“Gasperini is the coach who put me in most difficulty. I would change but he would adapt, time and again.” - Jose Mourinho Hastily made first impressions and endless weary comparisons. Everyone is constantly guilty of them and as football fans and observers become more judgemental than ever before, both are becoming increasingly more frequent. Small, inventive Argentinian striker? Label him the ‘new Maradona’. Tall, mobile French midfielder? Quick, compare him to Patrick Vieira. Young, articulate and successful Porto coach……..you [...]

Serie A Weekly readers have been able to choose their own Team of the Year, voting for players nominated by the writing and editing team. The team will line up 4-3-1-2, the most common used formation in Serie A in recent times. Last up for your selection are the strikers so read on as our writers give you their choice and tell you why. Please leave a comment and remember to vote for the two you want to see in [...]

At the end of a disappointing season this week has been a busy time for Juventus Director General Beppe Marotta who, after sacking coach Gigi Delneri has also seemingly sealed the arrival of club idol Antonio Conte to replace him. Yesterday the club announced, via their official website, the free transfer of Italian World Cup winner Andrea Pirlo who left Champions Milan last week. The statement revelaed he has signed a deal which will expire in June 2014, the length of [...]

As Massimiliano Allegri’s Milan captured lo Scudetto, it was certainly very different to the last Rossoneri side to win the same title back in 2004. The current team is epitomised by new faces; from the aggressive power of both Thiago Silva and Kevin-Prince Boateng, to the arrogant genius of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Antonio Cassano, there is a vibrant physical element that was never truly present in either Alberto Zaccheroni nor Carlo Ancelotti’s league winners. Last summer the squad had seemingly [...]

Decrepit or unsuitable stadia are major problem in Serie A, from the outdated Olimpico in Rome to the oversized San Nicola in Bari but most clubs have a plan - on paper at least - to move to a modern, purpose-built home. Many of these utopian ideals, such as the Cittadella Viola proposal by Fiorentina, are struggling to go ahead, whether through a lack of funding or assistance from local governments. In failing to secure any of the recent International [...]

In the summer of 2009 Juventus proudly unveiled their latest signing, the €25 million capture of Felipe Melo from Fiorentina. The Brazilian International was one of footballs hottest properties after an outstanding debut season in Serie A and an excellent Confederations Cup with Brazil. With Arsenal heavily interested in him it was seen as something of a coup by then Sporting Director Alessio Secco and that feeling only grew as Melo put in a number of great performances in the [...]

In late Autumn and early Winter Juventus strung together an unbeaten run that lasted eighteen games, a feat they managed playing a largely unchanged line-up and using the same formation every week. What began the season as Gigi Delneri’s favoured formation became very different, dropping the wing-based shape he utilised at Sampdoria and relying on eighteen year old defender Frederik Sørensen at right back due to injuries, poor form and suspensions. Ostensibly a central defender the Dane would be ineffective [...]

He says very little, outside of the bland metronomic answers we come to expect from men in his position so when Juventus Direttore Generale Beppe Marotta gave an honest and forthright interview with Corriere dello Sport, we should be all ears. The site purposely avoids transfer rumour and speculation but, much like this previous interview this seemed different from the outset. Here’s what he had to say; Marotta began by defending the work of his coach, Gigi Delneri “With the [...]

In the build up to Sunday nights Roma-Juventus game Gigi Buffon withdrew from the squad with a flu he developed overnight. Prior to this season that would have been cause for widespread panic in the Bianconeri ranks, seeing normally rational individuals reach for the holy water à la Giovanni Trappatoni. This year however, the reaction is very different and, while there is no way anyone can claim to replace Superman, la vecchia Signora certainly has discovered she has a more [...]

The Goalkeeper. Often an isolated figure on the field and undoubtedly a specialist position, so Serie A Weekly has drafted in a specialist writer to take a closer look. US journalist Danny Penza knows a thing or two about donning the gloves, and he gives us his opinion on some of the men doing the same in Italy’s top flight. For the past decade, when you think of Italy’s top dog between the posts, you think of Gianluigi Buffon. Nobody [...]

Here we go again with Serie A Weekly giving you a list of five stories to read this lunchtime that we have seen from around the web and enjoyed ourselves. Many of these will be about Italian football of course but there is always room for something different and those will be here too. Take a look at our recommendations, pass them on and be sure to leave a comment on these great articles. See you at the same time tomorrow for [...]

Simply put, when it comes to Juventus nobody does it better. His records may no longer stand, other players may have arrived and played more games, won more trophies and scored more goals, but Giampiero Boniperti was always so much more than merely a player. Picking up the baton left following the death of Valentino Mazzola at Superga, he was the golden boy of Italian football as the country rebuilt itself in the aftermath of World War II. He was [...]