Serie Aaaaargh!… - All Comments

re: Star-studded la Liga leaves Serie A sulking

Fergal — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:01:19 GMT

TO SNYDE. Yes, Barca won the champions league and deserved to do so too. But that doesn't make the rest of the Spanish league strong. Chelsea, Arsenal and Man.Utd all had tough games against the Italians last season.But what kind of resistance did the English get from Madrid and Villarreal? They were both destroyed. Juve also did the double over Madrid too. The Spanish were also very poor in the Uefa cup. I'm not saying Italian teams are better, but there is no question that besides Barca, the Spanish teams have been average in Europe in the last few years, which points to a weak league overall. Still, watching truly great players like Xavi and Iniesta in the final was fantastic.

re: Star-studded la Liga leaves Serie A sulking

Forza Il Lupi — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:36:38 GMT

But overall, outside of the top 2 or 3 teams, Serie A is a stronger league and more competitive. AS Roma or Aston Villa?

re: Star-studded la Liga leaves Serie A sulking

Snyde — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 07:08:03 GMT

Talking a bit out of your *rse Fergal?

Weak spanish league? I thought Barca just won a competition in one of the most complete victories seen in the final. Which competition? The one Serie A miserably failed in.

Serie A should now be more concerned with Bundesliga and Ligue 1 than looking above.

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re: Star-studded la Liga leaves Serie A sulking

David Kim — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:37:02 GMT

This will be good time for Serie A to just try to develop good Italian players. Serie A shined in the 90s largely because of the Italian stars like Del Piero, Totti, Vieri, Maldini, Nesta, etc. I'm not denying that Zidane, Rui Costa, or other foreign players helped make Serie A awesome but now Italy is the underdog, and there's nothing they can do about that. Just hope that Italy does good in next World Cup or Euro 2012 so that public will turn its eyes back to Italy.

re: Star-studded la Liga leaves Serie A sulking

Fergal — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 08:12:11 GMT

As a fan of Italian football I wouldn't get too concerned about whats going on at Madrid. Yes, they are signing all in front of them but they are still a long way from being a great team, or even a good one. There's no point having all these great forwards when the guys behind them are all wasters. They may win a weak Spanish league but they'll come unstuck in Europe against the first decent English,or even Italian side they meet. As for the Italian transfer market it has been a bit depressing so far. Diego is the only big signing so far while only Milan could fall about blindly with the two attempts to get Cissokho and Dzeko.It's a pity neither worked out as they are exactly the type of player Milan should be looking for.As for Adebayor- stay away. Inter's signings have been nothing but average, but why no deal for Benzema?. They could have easily bought him with the money from Ibrahimovic,who they should sell. Roma and Fiorentina have yet to do anything. Still, they all have a few months to get a few good players in

re: New-look Napoli ready to rise again

Rasvinder — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:51:02 GMT

I think De Ceglie should move to Napoli or any other ambitious club because sadly I don't think he will get much of a chance at Juventus. If a manager can convert him into a left winger/midfielder it would be beneficial for the Italian national team as Italy will have the option then to play with natural wingers.

re: Little chance of Lippi ditching class of 2006

Rasvinder — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 03:36:02 GMT

If Lippi is not going to change his stance then get him out of there before it's too late. Someone in the board should already see a humiliating catastrophe approaching. Get a younger manager like Zola or promote Casiraghi. Prandelli would be a good shout as well now that Ancelotti is in Chelsea. Read my blog http://rasvinder.wordpress.com to know more on my opinions of the Azzuri's failures.

re: Little chance of Lippi ditching class of 2006

David Kim — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:20:11 GMT

Italy has no attacking mid/shadow striker without Totti/Del Piero, and the rest of the 06 squad doesn't have vitality or creativity (except Pirlo). Italy's best hope is to get as many U-21 or other Italians in Serie A to play for the national team as possible. Juventus, Inter, and other clubs have plenty of young talents, so just feed them some experience and Italy might make through the group stage next year.

re: Embarrassment vs Egypt sets up Samba Boys excitement

Suivaloom — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 10:57:51 GMT

Italy are really suffering up front. Toni I have never liked. Gilardino just hasn't got it. Rossi is still growing.

They need to find a world-class striker for 2010, much like England.

re: Embarrassment vs Egypt sets up Samba Boys excitement

philliptasker — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 13:49:07 GMT

What have Juventus done getting back Cannavaro? Awful decision, he is not the same player anymore. He was sub par at Real Madrid and looked no better last night. Could be the unravelling of Juve's recent progress if he plays week in week out.

re: Embarrassment vs Egypt sets up Samba Boys excitement

182 — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 11:57:04 GMT

Del Piero call up anyone?

re: As Kaka packs, the duckling quacks

Fergal — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 13:37:44 GMT

I said a few weeks ago on one of these blogs that Pato would be looking for a move to England soon if Kaka left and Milan continued to stagnate like they have over the last few years. What I didn't expect was that he could be leaving this summer. Although I would have preferred Kaka to stay, I can understand Milan selling a 27 yo for 60m. Fair enough. But selling a 19yo is a different situation entirely. If Milan sell Pato to Chelsea it will prove once and for all that Italian teams are finished, for now at least, as a power in European football. Pato is a player for Milan's future and must be kept. However, if he wants to go then I suppose there is no point keeping him.Milan must make sure they fleece whoever buys him though. Milan's terrible transfer poicy of the last few years seems to have really come back to bite them this summer. Now instead of Kaka, Pato and Gourcuff up front next season Milan's fans could be stuck watching jokers like Ronaldinho and Shevchenko. God help season ticket sales for next year. It's sad to see a great club in this state, now incapable of competing with nothing tams like Chelsea and Man.City. As for Pirlo, if they can get 12-15m from Chelsea, then take it, he's past his best and exactly the type of player Milan should be looking to offload. Here's my cure for the summer:

OUT... IN...

G dida f G cudicini f

G kalac f G storari -

D maldini - D agger 15m

D senderos - D silva t. -

D kaladze 4m D mattioni 4m

M kaka 60m M sammarco 5m

M gourcuff 12m M silva d. 19m

M emerson - M abate -

M pirlo 12m M lucho g. 12m

M seedorf f M/S di natale 3m

M ronaldinho 12m S dzeko 22m

S shevchenko - 100m S paloschi - 81m

abbiati-cudicini-storari

mattioni-antonini

zambrotta-jankulovski-favalli

nesta-bonera-darmian

agger-silva t

lucho-cardacio

gattuso-sammarco

flamini-ambrosini-abate

silva d-di natale- vuidez

dzeko-inzaghi

pato-borriello-paloschi

re: Why Inter should sell Ibra – and buy Eto'o

kbones — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 10:40:11 GMT

from a cule point of view, I'd prefer Eto'o, but I won't despair if the exchange takes place. Zlatan, apart from his goalscoring, can create a lot for himself and his teammates - without having the likes of Messi or Xavi behind him.

On the other hand, Eto'o with his eagerness to fight for every ball and work hard in general, could add much to Inter.

Risks? Zlatan could still be lazy under Pep, and Eto'o could have problems adapting to italian football.

re: Why Inter should sell Ibra – and buy Eto'o

hum4ndyn4mo — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 20:43:38 GMT

What you say about Eto'o being more suited than Zlatan to a 4-3-3 is true, but Bara have far deeper foundations in that system, so why would they want Zlatan over Eto'o.

I also think that you and many others are guilty of being overly critical of Ibrahimovic as his worth in goals and moments of freakish genius is undeniable.

The suggestion that he does not perform in the UCL is unfair as nobody wearing an Inter shirt performs in the UCL, they just haven't been able to adapt their game as a team and Zlatan suffers as a result of this.

re: Money talks and Kaka walks as Silvio suffers austerity

the_outsideruk — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 11:51:47 GMT

Big mistake! Selling Kaka will be crippling to the club. Milan can rebuild using the money ? Dont think so! The sale is for economic-reasons which means we will only see like 10mill of the money, the rest will be to pay of debts.

re: Leonardo looking to create masterpiece in Milan

Fergal — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 08:51:25 GMT

I think Leonardo has a big job on his hands now. It will be interesting if they let him buy the players he wants and not just circus performers like Beckaham and Ronaldinho. If they dont give him control then I think it could be years before Milan are a force again. Kaka looks to be on his way, Gourcuff was stupidly sold, while former greats like Pirlo, Gattuso, Zambrotta and Nesta are all on the wane. It will take a lot more than the over-rated Adebayor to sort out the mess that Milan are in now.

re: Leonardo looking to create masterpiece in Milan

the_outsideruk — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 12:06:32 GMT

well, the rumours about kaka going to real do not bode well for milan. i fear for the club if they sell kaka. they have already sold gourcuff who could have been the ideal replacement. milan should be building a new team around kaka not without him.

also, kaka's loss will be a huge blow to serie a.

re: Rudderless Milan face fourth-place shame

Fergal — Sat, 30 May 2009 00:26:38 GMT

They seem to be in a bit of a mess now. But it has been building for years.It's hard to see a serious player like Kaka hanging around much longer while the club signs nothing players like Shevchenko,Ronaldinho,Senderos and Beckham. I'm sure it wont be long either before Pato starts eyeing a move to England too. They also let Gourcuff get away this week as well,which makes you think who the hell is runing this club. No Gourcuff next season probably means Milan fans will have to put up with another season of circus from Beckham and Ronaldinho. One thing for sure, this current squad has no chance of winning next years champions league.

re: Boo-boys fail to mar Maldini's San Siro swansong

Forza Il Lupi — Wed, 27 May 2009 17:01:45 GMT

Paulo Maldini - Greatest defender the world has ever seen.

re: Knives out for the English angels and demons

Forza Il Lupi — Wed, 27 May 2009 16:59:14 GMT

Tne Britihs media's idea has been very stereotypical for some time. There is an issue of stabbings in Rome but those of us who attend games know it's not really anything to do with The Roma Ultras.

Man Utd fans have the highest arrest rate of any club in England but this gets no attention. Every Chelsea games has racist chanting outside games and on the tube plus the many stabbings of Spurs fans.

The British media sensationalises everything in order to sell papers. Romes crime rate is tiny in comparison to Manchester and London.

It all comes down to the hype from Sky/Itv for the EPL. Even the Maldini issue was a minority but gets a big focus as it sells more papers than something positive.

Hopefully Barca will win tonight for football and not the corporation they play against.

re: Knives out for the English angels and demons

Beast — Wed, 27 May 2009 08:44:24 GMT

Never said it's ok so don't put words in my mouth

.. I'm explaining things from the Spanish point of view due to following my team for the last 25 years.

As i said in my last post , what you describe as rubbish you cannot reply to in a mature or even immature way because it's the plain truth

re: Knives out for the English angels and demons

Suivaloom — Wed, 27 May 2009 00:52:25 GMT

Beast - When you write such things as:

'it just happens that 90 + % of recent events all had a British team playing in Europe , coincidence ? too much coincidence to be considered one.'

I knew I couldn't be mature with you. You've typed a load of rubbish. And your reasoning that racially abusing players is OK because it is merely used to 'provoke players and get them off their concentration'...my god...

re: Knives out for the English angels and demons

Beast — Tue, 26 May 2009 22:34:44 GMT

Suivaloom , be more mature and don't insult if you have nothing to reply with

we are talking about hooliganism and traveling away fans trouble not RACISM. But i guess you couldn't find anything to defend your blind views

Racism in Spain is used to provoke players and get them off their concentration then being actual racist act.for example Real Zaragoza are a well known club which their fans intentionally boo players like Eto'o when Barca play Real Zaragoza.. those same fans cheer their own dark skinned player.. in Spain it's a tactic you might do yourself some good and travel around Europe and live in some of these cities for a while to have a better grasp

In Italy it's a bigger issue and mostly due to different political back grounds between right & left (Lazio-Livorno for example )

.. most of the troubles in Italy occur domestically not internationally ...

have you ever heard of special security preparation because Italy is playing Germany or any other team ? or Spain ? but you heard it zillion times of British fans traveling to support England or any English clubs in Europe

re: Knives out for the English angels and demons

Suivaloom — Tue, 26 May 2009 21:12:16 GMT

Beast, you are an idiot.

I suppose monkey chanting and putting black face-paint on to depict coloured sportsmen is Spain's harmless past-time when watching sport.

Even the kids are taught to join in. Despicable.

re: Knives out for the English angels and demons

Beast — Tue, 26 May 2009 18:38:15 GMT

Yeah , it's always someone else to blame for the British isn't it ..

it just happens that 90 + % of recent events all had a British team playing in Europe , coincidence ? too much coincidence to be considered one .

recent visits to Seville,twice in France, twice in Rome, the lovely Liverpool fans in the final of the CL and the ever polite Rangers invasion in Barcelona

and that's just on top of my head.. that's of course without putting into consideration the death threats to refs (enter Chelsea )

you don't see it happening (as often) to Spanish/German/French traveling fans ..

re: Knives out for the English angels and demons

mrplow2000 — Tue, 26 May 2009 17:52:16 GMT

Agreed. The biggest threat to safe match is the Italian police, then the Roma fans. A terrible decision to stage the tie in that city. Platini's faults are growing by the day.

re: Knives out for the English angels and demons

Suivaloom — Tue, 26 May 2009 16:38:23 GMT

Italian perceptions of English football fans? What about the worlds perception of the Italian hooligans running riot after every matchday in Italy?

This is ridiculous. The tables have turned dramatically; it is the image of the Italian Ultras that is synonymous with the word "hooligan" these days.

Only the other day yet another fan died because of Calcio whilst attending a game in Italy. Italian's should get their own house in order before trying to patronise others by doing things such as imposing a 24-hour drinking ban in Rome. Unnecessary and ridiculous.

re: Ranieri: Where did it all go wrong?

Fergal — Wed, 20 May 2009 08:43:09 GMT

Ranieri was always going to lose out,as usual. I think club boards see him as the guy to hire if your club is in trouble but not the guy to keep after he turns things around. As for the signings well that has been one disaster after another. Diego is a fine player but would the money not be better spent on other area's and let Giovinco take a first team spot instead?

re: Maldini out, Leonardo in at new-look Milan

FFS — Sun, 10 May 2009 03:19:38 GMT

Every two weeks you write about ancelotti leaving and leonardo coming in, and its never comes true... why? what's the point anymore? is it common practice to report on rumours now?

re: Serie A (finally) to follow in Premier League's footsteps

Fergal — Tue, 05 May 2009 09:25:37 GMT

It's good to see the money will be spread out more evenly than the current situation. However, I think it would be madness not to give a percentage to the lower leagues too. Hopefully the clubs in the top division will now take the next step on stadium development.It's time Italian football caught up with the rest of the modern European game.

re: Salesman Silvio still knows how to sell a lost cause

Suivaloom — Fri, 01 May 2009 01:48:18 GMT

All I can say is this:

Milan have been awared 14 - yes FOURTEEN - penalties this season.

What the bloody hell is going on in Serie A eh???

re: Decline and fall of the Roma empire

Fergal — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 11:03:52 GMT

I think you may be getting ahead of yourself a bit Riccardo. I think the squad Roma have is still strong and the current situation may have something to do with their attitude more than their talent. With the money the could get from the sale of Doni,Baptista and a few others, they could sign what they've needed for years now,a real centre forward. Lisandro Lopez would be perfect I think,but it will be hard now to get him,or any other top players with no champions league football next year. But there is no-way that this squad needs to be cleared out just yet.

My choice for next years team would be;

curci-arthur-sergio

motta 7m -cicinho

riise-tonetto-antunes

juan-cassetti-andreolli

mexes-diamoutene 2m

aquilani-pizarro

lucho gonzalez 11m -perrotta

de rossi-brighi-barusso

vucinic-taddei

totti-menez

lopez 12m -belluchi free -okaka

re: A weekend to forget for second-best Serie A

purduem — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:53:18 GMT

I agree that the current Prem is an unsustainable business. I predict the creation of a European Super League comprising the top teams from England, Italy, Spain, France, Netherlands, Scotland.

re: A weekend to forget for second-best Serie A

Forza Il Lupi — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 16:58:10 GMT

Macheda and Rossi went for the moeny simple as that! Rossi didn't get a chance at Utd and Macheda has only played due to injury and suspension as well Ferguson fiedling an under strength side. Patrucci also went for the money.

Plenty of youngsters have come into the Azzuri side over the years. De Rossi,Montoliv,Chiellini,Quagliarella. I do agree that a few players need to make way but Lippi will mostly stick to the team who are WORLD CHAMPIONS for now.Who are all the great English player then? Capello has already seen through the Villa players and Aaron Lennon...really?

The fact is the players need to DEVELOP and shouldn't be playing first team at 17 or 18. How many of these starlets go onto be something? Rooney maybe, but he's only slightly better than he was at Everton, there has been no huge strides in his development, he just plays for a better side. Rossi had to move away to get a game.

Yes, Calcio has problems but if we can look long term rather than short term like the EPL (it will be financially bust in 4 years)

The racism is an issue but at least the league has sanctions.The Drughi have made a very important statement about there was no racial abuse. There is racism and coin throwing at English games and on trains to grounds every week but the media hides it away and the league has no sanctions. Phil Neville has pucnhed in the back and spat on at ANFIELD last season. It too a year to ban the culpri after pressure from support groups.

Problems yes but it's not the end of the world. The Italian Primavera sides are the best in Europe. Thye are technically gifted and players are develped as FOOTBALLERS not ATHELETES. Do we really want to play long term and chase everything for 90 mins like in England? Hva e you seen EPL teams outside of the 'TOP 4' play? Wigan are a top half side for God's sake!

re: Serie A laments Champions League shipwreck

Jai Bans — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:35:13 GMT

Yeah the Italian domestic situation certainly looks doomed. Actually when I watched Utd vs Inter this year I couldn’t bear to watch as Inter, a side renown for giving the Italian game some fame, entertainment and uncertainty (results wise) had the x-factor of one of Henry Ford's assembly lines. Mourinho for me has no pue understanding of the game, only a very mechanical and limited one, which invariably achieves results; hence the argument 'but he always wins something'

Whenever a critique of Italian football is brought up invariably it is cyclical and those who condemn it 'doomed' should take a look at the golden era of Batistuta, Ronaldo and Del Piero decorating the game in a period which now seems like a dream that had lost its way.

I wonder if we will ever see this great league recapture or capture any glory.

re: A weekend to forget for second-best Serie A

purduem — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:55:07 GMT

I greatly enjoy Riccardo's writing. It is his job to be skeptical. What should he write? That Juventus announced a new summer football camp for 10-year olds? Calcio has a huge problem. No Italian clubs in the Champions League quarterfinals, and one in the UEFA Cup quarterfinals. Il Calcio is slipping away, and yet those idiots in Turin have the gaul to chant racist garbage at Balotelli, a man who could possibly help save Italian football. Disgusting. They should be ashamed of themselves. Forza Rossi!

re: A weekend to forget for second-best Serie A

Rasvinder — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 04:21:48 GMT

I am a fan of Italian football and the Italian national team but I am a realist. I love reading Riccardo's posts because its realistic, it's not too negative and it's not overly positive either.

I do have to agree with you that Fabio Capello's Juventus was terribly boring. The racist chanting is also very sad and horrible moreover it is directed at a fellow Italian. How will the person feel when called upon to represent the country in the future. Balotelli is certainly going to be a future full Italian international and to be given this treatment by his fellow countrymen is sad. He might also get it on the pitch from fellow players no-one knows except him.

For Forza Il Lupi,the fact remains that young Italian talents are not given enough opportunity at the big clubs in Italy so they move elsewhere. Case in point: Macheda and Rossi. Even in the national team, older players are given more chances than the younger ones. I feel Lippi is also living on past glories and still relying on a lot of the heroes of 2006. He has got to freshen the squad and his tactics and get rid of those who are over-the-hill or not playing well enough anymore.

Serie A as a whole has to change. Juventus wants to sign a 35 year old Cannavaro when they could have been better off giving a younger player chance. A lot of the Italian clubs have too many old players who were great during their times but are past it now. There is a lot of Italian talent which has not been given a chance because of the reliance and preference of experience.

Italian clubs tend to sign young Brazilians and Argentines but not give the Italians a chance and this is really sad and not healthy for Italian football. A change in attitude is needed and I hope Mourinho and Inter will provide that next season.

re: A weekend to forget for second-best Serie A

Forza Il Lupi — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 19:37:22 GMT

Riccardo,did you ever hear the phrase 'If you've got nothing good to say, then don't say anything at all!' On a weekley basis you seem to tear Calcio apart as if you're a Daily Mail Sports editor is disguise. We all know Seie A isn't what it used to be. Football goes in cycle. Let's see if the Premier League 'dominance' lasts for over a decade as it's only been 5 unlike when Italian clubs rulled the roost.

We must also not forget that Italian did dominate Europe. What I mean by this was that it was based on Italian players and coaches as the limit on foreign players existed then. The current powerhouses are Premier League and not English by any means. Install the past limits and it would be a different case altogether. Liverpool v Chelsea last week had only 3 English players on the pitch!!! Liverpool reguarly field reserve teams with no homegrown players. Man Utd even come to Italy to unethically steal their talent (not to mention Quieroz using Spalletis system to create a wining side)

Foreign owners, foreign money, foreign players and foreign coaches. Please don't go on like every other Sky Sports 'journalist'!!! Isn't the great new England team only winning due to Capello?

Forza Calcio! Forza Italia!

re: Meandering Milan need a new Arrigo Sacchi

Jai Bans — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 21:35:08 GMT

I agree and this is all to prevalent in the decayed and backward team at ac Milan under Ancelotti. The success of the Champions League seems to have blinded the fossilsed stature of Milan. A club showered with historical success is now a mere haven for the elderly and decrepit wanting their famous name being chanted 'one more time'

I am a Manchester Unitd fan so my fascination with Milan has topical due to Utd's elimination to Milan in various european campaigns. That time the sense of experience blended with youthful vigour seemed truly admirable like an effervescent experiment providing great results, all at the hands of its creator Ancelotti. Now they are just backward crumbling. The fact that Pato has his own subtle and engineered celebration braced from the habitual tendancies of the celebrities around him is testament of how archaic Milan is becoming.

They need reform and big style, for the expiry date has truly run out.

re: Meandering Milan need a new Arrigo Sacchi

Fergal — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 09:02:06 GMT

Well said Riccardo.Milan seem to be going down the Real Madrid circus road at the moment. This is a huge club with a great history and its sad to see them like this. The likes of Ronaldinho and Beckham should have been left to Man.City and Hollywood respectively. And the less said about signing Senderos and Shevchenko the better. Here's my cure below

OUT; dida f,kalac f,favalli f,maldini ret,senderos lo,oddo f,kaladze 4m,emerson f,seedorf f,ronaldinho 12m,shevchenko lo.

IN; frey 9m,storari lo,mattioni -,silva -,zapata 10m,

cigarini 7m,sammarco 4m,gourcuff lo,di natale 3m,abate lo paloschi lo

frey-abbiati-storari

mattioni-antonini

zambrotta-jankulovski

nesta-bonera

zapata-silva-darmian

pirlo-cigarini

gattuso-sammarco

flamini-ambrosini-cardacio

gourcuff-abate-viudez

kaka-di natale

pato-borriello-inzaghi-paloschi

re: Macheda may make more Italians switch shores

elBongocero — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 13:59:39 GMT

crossmaheart - I can just see your thought processes now... "Man Utd... they're happy. Federico... he's happy. The Macheda family... they're happy. Great - that's everyone accounted for. Let's have a cup of tea."

It's a nightmare for LAZIO, you muppet!!!

re: Macheda may make more Italians switch shores

crossmaheart — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 13:33:57 GMT

"Apparently, the youngster received a contract of 104,000 euro a year" "and in a few years he will be worth a fortune" Nightmare for who exactly?

re: The stars start to jockey for summer moves

Fergal — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 09:43:17 GMT

If someone is stupid enough to pay 20m for Adriano then Inter should take the money and run.Ibrahimovic is another that could go.Inter would then be able to sign Benzema. As for Milan,Kaka would be a loss but 50-60 million for a player over 27 would not be a disaster.Buffon is the best keeper Ive seen since Schmeichel, but with his age and injury record then Juventus could do worse than sell him for a huge fee. I dont want big name players to leave Italy but sometimes its wise to sell them on, particularly if you've already probably got the best yeras out of them.

re: Mourinho unleashes both barrels with a lady on his lap

kaiser — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 07:49:52 GMT

OK..so the article points out that Ireland drew this match. The pre-match article stated that it would be plain sailing for Italy after the first goal..on roughly 30 minutes. Not a mention of Italy being played off the pitch..in their southern hotbed no less. Not a mention of them Italy being blessed with a draw in the first place. In summary...blog before the game was about Italy being great...blog after the game was about ads.

re: Lippi's Italy looking to put catenaccio kid in his place

182 — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 11:56:21 GMT

Not quite put in his place!Could've won this one!

re: Lippi's Italy looking to put catenaccio kid in his place

purduem — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 18:37:47 GMT

Ireland seems prime to pull the upset here. They should have beaten Bulgaria, but were embarrassed at home by an OG. So they will be focused. A defensive struggle could favor Ireland. All the pressure will be on the Azzurri, and they will be quite flaccid after beating Montenegro. But, then again, I am a pessimist. In bocca al lupo!

re: Pirlo can make fantasista role his own

Fletcher_Defender — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 13:16:40 GMT

I agree that Toni is too old. I felt in the Euros last summer Italy seemed to play to suit his style too much.

In the match where they were eliminated i lost count of the number of high balls that came in the box from deep, that just totally wasted counter attacks.

Rossi has a bright future and Italy need to use him.

re: Pirlo can make fantasista role his own

Suivaloom — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 22:25:06 GMT

You gotta be kidding me.

Italy are heading for disaster if they have to resort to playing Pirlo behind the strikers. And whatever fancy word you call it - fantasista or trequartista - you can't hide the fact that Pirlo, yes Pirlo, will be employed just behind the striker as some sort of goal threat.

He has never been fast but has slowed to a walking pace over the last couple of years.

He is weaker than a women's football U-18 player.

He has scored 3 goals from open play in 2 years.

He has the fitness of someone with one lung.

Personally, I don't see Pirlo as a fantasista.

re: Juve conquer the capital & Becks learns the lingo

purduem — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 03:17:55 GMT

So, Mr. Rossi, what will become of Trez? Certainly Juve knew they were getting a player whose huge talents are only overshadowed by his larger mouth. I do not see how Ranieri can be so shocked; Trez publicly pilloried Domenech not too long ago. With the emergence of Iaquinta and the Atomic Ant in the attack, can Juve now afford to part ways with Trez and his 20 goals each season? And risk losing him to another Serie A side? But perhaps Arsene Wenger wants him.

re: Clueless Italian football hits rock bottom

kat — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 00:04:48 GMT

You this week:

"And Jose Mourinho is totally off the mark: Italy is hurting and anyone who really cares for the state of the game is not crowing that Inter, Juventus and Roma are Euro also-rans."

You last week:

"the unbridled glee throughout most of the country that will greet a pounding at Old Trafford."

re: Clueless Italian football hits rock bottom

Fergal — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 07:05:21 GMT

I think Riccardo's comments are a bit harsh on Italian clubs. I mostof the 6 ties with the English and although the 3 Italian sides are all missing something,I think they all did quite well. Roma and Juve matched their opponents while Inter could have scored 2-4 goals at Old Trafford. However,only a fool would say the Italians are as good as the English at the moment. This is not a disaster though as each nation has its time at the top. The Italians had it all through the 90's,then it was the Spanish and now the English. But that wont last either and another nation will rise to the top. And lastly,the performances this year against the English compared to 12 months ago show a huge improvement.

re: Clueless Italian football hits rock bottom

Suivaloom — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 22:43:12 GMT

I feel sorry for Italian fans but then again, I think to myself, they only just won the World Cup in 2006.

If Italy don't make another single WC final for the next 43 years - yes FOURTY-THREE YEARS - then they will have suffered as much as us English.

That puts things into perspective for Italian fans. Yes, your club teams are going through a mire at the moment, but it really isn't as bad as you think, is it?

So instead of feeling sorry for the Italians, I will bask in the glory of English club football!

re: Clueless Italian football hits rock bottom

Fletcher_Defender — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 14:00:44 GMT

i dont mean to rub salt into the wound, but i thought united and arsenal were terrible as well and still managed to progress.

re: Italian trio plot vanquishing of English from Europe

Suivaloom — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 03:01:48 GMT

"No you can't"

Er...sorry about that

re: Juventus KO puts spotlight on Roma and Inter

Fletcher_Defender — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 14:33:44 GMT

Juve were unlucky last night Riccardo, the last twenty mins was where they were goin to target Chelsea, and Chiellini put pay to that.

re: Jose starts swinging, leaving Serie A battered & bruised

murlan9 — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 12:39:00 GMT

thats what is so boring about italian football people are too nice and they wont havea bit of banter and mind games running like in england and a little in spain. They need to get with the times and start fighting and call names and even bring in Diouf to do a bit of spitting because other italy will end up with the states and being a nobodies league/retirement home

re: Jose starts swinging, leaving Serie A battered & bruised

Suivaloom — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 01:37:08 GMT

A loss to Man Utd - which looks likely - would be the beginning of the end for Mourinho in Italy. Especially when you consider the lurking Man City FC.

re: Big guns serve up Sunday night San Siro treat

Suivaloom — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 01:57:16 GMT

Riccardo Rossi once remarked a coach in Italy would be fired if he allowed his team to brainlessly throw away a 2-0 lead.

Seems to me tactics are increasingly being thrown out the window in the Italian Serie A and being replaced by the gung-ho madness of the Premier League of 4-5 years ago.

Is that a good or bad thing? I'll leave you to decide.

re: Knives out in Milan after Ancelotti's old men crumble

Fergal — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 00:35:13 GMT

Its really shocking to see a club of this size reduced to this. Some of the transfers over the last few years have been a joke. Here's the players I would ditch:

Dida,free Favalli,free maldini,retire senderos,go home oddo,free emerson,free beckham,hollywood ronaldinho,12m

A new squad:

Frey 9m--Abbiati--Kalac

Mattioni--Antonini

Zambrotta--Jankulovski

Nesta--Silva--Darmian

Zapata 11m--Bonera--Kaladze

Pirlo--Cigarini 7m

Gattuso--Song 4m

Flamini--Ambrosini--Cardaccio

Kaka--Gourcuff--Viudez

Pato--Borriello

Benzema 36m--Inzaghi--Paloschi

Yes I know there is no chance they would spend 36m on Benzema,but still it would be nice.

re: Inter hanging on after Jose gets it wrong

Suivaloom — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 18:28:30 GMT

I think Roma have an even smaller chance than Inter.

Daniele De Rossi is suspended, and likely Adebayor, Walcott and possibly Fabregas will be back for the second-leg. Roma play a counter-attacking style, but they need 2 goals to progress so will have to come out and play. This will prove fatal against Arsenal.

I predict 2-1 Arsenal.

Inter will lose 2-0 at Old Trafford, I don't care how much the press gush over Mourinho in almost erotic affection. Football is won on the field, and Inter's players lack character and spirit.

re: Inter hanging on after Jose gets it wrong

psdiggs — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 18:19:05 GMT

John O’Shea pedestrian? Thats harsh. He may not be the greatest but look at what he has won and who has been and gone for United while he has been at the club.

re: Inter hanging on after Jose gets it wrong

Gregg — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 17:27:15 GMT

Roma have been in decent enough form in Serie A in recent weeks. And with Totti and Vucinic back to full fitness, their fans would probably be quietly confident of a 2-0/3-1 win in a noisy Stadio Olimpico if things went their way.

Just ask Chelsea.

re: Inter hanging on after Jose gets it wrong

cesc007 — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:29:08 GMT

So Roma lost, failed to score an away goal, and face a team who seems to play better away from home in second leg. So why do they feel confident of progressing again?

re: Van Basten the man to take Milan back to the future

Joeninho — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 16:14:05 GMT

Ajax fan here, currently watching us barely keeping level with against what is basically the Dutch equivalent of Kettering Town. At Home. And this same team has already bumped us out of the Cup.

I'll pay for Marco's plane ticket if we can swap him with Ancelotti.

re: Van Basten the man to take Milan back to the future

philliptasker — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 14:44:29 GMT

Van Basten really??? All reports of his domestic performance with Ajax are of a horribly boring and largely ineffective team, 3rd to AZ and FC Twente, and only 3rd largely becuase other big teams are even worse. Bringing in Van Basten would be reminicent of the transfer policy that thought Lentini was worth 13 million over 15 years ago, basing a large investment on flashes of brilliance with no real evidence of consistent success.

If Milan were to turn the clock back, bring in someone who knows the club and can re-vitalise the squad with youth, then Frank Rijkaard is far better placed. It may have been an unglorious end, but his achievements at Barca infinitely outway Van Basten's to date.

If Milan

re: Cannavaro out! Pirlo out! Toni out! Italy need revolution

Suivaloom — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 01:46:59 GMT

This 'Lippi's great 31 unbeaten run with Italy' talk is a load of old malarky.

Firstly, that run of unbeaten games is two batches of games unbeaten stuck together

Secondly, a massive 13 of those 31 games have been draws.

Now, if you want to bemuse in wonderment at a real awe-inspiring run of undefeated games, look no further than Spain, who are unbeaten in 29, in which 26 have been wins and 3 - yes only 3 - have been draws.

Quite a bit better I think.

re: Pouting, poaching Pippo the key to Kaka conundrum

El Nino — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 23:13:48 GMT

Really looking forward to this, should be a decent game.

What's your prediction Riccardo?

re: Genoa on track to booking Champions League ticket

FourFourTwo Team — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 17:38:28 GMT

How right you are Grifone. Thanks for spotting it.

FFT.com

re: Genoa on track to booking Champions League ticket

Grifone — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 16:18:27 GMT

Vicenzia?

Eh? A new team?

Come on Four Four Two, you can do better than that. Might have expected a typo like that from The Sun or The Mirror, but you are supposed to be a knowledgable football magazine for Chris'sakes.

re: Galliani & Golden balls 'Working on a Dream'

Fergal — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 07:58:02 GMT

Its sad to see how far Italian teams have fallen in the transfer market,if not so on the pitch,when Beckham is seen as a dream signing.Is that the best Milan can do? I hear Miguel Veloso could be going to join nothing clubs in England soon.Are there no Italian teams in for this fine player,Milan included?

re: Sour puss Panucci bites the hand that feeds him... again

Fletcher_Defender — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 14:37:06 GMT

I know he has a bit of a whinge bag reputation, but have you thought that he might just want to play football and not be overlooked?

re: Feel good factor back in value for money Serie A

Armagh Andy — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 22:41:33 GMT

but is Beckham as in love with Milan as Milan are with him? it would be great to see him stay in Milan, playing in a great league for a great club. his talents are wasted in America, hope he does a kaka and chooses football over financial rewards.

re: Robin Hood of reffing ruins Inter - Roma Cup clash

CuchuForPresident — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 10:32:13 GMT

Inter and Roma where the finalists for the last four years.

Dear Riccardo ROssi having read quite a few of your posts i'm beginning to think AC Milan has already enough media on his side and your mediaset attitude is a little redundant.. it's too bad cos you really boast a witty yet competent writing..

ah, il piano di rinasita democratica..

re: What Milan might do with all that filthy lucre...

Armagh Andy — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 16:20:21 GMT

its interesting, that apart from the keeper, you aren't suggesting that Milan actually splash the cash but promote from within, which is of course the best way for the long term, and no big name replacement?

re: Milan should cash in as City come calling for Kaka

the_outsideruk — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 17:16:58 GMT

Cash-in ? NO WAY!

Simply put, kaka is milan! A milan team without kaka is a severely weak team. 'Dinho cant fill the void that would be left by Kaka. Look over the games 'Dinho has played for milan and you can see he lacks the ability to run into space or even beat his man.

The only person that could fill kaka's void is messi... and there is no chance barca would let him go.

The money being offered would be great... as we could invest into other players.... but whats the point in that.. when we would be losing a world class player.

Oh yea, we dont need to sell kaka to bring back gourcuff... we just have to hope that Bordeaux do not meet the release cause in his contract.

If we were really interested in a player like cigirani then we would hve got him this season... i mean he ended up at Atalanta hardly a team that is loaded with money. Zapata currently we could afford if wanted to... i mean we managed to sign 'dinho didnt we ?

re: Milan should cash in as City come calling for Kaka

Fergal — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 13:02:42 GMT

Couldn't agree more Riccardo. I don't think he will leave to join City as they cannot offer CL football for some time at least. However if they offer say,£70m then Milan should consider it.Whatever they do they MUST make sure that they fleece those clowns for every penny they can. Benzema,Frey,Clerc,Cigarini,Zapata and Mexes could all be signed with that money,plus Gourcuff back too. It would be interesting to see which Milan fans would pick: Kaka,or the players I've just listed. Its definitely the latter for me,despite the fact he is an outstanding player.

re: Ronaldinho rumpus the straw that could break Kaka's back

Fergal — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 08:42:28 GMT

I think Ronaldinho was purchased to sell more shirts to be honest.The signing of Beckham perhaps confirms this.However,if the signing of these two along with wasters like Senderos and possibly Pennant then I doubt a serious player like Kaka would be impressed with Milan.I think he could well leave in the next year or so. Still,if Milan can get 60million or so for him it would help them to shore up the rest of the ageing squad.

re: Cut-price Pennant appealing amid credit crunch

Fergal — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 08:29:55 GMT

Is this serious?.I mean,is this the best Milan can do?.

re: Ronaldinho rumpus the straw that could break Kaka's back

the_outsideruk — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:51:40 GMT

Simply put: Kaka is Milan. A milan starting line up without kaka is not the same. Even if 'dinho is at milan and seems to be getting all of the attention, kaka is still as important or even more important now.

We saw how effective 'dinho was on his own against palermo ?

You have to note that kaka wanted 'dinho here at milan, and it shows the intent to meet the same objectives.. win trophies and play good football.

re: Cool reaction to San Siro experience

Suivaloom — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 02:02:42 GMT

Chinese food is the best in the world

re: Hungry Italians ready for full English

Fergal — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 07:58:34 GMT

Interest wise,its a great draw.But as a fan of Italian football it could not be much harder than this.There is a real chance all 3 will get knocked out just as they were disposed of easily last year. I cant see Inter going through now,while Juve probably wont do it against Chelsea. As for Roma,I think its about 50-50 for them against a fine,if slightly over-rated Arsenal.Heres my predictions on agg.

Inter-United 2-4

Chelsea-Juventus 2-1

Villareal-Panath 3-1

Sporting-Bayern 2-3

A.Madrid-Porto 5-2

Lyon-Barcelona 4-6

Real-Liverpool 2-3

Arsenal-Roma 1-1(roma on away goals)

re: Milan begging for Beckham after trouncing in Turin

Fergal — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 09:22:58 GMT

I think Inter should sell Adriano. Hopefully Man City will be stupid enough to give them an inflated fee for him.Drogba to Inter is not something I'm too sure about though.Maybe he is past his best. Forget Drogba and get Benzema,who looks like a huge talent. As for Beckham,hopefullly Milan make some money from it and then send him home again. Its sad to see such a huge club reduced to signings like Beckham,Senderos and Shevchenko,even if they are only on loan.

re: Milan begging for Beckham after trouncing in Turin

Fletcher_Defender — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 09:28:07 GMT

i think and i hope Beckham will be a success in Italy, and hopefully move their permanent.

re: Ancelotti out to get even with Juventus

stejay — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 19:36:25 GMT

Great article. I think that the Serie A title will be going to the Rossoneri come the end of the season, unless Inter and Juve invest in some talented defenders. I would love the Viola to win the Scudetto, but that dream looks to be on hold for another season at least, but Champions League is very much possible.

re: Car doors & comedy defending leave Jose with a headache

Fergal — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 09:19:16 GMT

Its a big shock to see a team under Mourinho so poor at the back.As a fan of Italian teams I thought at the start of the season Inter had a decent chance of winning the CL this year but if they continue to use wasters like Burdisso then they will be hammered by the first English team they meet.Sell that clown to Middlesborough or Newcastle and get in a few real defenders in January.As for the other Italian sides I cant really see a winner with them either. Juve's squad is not good enough,with people getting too excited over a few wins over the circus from Madrid,while Roma will be found out before the final.Still,I hope I'm wrong. The UEFA cup seems like a much more plausible target with both Milan and Fiorentina well capable of winning a trophy the Italians have not claimed in 10 years.

re: How Mourinho won over the Italians

Fletcher_Defender — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 10:24:40 GMT

He had the same two systems at chelsea. after winning the league twice, he abandoned cole and robben in favour of more central players in ballack, essien, lampard and makelele.

i think the packed central midfield will work better in serie A than it did in England.

re: How Mourinho won over the Italians

kat — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 21:22:04 GMT

First you told us they loved him, then that they hated him, now they love him again, can't wait for the next twist...

The interesting thing to buck a stereotype is the total absence of him attacking refs. I remember him doing little else in England despite winning all the time. Strange as he's in the home of the reffing controversy.

re: Milan's missing men poop on Pompey's party

Fletcher_Defender — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 15:30:32 GMT

'brutally tickled under the chin by a Celtic fan'. made me chuckle that.

will still be a super result for portsmouth if they win, no matter what team Milan put out.

HSBGuzzler - im sure Riccardo will agree with this. i think he is just been a bit negative like we all are with our teams.

re: Milan's missing men poop on Pompey's party

HSBGuzzler — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 14:52:47 GMT

Your article completely contradicts a headline thats seems designed to spread negativity where none exists, and discredit Pompey's victory before we've even had the chance to beat them. Not impressed.

re: Who needs Capello! Lippi's Italy just don't know how to lose

princedadon — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 14:24:10 GMT

good for the italians but ireally love Del Peiro too much he is ma mentor please sent him to south Africa if u qualify. i like the god of roma too (francesco Totti)

re: The life and times (and conquests) of Bari bawler Cassano

Armagh Andy — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 13:43:01 GMT

its great in these days of over paid prima donna footballers at least one has managed to keep his feet on the ground.... o no wait he didn't!!!! LOL

re: Milanese unruffled by Beckham arrival

Fletcher_Defender — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 09:48:36 GMT

give me giggsy's career over beckhams any day. its not about money, you can only need so much.

re: Milanese unruffled by Beckham arrival

benfawkes — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 17:00:42 GMT

I'm pleased, the marketing chat is very true and does take the excitement off a little, but it would be fun to see him playing with Seedorf, Kaka and Pirlo and he might even feature in the UEFA cup. Fair play to him, that lad knows how to make money.

http://www.footballfilter.com

re: Milanese unruffled by Beckham arrival

Fletcher_Defender — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 13:22:59 GMT

I hope he does well and realises what a mistake he made moving to that third-rate hollywood outfit. On the advice of his showbiz wife.

re: Devilish Del Piero leading anti-Ranieri revolution

Giovanni — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 09:23:32 GMT

Fletcher- you are being far too nice! Ranieri is rubbish and Juve are going to draw with Napoli and get beat by Real Madrid and then he'll be on his horse by the end of the month. Look at what he could have achieved at chelsea? the way chelsea is run these days, even I could do well coaching them, but Raniera proves a flop everywhere he goes- maybe he should coach Bari or something.

Even though I am a Real Madrid supporter, my Grandad supported Juve to the ends of the earth and he'd be very dissapointed with current management if he were still alive. Come on Juve- pull up your socks!

re: Devilish Del Piero leading anti-Ranieri revolution

Fletcher_Defender — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 14:52:54 GMT

If i was the owner of a club, no offence to the man but Ranieri would not be managing it. He is probably the nicest man in football, but he isnt the best of managers.

re: Bright future on pitch marred by scenes off it

Fletcher_Defender — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 10:13:15 GMT

Nobody was more gutted than me to see Rossi leave, he has a very bright future and i hope he comes back one day. I feel he may end up in Serie A though.

re: Bright future on pitch marred by scenes off it

louis — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 19:21:44 GMT

Gotta say Riccardo, Ferguson rated Rossi extremely highly and he was offered a new contract on dramatically better wages. He wanted to leave for first team football and hence the buy-back clause that Ricochet mentioned(7mil I believe) - wouldn't be surprised to see him back at Old Trafford one day.

re: Bright future on pitch marred by scenes off it

ricochet — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 18:56:40 GMT

to be fair i think it was more that rossi wanted first team football, thats why there was a buy back clause added. it is about time though that italy started to take a proper look at their squad and start brining in more talented kids.

re: Milan's Samba skills leave Italian press purring

frela — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 15:51:29 GMT

Who is Eric Catania? Or did you mean Cantona?

re: Mourinho on form as Milan derby day looms

MadraMor — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 09:04:17 GMT

On form he sure is.... he even landed on the moon ahead of todays Chinese space walk....what a Champion! www.youtube.com/watch

re: Mourinho on form as Milan derby day looms

benfawkes — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 13:22:57 GMT

Zanetti seems to have been banging around for bloody years, fair play to him. Hearing Mourniho work his magic in Italy makes me miss his antics in the premiership, the UK Football Journalist really dont have anything to say when he's not around and the Guardian's reporting is even more average since his departure. I particularly enjoyed Jose's jibe about that Monk fella. Come back Jose!

http://www.footballfilter.com

re: Milan and Roma restore order ahead of midweek malaise

Ricardo Lozano — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 18:18:47 GMT

Ciao Ricardo!

Could this 9 year old be the next Kaka? AC Milan thinks so! Check out his videos. The kid is simply amazing! Enjoy!

Video 1. (Invitation to AC Milan)

mx.youtube.com/watch

Video 2. (Highligths of the kid's amazing moves)

mx.youtube.com/watch

Video 3. (He even plays indoor like an adult)

mx.youtube.com/watch

re: Lazio lovin' it atop the pile in Serie A

Fletcher_Defender — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 08:26:09 GMT

Ronaldinho and Shevchenko was never going to work, it was obvious.

re: New Italy go gung-ho and Wenger targets a new diddyman

PrinceOfWhiteTower — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 20:28:45 GMT

4-3-3 fits with the current squad and with the forthcoming one. I am a bit sceptical though cause 4-3-3 isn't used in italy so much (just a notice, the majority of italian caped players belong to serie A teams). In the other hand lots of teams use just one classic striker, as in the 4-3-3. Roma and milan are the most bright examples. Its a good thing that new things are getting tested but unfortunately in the expense of some point-cost games.

re: Spalletti takes a spanking after just one game

Fletcher_Defender — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:21:52 GMT

how can anyone knock spalletti? a credit to the game in my opinion, as well as a superb manager. success in the champs league took alex ferguson years, people need to be patient.

re: Spalletti takes a spanking after just one game

PrinceOfWhiteTower — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 11:11:14 GMT

Many people bet for zenit or roma to do the surprise in the CL. And while roma has done well the last years, they have a major disadvantage. Their base is the frenzy form of some key player, for example vucinic's form the last season or Giuli's before. However to win trophies you need consistency from all the players. This is the key point for roma to take.

re: Fiery Napoli fans send Serie A back to square one

Fletcher_Defender — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 13:02:19 GMT

good blog. in the youtube napoli video, it looks like more than 2000 made the trip though.

re: Never fear, real grown-up Serie A is here

pawlu — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 07:02:53 GMT

Shouldn't that final sentence be "and one day we might even be rich again"?

There are plenty of potential stars to look out for such as Inter's Balotelli and even Roma's Okaka. On the whole, however, Fiorentina really do look to have a balanced side. Are they the new Roma?

Thankfully the dispute between the Lega calcio and RAI has been solved so we will be able to watch the highlights of the games.

Anyway, I've written a team-by-team preview for the Serie A on my own blog www.ilrecalcio.blogspot.com. Take a look and leave a comment.

re: Juventus outcast Tiago just won't take the hint

Giovanni — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 06:51:55 GMT

Poor Juventus... they have nobody to blame but themselves. They should know better to fork out 10mil plus on a mediocre player... poor Juve (oh wait they just did it again with Momo Sissoko- think they need to transfer their transfer guru- the only good thing he has done all summer long is bring in Amauri

re: Juventus outcast Tiago just won't take the hint

BigWelshDefender — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:26:15 GMT

Just thinking about a centre midfield combo of Tiago and Maniche at Atletico is enough to make a grown man cry!!! What must is be like to be a Rojiblancos fan i don't know... This reminds me of Winston Bogarde who was so annoyed at the way Chelsea treated him that he refused to leave until his contract ran out...they dumped him in the reserves and I even think he ended up playing with the youth team but he still got his several million quid a year. 2013 though...long time to wait!

re: Silvio, Sheva, Roman, Kaka and... Jordan?!

BigWelshDefender — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 23:21:30 GMT

Oh well...at leeast they have balanced the quality of their strike force with the bizarre signing of Phillipe "Swiss Titus Bramble" Senderos...

re: Senderos to Juve, Mourinho gears up, Sheva plays golf

Giovanni — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 08:04:12 GMT

The only league that would suit Senderos's style is the Colombian 2nd division and maybe the island of Malta's 1st division..maybe

re: Senderos to Juve, Mourinho gears up, Sheva plays golf

Fletcher_Defender — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 13:11:47 GMT

i accept what benfawkes is saying, but i think italian football would suit his game more. a bit like it did with materazzi.

re: Senderos to Juve, Mourinho gears up, Sheva plays golf

benfawkes — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 12:10:21 GMT

Senderos is rubbish, I don't understand why anyone would be interested in him.

re: Nice setting for Lippi's Italy Mark II debut

Armagh Andy — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:43:28 GMT

"unwilling to track back as the coach insinuated when he drew comparisons with Italian frontmen and Wayne Rooney."

whats this about Rooney not tracking back has he ever seen him play, fergie was trying to stop him tracking back so much, so he didn't wear himself out!!!

re: Juventus back in Europe with a bang

Giovanni — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 07:18:59 GMT

yet they just lost 4-1 to Milan..

re: Reborn Gilardino ready to fire for Fiorentina

benfawkes — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 19:38:39 GMT

Glad to see he has move don Milan seem to be slowly crumbling so although Milan may see his departure as no loss, I feel Alberto will feel the same.Lets hope Kaka feels the same and heads of to Chelsea,woop woop!

http://www.footballfilter.com

re: Chelsea courting of Kaka rocks Milan's boat

Armagh Andy — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 17:21:13 GMT

don't know what's more embarrassing as a milan fan, getting hammered by chelsea, losing to a below par man city team or the sight of Ancelotti and Tassotti dressed in dodgy looking bomber jackets and looking like bad Max and Paddy extras!! this from the capital of fashion

re: Chelsea's courting of Kaka continues to rock Milan's boat

benfawkes — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 13:29:35 GMT

Any chance if Chelsea do buy him that he could Shevchecko 2.0? This knee of his - how bad is it? To be fair tho, he is absolute class and would be amazing, the supposed 78 million is absolute ridiculous money.

http://www.footballfilter.com

The dahsboard to the best football sources in one place - articles, news, images, vids, podcasts, blogs....

re: Italy Olympians set for gold medal assault

Armagh Andy — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 18:16:37 GMT

after today's game Giovinco certainly looks the part, it will be interesting to see if he gets a chance at Juve this season, the big clubs have such huge, established squads its hard to see young player coming through.

re: Not all plain sailing on the good ship Mourinho

Armagh Andy — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 11:55:33 GMT

what is it with the milan teams? inter have no defenders left and milan have no strikers! thats what happens when the chairman buys the players and the managers don't get a say in the matter!! funny how then its always the managers fault when the teams crap!

re: Not all plain sailing on the good ship Mourinho

Giovanni — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:25:12 GMT

Mourinho is solid. thats my only comment, he sets up a team by set functionality (4-3-3) that he takes from club to club much like Capello does with his Central defensive mid double pivot. Neither of them know how to make championship winning teams that will go down in history as great champions but they make champions none the less. They would not be capable of making teams that would win competitions as emphatically as Ferguson's ManU final win over Bayern; or del Bosque's Real Madrid win over Leverkusen; or Benitez's Liverpool triumph over Ac Milan.

They are however considered to be some of the greatest managers the game has ever seen. Mourinho will bring results to Inter, probably 2nd in Serie A; winners of Coppa Italia and a CL semi final but dont expect more than that in his first season.

re: Milan collectively whoops after bagging dirt cheap Dinho

BigWelshDefender — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 13:00:42 GMT

"a toothy Brazilian dressed in Snoop Dogg’s castoffs"

Hahahahahahaha...He looked like a latin version of Ali G.

re: Serie A's legends of the fall begin to fade away

danielscunny — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 19:21:25 GMT

hey SerieArrgghh, Argy Bargy here - did you hear anything about Argentine players in Italy on fake passports? There should be a blog up tomorrow but would be interesting to hear what the Italian press make of it - the report I read implies the clubs.

re: Serie A's legends of the fall begin to fade away

kat — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 17:15:30 GMT

"Serie A has rightly been labelled the home of divers, con-merchants and all sorts of miscreant behaviour"

I'm surprised you say that. More than South America?

I think the Premiership is as bad as anywhere for that now.

re: Can Lamps light up Italian football?

Ireland1England0 — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 11:12:13 GMT

Comparing Lampard and Deco doesn't work for me. Lampard gets a lot more goals than Deco because he shoots within 40 yards of the goal, rather than passing the ball to a team-mate in a better position (and sometimes they come off for him!). Deco's is less selfish, but can be slightly over-elaborate.

re: Can Lamps light up Italian football?

Armagh Andy — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 16:21:16 GMT

what is it with Italian clubs buying over priced, over hyped foreigners, rather than getting the best Italian players into their sides, they're world champs for goodness sake there must be a couple that are half decent!!! Inter, Roma and milan have some of the best Italian youngster on their books, its no wonder the epl clubs are snapping them up 'cause they know they'll never get a chance in serie A

re: Can Lamps light up Italian football?

JimG — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 20:03:15 GMT

Oh come on! Lampard or Deco? Anyone who has seen Chelsea and Barcelona play in the last two seasons will know that Lamps is a much more effective midfielder than Deco. If you doubt this have a look the number of goals Lampard averages a season compared with Deco. If you need further proof consider Laporte's delight at unloading Deco and compate it with Abramovich's reluctance to let lampard leave.

As a Seria A fan living in the UK I would love to see Lampard sign for Inter as this might increase coverage of Italian football on our screens and possibly even encorage the likes of Sky or Channel 4 to cover a live game each weekend. How about Marcotti and Lamps being the new James Richardson and Gazza?

re: Old Lady nearing end of long road to redemption

BigWelshDefender — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 23:15:35 GMT

hahahahaha...ah christian poulsen.

re: More murky goings on in Italian football

BigWelshDefender — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 23:10:48 GMT

Cheaters never prosper is probably the most apt phrase after reading that!

re: Can Lamps light up Italian football?

BigWelshDefender — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 23:06:17 GMT

To be honest I think i would rather Paul Ince as he is now to Lampard - another example of an overrated player because he is English. Something that Nerazzurri fans just won't care about!

re: Can Lamps light up Italian football?

spursforever99 — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 21:53:50 GMT

He will not be as good as he is now.Although he will be reunited with Jose, he does not have the potential to suceed playing Inter's game and style. But, that's my opinion

re: Can Lamps light up Italian football?

Midgads — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 20:10:55 GMT

Perhaps Inter supporters DO know about Lampard, and that's why they're apathetic about his joining. He's not a player who is going to dramatically improve any club he joins; look at his (low) pricetag. Mourinho probably has it in for his former boss, and if he can get Lampard on the cheap, it'll be nothing more than a small personal victory and may actually improve Chelsea in the process by not having him in the first XI...

re: Old Lady nearing end of long road to redemption

veltrosa — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 15:00:53 GMT

interesting reading whitty. who's gonna win it next year?

re: Old Lady nearing end of long road to redemption

Armagh Andy — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 11:01:38 GMT

Nice one mucker,

still after a couple of years the whole scandal still stinks and I'm still not convinced that it has fixed the problem. It has damaged italy's footballing image and status in the game and for what? Do they really think that it has stopped? juve where scape goats, yes they did wrong, but its a fair guess they weren't and aren't the only ones!

re: Donadoni's men disrupted by strippers and nutella

pawlu — Fri, 30 May 2008 13:54:43 GMT

Erm, shouldn't that be 'uncollected refuse' rather than 'uncollected refugee'.

www.ilrecalcio.blogspot.com

re: Donadoni's men disrupted by strippers and nutella

Socrates — Thu, 29 May 2008 23:13:52 GMT

The joys of being an Italian footballer...

re: Exit the Moody One... enter the Special One

Socrates — Thu, 29 May 2008 01:39:02 GMT

Well, don't expect Jose to be best buddies with all those players.

re: The 2007/08 Serie Aaaaargh! awards go to...

Hanno — Tue, 27 May 2008 10:42:12 GMT

Why did that not come up?

re: The 2007/08 Serie Aaaaargh! awards go to...

Hanno — Tue, 27 May 2008 10:41:24 GMT

I totally agree with the award for the worst player of the season.

He is a massive hack.

I was watching live when he missed that penalty, funniest *** ever.

re: Stadio Olimpico fitting setting for Mancini swansong

Socrates — Sun, 25 May 2008 19:57:39 GMT

Nice to go out with a defeat...

re: Serie A showdown something of a damp squib

gilbertdinho — Tue, 20 May 2008 19:10:47 GMT

Inter winning lo scudetto, Milan finishing 5th. Worse feeling than blowing a three goal lead in Istanbul!

re: Amauri ready to send Del Boy to scrapheap

cambiasso — Tue, 20 May 2008 17:15:03 GMT

Beautiful it's a great bargain for a guy who has been lost.

re: Who's the daddy? Inzaghi's still the daddy!

CajunMilanista — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:28:23 GMT

Go Pippo! You are truly a succes story proving that heart and hard work can make dreams come true.

re: Inter implosion leaves party planners stewing

pawlu — Tue, 06 May 2008 17:03:53 GMT

A win would still give Inter the title because they've done better than Roma in direct encounters. It would have been nice for them to beat Milan but effectively it doesn't really matter a bit.

www.ilrecalcio.blogspot.com

re: All other derbies pale in comparison to Milan vs Inter

danielscunny — Fri, 02 May 2008 18:13:46 GMT

Whoa - fighting talk from Italy - As Argentina 's Argy Bargy correspondent I would have to disagree (just cos its fun). But it is also derby weekend here, and even my mum's dog knows this is the biggest game ever. Fireworks, friendly banter (lie), party atmosphere and a city of 14 million people coming to an utter standstill unlike at any other time of the year. Inter - Milan. Pah. Might be the mother country of Argentines, but they've taken it and multiplied it by ten.

...Or maybe not.

re: Totti tirade makes Mancini spit his dummy

benfawkes — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 11:25:30 GMT

Roma seem to making a name for themselves as little whiny bitches. This is based purely on the slagging off of Ronaldo and Totti's bad behavior tho.

http://www.footballfilter.com

re: Ronaldinho for €17m? AC Milan need a defence

Footballer — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 04:13:09 GMT

Ronaldinho is not at the top of his game... As the crack slows down tremendously he will disappear from the world of football by the end of next year...

Footballerworld.blogspot.com

re: Ronaldinho for €17m? AC Milan need a defence

pawlu — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 09:52:16 GMT

Milan, or rather Silvio Berlusconi, need to be seen talking to 'huge' stars like Ronaldinho because that is the best way to boost popularity which, in an election run-up, is all that they are interested in.

www.ilrecalcio.blogspot.com

re: Inter implode, Roma rev up for the title

pawlu — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:16:31 GMT

The thing is, Mancini increasingly likes to surround himself with veteran / experienced players. If they were clear of the rest like last season then this causes no problemb but, given that Roma don't seem to be giving up, it puts the pressure on them to keep performing every week and that is something they're finding very diffcult.

www.ilrecalcio.blogspot.com

re: Get ready for 'The Derby of Italy'

Leon ZHU — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 03:58:33 GMT

yeah ,you are right !

more love ,more beautiful in the soccor game!

rome is a wonderful sity ,and hve two great teams!

re: Mancini quits: but will Mourinho or Benitez step in?

pawlu — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 10:54:16 GMT

Mancini probably realised that he would never be appreciated at Inter. That said, he was a regular at the club's youth games which is not what someone who is only thinking about the short term would do.

www.ilrecalcio.blogspot.com

re: Mancini quits: but will Mourinho or Benitez step in?

pawlu — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 10:51:45 GMT

Whatever he does, Mancin

re: What Jose does next

Panz — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 16:54:26 GMT

I think you're right with the last line except I'm not so sure it is Barca he is holding out for.

As you say Juventus is a bit too ambitious for him. Inter will be safe with Mancini for a little while yet and the AC Milan project will be too huge. It would take more than 3 years to successfully replace the old guard with youth at Milan, and I think this is longer than the time scale he is looking for in his next project.

re: "The real Galacticos are the Giallorossi"

El Nino — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 10:04:30 GMT

Just wondered, is there a like highlights show of Italian football in the UK on any channel?

I know Sky have La Liga rights, and Setanta show near enough every league in the world except Italy, but is there any show relating to Italian football?

I know Channel 5 show matches every Sunday, but not a highlights show to my knowledge..

re: Arsenal: the Italian view

gilbertdinho — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 20:10:48 GMT

One game does not signal the end of a great team. With a new manager coming in the summer, Milan still have a team good enough to win trophies, although consistancy at home in Italy has to be a priority. Lets start at the back. The goalkeepers (Kalac and Dida) are not the greatest but they are satisfactory and have both at times kept Milan in certain games. The full backs are fine and Nesta is world class. Kakladze is a quality defender and with one/two more defenders to come in the summer, Milan will continue to be as tight as ever. Rememer, conceding goals is not their problem. The reason Milan lost to Arsenal was because their midfield had a rare poor game. Pirlo is still probably the best passer of the ball in Europe (you do not lose this ability overnight) and Gattuso is a good foil for him. Seedorf and Kaka are key but Ambrosini probably isn't the greatest player that could play in that position so another solid midfielder would not go amiss. Up front Pato is top draw and showed glimpses of what he could do against Arsenal. Once this boy settles in he will have no problems cutting teams apart and scoring goals. Gilardino, Inzaghi and Paloschi are good back ups but I am led to beleive that either Drogba or a rejuvinated Adriano will lead the line next summer, we shall see. Milan are a great side with great players who just did not perform on the night and no-one said that this team was passed it when they lifted the Champions League last summer. As they say, form is temporary, class is perminant.

re: Inter prepare to end their Scouse love-in

Snyde — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 06:34:12 GMT

Italy got the toughest of opponents. I hope but doubt that Roma can do in Madrid. The rest are tough to call, some may say inter will have a walkover but overconfidence will be Inter's bane if they go with that mentality. Keeping it tight at the back should be Inter's priority, apart from shutting Torres and Gerrard down. Same with Milan, a 4-0 defeat to ManU only means lower confidence and determination to strike back for Arsenal.

re: Donadoni right to snub Del Piero's desperate lobbying

unabomber08 — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 14:07:27 GMT

ok..riccardo rossi, read this and read it good. i dont know who you are, i dont know if u have any qualification to judge the way u do or to assess and analyse football with a descent and proper perspective. ur comments on cassano are aight, i give u that. but lets get to ludicrous comments u made bout delpiero, shall we? first of all, how dare u compare his situation to beckhams, delboy is playing, week in week out, in one of the best leagues in the world and not in some random league (MLS) or just keeping fit by training with the reserve of the french squad...eh sorry...i meant arsenal of course (that is a different topic, innit).

donadoni shoudnt be smartin over delpieros comments, to play him up front instead of a left winger. he should acknowledge it, coz there is no point critizising delpiero for playing *** when he plays outta position. ask buffon to play as forward, well see how good he plays then!

plus, dont tell me that dinatale, quagliarella or palladino are betta than delpiero, if u do that, u really have no clue what ure talkin about.

also, delpiero didnt only play well against livorno and palermo. he played well during most of the season and he doesnt stop scoring. people have been sayin hes finished since 1999...but he keeps on scoring like there is no tomorrow and hes still 5th in the champions league all timescorer history (despite not playin there for 2 years now).

i tell u what, instead of u givin shitty advices and give u one myself: why dont u retire...from ur job!?