Serie A Superthread 2009/10

dor83

RichTea wrote: »

Still no breakthrough at the Olimpico.

2-1 now after Cagliari took the lead, Chievo have also made it 4-3 against Inter after being 4-1 up.

mr.mayo

RichTea wrote: »

They want to reinvent themselves this summer and apparently have the money to do it. They haven't started off well, they urgently need a big name manager before they can even attempt to start rounding up players. To be honest, despite the fact that they've had a lackluster season they have some good players to work with already. A couple of transfers and they could be on the road to reclaiming the Scudetto within 3-4 years.

They just have so many problems both on and off the pitch that I can't take them seriously anymore. The whole Blanc presidency has been disastrous, Agnelli is coming in at only 34 years of age, surely appointing somebody with a bit more experience would have made more sense. Bringing Bettega back was a good move but they need a lot more than him.
Another major problem I have with them is that Secco is still in charge of transfers, he has proven himself to be totally inept in this role - Who can forget the signings of Almiron, Poulsen, Melo etc, he also tried to ship Chiellini off the City for a measly £7m a few years back! Simply put, he must go.
Then we have the managerial situation, I said from day one that appointing Ferrera was a big mistake, you just cannot throw a rookie like that into the Juve job, it's a recipe for disaster. Zaccheroni's spell hasn't been much better but at least he had some sort of a résumé.
The three names I keep hearing for the Juve job currently are Benitez, Prandelli & Spaletti. Benitez imo would be another disaster, just my opinion. Prandelli would be a better option, but I still don't think he's the man for the job. I feel that Spaletti is the best option out of the three but it's unlikely that he'll be leaving Zenit so soon after arriving so I don't see him as a viable option. Lippi has ruled himself out, and Capello has said he has no intention of returning to club management so their options are really limited. One name which wouldn't surprise me would be Claudio Gentile, he has a great history with the club and is an icon there but his lack of experience woul worry me, I'm saying he should get it,. I'm just saying that it's a possibility.
Now their squad: In goal they're fine, unless Buffon decides to leave, if he does then supposedly his replacement will be Marchetti. He's a good keeper, but still nowhere near Gigi's level
At the Back: They need a big clear out imo, too average defenders there. The only player worth his place is Chiellini, they need two new fullbacks and a top class centre back. I would recommend Rafinha, Kolarov & Kjaer if possible.
Midfield: Another clear out needed here, Camoranesi's departure is pretty much official at this stage, Melo looks like leaving too and there's talk about Sissoko going as well. Personally, I would hold onto Sissoko, he's a game lad and brings bundles of energy to the team. Marchisio is obviously staying, I'd also keep hold of Diego, he's a very talented player and it would be a shame to see him sold at a big loss after only one season in Italy, he has shown glimpses of his ability and could still end up a good signing. Giovinco needs to leave for his own sake rather than Juve's, he has so much talent but he's being wasted on the bench, he'll never be guaranteed first team football at Juve so really he needs to leave
Attack: Yep, you guessed it, another clear out needed here! Amauri has to go, simple as. Trez is still a good goal poacher and could be a vital asset to them but he wants regular football so he's probably leaving too. Del Piero has lost it imo, shouldn't be a regular in the team anymore. Iaquinta is the best of a bad bunch, he's not first team material in my eyes, but a great player to have nonetheless

Maybe I was a bit harsh on them, but I still think they need massive investment if they are to challenge for anything. This isn't football manager so that's a lot easier said than done, no real top players will want to join Juve considering all the problems they have so the future looks pretty bleak for them imo

Nuri Sahin

Roma 2-1 Cagliari.

Inter 4-3 Chievo

Title goes down to the last day.

At Palermo, Doria do enough to hold on to the final CL spot....

Pinturicchio

This Juventus are finished. The Juventus of Del Piero, Camoranesi, Trezeguet, Cannavaro.

Marotta from Sampdoria looks set to replace Secco this summer. That plus the links to Pazzini and Cassano worry me. Turning into Samp shouldn't be the objective. Pazzini is hugely overrated by many IMO and I don't want Cassano because I don't see how you can fit him and Diego and wingers (we desparately need width) into a team.



I hope and expect 4-2-3-1 next season.

Buffon - He has said time and time again that he does not want to leave

RB - Someone like Rafinha would be nice but Van Der Wiel is more realistic. I wouldn't be too disappointed if we kept Caceres for one more year so we would have more to spend on other positions.
CB - Kjaer
CB - Chiellini
LB - Criscito - Decent and cheap because we alreay own 50% of his contract

CM - Marchisio/Poulsen/Melo.
We don't need Montolivo or Guarente. Would be a waste of money.

RW & LW - We've been linked to Angel Di Maria but for €20m - €30m. That sounds like too much to me.
James Rodriguez is coming from Banfield but he'll probably be loaned out to someone else in Italy.
Giovinco anyone?
Juan Vargas is another option that I wouldn't mind.
A big NO from me to the Valon Behrami rumours though.

AM - Diego

ST - Dzeko please!

The likes of Manninger, Del Piero, De Ceglie, Ekdal (returning from loan), Candreva (I think we should sign him permanently), Iaquinta can stay as back up.

Camoranesi and Trezeguet will more than likely be leaving.

We should attempt to get some money for:
Zebina
Sissoko
Legrottaglie
Grosso
Grygera
Amauri
Cannavaro
Paolucci
Almiron

jamsieboy86

Very nervous end to todays game. Inter were two goals ahead of Chievo and Roma were losing, I thought we had the Scudetto in the bag. In the space of a few minutes Roma were ahead and Chievo were within one. I feared Roma would go top at that stage. Thankfully Inter held on to the lead, I hope next week is not as nervy.

Seaneh

Yey... 3rd secure.... hurray...

/somebodykillmenow....

mr.mayo

Pinturicchio

Criscito would be a great signing for them and would fit the bill perfectly at left back but somehow I just can't see him ever returning to Turin. I see Genoa signing him permanently this summer, before selling him on to a bigger team in a year or two. If Juve could sign him up though, it would be a great piece of business
I agree with you on Cassano & Pazzini, Cassano isn't a viable option because of Diego and I've always felt Pazzini was a bit overrated. I believe his recent form is closely linked to fact that he's playing beside Fantantonio, one of the most naturally gifted players around.
I wouldn't be quite as enthusiastic about having a midfield with Poulsen or Melo in it however. Poulsen would be alright, he has improved immensly since his disastrous first year in Turin but Melo would worry me. Even when he was with Fiorentina, I wasn't too high on him and obviously his stint with Juve has been far from impressive so far. I'd be more interested in selling him and keeping Sissoko, Mo has done reasonably well when given a chance, his big problem however is injuries. It mightn't be a bad idea to sell two of them and put the money towards buying one top class DM, keeping whichever player isn't sold as backup. Marchisio would partner this new DM in my dream formation.
After the 4-3-1-2 failing so spectacularly, a 4-2-3-1 would seem like the best option, I agree. The only problem is Juve's lack of natural wingers, Camoranesi is leaving(which isn't necessarily a bad thing) so really Juve are left with none. We can dream about Giovinco playing on the left but since returning to Juve, but 3 different managers have continuosly overlooked him so I won't get my hopes up. Vargas would be perfect for the left sided role. I'm not quite as keen on DiMaria however, I just can't see why everybody else rates him so highly. He's a decent player, but certainly not worth 20-30m imo. The right flank is somewhat trickier, there aren't that many top class right wingers available right now. I can't think of any off the top of my head but I'm bound to think of one in a few hours, when I do I'll be sure to post his name
The striking situation is a bit dodgy too, assuming the board go ahead with our plans of a hug clearout, Juve will be left very weak in that department and will have to spend big. Dzeko seems like a good option, but his high price tag would worry me, I think anything over 20m for a striker as inexperienced as him would be absurd. There aren't that many other options out there after him though, you could possibly see Berbatov & Anelka going on the market but I wouldn't be happy with either of those names personally, not much of an improvement on the current crop imo. I don't see David Villa moving to Italy, he'd probably be too small anyway. Perhaps somebody like Lisandro Lopez could do a job up there but again, if his price was anything above 20m I'd say no

It'll be very interesting to see how it all plays out, hopefully everythng works out well but with Secco in charge of transfers, I wouldn't be too confident!

Seaneh

mr.mayo wrote: »

Pinturicchio

Criscito would be a great signing for them and would fit the bill perfectly at left back but somehow I just can't see him ever returning to Turin. I see Genoa signing him permanently this summer, before selling him on to a bigger team in a year or two. If Juve could sign him up though, it would be a great piece of business
I agree with you on Cassano & Pazzini, Cassano isn't a viable option because of Diego and I've always felt Pazzini was a bit overrated. I believe his recent form is closely linked to fact that he's playing beside Fantantonio, one of the most naturally gifted players around.
I wouldn't be quite as enthusiastic about having a midfield with Poulsen or Melo in it however. Poulsen would be alright, he has improved immensly since his disastrous first year in Turin but Melo would worry me. Even when he was with Fiorentina, I wasn't too high on him and obviously his stint with Juve has been far from impressive so far. I'd be more interested in selling him and keeping Sissoko, Mo has done reasonably well when given a chance, his big problem however is injuries. It mightn't be a bad idea to sell two of them and put the money towards buying one top class DM, keeping whichever player isn't sold as backup. Marchisio would partner this new DM in my dream formation.
After the 4-3-1-2 failing so spectacularly, a 4-2-3-1 would seem like the best option, I agree. The only problem is Juve's lack of natural wingers, Camoranesi is leaving(which isn't necessarily a bad thing) so really Juve are left with none. We can dream about Giovinco playing on the left but since returning to Juve, but 3 different managers have continuosly overlooked him so I won't get my hopes up. Vargas would be perfect for the left sided role. I'm not quite as keen on DiMaria however, I just can't see why everybody else rates him so highly. He's a decent player, but certainly not worth 20-30m imo. The right flank is somewhat trickier, there aren't that many top class right wingers available right now. I can't think of any off the top of my head but I'm bound to think of one in a few hours, when I do I'll be sure to post his name
The striking situation is a bit dodgy too, assuming the board go ahead with our plans of a hug clearout, Juve will be left very weak in that department and will have to spend big. Dzeko seems like a good option, but his high price tag would worry me, I think anything over 20m for a striker as inexperienced as him would be absurd. There aren't that many other options out there after him though, you could possibly see Berbatov & Anelka going on the market but I wouldn't be happy with either of those names personally, not much of an improvement on the current crop imo. I don't see David Villa moving to Italy, he'd probably be too small anyway. Perhaps somebody like Lisandro Lopez could do a job up there but again, if his price was anything above 20m I'd say no

It'll be very interesting to see how it all plays out, hopefully everythng works out well but with Secco in charge of transfers, I wouldn't be too confident!

Secco won't be incharge of transfers.

PHB

What has happened to Giovinco? He looked promising whenever I saw him play.

Seaneh

PHB wrote: »

What has happened to Giovinco? He looked promising whenever I saw him play.

Managers just don't seem to fancy him as a starter, probably because of his size.

This year juve have played with a pretty narrow midfeild and Deigo behind the strikers, he they played with wingers Giovinco would be good but in a flat 3 or as a number 10 I don't see him being all that good.

Pinturicchio

Seaneh wrote: »

Managers just don't seem to fancy him as a starter, probably because of his size.

And lack of end product.

mr.mayo wrote: »

Criscito would be a great signing for them and would fit the bill perfectly at left back but somehow I just can't see him ever returning to Turin. I see Genoa signing him permanently this summer, before selling him on to a bigger team in a year or two. If Juve could sign him up though, it would be a great piece of business

I don't think he's a top class full back. He's not that physically strong and isn't all that great going forward. He'd certainly do the job though. You could be right about him not coming back to Turin though.

I agree with you on Cassano & Pazzini, Cassano isn't a viable option because of Diego and I've always felt Pazzini was a bit overrated. I believe his recent form is closely linked to fact that he's playing beside Fantantonio, one of the most naturally gifted players around.

I agree 100%.

I wouldn't be quite as enthusiastic about having a midfield with Poulsen or Melo in it however. Poulsen would be alright, he has improved immensly since his disastrous first year in Turin but Melo would worry me. Even when he was with Fiorentina, I wasn't too high on him and obviously his stint with Juve has been far from impressive so far.

I'm a big fan of Poulsen. I think he's a very good player when he's used properly (not in one of the wide positions in a 3 in midfield).

I'd be more interested in selling him and keeping Sissoko, Mo has done reasonably well when given a chance, his big problem however is injuries. It mightn't be a bad idea to sell two of them and put the money towards buying one top class DM, keeping whichever player isn't sold as backup. Marchisio would partner this new DM in my dream formation.

I liked Sissoko when he first came to Italy. I admired his athleticism and tough tackling but I've grown very sick of his awful passing and non-existent ball control. At times he's incapable of making a 10 yard pass. There's no room for that kind of player at top clubs IMO. Time to move him on.

After the 4-3-1-2 failing so spectacularly, a 4-2-3-1 would seem like the best option, I agree. The only problem is Juve's lack of natural wingers, Camoranesi is leaving(which isn't necessarily a bad thing) so really Juve are left with none. We can dream about Giovinco playing on the left but since returning to Juve, but 3 different managers have continuosly overlooked him so I won't get my hopes up. Vargas would be perfect for the left sided role. I'm not quite as keen on DiMaria however, I just can't see why everybody else rates him so highly. He's a decent player, but certainly not worth 20-30m imo. The right flank is somewhat trickier, there aren't that many top class right wingers available right now. I can't think of any off the top of my head but I'm bound to think of one in a few hours, when I do I'll be sure to post his name

Eden Hazard is one option for the right wing. I haven't watched him that often but whenever I have he's looked very talented. I've only heard good things about him too.

Stevan Jovetic isn't really a winger but I'm a massive admirer of his. The Viola would be unlikely to sell their star man to Juve AGAIN too.

The striking situation is a bit dodgy too, assuming the board go ahead with our plans of a hug clearout, Juve will be left very weak in that department and will have to spend big. Dzeko seems like a good option, but his high price tag would worry me, I think anything over 20m for a striker as inexperienced as him would be absurd. There aren't that many other options out there after him though, you could possibly see Berbatov & Anelka going on the market but I wouldn't be happy with either of those names personally, not much of an improvement on the current crop imo. I don't see David Villa moving to Italy, he'd probably be too small anyway. Perhaps somebody like Lisandro Lopez could do a job up there but again, if his price was anything above 20m I'd say no

Villa is unattainable IMO. Valencia would ask too much for him and he probably wouldn't want to leave anyway. Lyon paid €24 million for Lisandro last summer so that rules him out. I can't see Anelka leaving newly crowned Chel$ea, and Berbatov is too static to play as the lone striker IMO.

We have been linked to Fernando Torres but I find that highly unlikely, especially if Benitez isn't coming to Turin.

It'll be very interesting to see how it all plays out, hopefully everythng works out well but with Secco in charge of transfers, I wouldn't be too confident!

Marotta looks certain to replace Secco in charge of transfers.

RichTea

Well done Roma. Keeping it alive til the last day will do anyway. I don't see Siena posing any threat to Inter but maybe Inter's mind will be on the Champions League Final. Clutching at straws here.

Pinturicchio

First reply in this thread:

eZe^ wrote: »

Predictions;

- Juventus to win Serie A comfortably if they don't sustain any big injuries.
- Lazio to establish themselves as one of the best Italian clubs again.
- Inter to fall from grace, and Eto'o to flop if no good midfielder is bought.

I'll be supporting Inter though, I'd love Eto'o to rip Italy apart..

Sorry, but you could hardly have been more wrong.

dor83

Milan v Juve just started on ESPN, last game in charge for both managers. Line-ups are:

Milan: Dida; Zambrotta, Thiago Silva, Favalli, Antonini; Gattuso, Pirlo, Seedorf; Pato, Borriello, Ronaldinho
Milan bench: Abbiati, Nesta, Oddo, Abate, Jankulovski, Huntelaar, Inzaghi

Juventus: Buffon; Zebina, Cannavaro, Chiellini, Grosso; Salihamidzic, Poulsen, Marchisio; Candreva; Iaquinta, Del Piero
Juventus bench: Manninger, Legrottaglie, Caceres, De Ceglie, Camoranesi, Trezeguet, Amauri

dor83

1-0 Milan, very good goal from Antonini. I do hope they win tonight, I like Leonardo and it would be nice for him to win his last game in charge.

EDIT: Didn't notice the deflection first time, still a good goal though.

EDIT: Ronaldinho makes it 2-0 with a nice finish.

dor83

Finished 3-0 to Milan with Ronaldinho getting the 3rd. The only othe game tonight was Lazio v Udinese, finished 3-1 to Lazio with goals from Hitzlsperger, Floccari and Brocchi for Lazio and Di Natale for Udinese ho also had Isla sent off.

Peyton Manning

Loved Ronny's second goal. Really loved how he started celebrating well before it went in!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxELCV1hZOU

therecklessone

Juventus were abject this evening, there is major reconstruction due in Turin this summer.

dor83

Last day of the season is here and with 90mins to play there a a few teams with big games today, here are the fixtures

14:00 UK Atalanta v Palermo
14:00 UK Bari v Fiorentina
14:00 UK Cagliari v Bologna
14:00 UK Catania v Genoa
14:00 UK Chievo v AS Roma
14:00 UK Parma v Livorno
14:00 UK Sampdoria v Napoli
14:00 UK Siena v Inter (live on ESPN)

There is the obvious title deciding games today, Inter need the win at Siena to guarantee the Scudetto but any less and Roma could win it but I think the most exciting fixture today is Samp v Napoli, a win for Samp would guarantee them 4th but I think Napoli can take points off them and possibly let Palermo in for 4th spot. All in all it should be an exciting final day, heres hoping it's as good as last week was and Inter can get the win they need.

Nuri Sahin

Fantastic performance and way to go for Leonardo. Seems like a genuinely top guy who was never given the financial support from that numpty Berlusconi that past managers were given.

Some superb finishes from Ronaldino and Antonini last night I have to add

Juve, were and have been shockingly poor all season. It'll be one of the most interesting aspects of the summer in regards to what happens there.

dor83

Line ups are:

Siena v Inter
Siena: 85 Curci; 87 Rosi, 6 Terzi, 29 Cribari, 3 Del Grosso; 10 Codrea; 18 Ghezzal, 8 Vergassola, 12 Ekdal, 24 Jajalo; 32 Maccarone
Siena bench: 89 Ivanov, 7 Reginaldo, 9 Malagò, 11 Calaiò, 15 Brandao, 22 Tziolis, 23 Jarolim

Inter: 12 Julio Cesar; 13 Maicon, 23 Materazzi, 25 Samuel, 4 Zanetti; 8 Thiago Motta, 19 Cambiasso; 45 Balotelli, 10 Sneijder, 9 Eto'o; 22 Milito
Inter bench: 1 Toldo, 5 Stankovic, 6 Lucio, 11 Muntari, 17 Mariga, 26 Chivu, 27 Pandev

Chievo v Roma
Chievo: 28 Sorrentino; 20 Sardo, 33 Yepes, 4 Mantovani, 17 Jokic; 10 Luciano, 16 Rigoni, 7 Marcolini; 9 Bentivoglio; 11 Granoche, 31 Pellissier
Chievo bench: 18 Squizzi, 21 Frey, 3 Scardina, 19 Ariatti, 15 Iori, 22 Abbruscato, 83 De Paula

Roma: 27 Julio Sergio; 13 Motta, 4 Juan, 29 Burdisso, 77 Cassetti; 16 De Rossi, 7 Pizarro; 11 Taddei, 20 Perrotta, 9 Vucinic; 10 Totti
Roma bench: 1 Lobont, 5 Mexes, 22 Tonetto, 33 Brighi, 94 Menez, 19 Baptista, 30 Toni

Headshot

inter should of been 1 down

kinaldo

Great goal from de Rossi. At least Roma are doing their bit. Would be great to see Ranieri get one up on the mouth Mourinho.

Nuri Sahin

Come on Siena!

Headshot

that Milito is such a class act

carlop

Headshot wrote: »

that Milito is such a class act

I can't believe a bigger team didn't snap him up when he left Zaragoza. Genoa did a great bit of business there.

Nuri Sahin

Great run by Zanetti, good finish by Milito

dor83

Such a nervous end there, Scudetto number 18. Also well done to Samp on getting 4th, hope they qualify for the CL and do well in it.

IvySlayer

Congrats Inter!

Oat23

Congrats Inter!.

Hope they lose Saturday though, go Bayern!

Mourinho is a legend!

dor83

I have to say well dome to Roma and Ranieri too, nobody gave them a chance at the start of the season or even at Christmas but they managed to push it all the way to the final day and even made the last 30mins very nervous for Inter with their goals against Chievo, a bit more luck for them and they might have even won it, well played.

kinaldo

dor83 wrote: »

I have to say well dome to Roma and Ranieri too, nobody gave them a chance at the start of the season or even at Christmas but they managed to push it all the way to the final day and even made the last 30mins very nervous for Inter with their goals against Chievo, a bit more luck for them and they might have even won it, well played.

If only your team's manager could be so magnanimous.

Nuri Sahin

Congrats Inter.

Soby

Interesting now both inter and bayern going for the treble

chopperbyrne

Congrats to Inter, but Roma pushed them hard all the way to the end.

Peyton Manning

Samuel Eto'o is one win away from winning 2 trebles in a row with 2 different teams. Simply amazing achievement if it comes to pass.

AIR-AUSSIE

Soby wrote: »

Interesting now both inter and bayern going for the treble

I'd prefer Bayern to do it. Don't like inter. But Bayern win Serie A loses their fourth CL spot so its a tough one.

RichTea

AIR-AUSSIE wrote: »

I'd prefer Bayern to do it. Don't like inter. But Bayern win Serie A loses their fourth CL spot so its a tough one.

I'm thinking the same way. Not a fan of Inter at all but if it means Serie A keeps four spots in the Champions League then let them win it.

Any nominations for Serie A player of the season?

Cambiasso? Di Natale?

For most improved I'd like to say Jeremy Ménez - he's improved his game drastically and could yet become the star his early potential glimpsed at.

Seaneh

Walter Samuel or Antonio Di Natale.

Shout outs to David Pizarro and Ronaldinho.

AIR-AUSSIE

RichTea wrote: »

I'm thinking the same way. Not a fan of Inter at all but if it means Serie A keeps four spots in the Champions League then let them win it.

Any nominations for Serie A player of the season?

Cambiasso? Di Natale?

For most improved I'd like to say Jeremy Ménez - he's improved his game drastically and could yet become the star his early potential glimpsed at.

Del Neri to be announced as new manager of Juventus - ESPN

Goal Team of the Season

Quite the attacking formation above 4-2-1-3 - not very italian....

I'd say Milito or Cambiasso. Was never a fan of Cambiasso till this season think he has certainly proven himself. Its crazy to think that he and Zanetti aren't in the prelim Argentina squad for WC.

Would like to see Juventus buy Di Natale in the summer.

dor83

20 of the best from this season.

I really do hat this time of year with no Serie A football until August, I know we have the world cup but I just don't have the same passion for it as Serie A myself.

Seaneh

The A.C. Milan "broke as ****" summer tour kicking off right about now.

Inzaghi has signed a one year contract extension, pretty happy about that, always nice to have him around, bit of a legend is our Pippo. **** it, if Gary Neivlle deserves a contract so does Pippo!

No, on to the transfer rumors.

Nicolas Otamendi has said that Milan are interested in signing him and it would be a "Dream" to play for the Rossoneri.

"It's a dream that Milan are interested in me. If I had the chance to play with the great players there, then it would be a great joy for me," he told Calciomercato.com.

"I like the Italian league, but also the Spanish and English ones," he added.


"I would like to play in one of these leagues. At the moment Milan have the most concrete proposal.

"But I have to stay focussed. We will see what happens after the World Cup."

Would be a pretty good signing and would provide competition with Bonera and Yeppes for Nesta and Thaigo Silva. would expect him to sign for about €6-8 million and his wages would be pretty low, easily in the Milan spending structure. Hope it happens.


Even more encouraging is that Massimiliano Allegri is being linked to the vacant managers spot. The Serie A coach of the year was sacked in late febuary despite dumbfounding everybody by having his Calgari team safely in mid table and playing so fecking nice football, they were dead certs to be bottom 3. Very good young coach.

And now onto the stupid rumors that will run all summer.

Silvio Berlusconi has said that Milan will be investing in 4/5 youth players and keeping the current squad together and also bringing in a few squad players.

However he also said the following

“But seeing as I have been crazy in love with Milan since I was a child, I will not pull back if we will have to buy a top champion who can take us to the next level.

“But only if we were to be dealing with a big, big champion who can make the difference, someone like Ronaldo.”

Now, in reality we can, at the very very very best hope for someone like Edin Dzeko, would would be a great signing, no doubt, but I don't see us signing Zlatan/Ronaldinho/Messi/Rooney/Torres/insert world class player here (I actually consider dzeko in that bracket talent wise but not as a "brand name" signing).

Now, to add to the Berlu willing to splash cash on a world class signing. apparently we are going to offer about €17million for Man City's want away Prima donna Róbson de Souza. Aka Robinho. Now, don't get me wrong, I reckon he'd do well, the boy has bags and bags and bags of ability and I don't think anybody on the planet can deny he is one of the most naturally talented players of his generation and when he bothers his arse he is pretty much unplayable because of his combination of close control, speed and creativity but, sadly, his ego is massive and he often spends a lot of the game moaning at team mates and being a lazy sod. If we paid 17m for him and his wages were dramatically lowered (I don't think we can justify paying €200k a week for him?!?) then it would be an ok signing, would give us an insanely quick front 2 (him and Pato, RIP slow defenders!) and with ronaldinho behind them it'd be one of the most creative/flair driven front 3 combinations around, but I think it would also need a LOT of support and Milan would need to bring in two new fullbacks to make the formation work. with a midfeild 3 of Ambro, Reno and Pirlo we'd be ok in that department with Flamini and Seedorf also there to help cover but we'd need another one or two players. Would mean one of Borriello or Huntelaar being shipped out and I'd prefer if it was Huntelaar, borriello offers some physicality and a great target for crosses and he holds the ball up well, so would be great to have for certain games.


to be honest, I expect us to sign Otamendi, brinf Astori back from Cagliari (especially if Allegri gets the managers job).


the 4/5 youth player mentioned are likely to be.

Michelangelo Albertazz: 19 year old classy centre/left back. very highly rated in Italy.

Davide Astori:23 years old. Another Centre/left back, played 44 games for Calgari this year, in co-ownership but Milan always get their co-owned players back by offering about 5 more to the club they are taking them back from.

Dominic Adiyiah: 20 year old from Ghana, likely to be at the world cup. top scorer in the u20 world cup last year, signed in january looks a real prospect.

Gianmarco Zigoni: 19 year old Striker, signed last summer, looks a good player in the making.

Davide Di Gennaro: 22 (in june) year old AMR/FW, pacey, nice close control, only played 11 games for Livorno this season on lone so not really sure how much he can offer Milan.

Pinturicchio

New York Red Bulls 3-1 Juventus. :pac:

Friendly: Juve humiliated in NY

Sunday 23 May, 2010

Juventus started their American tour with a surprise defeat, falling 3-1 against New York Red Bulls.

The Bianconeri made the trip to the United States without their internationals and were helmed by Alberto Zaccheroni, who already knows his replacement will be Gigi Del Neri.

Worryingly for Juve fans, the Red Bulls also fielded a squad packed with reserves for this friendly test.

Alessandro Del Piero cracked a shot against the post in the first half, while Alex Manninger parried from Conor Chinn.

The home side came out fighting for the second half, as Irving Garcia pounced on a poor clearance to smash his shot on to the upright, with Jeremy Hall quickest to get the rebound.

Just five minutes later Roy Miller’s cross found Chinn for a powerful finish and Dane Richards rolled across for the unmarked Juan Pablo Angel.

Juventus did get one back in stoppages with substitute Amauri, but it was scant consolation for a season that has gone from bad to worse.

New York Red Bulls 3-1 Juventus
Scorers: Hall 50 (N), Chinn 55 (N), Angel 75 (N), Amauri 90 (J)

New York Red Bulls: Sutton, Hall (Stammler), Mendes, Clebao, Borman (Miller), Sassano (Albright), Tchani, Garcia (Richards), Ubiparipovic, Wolyniec, Chinn (Angel)

Juventus: Manninger (Bardi), Zebina (Grygera), Brandao (Salihamidzic), Grosso (Silva Falque), Bernadini, Marrone, Diego (Paolucci, Bellacastro), Candreva (Ekdal), Padoin, Del Piero (de Ceglie), Trezeguet (Amauri)

Football Italia

kinaldo

Does anyone think Inter will get stripped of the 2006 title awarded to them at the expense of Juve?

And if so will the 3rd placed team get it or will it just be null and voided like the 1993 Champions League?

Seaneh

kinaldo wrote: »

Does anyone think Inter will get stripped of the 2006 title awarded to them at the expense of Juve?

And if so will the 3rd placed team get it or will it just be null and voided like the 1993 Champions League?

I hope they do. They should get a points deduction, fine and possibly demotion. Fair is fair.

It will be nullified.

kinaldo

Seaneh wrote: »

I hope they do. They should get a points deduction, fine and possibly demotion. Fair is fair.

It will be nullified.

Interesting, and do you know if there's a decision to be made on this soon?

Mr. Presentable

I don't believe anything will be done. IMHO the attitude will be, we have dealt with this already, nothing will be served by dragging calcio through the mud again. Let bygones be bygones.

I hope they get roasted, though.

Pinturicchio

nipplenuts wrote: »

I don't believe anything will be done. IMHO the attitude will be, we have dealt with this already, nothing will be served by dragging calcio through the mud again. Let bygones be bygones.

I hope they get roasted, though.

It's already happening. There's an ongoing court case in Naples.

Seaneh

kinaldo wrote: »

Interesting, and do you know if there's a decision to be made on this soon?

I don't know what's going to happen or when, but the stuff I've seen from the court case would, in my opinion, be just as bad as Moggi's transgressions.


It kind of proves what a witch hunt the first case was to be honest, these tapes were available to the court for the first case but were never used, why? It makes no sense, inter were just as deep in it as Juve by the looks of things.

Seaneh

Frey to leave Fiorentina?

Football-italia.net

Frey: 'I need new challenges'

Monday 24 May, 2010

Sebastien Frey has given Fiorentina a stark warning. “I won’t deny I need new challenges. I’ll talk to the President.”
The goalkeeper has long been linked with a series of top clubs around Europe, including Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Juventus, Milan and Manchester City.

The failure to qualify for Europe could well precipitate a transfer for the Frenchman.

“Do I want a change of scenery? I spoke to Diego Della Valle about my future, as my contract expires in 2013,” he told the Gazzetta dello Sport.

“After my summer holiday, we will talk it over. In life you need new challenges and I won’t deny that is my case too.

“Seeking a new challenge does not necessarily mean leaving Florence, as it could mean remaining with some changes.

“Fiorentina need a team up to the task and further reinforced. Next season we won’t be in Europe, which means we must play in Serie A at the highest level. It requires a strong side.”

The Viola are currently in North America for a series of exhibition matches and, after last night’s 1-1 draw with Montreal Impact, they’ll face Juventus in Toronto.

“I always feel more confident after talking to Della Valle. He uses me as his go-between with the squad and sent the message thanking us for all the good things this season, even if towards the end it went a little off course.

“He told us to stay calm, as Fiorentina will forge ahead.”

It remains to be seen who will be the Coach, as Cesare Prandelli is in official negotiations with the FIGC over the Italy job.

Would be a great signing for any top level team.

United, Arsenal, Milan and a few others will all be interested.