Serie Aaaaargh!… : Juventus

See Naples and die! Brilliant Cavani treble kills off Old Lady

Richard Whittle — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 13:07:00 GMT

The great thing about Italy - especially if you reside in the north of the country - is that if you tire of the long, inclement winter then all you need do is hop on a plane and an hour later you are basking in the warmth of the south.

So rather than face another Sunday in frigid Lombardy, Serie Aaaaargh! decided to board a mid-morning flight to Naples and grab the only ticket in town: Napoli against Juventus.

Touching down in the shadow of Vesuvius under pristine, blue skies with the temperature a good 15c warmer than in Milan, there was more than the feeling of spring in the air: the taxi driver set the tone for the day asking if our party were Juve fans down from the damp flatlands for the game.

He was not at all surprised to learn that we had merely sought to escape the greyness of the north -even if was only for a day - and what a day to pick when the whole of the city was abuzz with the arrival of the Old Lady who was ripe for picking, according to said taxi driver.

As the cab sped through the tunnels, giving a tantalising glimpse of the Bay and coastline to the south of the city, fans were already gathering in bars to listen to radio commentaries or watch pay-per-view coverage of the afternoon matches.

AS Roma had already come undone at Sampdoria and picking an outside table along the Lungomare area that runs around the bay there were soon yelps of delight to be heard as Udinese took the lead at AC Milan and Catania followed suit at home to Inter.

It may be an old cliché but they really do love their football down in old Napoli, and they are not afraid to express an opinion about it either: the taxi driver had already predicted that the home side would clean the floor with Juve but that the team lacked depth to finish in the top four.

The drop-dead gorgeous waitress with penetrating eyes (Italians never miss a trick when it comes to the important things in life) was certain that owner Aurelio De Laurentiis was going to lead her beloved club to the Promised Land while grandma at the cash register was still all misty eyed for the days of Diego.

In fact, it was one of those days where there was no better place to be than feeling the warmth of a winter sun in a football-crazy city. Taking a taxi back past the San Paolo around 5pm and it seemed that over half of the capacity crowd were making their way to the stadium or already inside for what was to be the first sell-out in many a year.

Expectations were high: Milan had been held to a 4-4 draw on what seemed to have been a crazy afternoon at the San Siro, Lazio had imploded at home to Lecce, Roma had already been on the wrong end of a 2-1 scoreline at Samp and Palermo had ended goalless at Chievo which only left Inter’s 2-1 win at Catania to spoil a perfect day.

Still, the Nerazzurri were still off the pace and in Napoli they only have eyes for one love and on the walk to stadium, the air was heavy with adoring adulation while once inside it was a cauldron of emotion.

The home team may have been coming off a sobering 3-1 defeat at Inter, but then again Juve had recently capitulated against Parma, lost the ‘traitor’ (as he is now known in Naples) Fabio Quagliarella to injury, and had signed Luca Toni…

In fact, watching Juve warm-up the words of the taxi driver that the Old Lady was there for the taking came ringing back.

There in the full-back positions were Armand Troare and Zdenek Grygera – the former making his starting debut in Serie A and the latter in the line-up only because teenager Frederick Sorensen was still suffering from the shock of his stinker against Parma.

Then in attack, there were the photo-fit twins, Toni and Amauri, all straggly hair and flailing arms and whose very presence invited the long-ball game.

The home side, for their part, looked the business. The weak-link in defence, Salvatore Aronica, had been relegated to the bench in favour of the diminutive but tough-tackling Gianluca Grava, with the Holy Trinity of Ezequiel Lavezzi, Marek Hamsik and the soon-to-be-hero of the hour Edinson Cavani ready to reap havoc up front.

And so it turned out, as Cavani swept home a hat-trick on what was an intoxicating evening of typically raw, southern Italian passion, albeit without the tears (except from the Juve fans, obviously).

There was a least one striker with long, flowing locks who knew how to use his head although Toni can feel hard done by that he had a header disallowed for an adjudged foul of goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis when the score was 1-0.

However, it was the simple adage of get the ball wide, take on the full-backs and deliver telling cross for a frontman on form that won the day. Cavani is now entering the realms of a world-class striker: 13 league goals, seven in the Europa League not to mention five in four international outings for Uruguay since the summer

There are very few strikers who can carry a team on their shoulders – Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Samuel Eto’o and Cristiano Ronaldo come to mind - but now ‘El Matador’ can join such exalted company – and you know you have made it when your president claims that not even €50 million of Manchester City’s oil money would be enough to prize away the new darling of the Neapolitans.

There is an old Italian saying dating back to the 19th century that translates roughly as ‘see Naples and die’. Far from being a blunt threat, this was a reference to the breath-taking beauty of the city. Perhaps the phrase needs to be updated for 2011. ‘ See Naples and die, but not before you get the chance to see Napoli at the San Paolo’.

Merkel a good boy, but Melo can expect nothing but coal

Richard Whittle — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 15:40:00 GMT

Italian folklore has it that La Befana delivers gifts or coal on the eve of Epiphany to children, depending whether they have been good or bad.

This Santa Claus-character is depicted as an old witch-like lady and also goes under the name of La Vecchia, so in theory Juventus should have expected a sack full of presents to open on January 6th but instead of which they ended up asking themselves what they had done to deserve a lump of bad luck?

No more than two minutes into their first game of 2011, at home to Parma, and Fabio Quagliarella who had been Juve’s best performer in the first half of the season jarred his knee at one of those angles that immediately has 'season over' written all over it.

Luigi Del Neri already has Vincenzo Iaquinta sidelined so president Andrea Agnelli will have to loosen those very tight purse strings to bring in another striker – and pretty swiftly too as there is little hope of mounting a title challenge with only the aging Alex Del Piero and lumbering Amauri in attack.

Maxi Lopez had been linked with a move from Catania to Turin at the end of last year and could come back into the reckoning but the names of Alberto Gilardino, Alessandro Matri and Giampaolo Pazzini were being mentioned as Quagliarella was being stretchered off although the smart money is on that old warhorse Luca Toni.

If misfortune heralded the first major talking point of the New Year then it was quickly followed by good, old stupidity and who better to provide it than the ever unreliable Felipe Melo.

Seventeen minutes had passed on the clock but if the Brazilian had made any resolutions to keep his temper in check then they soon went the way of most people’s commitment to go to the gym at this time of the year.

The midfielder flew into a tackle on Massimo Paci and as both players gathered their bearings from a prone position, Melo inexplicably thrust his studs into the defender’s face and although the lashing out lacked clout the vehement intent was there so the referee who was standing nearby had no option but to produce a straight red card.

From there on it was all downhill for Del Neri who sacrificed Del Piero for the more mobile Simone Pepe and for a time it seemed that was life in the Old Lady as Giorgio Chellini had a goal ruled out for kicking the ball out of grounded goalkeeper Antonio Mirante’s hands.

Then of course, what usually happens in such situations, a former player who was discarded comes back to haunt his old employer: cue Sebastian Giovinco. The Atomic Ant grabbed a brace and another Juve old boy Raffaele Palladino scored the fourth to add to a penalty from the evergreen Hernan Crespo.

Del Neri was left shell-shocked at the final whistle but the coach will have to pick the team up psychologically for the trip to Napoli at the weekend or face a collapse similar to this time last year under Alberto Zaccheroni.

In the end, Antonio Cassano made the difference after sitting on the bench for 74 minutes when he set up his fellow substitute 20-year-old Rodney Strasser (big toe possibly offside) for the only goal of the game at Cagliari to ensure that AC Milan will be crowned Winter Champions – usually a good indication on where the title will go at the end of the season.

It was a precious three points for the Rossoneri in what had been something of a gamble by Massimiliano Allegri to start Alexander Merkel in the free-role, once coveted by Ronaldinho, behind Robinho and Pato as Zlatan Ibrahimovic served a one-game suspension.

The 18-year-old who was born in Kazakhstan, possessing some Russian blood, is a German national and has been capped at every level for Germany up until under-19. He looked the business and his youthful vigour and sure touch meant that the veterans Clarence Seedorf, Massimo Ambrosini and Rino Gattuso had no need to stray from their holding positions in midfield.

Allegri now has options and more importantly youngsters to step in when the inevitable injuries and suspensions coming calling as they did yesterday.

Inter know all about these twin hindrances but a New Year and new life as they say ... oh and a new coach ... saw the champions rediscover that dynamism that had made them almost unbeatable under Jose Mourinho.

Leonardo had reportedly called the Special One to ask for some advice on managing Inter and the Brazilian must have passed on a few choice words of wisdom because the Nerazzurri tore into the form side Napoli with a purpose very rarely seen under Rafa Benitez.

Basically, they ran the neat and tidy but lightweight visitors into the ground and with only the suspended Samuel Eto’o to return while Andrea Ranocchia to be eased into first team action, Leo’s Lions may well yet give Mr Berlusconi a few sleepless nights as the campaign wears on.

AS Roma also threw themselves back into the mix and while ill luck may have dogged the side ahead of them at the start of the day it was good fortune that befell the Romans.

They ran out 4-2 winners against Catania, thanks in part to two dubious decisions; the first when the ball seemed to have gone out as John Arne Riise set up Marco Borriello for the equaliser and then replays showed that Mirko Vucinic was offside as he scored the all-important third goal.

On a more positive note, Claudio Ranieri played the last ten minutes with four attackers but what seems apparent in these early days of a new year that keeping Lady Luck close will go some way to deciding the outcome of the title.

Italian players lay out their demands as strike threat looms

Richard Whittle — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 15:24:00 GMT

“Right lads – down tools, we're all out.”

You know the world has gone crazy when footballers are threatening strike action. This Saturday and Sunday, full-backs will join fantasistas around the flaming oil drums on the picket-lines to protest at the “slave-like” conditions they're forced to work under.

Of course, not all players earn multi-million-Euro contracts like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who will have to forgo his €320,000-odd weekly wage packet if the union make good on a walk-out. The average top-flight weekly salary might be "only" €5,300 but the average office worker has to make do with less than €250 a week.

How one contract rebel made his point

However, the current agreement between the footballers’ association and the clubs has expired and now the players are filled with revolutionary zeal, just when they may need to toe the line for once. How many times has a player basically broken his contract to ensure a move to another club or sat around earning vast sums of money for doing nothing because he refuses to accept a transfer?

Both parties are to blame for the situation we find ourselves in now – the clubs have been handing out massive and lengthy contracts to players in their late twenties and expecting them to be at the peak of their powers in their early thirties or even later.

AC Milan are prime example. The players who avenged the 2005 Champions League final defeat by beating Liverpool two years later were rewarded with four-year deals – meaning that at the pinnacle of their careers, the whole squad was set up for life.

There was only one direction they were heading after that and Milan were saddled with the likes of Marek Jankulovski, Nelson Dida, Massimo Oddo and Kakha Kaladze – who simply didn't deserve the star status bestowed on them.

Milan attempted to get some value out of having Oddo hanging around by extending the full-back’s contract for another season but spreading the final payment over 24 months.
However, Jankulovski refused to budge and will no doubt literally sit out his final season before becoming a wealthy free agent at 33.

With this in mind, what concerns the players’ union is the proposal that will allow clubs to terminate the final year of a contract and pay the player 50 percent of what he was due if he refuses accept a move to another club of equal standing.

Tellingly, Oddo was the shop-steward at the press conference to warn the country that their national sport was heading the way of the public transport system – brought to a standstill on a regular basis by industrial action.

“We are not objects,” he bleated as he sat there in his designer shirt, sporting perfectly manicured sideburns and looking all for the world like the perfect object of footballing desire. Clarence Seedorf, Javier Zanetti and Rino Gattuso nodded gravely in agreement while the rest of the working world shook its head in disbelief.

Oddo, Seedorf, Zanetti and Gattuso: model professionals

Let’s face it, any current player who has been in the top flight for the last four or five years should be able to survive until the end of the century on their earnings, investments, luxury villas, cars and other trappings of material wealth. Even those players not given star billing can have few gripes about earning a very good living from playing football. Considering football is all about results and success, if you are good enough you will generally reap the rewards from the game.

There are a number of other issues. Clubs want to decide where a player has treatment for an injury and not the player. Under that arrangement it would be difficult to imagine Alessandro Nesta spending 18 months in Miami receiving treatment on a back injury. And the union has demanded that coaches must work with one group of players in training – ensuring that those no longer in their plans or in dispute with the club cannot be exiled to train with the youth team, or all alone.

There is no doubt now that the party is over but these issues can no doubt be solved through dialogue rather than threats of bringing the national game to a halt. Silvio Berlusconi would not have been taken too kindly with the stance taken by his Milan militants, especially in the light of the team’s defeat to the proletariat – newly-promoted Cesena, whose annual wage bill is less than Ibra’s basic annual pay.

FEATURE, 9 Sep 2010: Milan lead the way as wage bills revealed

However, only the under-fire prime minister could still profess solidarity for his hard-put-upon stars in the most political manner by claiming that the match referee’s political leanings were to the left.

Maybe he should have been questioning his own team's work ethic. But then, Inter aside, it wasn't a profit-making weekend for the top flight’s fat cats: Milan were humbled by Cesena, AS Roma thrashed at Cagliari and Juventus held by Sampdoria. On top of that, Palermo lost at Brescia while Fiorentina went down to Lecce and Napoli drew at home to Bari.

Chievo won at Genoa to leave the table-topping Flying Donkeys as the only team on maximum points. Power to footballer’s true workers, and long may it continue.

Robinho matures into manhood at Milan

Richard Whittle — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 12:14:00 GMT

RESULTS Sat 27 Nov Sampdoria 1-1 Milan, Juventus 1-1 Fiorentina Sun 28 Nov Internazionale 5-2 Parma, Bari 1-1 Cesena, Bologna P-P Chievo, Brescia 0-0 Genoa, Cagliari 3-2 Lecce, Lazio 1-1 Catania, Udinese 3-1 Napoli, Palermo 3-1 Roma

If a Brazilian can't settle at AC Milan, he's not really a Brazilian – more like an Argentinian.

The club has always been a home from home for Samba Boys, from Altafini and Amarildo to Cafu and Kaka, so there were expressions of puzzlement amongst the Rossoneri hierarchy back in August when it was suggested that Robinho was a risky signing.

True, there had been tantrums and walkouts at Real Madrid and Manchester City, but there has never been any suggestion that the fleet-footed South American would be storming out of Milanello.

He slipped in quietly, compared to the headlines surrounding the arrival of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Many believed he would either play second string to Ronaldinho, who had been buzzing in pre-season training, or as a luxury substitute whenever Alexandre Pato’s fragile frame gave in. Many outside the club expected party tricks with Dinho to focus on the dance floor, but the only time Robinho was photographed away from the pitch was coming out of a Brazilian food store with a bag of rice.

Massimiliano Allegri’s initial 4-3-3 formation ensured Robinho was indeed the odd man out, but the coach's switch to a more balanced 4-3-1-2 – not to mention Pato’s injury problems and Ronaldinho’s nocturnal wanderings – has seen Robinho take a more pivotal role.

A model professional, then? Allegri certainly thinks so, putting his trust in the new Brazil captain, who has taken the pressure off his coach when the question "Are Milan too reliant on Ibra?" Saturday’s goal at Sampdoria was his fourth in the league, just three behind the big Swede who has also scored two from the penalty spot.

But for losing his bearings in front of goal at Bari the other week, he'd probably be level with the Swede in the scoring charts. Either way, it certainly looks as if he is finally fulfilling the potential he has only shown in flashes since arriving in Europe five years ago at the age of 21.

There had been question-marks over whether he was too much of an individual for the constraints of the Italian game and although his party-piece is still the pedalada – the exaggerated step-over – it is employed to turn defenders to distraction rather than infuriate his team-mates.

His licence to roam from left to right has definitely given Milan a new impetus and when Zlat is off-colour, as was the case this weekend, the nimble support striker has been on hand to energise the team.

Having taken the lead in Genoa, the league leaders might have lost their way after the opposition equalised, but it was Binho who offered the greatest threat – and it was no wonder that the other Ho was left on the bench until the last minute, seeing as a certain Scandinavian is now the untouchable one. After all, Allegri had maintained that it would be very difficult to see all three ball players on the pitch at the same time – and it was certainly a blink and miss it moment.

Just for the record, Ronaldinho has not started since the 3-1 win over Chievo on October 16 and another late night before the Fiorentina game has not helped his cause; the former World Player of the Year is now the luxury benchwarmer.

Lazio, Napoli and Juventus couldn't take advantage of the leaders dropping two points, but Inter shook off weeks of self-pity to stick five past Parma.

Sub-zero temperatures and a noon kick-off seemed just the ingredients for another sub-standard display, especially with Samuel Eto’o sitting out the first of his three-game suspension.

However, those hardy souls willing to drag themselves to the San Siro under slate-grey Milanese skies were rewarded by a vibrant display from the ailing champions – but only after it seemed that Javier Zanetti demanded that Rafa Benitez push Wesley Sneijder forward to support Goran Pandev and Jonathan Biabiany in attack.

As with the Champions League win over FC Twente in midweek, Inter enjoyed a fair share of good fortune – the lack of which the ever-more isolated Benitez had been bleating on about for the last seven days – in the shape of two deflected goals from Dejan Stankovic.

The Serbian bagged a rare hat-trick and described the win, Inter's first at home in the league in just over two months, as being like a dose of penicillin. It remains to be seen whether it's a panacea or a placebo.

Sumptuous Serie A servings show Inter no longer at top table

Richard Whittle — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 11:52:00 GMT

RESULTS Sat 13 Nov Fiorentina 1-0 Cesena, Juventus 1-1 Roma Sun 14 Nov Lazio 2-0 Napoli, Bari 0-1 Parma, Bologna 1-0 Brescia, Cagliari 0-1 Genoa, Palermo 3-1 Catania, Sampdoria 0-0 Chievo, Udinese 4-0 Lecce, Inter Milan 0-1 AC Milan

Mid-November and the first mists of early winter begin to hang over the country, but the league starts to take a clearer form – and with the top eight facing each other over the weekend, it seemed an appropriate moment to bring some order to the table.

AC Milan had displaced Lazio at the top of the table with Napoli leapfrogging Inter while Juventus and Roma loomed just outside the top four.

With the Milan derby, Juventus against AS Roma and the meeting between Lazio and Napoli there promised a mouthwatering weekend of drama, goals and no doubt contentious refereeing decisions.

And even if seventh-placed Sampdoria against eighth-placed Chievo held little for the appetite, a dash of some great football and sprinklings of individual skill made the weekend crackle and fizzle like a frying pan of pancetta.

Fifth-placed Juventus and sixth-placed AS Roma was more than just a tasty little appetiser and certainly got the juices flowing: always a grudge game, especially for the Romans, and this time with Claudio Ranieri still seething with rage over the way the Old Lady dumped him while Alberto Aquilani faced his old "family".

Such affairs need strong referees and looked as if Mr. Rizzoli was going to stand for no nonsense when he booked Jeremy Menez inside 40 seconds for a late lunge on Fabio Grosso.

However, moments later when Felipe Melo rattled into Francesco Totti, the yellow card remained firmly in the official’s pocket – which only encouraged the players to play on the edge of legality for the rest of the game.

Roma were better at maintaining possession because their players are more technically adroit, but Juve are a tenacious and obstinate bunch – apart from the nimble-footed Aquilani, whose cheeky nutmeg on Leandro Greco followed by defence-splitting cross set up Vincenzo Iaquinta for the opener.

Both sides were up in arms at the referee just before the break: first the visitors, when Giorgio Chiellini dived into a challenge on Philippe Mexes inside the area but play was waved on; then the home side surrounded the official after a penalty was given when Totti’s free-kick cannoned off Simone Pepe’s arm.

After dispatching the spot-kick for his first league goal of the season, Totti baited the home faces and a heated debate continued all the way down the tunnel.

Words were exchanged between the Giallorossi captain and Juve goalkeeper Marco Storari – the origins of which dated back to Storari witnessing Totti and his team-mate Daniel de Rossi verbally abusing the Sampdoria players after they had all but ended the Romans' title hopes last season.

The second half was even more blood and thunder, summed up perfectly by the image of Chiellini in the dying seconds with blood streaming down his face, after a collision with Mirko Vucinic, refusing to leave the pitch to receive treatment.

Sunday lunchtime served up more delectable fare in the sunshine of Rome's Olympic Stadium. Against Napoli, Lazio coach Edy Reja allowed Mauro Zarate to dish up a smorgasbord of delightful skills to fire the Biancocelesti back to the top of the table in a 2-0 win.

It was an important victory, especially after the derby and midweek defeat at Cesena – even if Zarate’s opener had the touch of handball about it as the Argentine raced on to a bouncing ball inside the area.

However, to be really sated only an evening feast of fancy footwork, flying tackles and Milanese artistry out on the lush greenery of the San Siro would suffice.

This being Inter v AC Milan, everyone was expecting Marco Materazzi to make one of his meaty challenges from behind on Zlatan Ibrahimovic early on. The veteran obliged but misjudged his position, which happened to be inside the penalty-area.

There was only ever going to be one man to take the spot-kick and how the big Swede must have enjoyed his former fans choking on their jeers when he stepped up to dispatch the ball firmly into the corner of the net. Revenge and cold dishes, as they say.

Injuries have dogged Inter all season, but the latest seemed to help them get back in the game. When Joel Obi limped off with Esteban Cambiasso stripped off and ready to come on, Rafa Benitez changed tack and chose Philippe Coutinho. With Dejan Stankovic moved inside and the young Brazilian playing wide right, the Nerazzurri were potentially more of a threat – although you would never have known it with barely a shot troubling Christian Abbiati.

Another substitute Goran Pandev, on for another limper Diego Milito, attempted a different approach when he wound Ignazio Abate up by shoving the full-back to the ground.

The Milan man fell for it, so to speak, raising his hands to his opponent's face and receiving a second yellow card. Tellingly, the reckless Abate was just about to be substituted which brought back memories of Rino Gattuso seeing red last year moments before his number was about to come up.

Ibra’s martial arts skills came in handy when he attempted to tear a lump out of Materazzi (shades of Zinedine Zidane, but with the boot rather than the head) and as the Inter man was stretchered out of the stadium you just knew the after-dinner drinks were off.

Also off the menu was any further meaningful football as a fully satisfied 10-man Milan closed up shop for the evening while the Inter players wandered around the edge of the opposition area waiting for the referee to call time on their depressing evening.

So having gorged on a marathon two-day pig-out of Serie A’s finest offerings the conclusion is that no one course was the meal of champions although Inter’s days at the top table looks finally over.

Del Piero celebrates as Cassano sulks

Richard Whittle — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 11:09:00 GMT

Alessandro Del Piero trotted off the San Siro pitch on Saturday evening a very happy and contented man.

There were five minutes remaining when he was substituted; having given Juventus a 2-0 lead at AC Milan, the little forward had all but finished his work for the evening.

You would have expected the Bianconeri faithful in the stands to rise to hail their captain – but clusters of home fans were also ready to applaud a vintage display from the veteran star. Not only vintage, but record-breaking: Del Piero’s goal took him past Giampiero Boniperti’s 178 Serie A mark for the Old Lady.

A job well done and time to flop into the comfy seats on the bench, or soothe those ageing bones in the bath? Not with a vital win tantalisingly within reach – and there he was alongside Luigi Delneri cajoling his team-mates to see out the game.

That moment more than anything sums up Del Piero’s undiminished love for the game and he obviously appreciates doing something he enjoys – especially when it produces special nights like Saturday.

At the final whistle he was back on to the pitch to celebrate with his team-mates who had held on for a 2-1 victory and in turn receive their plaudits for the part he had played in propelling Juve into the title race.

There's still a mental and physical toughness about Del Piero and an instinct for the half-chance that ensured he followed play all the way into the Milan penalty area after Momo Sissoko had made a right hash of his own.

When the midfielder regained possession, Ale was lurking and with no backlift dispatched the ball into the back of the net without a second thought.

Del Piero will be 36 next week and he joked before kick-off at the weekend that it could be his last appearance at the San Siro. With more and more players continuing well into their late thirties, he may have second thoughts about calling time on his career at end of the season.

The club seem to be working out a contract package which would see the player move upstairs to the boardroom – although that may come after a hiatus in the MLS.

Del Piero seems to have come through that mid-life crisis where every substitution or omission from the starting XI was taken as a personal slight and in the closing years of his career each minute on the pitch is now taken has a gift.

There is still unfinished business – a 200-goal landmark to reach, maybe one last Italy cap, a new Juve stadium to grace and of course playing in the Champions League where the rest of Europe took him to their collective hearts.

Already this season there have been standing ovations in Dublin and Manchester where Juve played in the Europa League but you just know that leading the team he joined in 1993 back into the premier competition still holds a special place in his heart.

In an age of big egos, it's Del Piero’s craving for success at the basic football level that makes him stand out. You could say that Alex has the perfect life – which is something the weekend’s other headline-grabber, Antonio Cassano, is a long way from.

By all reports, Italian football’s tortured soul insulted just about everyone associated with Sampdoria after refusing to attending a club awards evening.

President Riccardo Garrone got an earful of abuse, as did a few team-mates, followed by the usual round of slamming doors before he stomped off home.

The new domesticated Fanantonio claimed he just wanted to be with his pregnant wife: the club demanded a written apology and when none was forthcoming they basically sacked him. So much for player power.

However, the Football League must sanction any termination of a player’s contract and they are likely to oppose such a measure.

A chastened Cassano claimed he called Garrone to apologise, but get ready for a public kiss and make up followed by Samp selling their sulky star in the January transfer window for 20million Euro.

There will be no problem finding a taker but maybe at times Cassano must wish he could just find a way to play football and live his life in the perfect manner of Del Piero.

NEWS: Del Piero breaks remaining Juventus record

You can dupe a ref, but can't evade video justice

Richard Whittle — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 15:05:00 GMT

Diving has always been part and parcel of the Italian game, but in recent seasons there have been signs of upright behaviour, with fewer incidents in the top flight.

Milos Krasic had obviously not read the memo when he tripped over thin air inside the Bologna penalty area to win his side a spot-kick last Sunday.

The referee Andrea De Marco had been unsighted and his assistant unable to keep up with play so the main official had to make a judgement which has had consequences for this weekend’s round of games.

Video evidence proved that the winger had gone crashing down in a heap without the slightest help from the nearest Bologna player, defender Daniele Portanova.

A two-game suspension ensued along with a slew of headlines condemning the Serbian’s (they aren’t in Italian good books at the moment) behaviour.

If the referee had spotted this piece of gamesmanship then he would have given Krasic a yellow card and that would have been the end of it even if it has become more unacceptable in a league that once prided itself on getting one over officials.

Believe or not but times are changing and the Football Federation (FIGC) was correct in enforcing a two-game suspension on the player. The message is that you may dupe the referee but not video justice and if that means missing a crucial match so be it.

Juventus, for their part, were suffering from selective myopia in seeking to justify the actions of their player which is a shame.

Coach Gigi Del Neri and sporting director Beppe Marotta had the opportunity to castigate the player in public but they refused to hold up their hands and admit that the club would not tolerate deception of any kind.

After all, this is meant to be the beginnings of a fresh, new era for the Old Lady and it would have sent out a positive message if the leading figures in Turin had taken the lead but it seems that old habits die hard.

Club resident Andrea Agnelli eventually mumbled an apology of sorts but it was wrapped up in an attack on the press for their “unfair” reporting of the player’s character.

It has been a collective rather than an individual effort to clean up the Italian game – next up has to be all-in wrestling contests inside the area at every dead-ball situation which has become the norm for referees to ignore even when it is going on in front of their eyes.

Juventus were within their legal rights to appeal the outcome (and of course Juventus face AC Milan this weekend) which was heard on Friday afternoon but the evidence always pointed to the two-game ban remaining in place.

That was the outcome when Adriano fell over inside the AS Roma area a few seasons ago when he was playing for Inter although then the club had the good grace not to appeal and of course Alberto Gilardino’s deliberate handball to score for Fiorentina at Palermo received the appropriate sanctions.

Gilardino had a bad rep when it came to simulation with his swan dive during a Champions League tie at Celtic when the striker was playing for AC Milan comes to mind. Fortunately, since the Palermo episode he seems to have cleaned up his act.

Krasic has subsequently admitted his guilt: “It was instinctive” meaning it was something that comes naturally but hopefully now he will become an upstanding citizen.

Serie A-ren't we terrible...?

Richard Whittle — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 13:47:00 GMT

It was another hellish week for Italian clubs on the continent - one which makes you wonder if there's any point battling all season to qualify for Europe only to then embarrass yourself at nearly every turn.

Not many will remember but Serie A teams once possessed determination and energy; now they are becoming better known for being weak-willed and lifeless.

The tactical masters can still play the perfect game in their heads, but have no answer to quick movement on and off the ball.

Even the usually dependable Inter almost allowed Spurs back into a game they were leading by a street, only to be nearly overtaken by the speedy Gareth Bale and the help of the befuddled Julio Cesar – sorry, where else is a left-footed player going to put the ball when he is speeding into the area on his stronger foot?

The far post of course, and it was more like the last post for Javier Zanetti, Lucio and Ivan Cordoba who must have seen the sun setting on their careers as they laboured behind a player over a decade younger.

Never mind. Serie A is full of old men dithering around the pitch every weekend only because the game in Italy is played at a pace in keeping with a summer’s afternoon in Sicily.

Like their ageing AC Milan counterparts across town, who had no answer to Real Madrid's direct approach, they are driving the Italian game forward at the speed of an OAP on a country road.

The cycle of such players is almost over but really it cannot come quickly enough, with the greying generation nearly on their push-bikes.

While the Champions League representatives may be labouring under pedal power, the Europa League is a dumping ground for the clapped out in the extreme.

Juventus were fortunate to grab a draw at Salzburg and remain without a group win so far, while Napoli played the tradition of Liverpool rather than the reality of the once mighty Reds - and of course the home fans kept the Italian game in the medieval age of stabbings and mob rule.

Sampdoria were shamed by ten-man Metalist Kharkiv and Palermo also had no answer to the rise of the East when they crashed 3-0 at home to CSKA Moscow who could also afford to miss a penalty.

Even the previously divine Javier Pastore has fallen into Italian petulance when the chips are down, and was duly sent off for applauding the referee having already been booked.

Inter may be champions of Europe but we cannot blind ourselves to the fact that there was a special reason for that. Italian clubs have been stumbling for a long time and are now fall guys not only for the traditional heavyweights but welterweights as well.

Apart from the Nerazzurri, there is a real danger of having no representatives in the knockout stages of either the Champions League or its lesser second-cousin the Europa League. This may dilute both competitions when they reach the more watchable rounds, but there can be no complaints if Serie A gets left behind.

If we cast our minds back into the mists of time, to 2003, Old Trafford was the venue for an all-Italian Champions League final. But drawing conclusions from this week there is little chance of Wembley Stadium repeating that feat. Dublin too need not worry about an invasion of dark shades and hair gel.

Mean Old Lady

Richard Whittle — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 15:00:00 GMT

One positive to come out of Tuesday evening’s shenanigans in Genoa was that Giorgio Chiellini didn’t get a chance to kick Milos Krasic.

The Juventus defender had warned his team-mate that he might have to give him a “little knock” despite warnings from Gigi Del Neri to his rambunctious tackler to show some caution.

Memories of Euro 2008 came flooding back, when the then out-of-control colt crocked Fabio Cannavaro even before the competition had kicked-off. And of course, in the build-up to the Serbia game, Chiellini had denied that Giuseppe Rossi had nut-megged him in training, claiming on Twitter “he wouldn’t be able to walk again if he had.”

As it turned out the Serbian nationalist pride away day ensured that the players at least returned to their clubs with limbs intact.

Chiellini must have been kicking himself that he missed the little dust up in training between Felipe Melo and Momo Sissoko, who apparently squared up to one another like rutting stags during a five-a-side game.

There is no evidence that the ball was actually anywhere in the vicinity of the combative midfielders who have a taste for what some have termed ‘reckless tackling’ - or what they would probably describe as ‘wholehearted endeavour’.

As happens in such moments an animated discussion ensued followed by a bit of pushing before the arrival of a team-mate or two to separate the pair, who subsequently made up with a round of high-fives.

Both players are literally battling it out for one spot in midfield and reports suggest Melo has come out on top with Sissoko to be sold in January, although that seems to be the club’s yearly New Year's resolution when it come to the Mali international. So far he has survived intact.

Not that the incident will have concerned Del Neri, who observed the scene from afar no doubt feeling that he is finally moulding the team into his own image – mean, moody and competitive.

Maybe not a band of brothers but certainly a side that can demonstrate character, which has always been a feature of Juve teams down the years.

There has never been anything beautiful about the Old Lady – charming at times, alluring at others - but really comes into her own when she is left to be a craggy old dear.

We have seen something of her settling into her more familiar look in recent games – against Manchester City and Inter – where the team was well-drilled in its defensive duties and composed going forward.

Before that indiscipline was everywhere, with little or no cohesion between the defence, midfield and attack, but that may have had more to do with the employment of the personnel at the coach’s disposal.

The midfield area has been a particular problem but with Alberto Aquilani gaining in match fitness there are signs that finesse may not remain an entirely forgotten element within the team.

Having a minder such as Melo or Sissoko in the centre of the pitch and flanked by two willing wide men, the former AS Roma man can begin to flourish once again after two years of misery on the sidelines.

Having held Inter before the international break, Juve now have two more than winnable games coming up – at home to Lecce this weekend and then Bologna away.

Del Neri won’t mind if his side win them ugly as long as the Old Lady is sitting pretty heading into the clash with AC Milan at the end of the month.

Party over as players threaten to strike

Richard Whittle — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 11:51:00 GMT

"Right lads, down tools we are all out."

You know the world has gone crazy when footballers are threatening strike action.

September 25th and 26th have been earmarked as the dates when Italian football comes to a standstill as the country’s players take to the picket-lines to protest at the ìslave-likeî conditions they are forced to work under.

Of course, not all players earn multi-million Euro contracts such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic who will have to forgo his €320,000-odd weekly wage packet if the union make good on a walk out.

However, the average salary is still around €23,000 a month in the top flight so on the surface there seems little to protest about – unlike the average office worker who has to make do with less than a €1000 a month.

The current agreement between the footballers’ association and the clubs has expired and now the players are filled with revolutionary zeal, just when they may to toe the line for once.

How many times has a player basically broken his contract to ensure a move to another club or sat around earning vast sums of money for doing nothing because he refuses to accept a transfer?

Both parties are to blame for the situation we find ourselves in now – the clubs have been handing out massive contracts over four years to players in their late 20s and expecting them to be at the peak of their powers in their early or some cases mid-30s.

AC Milan are prime example, having awarded the players who "revenged" the 2005 Champions League defeat to Liverpool two years later with four-year deals which meant that the whole squad was set up for life at the pinnacle of their careers.

There was only one direction they were heading after that and Milan were saddled with the likes of Marek Jankulovski, Nelson Dida, Massimo Oddo and Kakha Kaladze who you could never say deserved the star status bestowed on them.

Milan attempted to get some value out of having Oddo hanging around by extending the full-back’s contract for another season but spreading the final payment over 24 months.

However, Jankulovski refused to budge and will no doubt literally sit-out his final season before becoming a wealthy free agent at 33.

With this in mind what concerns the players’ union is the proposal that will give an employer the right to terminate the final year of a contract and pay the player 50 per cent of what he was due if he refuses accept a move to another club of equal standing.

Tellingly, the shop-steward at the press conference to warn the country that their national sport was heading the way of the public transport system - brought to a standstill on a regular basis by industrial action - was Oddo.

Massimo money mo' problems...or something

'We are not objects,' he bleated as he sat there in his designer shirt; sporting perfectly manicured sideburns and looking all for the world like the perfect object of footballing desire.

Clarence Seedorf, Rino Gattuso and Javier Zanetti nodded gravely in agreement while the rest of the non-football playing work shook its head in disbelief.

Even those players who do not warrant star billing have little to complain about: earning a very good living from playing football – and isn’t football all about results and success so if you are good enough you will generally reap the rewards from the game.

There are a number of other issues on the table, so to speak: clubs want to decide where a player has treatment for an injury and not the player. So now we know why Alessandro Nesta spent 18 months in Miami receiving treatment on a back injury.

There is another good one: the union has demanded that coaches must work with one group of players in training thus ensuring that those no longer in their plans or in dispute with the club cannot be exiled to train with the youth team - or all alone.

There is no doubt now that the party is over but these issues can no doubt be solved through dialogue rather than threats of bringing the national game to a halt.

Silvio Berlusconi would not have been taken too kindly with the stance taken by his Milan militants especially in the light of the team’s defeat to the proletariat: newly-promoted Cesena whose annual wage bill is less than Ibra’s basic annual pay.

Maybe he should have been questioning his own team work ethic and apart from Inter, it was not a profit-making weekend for the top flight’s fat cats: Milan humbled by Cesena; AS Roma thrashed at Cagliari and Juventus held by Sampdoria.

On top of that, Palermo lost at Brescia while Fiorentina went down to Lecce and Napoli drew at home to Bari.

Chievo won at Genoa to leave the Flying Donkeys as the only team on maximum points and top of the table – power then to footballer’s true workers and long may it continue.

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Rafa needs to be a gentleman and not keep the Old Lady waiting

Richard Whittle — Wed, 05 May 2010 11:10:00 GMT

While Rafa Benitez agonises over whether he should leave Liverpool, the new Old Lady in his life is getting a little anxious.

As it stands, Juventus - like any hopeful new flame - will wait a little longer for the Spaniard to make the break and set up home in Turin.

However, she is not going to openly beg him to walk hand-in-hand together into a bright new future – and in the role of the ‘other woman’ she has to protect herself.

If Benitez is not going to make the first move then she is not going to look a fool and tell the world that she has been doing all the chasing.

Better to drop a hint or two that others suitors could be allowed to flirt around the front door – and would fit the bill just as well – such as Cesare Prandelli and Luciano Spalletti.

Neither party are up to much at the moment – Prandelli is kicking his heels at Fiorentina where all the signs are that the club are ready to offload the backbone of the team, while Spalletti is marking time in Russia only because he cannot coach in Serie A for a season after walking out on AS Roma.

So, just to focus Benitez on what he would be missing, Juve media outlet Tuttosport have been flashing the aforementioned names across their pages for the last couple of days, but there will be tears and tantrums if she doesn’t get her man.

NEWS: Benitez fails to shed light on future

There is plenty to incite someone who has become used to the finer things in life – the tax-free salary which is set to be something in the region of Ä12 million over three years and the Ä80 million transfer kitty which could well be increased if new president Andrea Agnelli can wring a few more million out of his cousin John Elkann.

The wage bill is also set to be cut with Gigi Buffon leading the charge for the exit door followed by David Trezeguet, Mauro Camoranesi and Momo Sissoko who will be out the back door anyway if Benitez is walking up the path.

Buffon has already made his pitch for the Premier League, so he will sit back and wait and see if Manchester or London coming calling.

Trezeguet would like nothing better than to be granted membership to the AC Milan country club, Camoranesi fancies the south of France and Marseille and Sissoko’s gangly frame could find favour in France or back in the Premier League.

The door is open for new man; all he needs to do is ask for a divorce and start a new life – he can even bring his best mates with him so he doesn’t feel lonely out on the training pitch and on the bench.

The chosen son has also given his blessing: Alex Del Piero has already been ear-marked for future elevation to the board of directors so he will be hiring and firing coaches someday soon anyway.

All and all there is plenty to woo Rafa to the charms along the banks of the River Po, so now he needs to the gentlemanly thing – and not keep the lady waiting.

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Derby weekend takes limelight away from Moggi's day in court

Richard Whittle — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 10:45:00 GMT

It is time to get ready for the rivalries that gave birth to match-fixing allegations, anti-Semitic banners and the odd moment brilliance on the pitch.

Yes, it is the Derby of Italy – a grandiose title well past its sell-by-date – and the Derby of the Capital – an event that defines a city – and all on the same weekend.

In fact, the weekend starts early this week, with Inter and Juventus locking horns on Friday evening and ends on Sunday evening with the Roman rumble.

There have been drab encounters through the years - especially in the Eternal City where those in the stands have provided the colour and passion - there have been plenty of one-sided meetings, and then there have been enthralling matches that have made for captivating viewing.

Whatever the ultimate outcome, these are two matches that can never be ignored and while the Romans bring a city to a standstill when the northern rivals meet the nation just about comes grinding to a halt.

When we talk about defining moments of the season then this weekend will be definitely be one of them.

Inter are no longer top of the pile and for the first time since Claudio Ranieri starting playing down his side’s chances of winning the title, the Giallorossi have the Scudetto fate in their own hands.

And lo and behold it is Lazio who can derail their cousins’ dreams of having the mother of all parties at the end of May.

Come Monday morning, it will be banishment to the dark corners of bars and cafes for the vanquished and a table in the sunniest part of the piazza for the conquering heroes – and for Roma victory will have even more significance in the grand scheme of things.

In the meantime, by Roman standards, the week has been rather benign. This should be cause for concern – the calm before the storm so to speak.

On the contrary, it has been a fraught week up north in the cities of Turin and Milan.

Both clubs have been refusing to speak to the press so it has been left to events away from the game to take centre stage – and those have been played out back down south in Naples.

Luciano Moggi is having is day or days in court to prove that he was not the great puppet-master in the grand scheme of Calciopoli but just one of many who were pulling the strings to influence the outcome of games.

[Un]lucky Luciano’s defence team have got their hands on a few wiretaps which did not see the light back in 2006, and on one of them then Inter president Giacinto Facchetti is heard chatting to the referee’s designator Paolo Bergamo.

Old Bergamo gives him the rundown of officials available to referee Inter games and Facchetti apparently demands that Pierluigi Collina – and who would not, the bald one was the best man around at the time – takes charge of a game.

There is also some discussion about dropping around for ‘a little gift’ which proves nothing considering it was coming up to the Christmas period and no doubt ‘little presents’ were being wrapped at many a club’s front desk.

We may never know what was behind the Facchetti-Bergamo chin-wag as the latter is no longer with us to give his side of the story.

The question is; why has it taken four years for this new ‘evidence’ to see the light of day?

Moggi has promised more wire-taps next week and Carlo Ancelotti has been called to give evidence on Tuesday.

It is now a case of ‘wait and see’ if new ‘explosive evidence’ is brought to light and the case is reopened but in the meantime at least there is some intrigue on the pitch to keep us all occupied.

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Still no clues as to who will go fourth and conquer in Serie A

Richard Whittle — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 15:09:00 GMT

The Easter weekend fixtures only reinforced the realisation that the title race will go down to the wire this season.

It was as you were for Inter, AS Roma and AC Milan, with all three picking up maximum points but it is the chase for fourth place where the jitters are really setting in.

Inter’s continued progress in the Champions League should ensure that Serie A still has a fourth representative for another season when the competition gets underway with the preliminary round in August.

And four teams have a realistic chance of taking fourth spot – Palermo, Sampdoria, Napoli and believe or not Juventus while Fiorentina and Genoa are outside hopes.

However, it seems that none of the pretenders can actually grab the opportunity to open up a gap heading into the last six rounds.

Palermo looked odds-on favourites to pull away from the pack a couple of weeks ago but lost the Sicilian derby to Catania, in what was their worst performance since the Valentine’s Day massacre at Roma.

On Saturday evening, a desire to play from the back was punished by their eager hosts who took advantage of shoddy, dawdling on the ball to enable Maxi Lopez to nip in for two quick-fire goals.

Quick-draw McLopez celebrates v Palermo

However, Palermo’s remaining away games are more than winnable – at Cagliari, Siena and Atalanta - with the latter two probably already doomed to relegation when those encounters come around.

Delio Rossi’s side can draw encouragement from their excellent home form; they have not lost at the Barbera Stadium so far and have only failed to win there once since the turn of the year – drawing with Inter.

Pivotal to the final push will be Fabrizio Miccoli: the diminutive striker was quiet for once at the weekend but the Romario of Salento is undisputed king-pin of the side.

His seven goals in the last three weeks demonstrate he can be the little man for the big occasion. Up in Genoa another mercurial showman could also have a major say in the European outcome.

Indiscipline, erratic form and general sloth seemed to have put an end to Antonio Cassano’s season, but the errant striker has found himself back in demand thanks in part to injury to Nicola Pozzi.

The gamble has paid off with the Bari Bawler now the Bari Buddha - such has been his on-field calmness that he has now become the decisive factor in why Samp are equal with Palermo on 51 points.

Napoli have also had a brief flirtation with fourth but after drawing at Milan and downing Juventus, the Partenopei have been off-song in the last two games despite picking up a narrow win over Catania and a draw at Lazio.

Cassano didn't wash his hands after eating his Wotsits

Once again, however, there can be few real complaints in terms of the fixtures ahead, with the likes of Parma, Bari and Chievo coming up – and Walter Mazzarri’s hopes may come down to the final game at his old club Sampdoria.

By that time Juventus may not even be in the running for a Europa League spot and it would be too easily taking a cheap shot at the Old Lady but really she needs a complete makeover from top to bottom.

The humiliation at Udinese at the weekend was another public insult to their long-suffering followers just when they thought that the team could not find new depths in which to plummet.

Despite all the shortcomings, Juve are still just three points off the pace for fourth but then again the vacant looks that accompanied the performance at Udine the question has to be asked, is there any life left in the team?

Things are so bad that they are even unrecognisable from Ciro Ferrara’s tame time in charge – and not in a positive way either.

Alberto Zaccheroni cannot even inspire the substitutes to warm up anymore as he tinkers with formations and systems to make even the more ardent Claudio Ranieri detractor long for last season.

In the meantime, the club have taken a vow of silence until further notice which is fine because no one was making any sense anyway.

The run-in does not give much hope of a late revival: of the bottom nine teams Juve have only beaten Bologna and Atalanta in the second half of the season.

With that in mind, they will probably have to take something from trips to their two trips to the San Siro over the next month, which would be something worth talking about.

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