Like a bad James Bond movie, not that there have been many, the headline from La Gazzetta dello Sport reads, “Never say never” in reference to Ezequiel Lavezzi making the move to AC Milan. The PSG player flew into Milan Monday for shopping with a visit to restaurant Giannino and friend/owner Lorenzo Tonetti, “I came to find him.” Lavezzi has been clear for some time, “the two Milan teams would be good solutions and the charm of Inter Milan is […]
Barcelona advanced to the semi-finals of the Champions League after another draw with PSG meaning they progressed on the away goals rule. They join Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund in Friday’s draw. The big news before the game was that despite training with the squad the day before the match Lionel Messi was not fit enough to start so he was on the bench with Cesc Fabregas starting in his place. In a lively start to the game […]
Current Ligue Un leaders, Paris Saint-Germaine, host La Liga leaders, Barcelona, in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinal round on Tuesday evening at the Parc des Princes. This will be the toughest task yet for the Qatar-backed French side. Interestingly the game will have a distinct Serie A flavour to it with a number of the PSG players having played in Italy. Furthermore if we add their successful Italian coach, Carlo Ancelotti and their Sporting Director, Leonardo who […]
Every parent has probably felt this way on at least one Christmas morning. They wonder why they ever bothered purchasing such a lavish present for their child, when they seem happier playing with the packaging. In these times of austerity, Italian football fans might well have to satisfy themselves with such simpler pleasures. When Milan, once the pin-up boys for purchasing power, are selling their crown jewels it is clearly a watershed moment. The days when Serie A presidents were […]
The final game of the year in Italy didn’t play out as many had hoped. It was supposed to be a glorious send off for Alessandro Del Piero, but although Juventus tasted defeat, it does little to change the attitude towards ADP’s departure. In what was most likely Del Piero’s last game for Juventus, the Coppa Italia final went the way of their opponents from the south as Napoli prevailed 2-0. It may have been the constant partying following the […]
“I think that Napoli are superior to this Chelsea team, Mazzarri’s Napoli are doing better and they have all the cards in their favour to give the English trouble - even at home,” said former Napoli player Moreno Ferrario earlier this week. Whether this is true or not, this is probably not the attitude the Partenopei will want to take into their date with Chelsea at the Bridge tomorrow night. Admittedly, following their 3-1 defeat of the Londoners in the […]
A date with destiny for both Chelsea and Napoli, who will do battle at Stamford Bridge for a place in the last eight of the Champions League. In winter 1066 Harold Godwinson was thrust to the forefront and took the throne of Anglo-Saxon England after the death of his predecessor Edward the Confessor. His reign was rather short lived and he died in the Battle of Hastings later that year. Harold earned his place in history after a stunning battle […]
On Tuesday, Napoli host Chelsea in the Champions League Round of 16 — meaning it’s unlikely that this Napoli fan will sleep on Monday night. Chelsea may have hit a rough patch recently, but that’s no guarantee that things will go well at the San Paolo. The partenopei have, how shall I put this…they have a slight problem when they underestimate the strength of their opposition. Yet Chelsea did the double just two years ago, winning the Premier League and […]
Roma relieved all pressure on their previously under-fire boss Luis Enrique with a Sunday evening victory at Napoli’s San Paolo. Lining-up without regulars Miralem Pjanic, Fernando Gago and Simon Kjaer, the Giallorossi took the lead after just three minutes. Erik Lamela’s cross deflected off Salvatore Aronica and bounced over the line after striking ‘keeper Morgan De Sanctis’ arm: a freak goal, but one that gave Roma a dream start. The first half progressed at a frenetic pace with both sides […]
It was a mixed week for Serie A clubs competing in Europe’s top competition. An enthralling encounter with the world’s best side ended in disappointment for AC Milan, while city rivals Inter did just enough to earn qualification into the knockout stages with a draw in Turkey. But for calcio fanatics, the highlight of this week’s Champions League action came from a 2-1 contest at the Stadio San Paolo; at the expense of Manchester City no less. With two more […]
There are multiple story lines that could be woven into a discussion on Napoli’s win over Manchester City in the Champions League on Tuesday. The partenopei, an average club paying average wages to a relatively small squad, defeated the oil-sheik’s wealthy play toys. On a broader level, the team from the inferior Serie A beat the club from the best league in the world to take second place in Group A. And on a much narrower level, Edinson Cavani, who’d […]
by serieaweekly guest writer Matthew Coccoluto This Sunday will see Juventus travel to the San Paolo to take on Napoli and as always there are some interesting story lines coming into this matchup. Juventus are coming off a strong win against Inter last weekend and are hoping to remain the leagues only unbeaten team. Napoli on the other hand have hit a bit of a slump, winning only one game in their last four league matches. To add to Napoli’s […]
