With the Serie A season winding down, the Resident Paisan addresses what usually is on everyone's mind at this point of the season: Are there conspiracies in Italy?
There are 270 minutes remaining in the Serie A season and I’d like to guarantee that every single one will be riveting. If you’re like me, however, and believe the conspiracy theories out there, Juventus will win the Scudetto because smaller clubs will be bending over backwards in order to help the Old Lady repeat as champions.
Juve’s fifth straight league tie this past Saturday (1-1 at home against Lazio) currently puts them at 82 points. AC Milan, who defeated Messina 3-1 on the road at the same time, have 79 points. Though the outcome of the Scudetto race remains in doubt, Juve’s destiny is also somehow tied to AC Milan’s ability this week to defeat Barcelona in the second leg of the Champions League semifinals.
Indulge me for a moment and let’s entertain the notion that Juve’s enormous power will reverberate across the league over the next three weeks and determine the final outcome. How will it play out? Behind the scenes, I’m sure AC Milan is wondering why Messina played such a tough game against them. Sure, the Rossoneri were able to win, but it wasn’t easy. And the three Sicilian players who played so tough against them and were ultimately red carded – Giuseppe Sculli, Salvatore Aronica and Antonio Nocerino -- all belong, either outright or in part, to Juventus and its wheeler-dealer general manager Luciano Moggi. Is that a coincidence? I think not.
AC Milan should be worried that the vast Moggi-controlled galaxy of players scattered around the league could influence the Scudetto race. Juve play Siena on the road this Sunday, and it’s no secret that these two clubs have a very good relationship. In fact, Siena has eight players on loan from Juventus. Will Siena be able to defeat Juve given this cozy friendship? That’s really anyone’s guess. If that wasn’t enough, Juve plays Reggina on the last day of the season. It’s also no surprise that both teams have a good relationship. I can still recall how in 2003 Juve gave Reggina a win – one that proved decisive in Reggina’s quest to fight off relegation – on the eve of the Champions League final between the Bianconeri and AC Milan. Juve had already clinched the Scudetto. This could be the year Reggina will return the favor.
Friendships aside, Juventus no longer know how to win games. We all have Juve to thank for transforming the Scudetto race from a forgone formality into a thrilling contest. In less than a month, Juventus have seen their healthy 10-point lead over AC Milan evaporate. The last time Juventus won a league game was on March 18 when they defeated Livorno 3-1. Since then, the Bianconeri have put together a string of ties. This past weekend the reigning Serie A got a goal from striker David Trezeguet with four minutes left to forge a 1-1 tie with Lazio.
Another factor that will affect the Scudetto race is whether AC Milan will be able to defeat Barcelona on Wednesday. Milan will have played an extra game going into Sunday’s match against Livorno. Juve, meanwhile, will be resting. On the other hand, an AC Milan victory over Ronaldinho and Co. can put Juve’s chasers into the final. In that case, the Rossoneri would surely set their sights solely on the Champions League. Everyone knows AC Milan are yearning to undo what happened in last year’s final when they squandered a 3-0 halftime lead against Liverpool and ultimately lost on penalty kicks.
Will AC Milan’s geriatric line-up get that goal back at the Nou Camp? It’s a possibility -- although their hopes hinge on whether they are able to get striker Filippo Inzaghi, who bagged those two vital goals against Lyon in the quarterfinals, to start alongside Andriy Shevchenko. Together, the duo is menacing. Without Inzaghi, who missed the first-leg because of the flu, the AC Milan attack is mediocre .
Barcelona aside, conspiracy theories work both ways. Some think AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi and Serie A president/AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani peddle enough influence with smaller clubs as to convince them into giving their team a hand down the stretch. AC Milan did just that when they won the Scudetto in 1999. That year, a series of favorable results helped pave the way for the Rossoneri to win the title. Perugia’s win over Udinese -- which allowed them to stave off relegation that year -- allowed them to face AC Milan on the last day of the season with nothing to play for. Unfortunately for Rossoneri fans, I don’t think AC Milan will be able to find any willing accomplices this season.
The game that could determine the outcome of the Scudetto could be this Sunday’s clash between Reggina and Messina. Both clubs are looking to avoid relegation. If Messina wins, both Reggina and Siena, who will be playing Juve, could be dragged into the drop zone. A Reggina victory or tie relegates Messina. But no matter how things go, it will be impossible not to think that something was worked out beforehand. I would like to think that everything is on the up-and-up and that no backroom deals are being made.
Unfortunately, this is the dark cloud that lingers over Italian soccer at the end of every season.
Source: Goal.com
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Jelousy is a bitch... Pethetic don't you think.
There are 270 minutes remaining in the Serie A season and I’d like to guarantee that every single one will be riveting. If you’re like me, however, and believe the conspiracy theories out there, Juventus will win the Scudetto because smaller clubs will be bending over backwards in order to help the Old Lady repeat as champions.
Juve’s fifth straight league tie this past Saturday (1-1 at home against Lazio) currently puts them at 82 points. AC Milan, who defeated Messina 3-1 on the road at the same time, have 79 points. Though the outcome of the Scudetto race remains in doubt, Juve’s destiny is also somehow tied to AC Milan’s ability this week to defeat Barcelona in the second leg of the Champions League semifinals.
Indulge me for a moment and let’s entertain the notion that Juve’s enormous power will reverberate across the league over the next three weeks and determine the final outcome. How will it play out? Behind the scenes, I’m sure AC Milan is wondering why Messina played such a tough game against them. Sure, the Rossoneri were able to win, but it wasn’t easy. And the three Sicilian players who played so tough against them and were ultimately red carded – Giuseppe Sculli, Salvatore Aronica and Antonio Nocerino -- all belong, either outright or in part, to Juventus and its wheeler-dealer general manager Luciano Moggi. Is that a coincidence? I think not.
AC Milan should be worried that the vast Moggi-controlled galaxy of players scattered around the league could influence the Scudetto race. Juve play Siena on the road this Sunday, and it’s no secret that these two clubs have a very good relationship. In fact, Siena has eight players on loan from Juventus. Will Siena be able to defeat Juve given this cozy friendship? That’s really anyone’s guess. If that wasn’t enough, Juve plays Reggina on the last day of the season. It’s also no surprise that both teams have a good relationship. I can still recall how in 2003 Juve gave Reggina a win – one that proved decisive in Reggina’s quest to fight off relegation – on the eve of the Champions League final between the Bianconeri and AC Milan. Juve had already clinched the Scudetto. This could be the year Reggina will return the favor.
Friendships aside, Juventus no longer know how to win games. We all have Juve to thank for transforming the Scudetto race from a forgone formality into a thrilling contest. In less than a month, Juventus have seen their healthy 10-point lead over AC Milan evaporate. The last time Juventus won a league game was on March 18 when they defeated Livorno 3-1. Since then, the Bianconeri have put together a string of ties. This past weekend the reigning Serie A got a goal from striker David Trezeguet with four minutes left to forge a 1-1 tie with Lazio.
Another factor that will affect the Scudetto race is whether AC Milan will be able to defeat Barcelona on Wednesday. Milan will have played an extra game going into Sunday’s match against Livorno. Juve, meanwhile, will be resting. On the other hand, an AC Milan victory over Ronaldinho and Co. can put Juve’s chasers into the final. In that case, the Rossoneri would surely set their sights solely on the Champions League. Everyone knows AC Milan are yearning to undo what happened in last year’s final when they squandered a 3-0 halftime lead against Liverpool and ultimately lost on penalty kicks.
Will AC Milan’s geriatric line-up get that goal back at the Nou Camp? It’s a possibility -- although their hopes hinge on whether they are able to get striker Filippo Inzaghi, who bagged those two vital goals against Lyon in the quarterfinals, to start alongside Andriy Shevchenko. Together, the duo is menacing. Without Inzaghi, who missed the first-leg because of the flu, the AC Milan attack is mediocre .
Barcelona aside, conspiracy theories work both ways. Some think AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi and Serie A president/AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani peddle enough influence with smaller clubs as to convince them into giving their team a hand down the stretch. AC Milan did just that when they won the Scudetto in 1999. That year, a series of favorable results helped pave the way for the Rossoneri to win the title. Perugia’s win over Udinese -- which allowed them to stave off relegation that year -- allowed them to face AC Milan on the last day of the season with nothing to play for. Unfortunately for Rossoneri fans, I don’t think AC Milan will be able to find any willing accomplices this season.
The game that could determine the outcome of the Scudetto could be this Sunday’s clash between Reggina and Messina. Both clubs are looking to avoid relegation. If Messina wins, both Reggina and Siena, who will be playing Juve, could be dragged into the drop zone. A Reggina victory or tie relegates Messina. But no matter how things go, it will be impossible not to think that something was worked out beforehand. I would like to think that everything is on the up-and-up and that no backroom deals are being made.
Unfortunately, this is the dark cloud that lingers over Italian soccer at the end of every season.
Source: Goal.com
==================================
Jelousy is a bitch... Pethetic don't you think.
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thats a bit of a toungue twister, well said anyway.
