Luca Toni’s strike just before half time allowed Fiorentina to keep up their slim hopes of a Champions League spot this season, but also condemned his former side Palermo, to relegation. The veteran Italian, keen to impress on a rare start, came close in the opening stages as a Juan Cuadrado cross was pushed away from him. However the Sicilian side had chances of their own before the opening goal, with Ezequiel Munoz and Jasmin Kurtic both missing good opportunities. […]
Unbeaten during their triumphant 2011-12 Serie A campaign, can Antonio Conte’s men defend their crown as they also set their sights on making a positive return to the Champions League? What a difference a year makes. At the beginning of last season uncertainty hovered around Juventus. Antonio Conte had replaced Luigi Delneri and promising purchases were made, yet after a second successive seventh-placed finish in 2010-11, fans were just hoping for a Champions League return. Now Juventus goes into this […]
As we wave goodbye to another season of Serie A, Juventus can reminisce a wonderful campaign in which they claimed Scudetto glory and lost just once in all competitions. It may have ended on a sad note with the farewell of Alessandro Del Piero and the Coppa Italia final defeat to Napoli, but the work of Antonio Conte and all involved is to be commended. Never before had a side traversed the difficult 38-game path and made it to the […]
Juventus 2011-12 has etched its place in history. Just like Antonio Conte wanted, his side can only be matched but never surpassed. The Bianconeri completed a remarkable 38-game unbeaten season by conquering Atalanta 3-1 and then watched as outgoing captain Alessandro Del Piero lifted the Serie A trophy high into the Turin sky Having secured the Scudetto and record, Antonio Conte’s mind is now focused on completing the entire season unbeaten in the upcoming Coppa Italia final versus Napoli. However […]
It’s been three weeks of consistently talking about the third place in Serie A and now only one fixture remains. Before this weekend, it looked certain that Napoli would end up in the Champions League but after a horrendous loss at Bologna it is once again Udinese who are in the driver’s seat. Although Udinese sit in front, the other three teams are still nipping at their heels and one slip up could cause a complete reshuffling of the standings. […]
Douglas Maicon scored a sensational goal to secure a 4-2 victory for Internazionale over AC Milan in a thrilling Derby della Madonnina; in a game which also halted Milan’s attempt to retain their league crown. The Nerazzurri were forced to come from behind, after former player, Zlatan Ibrahimovic converted a penalty and scored a splendid second to grant AC Milan a 2-1 lead. A feisty affair occurred between the Milanese rivals tonight. Scudetto chasing AC Milan knew they had to […]
Juventus drew 1-1 with Lecce in Round 36 of Serie A to see their gap at the top reduced to just one point with two matches remaining. An awful Gianluigi Buffon error gave Andrea Bertolacci a simple goal with five minutes remaining, cancelling out an early opener from Claudio Marchisio. Paolo De Ceglie had to be substituted almost instantly with a muscular complaint and Martin Caceres came on in his place. In the eighth minute Andrea Pirlo sent in a […]
Only three games remain and the race for third only continues to get tighter. Last weekends result saw Napoli draw Roma, Udinese take 3 points from Lazio and Inter climb back with another win. Currently Napoli, Udinese, Lazio and Inter are all level with 55 points. As I said last week, this race has been completely unpredictable but with only three games, I believe this race is Napoli’s to lose. Napoli are currently sitting in third. They have a goal […]
As the Serie A once more draws to a close, many clubs are nearing the finish line in their respective races. Whether it’s Juventus or AC Milan striving for the Scudetto. Or Novara, Lecce, Genoa and Fiorentina battling to avoided dreaded relegation to Serie B. The most exciting race is that for third place; which will grant Champion’s League football to its respective winner. There are five sides competing in the race for Europe; each with their strengths and weaknesses. […]
Saturday 28th April Roma v Napoli The game of the weekend is between two teams of contrasting fortunes. Roma have lost their last two games, a heavy 4-0 loss to Juventus in Turin and a 2-1 home reverse to Fiorentina. Napoli on the other hand, have beaten strugglers Lecce and Novara to move up to fourth. A huge game in the battle for third place, a Napoli win would leave Luis Enrique’s side with only Europa League football to play […]
“Everybody talks about violence, but violence is another thing,” said Fabrizio Fileni, one of the ultras that brought a halt to Genoa’s home match with Siena over the weekend. It is remarkable, not only does he defend himself, but, that he actually remains convinced that his actions and those of his fellow Ultras were not violent. Let us recap then the supposedly ‘non-violent’ events at Stadio Luigi Ferraris on Sunday. Genoa - a team fighting for Serie A survival – […]
There was some idiotic scenes in the Genoa, as the home side -losing to Siena at the time -were demanded to take of their jerseys by their own ultras. The reasoning; according to this small minority of fans the players were not fit enough to wear the club’s colours. Marco Rossi, Genoa’s captain, ceded to their demands and went about collecting jerseys from his team-mates. This left Genoa Giandomenico Mesto in tears on the pitch. To their credit, at least […]
