[IT] Serie A 2005/06 (10 Viewers)
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Morfeo returns to the Tardini Tuesday 23 August, 2005
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Domenico Morfeo has returned to Parma with a new three-year contract after his loan spell from Inter expired.
The creative midfielder has been well-travelled in his career, wearing the jerseys of Atalanta, Fiorentina, Milan, Cagliari, Verona, Inter and Parma since making his Serie A debut in 1993.
Although still owned by the Nerazzurri, he had spent the last two seasons on loan at the Stadio Tardini and proved a fan favourite with some spectacular performances.
The 29-year-old has now made his rapport with Parma a permanent one with a new three-term contract for the club owned by former Real Madrid President Lorenzo Sanz.
Morfeo made 31 appearances for Parma last season, scoring eight goals and playing a key role in avoiding relegation.
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Domenico Morfeo has returned to Parma with a new three-year contract after his loan spell from Inter expired.
The creative midfielder has been well-travelled in his career, wearing the jerseys of Atalanta, Fiorentina, Milan, Cagliari, Verona, Inter and Parma since making his Serie A debut in 1993.
Although still owned by the Nerazzurri, he had spent the last two seasons on loan at the Stadio Tardini and proved a fan favourite with some spectacular performances.
The 29-year-old has now made his rapport with Parma a permanent one with a new three-term contract for the club owned by former Real Madrid President Lorenzo Sanz.
Morfeo made 31 appearances for Parma last season, scoring eight goals and playing a key role in avoiding relegation.
Siena swoop for Marazzina Tuesday 23 August, 2005
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Siena have significantly strengthened their attacking options with the capture of Massimo Marazzina on Tuesday.
The striker, capped three times by Italy, was available on a free transfer following the financial collapse of Torino this summer.
The 31-year-old will start training with his new colleagues on Wednesday once he passes his medical.
The Lodi-born player, who will now probably partner Enrico Chiesa in the Tuscan side, has signed a three-year contract.
Marazzina netted 16 goals in 41 appearances for Toro last season and was a major factor in their on-field promotion.
The former Sampdoria, Modena, Roma, Chievo Verona, Inter and Foggia player has netted 24 times in 123 top-flight games.
Meanwhile, the Lazio trio of Simone Inzaghi, Christian Manfredini and Roberto Muzzi are all being linked with a move to the new Torino.
It is understood that the capital trio will sign for the Stadio Delle Alpi outfit on one-year loan deals.
Elsewhere, Ascoli have netted defender Massimo Paci and midfielder Vittorio Tosto from Genoa.
source: channel4.com
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Siena have significantly strengthened their attacking options with the capture of Massimo Marazzina on Tuesday.
The striker, capped three times by Italy, was available on a free transfer following the financial collapse of Torino this summer.
The 31-year-old will start training with his new colleagues on Wednesday once he passes his medical.
The Lodi-born player, who will now probably partner Enrico Chiesa in the Tuscan side, has signed a three-year contract.
Marazzina netted 16 goals in 41 appearances for Toro last season and was a major factor in their on-field promotion.
The former Sampdoria, Modena, Roma, Chievo Verona, Inter and Foggia player has netted 24 times in 123 top-flight games.
Meanwhile, the Lazio trio of Simone Inzaghi, Christian Manfredini and Roberto Muzzi are all being linked with a move to the new Torino.
It is understood that the capital trio will sign for the Stadio Delle Alpi outfit on one-year loan deals.
Elsewhere, Ascoli have netted defender Massimo Paci and midfielder Vittorio Tosto from Genoa.
source: channel4.com
Recoba ‘blocks’ new striker arrival Wednesday 24 August, 2005
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Alvaro Recoba believes he can make an impact at Inter this season so long as the club don’t sign another striker.
The Uruguayan has developed into something of an enigma during his nine years at the San Siro, but is eager to finally deliver on a consistent basis.
"The only important thing this year is Inter, not Recoba," the Uruguayan told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
"I won’t cause any trouble if I’m left out of the team or after being substituted. I won’t question any of Roberto Mancini’s decisions.
"I will just work as hard as I can so that I make it tough for the Coach to leave me out of the side.
"We are breathing new air at Inter now as everyone is just thinking about what is best for the team.
"On paper, we seemed to have narrowed the gap between ourselves and Milan and Juventus. We’ll now see what the pitch says."
Recoba’s chances of featuring more often have improved following the summer departure of Christian Vieri to Milan.
However, there is talk that the Nerazzurri are still looking for a fifth striker to add to Recoba, Adriano, Obafemi Martins and Julio Cruz.
"I am convinced that four attackers are enough," the former Venezia man added. "I think that is the ideal number to keep motivation high."
source: channel4.com
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Alvaro Recoba believes he can make an impact at Inter this season so long as the club don’t sign another striker.
The Uruguayan has developed into something of an enigma during his nine years at the San Siro, but is eager to finally deliver on a consistent basis.
"The only important thing this year is Inter, not Recoba," the Uruguayan told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
"I won’t cause any trouble if I’m left out of the team or after being substituted. I won’t question any of Roberto Mancini’s decisions.
"I will just work as hard as I can so that I make it tough for the Coach to leave me out of the side.
"We are breathing new air at Inter now as everyone is just thinking about what is best for the team.
"On paper, we seemed to have narrowed the gap between ourselves and Milan and Juventus. We’ll now see what the pitch says."
Recoba’s chances of featuring more often have improved following the summer departure of Christian Vieri to Milan.
However, there is talk that the Nerazzurri are still looking for a fifth striker to add to Recoba, Adriano, Obafemi Martins and Julio Cruz.
"I am convinced that four attackers are enough," the former Venezia man added. "I think that is the ideal number to keep motivation high."
source: channel4.com
Phew! Can you believe we're close to the Serie A actually, definitely, really kicking off, after the horrible 'summer of sin' which dragged the name of football in the mud and football itself through an endless stream of tribunals, lawsuits and impossible logic, turning all of us into legal experts once again?
Carlo Ancelotti: The entertainer?
So, is the excitement of real football, not its political version, back? Well, Udinese's spirited win over Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday night, dodgy opening penalty and all, was a great curtain raiser, coming so close to the Serie A kick-off, but the free-flowing football witnessed that evening at the Stadio Friuli may not be duplicated by many throughout the top flight.
An abundance of great strikers in Serie A means Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti may have got it right when he said the team who will give up fewest goals will win it all, but may we add that avoiding defeat against lowly sides would also help? Juventus won the title last year despite losing to Reggina, Palermo, Sampdoria and Inter, and Milan themselves left all three points behind in places like Livorno and Siena and at home to Bologna.
It's also, of course, the campaign which will end with the World Cup in Germany and a lot of players will be worrying about earning a squad place for their national team and getting there with minimum damage, so some interesting scenarios may arise.
As for the favourites for the scudetto... did you expect anybody else than Juventus, Inter and Milan, perhaps in that order?
Juve may be dull to watch and Fabio Capello's recent assertion that he only gets fun out of winning, not of playing well, does not augur well in that respect, but the additions of Patrick Vieira and Adrian Mutu, and the increasing influence of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, last year's best signing in the Serie A, mean Juve have all they need to defend their title.
However, the claim made by one newspaper that Vieira, by playing well in preseason, has already fully justified the huge €20m plus fee Juve paid Arsenal for his services deserves to rank among the most outrageous of the summer so far, and that's saying a lot given the amount of drivel we've heard from the assortment of publicity-seeking lawyers, directors, judges and fans' representatives.
And watch out for the developments regarding Alex Del Piero, who seems to be stuck in an unwelcome role as a people's hero without a starting place.
Capello took him off 28 times last season but Del Piero still ended up being Juve's top scorer and his overhead-kick-cum-cross which allowed Trezeguet to head past Dida in the title decider in Milan stands out in the memory of many... but memories may be all we have of Del Piero, who does not seem to be able to hold down a place in Juve's best XI, not with Ibrahimovic and Trezeguet ahead of him and, as Capello added dryly this week, Alex himself maintains he's a striker and not a midfielder, as if to say he won't be deployed behind the striking duo as he did for Italy against the Republic of Ireland two weeks ago.
Juve may have a shortage of able-bodied defenders if one of the regulars goes down, and in midfield Vieira will be asked to provide a goal or two, as Juve have always received little in the way of scoring from that part of the pitch, unless you count Nedved.
Inter have looked great in the preaseason, and coach Roberto Mancini appears to have a better, more versatile squad than last year, not to mention previous seasons.
Del Piero: Rumours surround him.
One potentially unsettling situation is the one of goalkeeper, where incumbent Francesco Toldo, who's now used to hearing scepticism around him, seems to be losing out to Julio Cesar, the Brazilian who may staging a personal derby for the number one shirt in the next World Cup with crosstown rival Dida.
Midfield looks loaded with talent and substance, while Adriano and Martins form the perfect attacking partnership, backed up by Julio Cruz and owner Massimo Moratti's pet project, Alvaro Recoba, but the Nigerian's involvement in the African Cup next winter means Mancini may feel a little more secure with another addition.
One can just sense a different, better aura around the nerazzurri, who have famously been after a scudetto since 1989, but their reputation as underachievers is such that no one is actually going to believe they're serious title contenders until February comes along and they're still in the leading pack at the time.
As for Milan, Ancelotti has had to endure owner Silvio Berlusconi's jibes about his tactical choices, but that's nothing new and Ancelotti has apparently developed a thick skin and, better yet, a way of doing whatever he wants anyway.
His pre-season experiments have centered around the employment of a three-man defence which could help create and exploit better options on the flanks, where the only real options before had been reserve Serginho and the evergreen Cafu on the right.
Paolo Maldini has persistent knee pain and cannot be counted on for a full season - but wasn't he stylish picking up the green balls at the Champions League draw - and newcomer Marek Jankulovski, not surprisingly, is better going forward than defending.
The arrival of Gilardino and Vieri, the latter one of the summer's more surprising moves, means Shevchenko will have a new partner. With either of them on the pitch, for the first time in years Milan will have an old fashioned centre-forward so watch out for how Ancelotti pairs the Ukrainian with whoever will partner him - Shevchenko, by the way, has looked a bit uptight this summer, though his loyalty to Milan has apparently been strengthened by the club's decision to bring his father over to Italy for expensive medical care a few months ago.
And it also seems he asked Berlusconi to be his kid's godfather at his baptism next month, so there can't be too many bad vibes between them anyway.
Milan's top priority is to start brightly: they gained just one point from last season's opening two home matches, drawing with Livorno and losing to Messina, and that meant they immediately fell behind Juventus.
Gilardino and Vieri: Odd couple lining up to partner Shevchenko.
Once you get past the big three, anything goes, between a group of teams who will aim for a Champions League place.
Udinese will be expected to repeat despite losing coach Luciano Spalletti to Roma and Pizarro and Jankulovski to the Milano clubs: new coach Serse Cosmi, the hot-tempered man with the perennial baseball cap covering his balding head, missed out on a return to the Serie A with Genoa - he'd have left them anyway - and has a good squad led by international forwards Iaquinta and Di Natale, the latter a trickster supreme with the ball, likely to be used 'in the hole' supporting Iaquinta and Di Michele.
Fiorentina may be dark horses here: after a disappointing first season back and managerial upheavals, they went out and lured Cesare Prandelli out of the self-imposed sabbatical he'd taken last summer in order to be with his ailing wife.
Prandelli, who'd done well at Parma, has one of the Serie A's most intriguing sides from a tactical standpoint: his plans for a 4-3-3 means newcomer and striker supreme Luca Toni will be supported by talented but raw Bulgarian star Valery Bojinov and Dane Martin Jorgensen, who's trying to get over the fact he was valued at &euro:500 ($615) last June when Fiorentina and Udinese had to win the rights for his registration.
Stefano Fiore, another on the long list of Italian players who do not travel well, is back in his country after a lacklustre spell at Valencia and is expected to provide good distribution from midfield, and Prandelli will also be expected to get more out of a defence which last year was porous.
The arrivals of Pancaro, Gamberini, Pasqual (watch out for him on the left side) and of goalkeeper Frey, who'd been with Prandelli at Verona and Parma, may help, too.
Sampdoria, who just missed out on the last Champions League spot last year, will again be well coached in their 4-4-2 by Walter Novellino: despite 11 arrivals for a meagre outlay of a little over €300,000, the backbone is the same as last year's and the defence will again be expected to carry the team.
Palermo and Roma appear to be the remaining two contenders for the fourth Champions League spot, despite huge question marks hanging above both.
Cassano: Not a fans' favourite.
Palermo are now coached by Luigi Delneri, who mercifully took himself out of the Roma mess last year and brought his 4-4-2 and exciting wing play to the Pink Ones: 'I'm looking for the 55 goals my teams usually score' was Delneri's statement at the beginning of training camp, but top marksman Toni is gone and his replacements Caracciolo and Makinwa, a little and large combination, needs constant service from the said flanks, but schemer Corini will still be at the heart of Palermo's every move.
As for Roma, Spalletti has had them playing well in the pre-season, but unless the 'Cassano Code' is solved the giallorossi will be unsettled; the talented Italian international's contract is up in a few months, Roma have been trying to get his signature on a new one but they're also wary of the constant nuisance Cassano seems to be to everyone, although his team-mates have denied he's a distraction.
Not so Spalletti, who could do with his talent but is less than impressed with the impact he has on everyone around him, including referees.
Cassano was booed by the fans at Roma's only home match of the pre-season the other day, and this has stoked the fires of a rumoured, huge three-way trade which would send him to Juventus with Del Piero and Mutu joining Milan and Roma respectively. Sci-fi B movies from the Fifties had a more plausible script than that, but having seen Vieri join Milan we know anything can happen in the transfer market. So stay tuned.
And what about the no-hopers playing mainly to avoid relegation, you might say? Watch this space next week then. Some of them were admitted to the Serie A so late, because of the legal wrangles going on, that they barely had time to adapt their squads for the superior standard of competition they're now going to face, and this spells trouble.
Source
Carlo Ancelotti: The entertainer?
So, is the excitement of real football, not its political version, back? Well, Udinese's spirited win over Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday night, dodgy opening penalty and all, was a great curtain raiser, coming so close to the Serie A kick-off, but the free-flowing football witnessed that evening at the Stadio Friuli may not be duplicated by many throughout the top flight.
An abundance of great strikers in Serie A means Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti may have got it right when he said the team who will give up fewest goals will win it all, but may we add that avoiding defeat against lowly sides would also help? Juventus won the title last year despite losing to Reggina, Palermo, Sampdoria and Inter, and Milan themselves left all three points behind in places like Livorno and Siena and at home to Bologna.
It's also, of course, the campaign which will end with the World Cup in Germany and a lot of players will be worrying about earning a squad place for their national team and getting there with minimum damage, so some interesting scenarios may arise.
As for the favourites for the scudetto... did you expect anybody else than Juventus, Inter and Milan, perhaps in that order?
Juve may be dull to watch and Fabio Capello's recent assertion that he only gets fun out of winning, not of playing well, does not augur well in that respect, but the additions of Patrick Vieira and Adrian Mutu, and the increasing influence of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, last year's best signing in the Serie A, mean Juve have all they need to defend their title.
However, the claim made by one newspaper that Vieira, by playing well in preseason, has already fully justified the huge €20m plus fee Juve paid Arsenal for his services deserves to rank among the most outrageous of the summer so far, and that's saying a lot given the amount of drivel we've heard from the assortment of publicity-seeking lawyers, directors, judges and fans' representatives.
And watch out for the developments regarding Alex Del Piero, who seems to be stuck in an unwelcome role as a people's hero without a starting place.
Capello took him off 28 times last season but Del Piero still ended up being Juve's top scorer and his overhead-kick-cum-cross which allowed Trezeguet to head past Dida in the title decider in Milan stands out in the memory of many... but memories may be all we have of Del Piero, who does not seem to be able to hold down a place in Juve's best XI, not with Ibrahimovic and Trezeguet ahead of him and, as Capello added dryly this week, Alex himself maintains he's a striker and not a midfielder, as if to say he won't be deployed behind the striking duo as he did for Italy against the Republic of Ireland two weeks ago.
Juve may have a shortage of able-bodied defenders if one of the regulars goes down, and in midfield Vieira will be asked to provide a goal or two, as Juve have always received little in the way of scoring from that part of the pitch, unless you count Nedved.
Inter have looked great in the preaseason, and coach Roberto Mancini appears to have a better, more versatile squad than last year, not to mention previous seasons.
Del Piero: Rumours surround him.
One potentially unsettling situation is the one of goalkeeper, where incumbent Francesco Toldo, who's now used to hearing scepticism around him, seems to be losing out to Julio Cesar, the Brazilian who may staging a personal derby for the number one shirt in the next World Cup with crosstown rival Dida.
Midfield looks loaded with talent and substance, while Adriano and Martins form the perfect attacking partnership, backed up by Julio Cruz and owner Massimo Moratti's pet project, Alvaro Recoba, but the Nigerian's involvement in the African Cup next winter means Mancini may feel a little more secure with another addition.
One can just sense a different, better aura around the nerazzurri, who have famously been after a scudetto since 1989, but their reputation as underachievers is such that no one is actually going to believe they're serious title contenders until February comes along and they're still in the leading pack at the time.
As for Milan, Ancelotti has had to endure owner Silvio Berlusconi's jibes about his tactical choices, but that's nothing new and Ancelotti has apparently developed a thick skin and, better yet, a way of doing whatever he wants anyway.
His pre-season experiments have centered around the employment of a three-man defence which could help create and exploit better options on the flanks, where the only real options before had been reserve Serginho and the evergreen Cafu on the right.
Paolo Maldini has persistent knee pain and cannot be counted on for a full season - but wasn't he stylish picking up the green balls at the Champions League draw - and newcomer Marek Jankulovski, not surprisingly, is better going forward than defending.
The arrival of Gilardino and Vieri, the latter one of the summer's more surprising moves, means Shevchenko will have a new partner. With either of them on the pitch, for the first time in years Milan will have an old fashioned centre-forward so watch out for how Ancelotti pairs the Ukrainian with whoever will partner him - Shevchenko, by the way, has looked a bit uptight this summer, though his loyalty to Milan has apparently been strengthened by the club's decision to bring his father over to Italy for expensive medical care a few months ago.
And it also seems he asked Berlusconi to be his kid's godfather at his baptism next month, so there can't be too many bad vibes between them anyway.
Milan's top priority is to start brightly: they gained just one point from last season's opening two home matches, drawing with Livorno and losing to Messina, and that meant they immediately fell behind Juventus.
Gilardino and Vieri: Odd couple lining up to partner Shevchenko.
Once you get past the big three, anything goes, between a group of teams who will aim for a Champions League place.
Udinese will be expected to repeat despite losing coach Luciano Spalletti to Roma and Pizarro and Jankulovski to the Milano clubs: new coach Serse Cosmi, the hot-tempered man with the perennial baseball cap covering his balding head, missed out on a return to the Serie A with Genoa - he'd have left them anyway - and has a good squad led by international forwards Iaquinta and Di Natale, the latter a trickster supreme with the ball, likely to be used 'in the hole' supporting Iaquinta and Di Michele.
Fiorentina may be dark horses here: after a disappointing first season back and managerial upheavals, they went out and lured Cesare Prandelli out of the self-imposed sabbatical he'd taken last summer in order to be with his ailing wife.
Prandelli, who'd done well at Parma, has one of the Serie A's most intriguing sides from a tactical standpoint: his plans for a 4-3-3 means newcomer and striker supreme Luca Toni will be supported by talented but raw Bulgarian star Valery Bojinov and Dane Martin Jorgensen, who's trying to get over the fact he was valued at &euro:500 ($615) last June when Fiorentina and Udinese had to win the rights for his registration.
Stefano Fiore, another on the long list of Italian players who do not travel well, is back in his country after a lacklustre spell at Valencia and is expected to provide good distribution from midfield, and Prandelli will also be expected to get more out of a defence which last year was porous.
The arrivals of Pancaro, Gamberini, Pasqual (watch out for him on the left side) and of goalkeeper Frey, who'd been with Prandelli at Verona and Parma, may help, too.
Sampdoria, who just missed out on the last Champions League spot last year, will again be well coached in their 4-4-2 by Walter Novellino: despite 11 arrivals for a meagre outlay of a little over €300,000, the backbone is the same as last year's and the defence will again be expected to carry the team.
Palermo and Roma appear to be the remaining two contenders for the fourth Champions League spot, despite huge question marks hanging above both.
Cassano: Not a fans' favourite.
Palermo are now coached by Luigi Delneri, who mercifully took himself out of the Roma mess last year and brought his 4-4-2 and exciting wing play to the Pink Ones: 'I'm looking for the 55 goals my teams usually score' was Delneri's statement at the beginning of training camp, but top marksman Toni is gone and his replacements Caracciolo and Makinwa, a little and large combination, needs constant service from the said flanks, but schemer Corini will still be at the heart of Palermo's every move.
As for Roma, Spalletti has had them playing well in the pre-season, but unless the 'Cassano Code' is solved the giallorossi will be unsettled; the talented Italian international's contract is up in a few months, Roma have been trying to get his signature on a new one but they're also wary of the constant nuisance Cassano seems to be to everyone, although his team-mates have denied he's a distraction.
Not so Spalletti, who could do with his talent but is less than impressed with the impact he has on everyone around him, including referees.
Cassano was booed by the fans at Roma's only home match of the pre-season the other day, and this has stoked the fires of a rumoured, huge three-way trade which would send him to Juventus with Del Piero and Mutu joining Milan and Roma respectively. Sci-fi B movies from the Fifties had a more plausible script than that, but having seen Vieri join Milan we know anything can happen in the transfer market. So stay tuned.
And what about the no-hopers playing mainly to avoid relegation, you might say? Watch this space next week then. Some of them were admitted to the Serie A so late, because of the legal wrangles going on, that they barely had time to adapt their squads for the superior standard of competition they're now going to face, and this spells trouble.
Source
I dont know why Italian Football is always involved in one legal wrangle or another over team status. It almost seems disorganised. It's either TV money, or clubs who dont wanna go down to Serie B. Either way, the consistent delays to starting the league season mean that there will be more sandwiched games, more strain on the players and more heart flutters for national team coaches. This is a World Cup season, and everyone was looking forward to an early closure of the league seasons so the players could get enough rest. Coaches who have players in the Serie A will now be biting their nails and sweating over the fitness of their players. The Italian FA should get it's act together, and more than that, club owners should learn to respect the decisions of the FA.
That said, I'm glad they finally sorted the mess out, and now the fun can begin.
Inter broke me heart a few seasons ago when they blew the title on the last day. That was a travesty. I only hope they can do better this season. They look to have a much more settled team now, and have no apparent dressing room worries. In Adriano and Martins, they have two world class defence terrorists. I'll never forget Martins blowing past Maldini like the man wasn't there in the Champions League about two seasons ago. I'm backing them for the top two.
Juventus were out-standing last season. In the pressure cooker match, it was Milan's cabbage that was cooked. They have further strenghtened their midfield with the acquisition of Patrick Vieira, who I can only wish the best. He gave Arsenal almost ten years of his life and we'll miss him. I think it will be a straight fight between Inter and Juventus for the Scudetto.
AC Milan had a disastrous end to last season and some cracks began appearing in the foundation. The acquistions of Gilardino and Vieri mean they will definitely offer something going forward, but perhaps they should think of bolstering their defence and midfield. Cafu and Maldinin are no spring chickens, and they dont seem to have anything in the pipeline to replace them. I think they'll place third.
Roma were lucky to escape that gaping hole called relegation last season and seemed to be attempting to set a record for the most number of coaches used in a single football season. The constant upheavals off the pitch affected their form on it. Cassano is a quality player, but he's got his head up his ass. If he can't bring himself to realise the team is called AS Roma not Cassano FC, then he may yet achieve greatness at Roma. If not, perhaps a strong hand like Cappello's is what he truly needs. I don't think Roma will offer too much of a challenge to anybody this season unless a miracle happens in their dressing room. I'll put them somewhere at mid-table.
As for fourth place, I think Udinese can quietly repeat last season's feat and return to Champions League action. As Chxta has pointed out, they've gone out and made some shrewd signings guaranteed to improve their team greatly. They could even push Milan for third spot.
That's all from me. It's gonna be an interesting season.
That said, I'm glad they finally sorted the mess out, and now the fun can begin.
Inter broke me heart a few seasons ago when they blew the title on the last day. That was a travesty. I only hope they can do better this season. They look to have a much more settled team now, and have no apparent dressing room worries. In Adriano and Martins, they have two world class defence terrorists. I'll never forget Martins blowing past Maldini like the man wasn't there in the Champions League about two seasons ago. I'm backing them for the top two.
Juventus were out-standing last season. In the pressure cooker match, it was Milan's cabbage that was cooked. They have further strenghtened their midfield with the acquisition of Patrick Vieira, who I can only wish the best. He gave Arsenal almost ten years of his life and we'll miss him. I think it will be a straight fight between Inter and Juventus for the Scudetto.
AC Milan had a disastrous end to last season and some cracks began appearing in the foundation. The acquistions of Gilardino and Vieri mean they will definitely offer something going forward, but perhaps they should think of bolstering their defence and midfield. Cafu and Maldinin are no spring chickens, and they dont seem to have anything in the pipeline to replace them. I think they'll place third.
Roma were lucky to escape that gaping hole called relegation last season and seemed to be attempting to set a record for the most number of coaches used in a single football season. The constant upheavals off the pitch affected their form on it. Cassano is a quality player, but he's got his head up his ass. If he can't bring himself to realise the team is called AS Roma not Cassano FC, then he may yet achieve greatness at Roma. If not, perhaps a strong hand like Cappello's is what he truly needs. I don't think Roma will offer too much of a challenge to anybody this season unless a miracle happens in their dressing room. I'll put them somewhere at mid-table.
As for fourth place, I think Udinese can quietly repeat last season's feat and return to Champions League action. As Chxta has pointed out, they've gone out and made some shrewd signings guaranteed to improve their team greatly. They could even push Milan for third spot.
That's all from me. It's gonna be an interesting season.
Fiorentina-Sampdoria should be a great match as well, can't wait. Prandelli says he will field a very attacking 4-3-3 lineup with Brocchi, Donadel, and Fiore in midfield. He also does not know who he will start between Bojinov and Pazzini, and I have a feeling he will choose the latter.
Fiorentina has a lot of great young players and coach who knows how to work with them. I'm not entirely sure about this season but here after we should expect La Viola to become a very good side in Italian football over the next couple years. Very smart move investing in a talented young Italian players such as Pazzini, Montolivo, Pazienza, and Donadel.
As for Sampdoria, Novellino has added weapons such as Zauli and Bonnazoli to his side, so expect another decent season at least from them. However, I highly doubt they will be able to maintain such a great defensive record as they did last year.
Fiorentina has a lot of great young players and coach who knows how to work with them. I'm not entirely sure about this season but here after we should expect La Viola to become a very good side in Italian football over the next couple years. Very smart move investing in a talented young Italian players such as Pazzini, Montolivo, Pazienza, and Donadel.
As for Sampdoria, Novellino has added weapons such as Zauli and Bonnazoli to his side, so expect another decent season at least from them. However, I highly doubt they will be able to maintain such a great defensive record as they did last year.
Forza Livorno! :thumb:
Last season they quickly became one of my favorite teams in Serie A. They have the coolest fans in Serie A. Donadoni is a solid coach. They have a goal machine in C Lucarelli. And they dished out ample punishment to Milan last season to aid our Scudetto campaign.
I don't know how you guys are holding up, but I've had to change my underwear at least three times this morning from all the excitement of having Serie A games back.
Last season they quickly became one of my favorite teams in Serie A. They have the coolest fans in Serie A. Donadoni is a solid coach. They have a goal machine in C Lucarelli. And they dished out ample punishment to Milan last season to aid our Scudetto campaign.
I don't know how you guys are holding up, but I've had to change my underwear at least three times this morning from all the excitement of having Serie A games back.
++ [ originally posted by swag ] ++
I don't know how you guys are holding up, but I've had to change my underwear at least three times this morning from all the excitement of having Serie A games back.
I don't know how you guys are holding up, but I've had to change my underwear at least three times this morning from all the excitement of having Serie A games back.
:LOL:
Ok, I have to admit with all the caviar, Veuve Clicquot and the cubans I got I cannot beat that one.
and a penalty from Toni.