Jump to May 19th. Real Madrid finally emerge from the shadow of Barcelona, completing the double taking home La Liga and the Champions League. Ronaldo scores a wonderful goal and is now considered the best in the world. Most suprising of all is the big smile on Jose Mourinho’s face. It was a great fantasy and before Wednesday’s match, it looked like a very real possibility. Unfortunately football can be as cruel as it can be glorious and Bayern Munich [...]
Two weeks ago I professed that Roma’s chances at third place were over and that it was Lazio’s to lose with Napoli the best odds at finishing third. I was wrong. Following the last two weeks of results, the race is still open with Lazio still in the driving seat, but not comfortably. With 5 games left, the third spot in the Champions League is still up for grabs. The current table has Lazio in third with 55 points. 3 [...]
The footballing world was rocked as 25-year-old Piermario Morosini collapsed on the field and was confirmed dead upon arrival to the hospital. Just weeks after Fabrice Muamba of Bolton suffered a similar situation, fans are once again reminded that football is just a game and there are more important things at play than just who puts the ball in the back of the net. While not the most well known player, his story is an inspiration and makes his death [...]
Hope may be lost for Roma. Another poor result this past weekend and Champions League football now appears to be an impossible dream. Luis Enrique’s men are currently 7 points back of city rivals Lazio for that third Champions League spot, and they have yet gone on a lengthy run of success, which does not bode well for the remaining 7 games. As Roma’s inconsistent season comes to the end, it seems the window for the third spot is now [...]
Roma’s American owner Thomas DiBenedetto came out a few weeks ago and discussed his dreams to bring an American player onto the squad. The tycoon sees the rapid rise of the sport within his homeland as an untapped resource. After signing a deal to use Disney’s Orlando facilities for the winter, an American player would further help enhance Roma’s popularity within the United States. There are a few names names that have been mentioned and not only would their American [...]
Then there was one. After the first set of games in the round of 16 it looked like Italy would have at least two, if not three teams in the quarterfinals. After Inter’s dismal showing against Marseille, and Chelsea’s comeback against Napoli, Milan remain the only Italian team in all of Europe. It didn’t get any easier for the peninsula as Milan were handed a big task. To make it to the semi-finals they first have to face Barcelona for [...]
There isn’t much that can be said about Marco Van Basten that hasn’t already been said. The man is a legend. If you were a kid in the early 1990′swatching Serie A, Van Basten is one of the first names that you would have beentaught. It is synonymous with greatness. A three time Ballon D’Or winner, Van Basten was part of Milan’s golden age. Marco Van Basten was brought to Milan from Ajax in 1987 and formed a partnership with [...]
Once again Roma and Lazio clashed in the capital and once again the match was filled with drama. A fierce and spirited rivalry, the game played out full of controversy. Two red cards were handed out as Lazio walked away the victor and secured their spot as kings of the capital for the 2011/2012 season. For the second time this season now have Lazio won the Rome derby but with the advantage of having one more player for most of [...]
Wednesday’s friendly between the United States and Italy sees Parma’s pint-sized playmaker Sebastian Giovinco partner up with Juventus striker Alessandro Matri in what could be a preview of great things to come. Giovinco, who is currently co-owned by Juve and Parma, is always a focus of transfer speculation and his return to Juventus continues to be talked about. If the two show an instant chemistry it may end all speculation about Giovinco’s future. There have been few players in recent [...]
During deadline day of the 2011 transfer window, Juventus went out and purchased Eljero Elia, a talented 24-year-old Dutch winger. Somewhat a controversial transfer, the Torino based club bought the player for 9 million Euros making him one of the more expensive signings of the summer and only 1 million less than the price paid for Stephen Lichtsteiner. However the Dutch youngster has had very little opportunity to step on the field, leaving many to wonder, where is Eljero Elia? [...]
In the modern game of football, 600,000 Euros is an extremely insignificant price to pay for a player. It is a low risk, high reward situation for the club. If the player ends up as a failure then the loss was very minimal. However if the player goes on to be a success, than it looks like a genius move. Andrea Barzagli came in during last season’s slump and has made the most of his opportunity at Juventus, becoming the [...]
It has been an up and down season for Juventus striker Alessandro Matri. There have been times where it seems that every time he touches the ball it ends up in the back of the net while at other times there have long absences of his name on the score sheet. When he is hot, he has been praised uncontrollably, even once being compared as the next David Trezeguet. However when he is in a slump, his critics are quick [...]
