, 15:00
Shine on you crazy diamond all the way to South Africa – spiritual home of the sparkling rock. Just when we thought Marcello Lippi was going all cheap on us, the Azzurri coach polished up his act and the...
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Monday 07 September 2009, 14:30
Marcello Lippi has been complaining that no one is interested in Italy’s World Cup qualifying campaign. It's easy to see why after the turgid performance in Georgia . From FFT.com's World Cup News...
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Friday 04 September 2009, 10:00
The stadiums may be crumbling faster than the Coliseum, the pitches may look more like the sandy beaches of Sardinia and to top it all, as if we didn’t already know it, it’s not a level playing field when...
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Wednesday 02 September 2009, 12:00
The transfer window closed with no great shakes around the Serie A clubs – the big moves had been done and dusted earlier in the summer. There was no surprise that Fabio Grosso joined his Italy international...
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Tuesday 01 September 2009, 11:30
AC Milan fans are going to need a good sense of humour this season. The 4-0 humiliation at the hands of Inter certainly had plenty of comic value at every turn. After making a game of it for about 20 minutes...
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Friday 28 August 2009, 11:00
The motorways back into Milan will be jam-packed this weekend as weary holidaymakers drag themselves away from their summer vacations – and a good number will be hopping in their cars that bit earlier...
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Wednesday 26 August 2009, 12:00
It looked like one-way traffic out of Italy this summer. Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Ricky Kaka headed off to Spain, followed by thousands of Italian holidaymakers discovering that the Iberian coast is a lot...
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Monday 24 August 2009, 12:00
If there were any lingering doubts over why Jose Mourinho feels he needs to get under everyone’s skin, then the press conference ahead of this weekend’s season opener nailed his modus operandi. “I have...
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Friday 21 August 2009, 10:00
The start to the new season is warming up nicely, with Jose Mourinho jumping on Marcello Lippi’s belief that Juventus will win the title like an Italian tourist sighting a free sun lounger. Generally,...
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Tuesday 18 August 2009, 12:00
Pescara is pretty bleak at the best of times, but Friday evening on the eve of Ferragosto – Italy’s most public of holidays when only the lonely, infirmed or dirt poor are left at home - is particularly...
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Monday 17 August 2009, 09:00
What better way for Fabio Cannavaro to celebrate becoming Italy’s all-time leading appearance holder than with a goalless draw. The perfect result to top a perfect evening in Switzerland for the Azzurri...
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Wednesday 12 August 2009, 10:00
It is hard to imagine that Parma were once the cream of Serie A - hamming it up as part of the 'seven sisters' of top-flight Italian football and serving-up a veritable feast of exciting action...
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Tuesday 11 August 2009, 09:00
Jose Mourinho had plenty of time during the long-haul trip back from China to mull over his current predicament going into the new season: where to find that spark of inspiration. Inter may have dominated...
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Friday 07 August 2009, 10:00
Alberto Aquilani has done something neither Francesco Totti or Daniele De Rossi would ever do... up sticks and bid a fond farewell to his home town. All three may be Roman born-and-bred and have red and...
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Thursday 06 August 2009, 10:00
Few of us would ever feel unfulfilled at the thought of sailing around the Mediterranean, safe in the knowledge that we would be picking up a guaranteed 500,000 euro a month for the next three years. A...
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Tuesday 04 August 2009, 10:00
Summer in Italy has been akin to the opening scene in Sexy Beast – the one in which Ray Winstone is lying in the pool, turning as red as a lobster, only for his idyllic life to be interrupted by a falling...
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Tuesday 21 July 2009, 08:00
The Italian Super Cup has always been a must-see for the Italian public. The perfect curtain-raiser to the new season, played on a warm August evening just as the dinner course is being served and the...
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Friday 17 July 2009, 08:00
The Persian emperor Cyrus the Great ( Ciro il Grande in Italian) is considered to have paved the way for modern leadership. And his teachings have had a profound impact on statesmen down through the ages...
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Tuesday 14 July 2009, 08:00
There was never any doubt that Jose Mourinho would be any less controversial in his second season in Italy than he was in his first – and for that we must be thankful. Arriving back in Milan having given...
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Wednesday 08 July 2009, 10:00
Silvio Berlusconi believes that AC Milan are as strong as champions Inter, although the Rossoneri faithful seem less inclined to agree. A few hundred of the usual suspects 'welcomed' the squad...
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Thursday 02 July 2009, 08:30
Do you ever get the feeling that the good times have gone and that they aren't coming back anytime soon? Well, watching Ricky Kaka’s unveiling at the Santiago Bernabeu reinforced the thought that while...
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Tuesday 30 June 2009, 09:00
The first day of pre-season training is always the same. Plenty of the handshakes and introductions along with the requisite slaps on the back and hugs for the old guard. It is a ritual that will be played...
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Thursday 25 June 2009, 10:00
The training grounds may be quiet while the players and coaches laze on the beaches for a few more weeks at least. However, there is one group of club employees still hard at work through the summer months...
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Monday 22 June 2009, 10:00
Anyone expecting Marcello Lippi to drop the old guard in the near future is in for a big disappointment. It just isn’t the Italian way to give youth and inexperience a chance – look at the government and...
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Friday 19 June 2009, 12:00
The telling thing to take from Italy’s defeat to Egypt is that Marcello Lippi’s current squad lack the required personality to be considered genuine candidates to retain their World Cup crown this time...
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Wednesday 17 June 2009, 12:00
The Old Lady has always stood by her man. When the nation is in need, Juventus will answer the call. Thirty years ago, the Azzuri was basically Juve: eight of their players started against France at Argentina...
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Monday 15 June 2009, 11:00
Italy may field up to eight players who played some part in the last encounter with USA back at World Cup 2006 when the two teams meet again in the Confederations Cup. Several of them will be back again...
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Friday 12 June 2009, 10:30
Real Madrid are devouring football, claim the Italian press. The “ Real Cannibale ” headlines appearing in two of the three sports dailies and quite a number of their news cousins need no translation....
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Wednesday 10 June 2009, 10:00
Have we all missed something here? Why does Alexandre Pato want to speak to Carlo Ancelotti before he discusses his future with AC Milan? And why is he speaking to the Chelsea coach when he is under contract...
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Monday 08 June 2009, 12:30
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is an Inter player in as so much that up until last week he wore the club shirt and is the holder of a 12 million Euro a year contract bestowed on him by a grateful Massimo Moratti....
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Friday 05 June 2009, 10:00
Money doesn’t talk in Milan. It screams and shouts and pushes its way to the front of any massed gathering. The ultras who congregated in front of AC Milan’s plush city centre headquarters on Thursday...
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Wednesday 03 June 2009, 12:00
By painting The Last Supper for the dining room at the city's Santa Maria delle Grazie church, Leonardo da Vinci put Milan on the map. Now another Leonardo has been asked to make something beautiful...
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Monday 01 June 2009, 09:30
Parting can be such sweet sorrow and there are many ways to say farewell. The full-on emotional tears and hugs. The pat on the back. The quick handshake. The wave goodbye. And the total denial that anything...
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Friday 29 May 2009, 09:00
Josep Guardiola is certainly a classy fellow. Not only does he show the world how to play football, the Barcelona coach then dedicates the Champions League victory to Paolo Maldini. Doing things with style...
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Tuesday 26 May 2009, 14:00
To Italians, the fixed image of the typical English football fan is beer-swilling, shaven-headed aggression. “Hooligan” is virtually synonymous with “Englishman” – apart from poets, 19th-century writers...
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Monday 25 May 2009, 14:00
It may not have been the perfect farewell to a perfect career, but the sun shone brightly and all in all a packed San Siro rose as one to bid a final home salute to the legend that is Paolo Maldini. And...
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Friday 22 May 2009, 12:00
Jose Mourinho certainly doesn’t give off the air of a man on a fleeting visit. The latest rumours sweeping the majority of the sporting and regular dailies is that our man is off to Real Madrid and taking...
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Tuesday 19 May 2009, 09:30
Claudio Ranieri has been a dead man walking for some time now, but you would have thought Juventus might have allowed him to walk away a proud man. The club likes to convey that aristocratic image even...
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Monday 18 May 2009, 09:30
Congratulations Inter, you deserve the title. You were the best of a pretty rotten bunch. It will not go down as a vintage year for Serie A, and at times there was more excitement witnessing Jose Mourinho...
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Thursday 14 May 2009, 11:00
Silvio Berlusconi has always been big on loyalty, and as long as someone is willing to show their commitment to the AC Milan cause then there will always be a place at the table for them. Carlo Ancelotti...
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Wednesday 13 May 2009, 09:30
It's Lazio against Sampdoria in the Italian Cup final – which makes a pleasant change from the last four seasons, when it was Inter against AS Roma again, again and again. In fact, Lazio were the last...
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Monday 11 May 2009, 12:00
The flags and the banners can finally be dusted off and hung from apartment windows and balconies. Come next Sunday, Inter should be celebrating their 17th Serie A title – and the party could even start...
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Friday 08 May 2009, 10:00
It’s showdown time at the San Siro this weekend and the stage is set for fond farewells all round when AC Milan take on Juventus. With all due respect to AS Roma, whom the Rossoneri meet in the penultimate...
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Wednesday 06 May 2009, 08:00
There can be no other club that has such a fractious relationship with its fans than Inter. At times, the Nerazzurri may not be much to look at on the pitch, but at least there is plenty of entertainment...
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Tuesday 05 May 2009, 08:00
Most things in life move at a more relaxed pace in Italy. So, unsurprisingly, it has taken a few decades for Serie A to finally break away from the rest of the Italian football league. Thursday’s decision...
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Wednesday 29 April 2009, 15:00
Class is ageless as they say, and at seventy-something Silvio Berlusconi still doesn’t possess it. When he is not picking a former Miss Italy and a Big Brother contestant as candidates for the upcoming...
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Monday 27 April 2009, 10:00
Much like the dear old Eternal City, AS Roma have seen better days. Both are in need of a major makeover. The 4-1 thumping at Fiorentina on Saturday all but ended any hopes of grabbing fourth place and...
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Friday 24 April 2009, 12:00
If Claudio Ranieri is a man at risk of losing one of the biggest jobs in football, then he is certainly hiding any concern very well. The coach appeared pretty sanguine after seeing Juventus booted out...
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Wednesday 22 April 2009, 12:00
Italian football is finally facing up to its demons. Although the league’s decision to not turn a deaf ear to the racial abuse rained down on Mario Balotelli still falls short of total exorcism of the...
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Monday 20 April 2009, 10:00
Second best is an apt description of Serie A at the moment. And suddenly the chase for the runners-up spot has taken on more significance that it would normally have done. Inter did little to honour the...
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Friday 17 April 2009, 10:00
Italians hate to be left out of any gathering where the spotlight will be shining brightly on those in attendance. So it must have been with a heavy heart and a sad sigh when La Gazzetta Dello Sport got...
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Wednesday 15 April 2009, 12:00
There is a danger that AC Milan will finish second in the league this season and continue to bury their heads in the sand and pretend that everything is fine. Sunday’s fortuitous win at Chievo leaves the...
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Monday 13 April 2009, 12:30
If you are looking for a candidate for player of the year, then look no further than Thiago Motta. The Genoa midfielder just gets better week after week, and down in Rome - where Serie Aaaaargh! decamped...
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Friday 10 April 2009, 14:00
Bells have been ringing out throughout holy week in Italy. But they have taken on extra poignancy since the earthquake in Abruzzo during the early hours of Monday morning. The country has been doing its...
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Tuesday 07 April 2009, 14:00
Around 50 young Italian footballers have moved to the United Kingdom in the last 12 years, thanks in part to different regulations and, of course, a salary that the average youngster back home can only...
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Monday 06 April 2009, 15:00
The only way to entice Adriano out of the favelas and back across the Atlantic would be to tell the Slumdog Millionaire that Inter’s Serie A title-party celebrations are starting early. The fun-loving...
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Friday 03 April 2009, 16:00
It’s getting to that stage of the season where a footballer’s thoughts turn to a big-money move - or an improved contract at least. Many of Serie A’s finest are trooping back from international duty no...
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Thursday 02 April 2009, 14:00
Italy... a country united by its love of ham and hammy TV shows. There was an important World Cup qualifier taking place on Wednesday. But in the local watering holes of Milan all the talk was about how...
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Wednesday 01 April 2009, 09:00
Italy is looking forward to Giovanni Trapattoni’s return... so the old grouch can finally be put in his place. He may be a popular figure to the misty-eyed who remember him lording over the domestic game...
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Monday 30 March 2009, 12:00
Andrea Pirlo’s neatly spooned penalty against Montenegro was just the lift the country needed after such an extended period of navel-gazing that there was a danger of everyone ending up with a sore neck...
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Friday 27 March 2009, 15:00
Italy is divided once more on the eve of two vital World Cup qualifiers. In the blue corner those supporting national team coach Marcello Lippi, and seeing red in the other are those up in arms at Antonio...
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Wednesday 25 March 2009, 09:00
These are touchy times in Italian football. Jose Mourinho cannot open his mouth without bringing down a tirade of abuse from his peers, although deep down you just know that everyone hangs on every utterance...
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Monday 23 March 2009, 10:00
It was one of the most brutal sackings of Rome since the Gauls came to town, but this time there was no Gallic influence. David Trezeguet was left pouting on the bench as Sam the Eagle took flight. Vincenzo...
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Friday 20 March 2009, 09:00
Friday’s Champions League draw will be painful viewing in Italy. While the sleek, expensive machines from the Premier League glide onwards to Rome, Serie A stands forlornly at the side of the road beside...
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Wednesday 18 March 2009, 09:30
Mario Balotelli has the potential to become Italian football’s next superstar, but he’s going to have to fight all the way to bag that tag. He’s only 18 but already he has had to cope with the pressures...
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Monday 16 March 2009, 12:00
NEWS: Weekend round-up Jose Mourinho will do just about anything to skip the post-match television interviews. Getting sent off was a guarantee that the Portuguese was halfway home before his sidekick...
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Thursday 12 March 2009, 10:30
The sun is still shining and people are going about their daily business, but the world of Italian football has come to a grinding halt. Not one team through to the last eight of the Champions League is...
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Wednesday 11 March 2009, 10:00
One down, two to go... Although with Roma and Inter facing the daunting task of having to overcome two more English sides on Wednesday, maybe “two to go out” would be a more appropriate description. Juventus...
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Tuesday 10 March 2009, 09:00
“Yes, we can.” It has a certain ring to it. It worked for Obama, so why not for Serie A’s finest in their quest to vanquish the English from Europe. Inter, Juventus and AS Roma head into their Champions...
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Friday 06 March 2009, 11:00
There's little point in Juventus, AS Roma and AC Milan taking to the pitch this weekend if we are to believe a word Jose Mourinho has to say. During his seven-minute party-piece on Tuesday, the Portuguese...
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Wednesday 04 March 2009, 14:30
Jose Mourinho has been itching for a fight ever since the national media dismissed his Inter side as second-best to Manchester United last week. His excuse came after two days of wall-to-wall coverage...
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Monday 02 March 2009, 11:00
Everyone loves a tasty tiramisu. And the Italian dessert, which figuratively translated means 'pick-me-up' is the perfect complement to any heavy meal. And Serie A had its own tasty afters on Sunday...
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Friday 27 February 2009, 13:00
How much blame should be apportioned to a) the club and b) Carlo Ancelotti in the spectacular decline of AC Milan from kings to paupers of European football is open to debate? But in the wake of the lame...
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Wednesday 25 February 2009, 11:00
So Jose Mourinho was proved wrong after all. Manchester United didn't sit back and Ivan Cordoba should not be left out of the starting line-up for the big games, while Zlatan Ibrahimovic still isn...
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Tuesday 24 February 2009, 09:00
The countdown to the biggest ties of the season started in earnest on Saturday evening as Inter, Juventus and AS Roma retreated into the night to prepare for round one of the colossal challenge with il...
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Friday 20 February 2009, 13:00
It’s been a rough old week for Silvio Berlusconi. First his side lose the derby, then he falls out with Argentina after a “witty” remark about dictators and prisoners falling out of aeroplanes. The centre...
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Wednesday 18 February 2009, 10:00
Where is Antonio Cassano going to end up? Serie Aaaaargh! will tell you. If he doesn't leave Sampdoria this summer, Cassano will find himself: 1. Filed away in a great big box marked ‘wasted talent...
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Monday 16 February 2009, 11:00
Inter have one hand on the title, so to speak. Adriano may not have known much about Maicon’s bullet-like cross, which nearly took his head off, but the ball was not travelling anywhere near the goal until...
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Friday 13 February 2009, 11:00
“I don’t want to go to Chelsea,” the great man once sang. However, Carlo Ancelotti may have little choice come the summer. Cuddly Carlo is feeling a little hot under the collar ahead of the derby, as defeat...
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Wednesday 11 February 2009, 11:00
What can be gleaned from the ‘Derby of the World’ is that, at present, Brazil are in better shape than Italy. The South Americans played as one would expect them to. And so, to be fair, did Italy who were...
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Monday 09 February 2009, 11:00
AS Roma-supporting friends of Serie Aaaaargh! deny they will be in front of their plasma screens next Sunday. But even if they will never openly admit it, they will be just as engrossed in the outcome...
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Friday 06 February 2009, 12:00
A common myth that needs to be laid to rest is that the trains always ran on time when Benito was in charge. They never did and, generally, they still don’t. But when they do it’s like having your birthday...
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Wednesday 04 February 2009, 09:00
Ricardo Quaresma slipped in to Milan under the radar at the tail-end of the August transfer window and slipped out again in January with barely anyone noticing. While the only footage covering his move...
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Monday 02 February 2009, 11:00
The floodlights were switched off at the Olympic Stadium in Turin soon after the final whistle on Saturday evening, and the lights have gone out on Juventus' title bid as well. Serie Aaaaargh! had...
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Thursday 29 January 2009, 12:00
The new Bruce Springsteen album has just been released to great fanfare in Italy, where he is something of an iconic figure. Adriano Galliani must have been singing along in the car to the title track...
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Tuesday 27 January 2009, 11:00
Just when we thought he would go gently into the night of his twilight years, Christian Panucci just couldn't resist one last rage and rant. Having refused Luciano Spalletti’s request to sit on the...
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Monday 26 January 2009, 11:00
It didn’t take Ricky Kaka long to get over not moving to Manchester City and even David Beckham is no longer California dreamin. AC Milan are now very much in the hunt for the title, along with Inter and...
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Friday 23 January 2009, 11:00
Maybe it’s seeing those stunning blue Italian skies once again after weeks of unrelenting rain. Maybe it’s the perfect cappuccino to start the day or the sight of a drop-dead gorgeous woman passing in...
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Thursday 22 January 2009, 11:00
Despite the best efforts of Emerson to keep the Ricky Kaka transfer saga on the front pages of the Italian sporting press, it's back to business as usual – and that means dodgy refereeing decisions...
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Tuesday 20 January 2009, 11:00
It was a wonderfully choreographed piece of theatre that would have done Barack Obama proud. On a wet and windy Monday night in Milan, Silvio Berlusconi strolled out of his two-up, two-down to announce...
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Monday 19 January 2009, 11:00
AC Milan have been acting all innocent in the Ricky Kaka saga but according to a Serie Aaaaargh! source close to the club, they in fact officially informed the player on Friday that they were ready to...
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Friday 16 January 2009, 15:00
To quote Bob Dylan, “money doesn’t talk, it swears.” No doubt the air has been turned blue around the AC Milan headquarters in the last few days as the runaway train that is Kaka to Manchester City gathers...
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Wednesday 14 January 2009, 11:00
It’s no surprise that Manchester City are likely to make a world-record transfer bid for Ricky Kaka. After all, the Brazilian is the best player in the world, isn’t he? As pointed out in previous blogs...
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Friday 09 January 2009, 10:00
David Beckham is in for a bit of a shock this weekend. While AC Milan and the Becks circus have been living it up in the balmy climes of Dubai, Italy has been gripped by the icy fingers of mid-winter....
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Tuesday 06 January 2009, 13:00
There is something worth pointing out with the credit crunch kicking in as the January sales get into full swing. With the euro now almost on parity with the pound, Italians have been flooding the streets...
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Monday 05 January 2009, 10:00
So 2009 is upon us and it's out with the old and in with the new in Serie A. Ricky Kaka, for one, will be glad to see the back of 2008. The big question now is what will the New Year hold for the Brazilian...
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Tuesday 30 December 2008, 11:00
So another year comes tumbling to a end quicker than you can say "Filippo Inzaghi's offside" and Serie Aaaaargh! would like to bring 2008 to a close with its very own take on the Serie A...
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Monday 29 December 2008, 10:00
Too many players have flattered to deceive so far this season. Injuries have played a major part, with the likes of Francesco Totti, Ricky Kaka, Gianluigi Buffon and Adrian Mutu a few of the big names...
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Monday 22 December 2008, 13:00
Milan is synonymous with luxury and wealth – where else would the poor and homeless feast on beluga caviar* for Christmas? So when the world’s most fashionable city welcomed the world’s most fashionable...
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Friday 19 December 2008, 15:30
Apparently, Italy has leapt ahead of the UK in terms of GNP and Serie A’s three Champions League representatives feel they will be in the money when they face the Premier League's rich list. The Italy...
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Thursday 18 December 2008, 10:00
Never let it be said that Serie Aaaaargh! isn't generous. In a show of festive cheer, it purchased six tickets for AC Milan’s final UEFA Cup group game against Wolfsburg on Wednesday. Delving into...
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Wednesday 17 December 2008, 09:30
As Adriano staggers back to Brazil - future uncertain - another South American arrives in Milan. Thiago Silva completed his move to AC Milan on Monday and as the defender is ineligible to actually play...
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Monday 15 December 2008, 12:00
Things are now getting so desperate at AC Milan that the fallen giants of Serie A cannot wait until David Beckham parks up at the San Siro. Anything will do to lift the mood, which is currently as depressing...
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Friday 12 December 2008, 14:00
Carlo Ancelotti in Father Christmas guise would certainly be an arresting sight in the lead up to the Christmas break. With his ever-expanding girth and drooping jowls, the AC Milan boss would play the...
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Wednesday 10 December 2008, 12:00
Jose Mourinho has been sporting an ugly scar on his forehead over the last couple of days. Those imagining that a disgruntled Inter reserve - take your pick - had finally cracked and smacked his boss over...
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Tuesday 09 December 2008, 08:00
They say you should never go back, but in Italy coaches have little choice but to return to the scene of their crimes. It’s very unlikely that a Serie A coach would ever send their president a text message...
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Monday 08 December 2008, 10:00
Jeremy has finally spoken. It looked odds on that Jeremy Menez would land the title of 'flop of the season so far' as we head towards the winter break, but the plucky French lad finally answered...
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Friday 05 December 2008, 12:00
Ricky Kakà caught offside as the lone striker, grumpy Ronaldinho elbowing an opponent in the face, Kakha Kaladze stood stock still in the centre of midfield… This was a snapshot of the once mighty Milan...
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Wednesday 03 December 2008, 15:30
It’s taken the Italian media five long months, but they have finally, grudgingly accepted that Jose Mourinho is actually good for Serie A. “SuperMou,” headlined La Gazzetta dello Sport on Wednesday before...
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Monday 01 December 2008, 14:00
These days it seems that to best prepare for facing world class opposition, you might as well dispense of all the old coaching manuals and buy a PlayStation. It certainly worked for Marco Amelia, who has...
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Friday 28 November 2008, 11:00
It’s a similar flight time from Milan to Portsmouth or Palermo, but a world away in terms of football culture. Carlo Ancelotti’s boys 2-0 down in Sicily with six-minutes remaining would more than likely...
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Thursday 27 November 2008, 11:00
Jose Mourinho cannot bring himself to say a bad word about Ricardo Quaresma... well not in public anyway. While he continually lambasts the likes of Adriano, Julio Cruz and the moody teen Mario Balotelli...
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Wednesday 26 November 2008, 10:00
Paolo Maldini’s glittering career will remain incomplete... he will never play at Fratton Park. The legendary defender failed to board the flight for Southampton this morning with the rest of the squad...
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Monday 24 November 2008, 14:00
Serie Aaaaargh! took the opportunity to watch the Inter-Juventus dust-up in the company of two couples from opposing camps. The city of Milan was the venue, where everyone supports Inter, Milan or Juventus...
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Friday 21 November 2008, 13:00
You can still catch The Odd Couple on cable TV in Italy, but Serie A’s very own Felix and Oscar will have a prime-time slot on Saturday. Jose Mourinho and Claudio Ranieri will take their cantankerous,...
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Thursday 20 November 2008, 11:00
Can Italy go another 20 games or so unbeaten? That’s the number of internationals, give or take the Confederation’s Cup and a friendly here or there, that would see the Azzurri crowned world champions...
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Tuesday 18 November 2008, 11:00
It’s only Tuesday but it’s already turning into one of the wackiest weeks in Italian football for a long time. An unemployed coach is named top manager of the year, players are caught with their shorts...
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Monday 17 November 2008, 12:30
Just when we were about to start contemplating the closest title race in years, the pretenders to the throne collectively implode. Napoli, Lazio, Udinese and Fiorentina all lost over the weekend , leaving...
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Friday 14 November 2008, 10:30
It's derby weekend in the capital and anyone hoping for all manner of dastardly goings-on is set to be left disappointed. While the players will be expected to get stuck into each other, on the terraces...
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Thursday 13 November 2008, 11:00
Antonio Cassano is known as a fantasista in Italian football parlance. The player whose skill and all round game are so valued that he is allowed to roam free wherever he feels. The term also means someone...
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Wednesday 12 November 2008, 11:00
The Sulky One, as he must be known as from now on, didn’t taken long to turn a country against him. Yes, surprise surprise, Jose Mourinho and Italy don’t mix. First, he made disparaging remarks about Claudio...
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Monday 10 November 2008, 12:00
Cicinho must have been taking some advice on defending from his AS Roma team-mate John Arne Riise if his last-gasp own goal on Saturday evening is anything to go by. A flying header in the 93rd minute...
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Friday 07 November 2008, 12:00
Notwithstanding his dodgy knee, Saturday should see Francesco Totti makes his 400th Serie A appearance as AS Roma look to keep the feel-good factor going at Bologna. Ah, Bologna. On any other weekend we...
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Thursday 06 November 2008, 11:00
It’s a long way from Rimini to the Bernabeu but for Juventus the trip, in the end, has been worth it. 17-months ago and the Old Lady started out kicking her heels in Serie B at the Italian resort town...
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Wednesday 05 November 2008, 12:01
No team has ever won the Champions League and been relegated. But there's always a first time, and the way things are going for AS Roma at the moment, anything could happen. The side that turned up...
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Monday 03 November 2008, 09:44
“I don’t know what else to do.” So lamented the forlorn figure of Luciano Spalletti after witnessing AS Roma capitulate at Juventus on Saturday. His voice was as dull as the inclement weather currently...
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Friday 31 October 2008, 14:00
100 days into his reign and, with just one defeat, Jose Mourinho has made his point. He’s the boss, he’s the man – the shaven-headed tough guy in a dressing-room full of tough guys. However, has he the...
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Thursday 30 October 2008, 12:00
It never rains but it pours. AS Roma’s damp squib of a season continued to float down the swanny on Wednesday evening. A monsoon hit the Eternal City just before kick-off against Sampdoria and after a...
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Wednesday 29 October 2008, 13:00
Fiorentina have lost a lot of the good will they have built up over the last year or so. The Tuscans have been the little angels of Italian football ever since they applauded Inter off the pitch at the...
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Monday 27 October 2008, 09:53
Weekend Serie A reports Results: Atalanta Bergamo 0-1 AC Milan; Cagliari 2-0 Chievo Verona; Inter Milan 0-0 Genoa; Juventus 1-0 Torino; Lazio 0-1 Napoli; Palermo 1-3 Fiorentina; Reggina 2-0 Lecce; Sampdoria...
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Friday 24 October 2008, 14:00
Football fatigue could be the undoing of some of Serie A’s Euro-trippers this weekend. Juventus, Inter, Roma, Fiorentina, AC Milan, not to mention Udinese and Sampdoria are feeling the strain to varying...
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Thursday 23 October 2008, 13:00
Market research carried out by Serie Aaaaargh! has revealed that 70% of Milan fans surveyed feel that “yes” David Beckham’s arrival at the club is no more than a marketing tool. The data was gathered not...
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Wednesday 22 October 2008, 11:30
We came to bury Caesar not to praise him but Claudio Ranieri lives to fight another day. Just when you thought the bottom was falling out of the Old Lady’s world, she digs out the gladrags and dolls herself...
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Monday 20 October 2008, 13:00
“Indefensible” was how Tuttosport summed up Juve's performance in the 2-1 defeat at Napoli, and the very same could easily describe AS Roma’s abject display in a 4-0 home reverse against Inter. The...
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Friday 17 October 2008, 08:00
Italians worship women. Well, that’s like saying the Pope is a catholic and bears do whatever they do in the woods. The female form is adored at every turn in il bel paese so it’s no one wonder in football...
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Wednesday 15 October 2008, 14:00
The fans want him out, the press want him out and the players apparently want him out, but Claudio Ranieri is nothing but a battler. The Juventus coach faces three games that will make or break his tenure...
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Monday 13 October 2008, 15:00
The revolution starts now – and not before time. The Italian press may not have been that impressed with the goalless draw in Bulgaria but Marcello Lippi certainly can be, as he stretched his unbeaten...
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Thursday 09 October 2008, 10:00
It is not only English clubs that could be feeling the pinch as the worldwide credit crunch starts to bite. AS Roma are reportedly heading for financial ruin unless they can start paying back some of the...
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Wednesday 08 October 2008, 10:00
So it’s a dream come true for Portsmouth and probably Braga, Wolfsburg and Heerenveen as well. If AC Milan have their way it will be a once in a lifetime opportunity for their UEFA Cup opponents because...
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Monday 06 October 2008, 09:00
Jose Mourinho has saved his job for another couple of weeks. Well, it isn’t that dire of course, but the pressure has been on the Portuguese. The honeymoon period is long gone and the reality of daily...
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Friday 03 October 2008, 13:00
Whisper it but whisper it anyway, Andriy Shevchenko can score. He did it on Thursday when the Ukrainian finally found the net again for the only goal of the game in AC Milan’s UEFA Cup win at FC Zurich...
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Thursday 02 October 2008, 12:00
Italian football has always had a strong relationship with Argentines. Some have delighted, some disappointed and then, of course, there was Diego Maradona. But most have got on with their jobs in a professional...
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Wednesday 01 October 2008, 11:30
There was once a thing you could always rely on with Juventus, and that was a mean old defence. Never one to give the opposition as much as a sniff at goal in the past, the Old Lady is now looking decidedly...
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Monday 29 September 2008, 11:00
Plenty of indigestion this morning. What with all that humble-pie to be eaten last night. Ronaldinho answered all his critics with a man-of-the-match performance in the Milan derby although it has to be...
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Friday 26 September 2008, 12:30
October 18 1908: baggy shorts, square goal-posts, handlebar ‘taches, ball like a piece of cement, pitch full of English and Swiss gents. September 28 2008: baggy shorts, plenty of facial hair, ball like...
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Wednesday 24 September 2008, 13:00
It’s derby week and fashion week all rolled into one in Milan so there has been plenty of preening around the city. Willowy models and braying fashion designers have all been giving their views on La Derby...
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Monday 22 September 2008, 11:00
Crisis? What crisis? While Italy’s state-run airline Alitalia plummets towards a financial crash-landing, at least the country’s prime minister Silvio Berlusconi can stop worrying about AC Milan. The perma...
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Friday 19 September 2008, 10:28
The cappuccini are tasting a lot sweeter this morning after all four Italian clubs produced fine wins in the UEFA Cup on Thursday evening. In fact, apart from AS Roma leaving a bitter taste in the mouth...
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Wednesday 17 September 2008, 10:00
Clued in to the clueless. That seems a neat summing up of Inter and AS Roma’s first foray into the Champions League or “the Champions” as the Italians call it. Well, certainly the two sides were a league...
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Monday 15 September 2008, 11:00
Well, we didn’t expect to see this after the first two games of the season: Lazio and Atalanta on top of the table on maximum points, with Torino in third. Only the sight of Inter and Juventus, level on...
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Friday 12 September 2008, 11:00
What better way than to spend a Wednesday evening than with a relaxing visit to Lugano? Nestling on the shores of Lake Lugano, just across the border from Italy and known as the ‘Monte Carlo of Switzerland...
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Wednesday 10 September 2008, 11:00
Out with brawn, in with flair. Italy may not be able to defend any more but who cares, let’s get all Brazilian and go on all-out attack. “A swashbuckling Azzurri,” trumpeted La Gazzetta dello Sport ahead...
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Monday 08 September 2008, 13:00
Cracking stuff for Italy at the weekend. Well, cracking in the sense of a broken rib, broken wrist and dislocated shoulder. Such have been the ills and misfortunes suffered by Azzurri players Fabio Grossi...
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Friday 05 September 2008, 11:00
The traditional late August start to Serie A means that it’s back to the beach as the league closes down for the international break. Well, summer is winding down and with Italy off to Cyprus for what...
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Wednesday 03 September 2008, 15:00
We have only had one game of the new season but it would seem as if it’s business as usual in Serie A: ultras on the rampage and coaches set for the chop. Let’s start with the incidents that marred Napoli...
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Tuesday 02 September 2008, 12:00
As the transfer window slammed shut promptly at 7pm on Monday evening, a grand total of €500million had made its way out of the coffers of the 20 Serie A sides. Needless to say, leading the way were money...
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Monday 01 September 2008, 17:00
He came, he saw, he perspired a lot. An unfortunate choice of Alice-blue shirt exposed Jose Mourinho’s inexperience at the highest level of fashion sense on the opening day of any Serie A season. With...
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Friday 29 August 2008, 11:00
Don’t believe the hype about the English Premier League. Real, grown-up football is back again. While the Premier League has been slogging away, humping long balls into the overcast skies of a late English...
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Wednesday 27 August 2008, 12:00
Tiago Mendes just cannot take a hint. He’s like the unwanted guest at the end of the night who hangs around when all the host wants to do is hit the sack. However, Juventus can’t exactly sling him out...
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Tuesday 26 August 2008, 11:55
East-west relations may not currently be cordial at governmental level, but they’re far from frosty in the high-powered world of football business. After enjoying a pleasant afternoon bobbing about off...
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Friday 22 August 2008, 12:00
On Wednesday it was 'Sheva back to Milan!' and by Friday it’s 'Sheva back playing golf!' That’s the way the Italian press summed up the sorry summer saga of Andriy Shevchenko ’s on-off...
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Wednesday 20 August 2008, 13:00
It’s an end of an era in Rome following the passing of AS Roma president Franco Sensi. The 82-year-old had been seriously ill for some time so it was a matter of not if but when. The fact that his death...
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Monday 18 August 2008, 15:00
As second comings go it should be a pretty low-key affair. Marcello Lippi is back in charge of Italy and everyone’s favourite 60-year-old Paul Newman lookalike has named his squad for Wednesday’s friendly...
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Thursday 14 August 2008, 14:55
Juventus last played in the Champions League on April 6 2006 when they were eliminated from the competition in an insipid display against Arsenal at the Stadio delle Alpi. The Old Lady‘s black and while...
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Wednesday 13 August 2008, 13:00
Where better to begin a renaissance than Florence and where better to *** a snoop at your old employers than scoring in the Champions League. Welcome back Alberto Gilardino, previously second fiddle at...
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Monday 11 August 2008, 15:00
They won't let it go will they. The old Ricky Kaka-to-Chelsea story is out in the UK press again. Milan must be sick of Chelsea, and England for that matter. Thumped 5-0 by the Blues last week, losing...
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Friday 08 August 2008, 14:40
It was too good to last: a summer of silence from Jose Mourinho. Just when we thought that the moody one had gone all soft under the warm Italian skies, there he is putting the verbal boot into Claudio...
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Wednesday 06 August 2008, 11:00
Time for Italy to restore some pride at international level after the fiasco of Euro 2008 – and where better than at the Olympic Games. After all, it’s basically a mini-version of the World Cup, minus...
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Monday 04 August 2008, 18:30
A recent survey has claimed that Italy is becoming an ageing population and the current generation are not doing their bit to produce upstanding citizens for the future. The upshot is that everyone is...
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Friday 01 August 2008, 15:45
It’s not much fun being Dejan Stankovic at the moment; well it can’t have been fun for some time in fact. A Roberto Mancini loyalist, a hoax call sacking him, facing the wreath of Juventus fans and a firm...
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Wednesday 30 July 2008, 12:45
What is it with Inter and central defenders? They can’t seem to keep them on the pitch. Last season, Walter Samuel snapped knee ligaments in the Milan derby in December and then Ivan Cordoba’s season was...
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Tuesday 29 July 2008, 11:55
Italy may be gearing up for its annual August shutdown when the whole country takes off on a collective holiday but at least it’s business as usual in the football world with the release of the new Serie...
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Wednesday 23 July 2008, 16:00
If Sopranos creator David Chase is on the look out for a new take on the Mafia story then he could do no worse than ponder a series around the colourful life of Giorgio Chinaglia. Tony Soprano actor, James...
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Tuesday 22 July 2008, 12:21
Well, that’s it, the paparazzi can abandon the beaches now. Christian Vieri is finally back in pre-season training so no more pics of the cankerous frontman cavorting in the sea with his svelte, young...
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Monday 21 July 2008, 13:46
It’s an old story of underhand dealings enabling bogus Italians from Argentina and other South America countries to gain European Union passports. Suddenly, players were finding untold numbers of ancestors...
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Thursday 17 July 2008, 12:20
There’s nothing like a knockdown sales bargain to put a smile on a shopper’s face. So it’s no wonder AC Milan were whooping with delight as they ran up the street with a toothy Brazilian dressed in Snoop...
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Tuesday 15 July 2008, 12:24
Italian football and theatrics have gone hand-in-hand well before even Filippo Inzaghi threw his first hissy fit and dived out of his pram. And each year ahead of the new season, the referee’s association...
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Friday 11 July 2008, 12:55
Inter fans are in no doubt that Frank Lampard will sign for the club but he isn’t going to have much time to win over such ever-demanding followers. In the die-hard Nerazzurri cafes in Milan they are not...
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Tuesday 08 July 2008, 12:00
It’s almost two years to the day that Juventus started out on their long road to redemption. It was back in July 2006 that Giovanni Cobolli Gigli took on the task of rebuilding the toppled giants from...
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Monday 07 July 2008, 11:23
It’s no wonder Italian bookies give up quoting odds on Serie A games during the end of season run-in. They know that it’s time for favours to be called in; a point dropped here or there when a team is...
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Thursday 03 July 2008, 10:01
AC Milan have done the right thing and refused to offer Ronaldo a new contract. Although the Brazilian has claimed he will be running again in a few weeks, recent photos suggest he would find it hard trotting...
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Monday 30 June 2008, 11:30
Ah, summer. Time for Italian footballers to head to Sardinia for two weeks of sun, sea and whatever else takes their fancy. However, while his peers are clubbing the night away and indulging in the odd...
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Friday 27 June 2008, 11:26
Well, if you have been out of the game for around eight months why hang on and take an extra few days holiday? Thus Jose Mourinho has been marching around Inter’s training ground making sure everything...
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Wednesday 25 June 2008, 12:22
Italy doesn’t like to experiment and when it does it invariably goes wrong so it is no surprise that Marcello Lippi will be back leading the Azzurri in their 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign. The Italian...
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Friday 20 June 2008, 12:11
Here’s a new take on an old spin. “The only way I would leave Milan would be if Milan want to sell me.” The words of one Ricardo Kaka just 72 hours ago over speculation that Chelsea will make an offer...
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Monday 16 June 2008, 11:14
Just when Jose Mourinho thought that he had the orchard all to himself to pick the best of European talent, along comes Gene Hackman’s doppelganger Felipe Scolari to knock over the apple cart. The feeling...
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Tuesday 10 June 2008, 11:28
They started the evening blasting out the Brothers of Italy and ended it the country’s orphans. No mamma to dry their tears and no papa to bring order. While Marcello Lippi took on both roles at World...
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Friday 06 June 2008, 00:14
This is more like the build up to a major championship you expect from Italy. A captain crocked by one of his own players in the first training session, before a loose cannon fires off a couple of rounds...
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Wednesday 04 June 2008, 15:00
Jose Mourinho did not disappoint and compelling stuff it was too. As charm offensives go he was pretty irresistible, wooing the massed ranks of press and television crews with an excellent command of Italian...
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Monday 02 June 2008, 12:12
Today is Republic Day in Italy – a chance to commemorate the birth of a new nation and, more importantly, a Monday off for everyone. Everyone expect those Inter minions who have to organise the press conference...
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Thursday 29 May 2008, 14:19
What with the uncollected refugee turning Naples into a no-go zone, national airline Alitalia bracing itself for an almighty crash and the cost of pasta going through the roof, the country certainly needs...
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Wednesday 28 May 2008, 10:53
Well that didn’t take long. In fact, all of 25 minutes for Roberto Mancini to be given the boot. Exit the Moody One and enter the Special One who apparently has a good five months of Italian lessons under...
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Monday 26 May 2008, 22:58
So the curtain has come down on another fun-filled Italian football season. AS Roma exacted some revenge over Inter in the Italian Cup final where once again Roberto Mancini got his tactics all in a tangle...
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Friday 23 May 2008, 22:00
Roberto Mancini popped into Massimo Moratti’s office for a little celebration drink on Thursday or what was more likely a little farewell tipple. The final act of the Inter drama is upon us and although...
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Wednesday 21 May 2008, 11:36
Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton could learn aplenty from Alessandro Del Piero when it comes to persuading floating voters that the hopes of a nation rely on them. The Juventus man has been campaigning...
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Monday 19 May 2008, 11:24
So in the end there was no massive bottling and historical choker from Inter. In fact, it turned out to be something of a damp squib as Zlatan Ibrahimovic was unwrapped from cotton wool to provide the...
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Friday 16 May 2008, 11:02
The ghosts of Inter’s past are no doubt rattling the windows of Massimo Moratti’s luxurious Milanese penthouse. The president has banned all talk of May 5, 2002 as his side stare into the abyss of the...
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Wednesday 14 May 2008, 12:07
You get the feeling as the days tick down to the Sunday showdown that the league title will not be won on the pitch but by delving deepest into the world of the dark arts. We have already had Luis Figo...
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Monday 12 May 2008, 15:00
It’s all Luis Figo’s fault: not content with undermining confidence within the squad by spreading rumours that Jose Mourinho will dump the lot of them, he then goes and runs over a black cat on the eve...
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Friday 09 May 2008, 09:50
Marco Materazzi just cannot seem to stay out of trouble. Bother follows him around like a bad smell. He has been called – with some justification – the dirtiest player in Italian football since the days...
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Wednesday 07 May 2008, 11:07
Roberto Mancini has been walking around with a look of the condemned man for a number of weeks. Now his fate has finally been sealed when he threw himself to the hounds during the press conference ahead...
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Monday 05 May 2008, 16:02
AC Milan did what Inter should have done in the Milan derby: played like champions. That’s the general opinion of the Italian media after the Rossoneri spoilt their city rival’s title party on Sunday....
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Friday 02 May 2008, 11:00
While Ronaldo has been off amusing himself with his cross-dressing friends - something that has finally endeared him to most of the Italian male public - Serie A is gearing up for the Milan derby on Sunday...
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Wednesday 30 April 2008, 11:00
ACF Fiorentina are on the verge of finally putting six years of pain and hurt behind them. By defeating Rangers on Thursday in the UEFA Cup they will reach their first European final since 1990 and by...
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Monday 28 April 2008, 10:13
He’s built more like a marathon runner than a footballer. He runs like a girl and pouts like one. He hasn’t the power in his legs to score from outside the penalty area. And when he isn’t diving around...
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Friday 25 April 2008, 09:45
Now that he’s back running the country, Silvio Berlusconi feels it is his duty to tell football how to get its house in order. The media mogul, who has stepped down as AC Milan president so he can get...
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Wednesday 23 April 2008, 11:13
It promises to be a heated summer of transfer activity between Inter, Juventus and AC Milan according to the Italian sports press. The big three are all in the hunt for the same players by the looks of...
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Tuesday 22 April 2008, 09:10
On Monday afternoon, Sky Sports Italia made a pilgrimage to the bedside of the stricken deity Francesco Totti. The television broadcaster was allowed into the shrine at the Villa Stuart Clinic to calm...
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Friday 18 April 2008, 11:58
Christian Vieri used to be the grumpiest man in football but even though he can still outstare anyone during his ever-more rare appearances on a football pitch, overall Bobo seems to have mellowed into...
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Wednesday 16 April 2008, 11:10
He has been quiet for a number of weeks but Roberto Mancini is not a man to be silenced for long. In truth it doesn’t take much to get him started and so when he was asked to comment on Francesco Totti...
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Monday 14 April 2008, 15:21
As Italians wearily make their way to the polling booths for a second general election in two years the consensus is that Silvio Berlusconi will be back in charge by the end of the week. It’s a wonder...
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Thursday 10 April 2008, 10:25
And so Italy bids farewell to this season’s Champions League, with more of a whimper than a roar it has to be said. The Italian press have been quick to jump on AS Roma’s shortcomings over the two legs...
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Monday 07 April 2008, 15:56
Maybe the time has arrived to lay-off Alessandro Del Piero. The Juventus captain has been a much-maligned figure in recent times due to his pig-headed attitude of not agreeing with the general consensus...
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Friday 04 April 2008, 09:46
AC Milan are slowly waking up to the fact that they may have to concentrate on domestic football next season. It’s increasingly looking as if Italy’s most celebrated club in the Champions League will have...
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Wednesday 02 April 2008, 10:13
The Italian newspapers are as baffled as the AS Roma players. How on earth did Manchester United leave the Stadio Olimpico with what appears to be an unassailable 2-0 lead from the first leg of the Champions...
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Monday 31 March 2008, 10:04
Ever wondered what happened to Roberto Baggio? After playing his final professional game for Brescia against AC Milan at the San Siro on the last day of the 2003-04 season, the Divine Ponytail was gone...
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Friday 28 March 2008, 12:32
Roberto Donadoni has claimed he isn’t concerned about the rumours that Marcello Lippi will be back in charge of Italy after Euro 2008 . Well he shouldn’t be, because according to someone closely linked...
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Thursday 27 March 2008, 14:38
It was a downbeat reaction from the dailies to Italy’s defeat in Spain on Wednesday. La Gazzetta dello Sport claimed it was a step backwards in Roberto Donadoni’s preparations for Euro 2008 and felt that...
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Tuesday 25 March 2008, 09:58
Just as well that Italy closed down for two days giving Roberto Mancini a bit of time to lick his festering wounds. Where did it all go wrong Roberto? The answer may lie in his demeanour after the weekend...
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Saturday 22 March 2008, 18:42
Well, the Rome derby was all love and kisses. The Ultras got their way and struck a pact with AS Roma and Lazio that they would lay-off the stabbings, racist chants and general low-life behaviour as a...
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Wednesday 19 March 2008, 14:00
Corriere dello Sport have scooped Tuttosport on Juventus and the never-ending saga of whether Frank Lampard will be joining the Turin club in the summer. According to the northern editions of the Rome...
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Monday 17 March 2008, 10:00
Romans generally like their food piping hot but there is one dish best they like served cold: revenge. Humiliation and elimination at the hands of Manchester United in last season’s Champions League has...
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Friday 14 March 2008, 09:53
In the end it was a cry for help rather than a full-blown attempt at professional suicide. That’s the way Roberto Mancini came across as he spoke for the first time about his public meltdown on Tuesday...
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Wednesday 12 March 2008, 09:14
Italy is a country that has little time to pick over the bones of the dead. So, no sooner than Roberto Mancini had announced that he would be stepping down as Inter coach at the end of the season than...
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Tuesday 11 March 2008, 09:57
Inter held an intimate birthday party for 600 on Sunday to celebrate the club’s centenary. The great and good from the Nerazzurri past and present were all there – but lurking like an unwelcome guest in...
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Friday 07 March 2008, 10:06
So Jose Mourinho has got his sights set on a stint in Italy. We can rest assured that the Special One isn’t interested in turning Catania into a Serie A powerhouse, so that leaves Juventus and the two...
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Thursday 06 March 2008, 09:48
That’s more like it. Just when it looked as if Italian football was about to be written off again in Europe along came AS Roma to the rescue. Twenty-four hours after Milan had relinquished their Champions...
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Wednesday 05 March 2008, 10:53
There was little lost in translation in the Italian press the morning after Milan’s exit from the Champions League. ‘Milan The End’, was the banner headline on the front page of La Gazzetta dello Sport...
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Monday 03 March 2008, 07:48
It was a case of the Good, the Mad and the downright Ugly over the Serie A weekend. And Antonio Cassano provided all three in equal measure. It was Fabio Capello who coined the term cassanata – Cassanoism...
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Friday 29 February 2008, 14:17
It has been a bad week for the Italian male following a high-court ruling that it is now a criminal offence to touch one’s genitals in public. A quick grab of the privates is thought to ward off bad luck...
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Wednesday 27 February 2008, 10:42
Finding an opponent’s weakness is all part and parcel of the game. So when it came to light that Ricky Kaka was playing through the pain barrier of a knee problem it was odds-on the Brazilian would soon...
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Monday 25 February 2008, 10:13
Despite seeing themselves as the crazy kids of Europe, Italians are in fact very traditionalist and conformist in the way life should be conducted. At times they are more stuck in their ways than a Roman...
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Friday 22 February 2008, 11:56
Adrian Mutu has always been a class act. At times it has been class A but that’s another story as they say. The Romanian may have cleaned up his recreational activities but he still can’t help getting...
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Wednesday 20 February 2008, 11:13
‘A dream and a nightmare’, all in one in night. A condition usually brought on by consuming too much mozzarella before bedtime but in this case, the screaming headline Italy woke up to in La Gazzetta dello...
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Monday 18 February 2008, 16:24
Inter fans couldn’t get enough of Liverpool a few years ago. They started turning up at matches in the famous red shirts and unfurled banners thanking the English side for beating AC Milan in the 2005...
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Friday 15 February 2008, 14:29
It is apt that the new Paul Thomas Anderson film There Will Be Blood opens today in Italy. Daniel Day Lewis stares down moodily from posters warning us that this a man who bears grudges, that there is...
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Friday 15 February 2008, 11:02
Aurelio De Laurentiis may not have produced as many turkeys as uncle Dino but the movie mogul is certainly overseeing a pig’s ear of his latest project - Napoli Failing. The flamboyant owner is a natural...
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Thursday 14 February 2008, 08:44
It wasn’t meant to end like this, not on a cold, damp evening in Milan, not in a routine Serie A league game against humble opposition. Surely the greatest forward of his generation was destined for a...
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Monday 11 February 2008, 16:00
Suddenly AC Milan are in danger of losing their tag of Serie A’s elder statesmen. Hardly had we got over the shock of seeing 18-year-old Alexandre Pato skip on to the scene to shake some life into the...
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Thursday 07 February 2008, 12:02
The truism about Romans is that they are not shy at expressing an opinion and usually in the most colourful and passionate of ways. Any topic will do but two subjects will get them more animated than usual...
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Monday 04 February 2008, 16:59
Good on Roberto Donadoni for sticking to his guns and refusing to recall either Alessandro Del Piero or Antonio Cassano to his Italy squad for the midweek friendly with Portugal. Del Piero’s desperate...
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Friday 01 February 2008, 10:59
The January sales are never what they are cracked up to be: too many things that don’t fit and you certainly don’t need. Inter, of course, grabbed the best bargain in Portuguese tough-guy, Maniche while...
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Tuesday 29 January 2008, 14:52
There was little doubt that Antonio Cassano would duck out of his return to the Olympic stadium. There were hints of it on Saturday evening at home to Siena as he put on his wobbly Charlie Chaplin walk...
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Monday 28 January 2008, 09:44
Inter it seems are finally paying the price for being a tad too successful. Two games and two red cards surely isn’t the sort of treatment that a league leader would expect to receive from the men in fluorescent...
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Friday 25 January 2008, 09:24
The New Year in Italy came around with the certainty of two things: the Italian government would not see out the end of the month and Inter would continue their record-breaking romp to retain lo scudetto...
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