So the new Serie A season is upon us once more. So far the typical clichés have proven to be incorrect. The age old stereotype of Italian defences being impenetrable was shattered with 37 goals being scored in the opening weekend. Much focus was placed upon Gian Piero Gasperini’s favoured 3-4-3 system and how this would allow Internazionale to regain their Serie A crown, from bitter city rivals AC Milan. A strained pre-season saw the “old-guard” handed new contracts, whilst [...]
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Udinese currently occupy the fourth position in Serie A, leading challengers Roma, by two points. If they stay in this position, they’ll qualify for next season’s Champion’s League; albeit in the preliminary qualifying round. This would be a remarkable success for a team, who are not regular features on Europe’s grandest stage. The club last appeared in the tournament in 05/06, after Luciano Spalletti had guided them to a remarkable fourth place. They qualified for the group stages by Sporting [...]
“Internazionale took the field this weekend fielding a familiar 4-2-3-1 formation. Giampaolo Pazzini was chosen to lead the line, with Samuel Eto’o and Philipe Coutinho forced out into the wider positions. Despite winning the game 3-1, Inter showed they still have flaws in their side. Top of the list, a distinct lack of width; this will be apparent to any fan of the team who has watched them over the last few seasons. Inter tend to follow a trend amongst [...]
Champions League final16 second leg, Bayern vs Internazionale Tuesday night sees German Champions, Bayern Munich, attempt to complete a second act of revenge upon their Italian rivals Inter Milan. The two giants face off in their second leg of the Champions League quarter final. Both teams have experienced differing form in recent weeks, with Bayern struggling to catch Dortmund in the Bundesliga and Inter chasing down city rivals AC Milan for the Serie A crown. Last weekend saw a change [...]
Internazionale were made to battle for a place in the semi finals of the Coppa Italia; they faced Napoli in the cauldron that is the San Paulo. Both teams fielded their strongest available line ups, with Inter deciding to pair new signing Ranocchia with Cordoba at the heart of their defence. But despite fielding such a strong team, Napoli were the better team. Controversy wasn’t far away from the game and in the 12th minute, Napoli thought they had taken [...]
Internazionale swept all before them at this year’s Oscar’s; and Il Principe, Diego Milito, finally got the recognition he so greatly deserves. These awards are particularly significant as they are voted for by the Serie A players. “Il Principe” won the best Foreign Player and also Player of the Year. This was a reward for a momentous year which saw the Argentine score vital goals for his team as they won the treble. Manager of the Year was only ever [...]
Much has been made of Internazionale’s performances this season; mixed results in Serie A and questionable performances in the Champions League have led to pressure being piled upon Rafael Benitez. Rumours of unrest amongst key players and on pitch bust-ups have provided a salvo of ammunition for the Media to fire at the Spaniard. Yet despite all this, are the European Champions really in that much of a crisis? And is Rafa Benitez really to blame? Taking over any job [...]
So it’s early days for Rafa Benitez’s side and yet his critics are already out to make life difficult for him. Internazionale have endured a mixed start to the season; they dominated Roma in the Italian Super Cup; lost to Atletico Madrid in the European Super Cup with an abject performance. Life in Serie A hasn’t been easy either, a goalless draw away to Bologna, was a precursor to 2-1 wins over Udinese and Palermo. Despite these wins, the Champions [...]
Europe’s elite gathered in Monaco over the past few days to witness the draw for football’s premier tournament and also the Continent’s top two teams battle it out for the European Super Cup. Fans travelled from Milan and Madrid to witness a special night when Internazionale took on Atletico Madrid. The venue for this classic was the Stade Louis II, the date Friday 27th August 2010; the managers Rafael Benitez and Quique Sanchez Flores. The two teams were set up [...]
Player Profile: McDonald Mariga Born: Nairobi, Kenya Date of Birth: 4/04/87 Position: Midfield Club: Internazionale Achievements: Serie A: 2009-10. Coppa Italia: 2010. UEFA Champions League: 2009-10 Bio It’s been a rapid rise for Kenya’s biggest football star. A youth career which saw him lift two National Championships for his school Kamukunji High School “Golden Boys” in 2002 and 2003, subsequently securing a move to Pipeline FC. Mariga moved to Sweden to play for Enköpings SK of the 3rd division in [...]
A new era has begun for the Azzurri under the stewardship of Cesare Prandelli. This is a time to forget the woes of Marcello Lippi’s unsuccessful reign and usher in a new generation of young hopefuls. A time to wipe away the tears caused by a team’s failure to justify their presence at the world’s biggest tournament. This is an opportunity to rebuild a nation’s pride, to restore their faith in something which had so disappointed before. So why then [...]
South Africa are set to play their second game of the World Cup and after excelling in the opening match; they are looking to claim a vital win which would further ignite football fever in the country. But Uruguay have a point to prove, they were poor against the French and after being labelled as tournament “dark-horses” they need to beat the Africans. So this game could be close, but both teams will be looking to attack. South Africa’s manager [...]
