September 2011
25 posts
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Juventus v Milan: when Del Piero and Inzaghi...
They are two of the game’s great executioners. Their preferred methods of delivering the coup de grace could hardly be more different, but they share the same efficient outcome. Back in 1998 it was Fabio Capello’s Milan who were on the receiving end of a cold-blooded calcio killing.
If you want a masterclass in the respective abilities of Alessandro Del Piero and Filippo Inzaghi you...
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Doni's diamonds - how Atalanta made their...
Adversity, it seems, does something special to the Italian spirit. In 1982, the “worst Azzurri in history” brought back the World Cup. Twenty-four years later a nation tarred with the Calciopoli scandal repeated the feat. In between times, a 10-man Italy side saw off not one but two penalties in normal time to knock host nation Holland out of Euro 2000. Resilience - or sheer...
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Inter and Gian Piero Gasperini - a return to the...
Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them. Inter, at least the post-Calciopoli version, have found themselves in the last category. It sometimes looks like it scares the pants off them.
Even for a team which proudly boasts its crazy credentials in the club anthem, this has been a tempestuous time. The Nerazzurri hotseat has...
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Fiorentina versus Riccardo Montolivo - why nobody...
When a relationship turns sour it is rarely a comfortable thing. Awkward silences, accusing glances and bitter recrimination are usually the order of the day. And things are getting that kind of messy between Fiorentina and Riccardo Montolivo. This was the summer of the great transfer-that-never-was. The former Viola skipper let it be known that he would not be signing a new contract and wanted...
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James Richardson Spensley: How Genoa's hero fanned...
There is nothing quite like the atmosphere of an Italian bar on a Monday morning. The banter, bickering and bragging which follow a Serie A weekend are sometimes more of a spectacle than the matches themselves. It is a sort of public theatre where every local worthy knows the part they have to play. And they all owe a debt of gratitude to an English doctor who died nearly a century ago.
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Inter v Roma: When Lothar and the Prince fought...
It’s easy to think Calciopoli made them rivals but the truth is they clashed plenty of times in the past. Inter versus Roma has long been a classic of the Italian calendar. And few encounters carried greater weight than when European honours were on the line 20 years ago.
It was 8 May 1991 when the Nerazzurri and Giallorossi lined up at the San Siro to fight it out for the UEFA Cup. The...
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Serie A betting guide - using history to try to...
Mixed results, last week, for history’s efforts at picking football results. The real coupon-buster was Cagliari’s first away Serie A win over Roma in 43 years. Other forecasts, however, proved more fruitful - particularly Daniele Conti and Sebastiano Giovinco to score against their old clubs. Alessandro Diamanti hit the post.
One of this weekend’s big matches in Serie A sees...
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Barcelona v Milan - how Thiago Silva became Pippo...
The police regularly issue warnings to make sure your doors and windows are locked or you don’t leave valuable items on show in your car. The implication is that by failing to take a few simple precautions, you can be playing a part in your own downfall. Barcelona certainly paid the price for such an error last night.
Even without their pickpocket-in-chief, Pippo Inzaghi, Milan came away...
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Welcome back Serie A and thank you for the goals
If this was an apology, I am happy to accept it. After its stand-off strike which cost the viewing public the opening week of fixtures, Serie A got under way with a significant delay. Thankfully, it delivered a pyrotechnic package of performances.
On Friday night there was Milan, the reigning champions, knocked onto the ropes by Lazio but countering strongly to secure a draw. A day later,...
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Fiorentina v Bologna: When a lightweight delivered...
There are some players who seem destined to play out their career in a superstar role while others spend their days in almost complete obscurity. But a third group enjoy a brief explosion of form which eclipses everything else they achieve before or after. Anselmo Robbiati was that kind of player.
The 1996/97 season was possibly his finest hour. In a midtable Fiorentina side he chipped in 11...
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Serie A betting guide - using history to try to...
As a student of Serie A history, I have often wondered if I could put my knowledge to profitable use. Generally, I fail miserably every time I put pen to coupon. However, that won’t stop me from trying.
This weekend throws up a couple of Italian football classics in the shape of Milan v Lazio (on Friday night) and Fiorentina v Bologna (Sunday afternoon). Both games see the home side with...
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Calcio Italia magazine - is this the end, my...
It is not the News of the World but it is the news of MY world. The closure of publishers Faragher Jones leaves the fate of Calcio Italia magazine in the balance. For me, it feels a bit like a death in the family.
I was there at the very outset, back in the day when Gazza signed for Lazio and Channel 4 brought Serie A into homes across the UK with a scream of “Golazzo!”. What...
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How a lesser known Marco Tardelli goal helped me...
Not every child gets to see their father rolling around the living room floor with his two brothers. To the outsider, it might have looked like a fight that had got out of control as three grown men writhed around on the carpet. But what looked like aggression was actually ecstasy.
This was what growing up was like for me. There were not that many football games on television, even fewer...
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Faroe Islands v Italy: I guess that's why we call...
Some things, it seems, will never change. While other nations were thumping goals past lowly opposition across Europe, the Azzurri were limping past the Faroe Islands. Not even Cesare Prandelli, it would appear, can work miracles on the Italian mindset.
It seemed like the hard work had been done when Antonio Cassano gave Club Italia a deserved an early lead. Outsiders might have expected them...
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Faroe Islands v Italy: when a carpenter almost...
For Pippo Inzaghi there is no such thing as a worthless goal. Try telling him that a strike against lower level opposition is less valuable than one in a Champions League final and he would laugh in your face. One miserable day in Torshavn, the whole of Italy had cause to be grateful for his ruthless attitude.
Roberto Donadoni was trying to steer an edgy Azzurri outfit into a new era and...
