There is no doubt about it – this Scudetto tastes the sweetest. Some were won in more convincing fashion and others (2001-02) were secured in more dramatic circumstances. Yet for pure emotion and its back-story, nothing can top the Scudetto success of 2011-12, the season Juventus returned to former glory. After the disappointment of the dropped points against Lecce in midweek, Juve knew they had to respond versus Cagliari and did so almost instantly with Mirko Vucinic on target. It [...]
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 [...]
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. [...]
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 [...]
With only four games left in the season, the teams at the bottom are making sure they are not in the drop zone come a month from now. Thus far only Cesena has been mathematically relegated thanks to their 1-0 defeat to Juventus on Wednesday. Novara will almost assuredly be the next team to be officially relegated, having to face Juventus at home on Sunday. So that leaves us with Lecce, who saw their six game undefeated streak come to [...]
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 [...]
Ahead of tomorrow night’s mouth-watering Champions League semi-final between Barcelona and Milan, former Rossoneri striker Marco Simone has claimed that, “Milan have 50 per cent chance to win the second leg against Barcelona in my opinion.” Simone would be right were the game to be decided by the flip of a coin. But, this is not how the winner will emerge. Rather, what the teams produce on the pitch is what will determine just who progresses to the semi-finals. And [...]
Three matches and three rivals vanquished (even if Adriano Galliani does not completely agree) – Juventus enjoyed a successful week which rejuvenated their Scudetto bid and saw them reach the Coppa Italia final. The week-capping victory over Inter made Juve forget the provincial struggles which has threatened to ensure a potentially unbeaten season likened more to Perugia 1978/79 than Milan 1991/92. It had appeared the January yips which were prevalent in recent campaigns made the shift to February following a [...]
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 [...]
One of the more intriguing battles in Serie A in recent years has often surrounded the fight for fourth place and a chance to play in the next season’s Champions League. Much of its intrigue stemmed from the fact that on some occasions, an unexpected team would occupy that coveted position by season’s end (see Sampdoria in 09/10 and Udinese last year). With Italy losing a Champions League spot, the battle is now centered on third place, and it is [...]
