As Roberto Di Matteo lifted the Champions League trophy with an endearing air of disbelief last night, he probably wasn’t thinking about the way he was contributing to the most successful season ever for Italian managers in European football. Italian … read more
Why Balotelli should definitely play at the Euros
Mario Balotelli has made countless headlines this season. Most of them have been related to his reported behaviour off the pitch, fictional or otherwise, and many have been about his ill discipline and poor attitude on it. One thing that … read more
Moratti should practise what he preaches
It is not surprising that only a day after Inter’s most disappointing season in recent memory, the Neroazzurri’s president is already talking about what the club will be doing to ensure a challenge for top honours next year. One of … read more
Are Juve right to lower Del Piero’s flag?
In Italy the football community has appropriated the word for flag to describe a player that has been taken to heart by a club and its fans. To become a ‘Bandiera’ players must be good enough for the fans to … read more
Arrivederci Europa
Milan’s defeat to Barcelona this week signaled the end of Serie A’s involvement in European competition for this term. At the end of a European season which had shown signs of a possible return of Italian football to the top … read more
Spalletti, Villas Boas, Zeman, Capello – The main thing is a commmitment to a project
It’s the day after Inter’s elimination from the Champions League and lots of people will be asking where Inter go now. Their recent form, culminating in yesterday’s elimination has meant that several high profile coaches have been accosted to the … read more
Why technology would be less beneficial than a culture of acceptance in Serie A
February and March have seen some high profile mistakes by referees in Italy and with Juventus entering a state of ‘silenzio stampa’ (officially refusing to talk to the press) in protest at the refereeing decisions in their 0-0 draw with … read more
Italian Football Dictionary: Ariete
‘Ariete’ literally means Ram in Italian. In football parlance it is used to describe a usuallly well built centre forward who uses his size and strength to bulldoze his way through the opponents defence. This style of player is also … read more
Inter: please stop panicking
After an impressive away win in Moscow in the group stages of this season’s Champions League, Claudio Ranieri was hailed as a saviour. An intelligent tactician who had used all of his experience to rescue the Neroazzurri from the plight … read more
Why Collina should make the rules
Following this weekend’s Rome derby, it was easy to see Luis Enrique’s frustration at the Roma goalkeeper’s sending off. “I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve this s**t” exclaimed the exasperated Roma head coach in his post match interview … read more