‘Serie A’ Category
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Don’t Merely Blame Claudio Ranieri For Inter Milan’s Failures
0March 26, 2012 by Jeremy Lim | Italian Football Editor
Unfortunate Inter Milan tactician Claudio Ranieri has constantly fallen under the curse of working under club owners who expect miraculously optimistic, even hopeful, results that exceed the means of the team he has been handed the reins to.
Beleaguered Inter Milan Manager Claudio Ranieri.
His struggles with Inter Milan are well documented. Despite leading his side to seven straight consecutive Serie A victories after first succeeding incumbent Gian Piero Gasperini, Ranieri is now a victim of his own success as he stares at the possibility of the sack after losing 2-0 away to Juventus in the Derby d’Italia.
Category Serie A | Tags: branca, crisis, derby d'italia, eto'o, guardiola, inter milan, Jeremy Lim, juventus 2 inter 0, moratti, motta
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The 2011-2012 Juventus Season: From the Rear-view Mirror to the Bumpy Road Ahead
1March 22, 2012 by Matteo Roberts
Having finished the past two seasons in 7th place, Juventus’ 2011-12 campaign was greeted with humble expectations. With a new stadium and a new coach in Antonio Conte, the Agnelli family was ready to bring back the winning mentality to the club. The arrival of Conte brought a new playing philosophy which focused on possession, pressing and high octane football, as Del Neri’s 4-4-2 was replaced by (what some refer to as) a 4-2-4. The beginning of the year saw the likes of Zdeněk Grygera, Felipe Melo, Mohammed Sissoko and Alberto Aquilani leave Torino, as the starting 11 was totally revamped to fit Conte’s system thanks to some key signings by Director General Giuseppe Marotta. The right-back position, previously occupied by Grygera (and at times a shaky 19 year old Frederik Sørensen with the occasional Marco Motta appearance), was solidified by signing the hard working Stephan Lichtsteiner from Lazio. Fan outcast and former Bidone D’oro winner (given to the worst player in the Serie A) Felipe Melo was replaced by the more versatile and temperamentally stable Arturo Vidal. However, without a doubt, the most impressive signing of the summer was the free transfer of AC Milan playmaker Andrea Pirlo, who has made sure that Aquilani will be quickly forgotten at the Old Lady. The World Cup winner has been orchestrating virtually every attacking move and is the beating heart of this revamped Juventus side. The right-back position now presents a counterattacking option, as Lichtsteiner offers pace down the right flank, while Vidal has become the modern holding midfielder that many expected Melo to be, the perfect foil for the regista Pirlo. Whether playing the 4-2-4 or 4-3-3 (which includes fan favorite Claudio Marchisio), the Juventus midfield has arguably become one of the best in Europe and has proved to be the main reason for their success.
Category Serie A | Tags: caceres, conte, coppa italia, draw, juventus, Matteo Roberts, pirlo, season
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A Name to Remember
0March 17, 2012 by Sean Charles
Why aren’t the best Directors of Football more sought after? It is a question that has puzzled me for a number of years now. These are guys who can literally save a club millions and propel them in one continuous desired direction that does not depend on the vision of one single manager. Too often in football we hear of a manager being dismissed and players X, Y and Z quickly becoming entirely redundant under the replacement manager as they do not fit his system and as a consequence these unwanted players are sold at a reduced value. Almost everyday we hear of some manager aggressively trying to purchase a certain player. Rarely are there stories of a chairman relentlessly pursuing a Director of Football to steer his ship.
Category Serie A | Tags: directors, football, lazio, palermo, roma, sabatini, transfers
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Chelsea vs. Napoli: What to Expect in the Second Leg
0March 10, 2012 by Kyle Whitman
Having been soundly beaten 3-1 by Napoli in Italy under former manager Andre Villas-Boas, Chelsea will have to come back from a two-goal first leg deficit at Stamford Bridge under the stewardship of caretaker manager Roberto Di Matteo if they’re to have a shot at lifting the Champions League trophy so coveted by owner Roman Abramovich. It’s vital to understand how Napoli got their first leg lead and the tactical battles that may play out in the second leg at Stamford Bridge.
Category Serie A | Tags: AVB, cavani, chelsea, di matteo, Kyle Whitman, napoli, tactics, uefa
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The Deloitte Football Money League Inequality
0February 17, 2012 by Rami El Chamaa
The football money league is an analysis of the top football clubs financial performance which then leads to a ranking of those clubs based on their revenues generated.
According to the report, in the 2010/2011 season, the top 20 clubs generated a combined €4.4 billion in revenues, with Real Madrid and Barcelona leading the pack. Here are the 2010/2011 and 2009/10 rankings:
Category General, La Liga, Other Leagues, Premier League, Serie A | Tags: barcelona, football, football money league, real madrid, tv revenues
