Young Torino defender Angelo Ogbonna has been called up by Italy coach Cesare Prandelli for the friendly match against the Republic of Ireland on Tuesday, so we invited Rob Gillman (the excellent Torino Blogger) to tell us more. Whilst the match against Giovanni Trappatoni’s Irish side is only a friendly, and Ogbonna is by no means guaranteed to gain his first cap in the match, it certainly shows that Prandelli thinks highly of a player who has only played 23 Serie [...]

The Rosanero had been waiting for this week ever since the result procured by Palermo on April 20th against Milan in the Coppa Italia. With success in Serie A hard to come by, Delio Rossi and his men knew that the season would be defined by what they did in the Coppa. Prior to playing the second leg of the semifinal, Palermo had to play a largely meaningless game against the already relegated Bari side. Knowing that the return leg [...]

Napoli and Genoa enjoy one of the strongest friendships in Serie A. When both sides meet the tifosi from both sides are known for their hospitality towards each other, however it all started with a one of the more murky affairs in Calcio history. It was 1982, and the 30th and final game of the season. Napoli needed a point to qualify for the UEFA Cup. Genoa were in serious danger of relegation as AC Milan were beating Cesena 3-2. [...]

The boys do it again, another excellent team podcast. Word of the day is, condemned and condemned to what you ask? Why condemned to mediocrity as the Palermo defeat of Roma at the stadio Olimpico means there is even slimmer chance, with 5 matches to go, that Roma will qualify for Champions League next season. Julian takes the reigns of this episode and welcomes guest Lorenzo of the Palermo Offside to the show.  Roma of course remains a focal point, [...]

I remember the day in July 2010 when news broke that Napoli had agreed a deal to sign ‘Matador’. I was in shock. Why was I in shock over a player that never really stood out at Palermo despite scoring goals and having obvious talent? In all honesty I don’t know. I suppose It felt like Napoli were signing a ‘big’ player, the price tag (you could argue inflated at the time) and the way the deal was portrayed in [...]

It’s amazing what a little bit of rest can do. For Milan, it transformed a squad that was demoralized, tired, and out of ideas into a squad that was focused, determined, confident, and most of all, victorious. The most important derby since 2003 ended 3-0 in Milan’s favor, and if you believe in omens, the last time Milan had won both derbies in a season was in 2003/2004 when Milan last won the Scudetto. With seven games left to go, [...]

Prior to the Roma-Juventus tie the Curva Sud held 201 “Totti” banners aloft, one for each of the Captains Serie A goals

With most of the peninsula focused on the Milan derby this weekend with the front runners taking on their second place rivals for the Scudetto, it would be easy to forget about another derby taking place that is just as important for the parties involved. The Derby della Sicilia between Palermo and Catania is second to none in terms of rivalry and passion. While most of Serie A may focus on the more glamorous matchup between Milan and Inter, an entire island’s inhabitants [...]

With the new found optimism for Italy’s goalkeeping future beyond Gigi Buffon being highlighted yesterday,  Qasa Alom takes a moment to reflect on the strange and sad tale of Federico Marchetti. As another International break draws to an end, it seems that Cesare Prandelli’s new look youthful Italian national team have answered many questions and passed scrutiny with aplomb. Prior to the qualifier against Slovenia there was a vested interest in seeing how the former Fiorentina manager would address the [...]

Juventus striker Alessandro Matri scores on his debut v Ukraine - March 29 2011

Serie A Weekly is proud to present another episode of this beautifully written feature from well known and respected journalist Giancarlo Rinaldi. As the league takes a break to allow the National teams a turn we do the same as we look into the not-so-distant but oh-so-glorious past. We also take a break from the romance of the fixture itself to bring you Giancarlo’s personal memories of this great game How lucky Luca shot down my World Cup fears Superstition and pessimism have [...]