Scene One: A hotel room in Barcelona, 17 August, 01:45: A man lies in bed, his shadow cast against the closed curtains of the main window that overlooks a dreary car park – in situ, a coach bound for Madrid. The phone rings and the man picks up the receiver.

“Hello, this is The Special One. Who is this?”

A voice rumbles over the crackle of the poor reception. “Hello, this is Perez.”

The man places the receiver on his knee and reaches beside the bed. He dips his hand into an ice bucket and he raises his arm while clasping a bound towel full of cold cubes which he wipes over his sweating brow.

“Yes,” says the man in the bed. “It’s late, what can I do for you?”

“Tonight…” the voice says, obviously emotional.

There comes a tentative reply: “Yes, what of it?”

“Explain. I want you to explain to me right now, just what happened there. We have people in places so high your nose would bleed when thinking about it and they want to know, now. What was that debacle?”

The man in the open shirt and tight trousers lets the towel fall and the ice clinks and clacks as it drops back into the bucket. He shifts his weight on to his right side and curls into a comforting position. He knows of whom the man speaks and the man on the phone wants to know what they want to know. There’s no getting out of this, not now. He takes a moment to catch his breath before answering: “I, I don’t know. I cannot answer. It’s them, they, the ones who run everything. The ruin everything. They are favourtising them. Is that a word?”

“No.”

“It’s them. They make me do it,” he begins. “They make Barcelona do what they want. They can dive and cheat all the time. And that little b*stard, Messi. He does it every time. They insult us at all times. We need help. I cannot lose. I am champion of three countries and Iberia will not beat me. Never. We must win.”

“You do know how this looks don’t you? You know what the world is saying about you, about me, about us. They all look at us and say we are not white, we are not royal. They say we are black of heart and that you poison us and our memory.” There is a low hum in the background as the man says this. Something is beginning to chime and its noise is like no other. The man on the phone pauses and he in the room can hear the long, slow stroke of someone taking a large inhale of a cigarette. No doubt it’s 89% tar like all Spanish cigarettes.

The manager replies. “I know, I know! I had to do it, don’t you see? His eye was just there, I had to poke it, I had to poke them!”

“We are a joke, Mr. Mourinho. The world’s joke. Spain’s joke. Not only do those Catalan s*its run a spear through our backs like we are a lame bull, our own have lost faith.”

“B…but, we have made great strides. We have fantastic new players and our old are combining beautifully. We are closer than ever…ever! I have even managed to get Ronaldo to stop bathing in moisturiser three times a day. Now it’s just once. Pepe no longer keeps live dogs to practise tackling on and Ozil has stopped dressing like an octopus to match his weird eyes. The boys are good now.”

“No, Mr. Mourinho. No.” The hum elevates its resonance to a cry and a light flashes before the window of Mourinho’s room. Sweat trails from his brow and it seems as if pools are formulating around his bare feet. He takes time to think of his wife and children; his dog.

Jose Mourinho sits up rapidly and rushes to his room window. He peers behind the curtain and looks down on the car park below. The bus is parked, as always, but now it has a spoiler on the front and it seems sportier somehow. That is not the focus of his attention though. He is looking to see if he is being watched. He is. He spies a large figure lurking behind the strategically places trees that are to keep the local press from taking pictures of the Real Madrid squad. He recognises this man and it is now he knows he can never fear for himself. He spins back round and reaches under the bed for his suitcase. He flops in on the bed and begins hastily packing his clothes without care or consideration for the creases such recklessness will produce. He begins to speak again.

“Listen, Perez, I finished off Valdano and I’ll finish off you. I am the only Galactico you need. I am the Réal man this club needs. You just shut your mouth and front the Euros.”

“How dare you!” says Perez, flustered and exacerbated. “How dare you speak to me like that. My people will hear of this.”

“Your people? Ha. Your people, are my people now, Perez. My people.”

With that, Mourinho runs from his room only half-dressed, clutching his mobile phone and half-packed case and finds himself in the lobby of the hotel. The figure has come to meet him and the two men smile and shake hands quickly. It’s not long before they are whisking down the East coast of Spain, laughing and drinking sangria like wild men of the country.

“I did not think you would come, old friend,” says Jose. “I thought I was lost.”

“Dan’t warry, me ol’ muckka, is oright innit. Aw’ll always av yer back, ya know dat! Remember da good ol’ dayz wiv Franky and Diddy? It’s on mayte, it’s on.”

“I know,” Mourinho finally says. “You were always my captain, John Terry.”

Welcome back!

Okay, so that is a little dramatic, or maybe not dramatic enough but we can safely say we’re back in silly season or rather, football is back. Are you happy about that? Are you looking forward to the excitement, the heartache, the desperation, the money, the blanket coverage, the transfer lies, the gossip, the goals, the glam, the endless games, the wags, the banter, the tears and tantrums, the tabloids, the Champions League being won by Barcelona again…World Cup Statistics is! We shall strive to bring you the main news from Europe’s top leagues, and possibly further afield too.

So, what are the main talking points from summer 2011?

1. Madrid V Barcelona and Spain’s top two. Yes, it’s Scotland with a giant sunbed in the sky. Who of these two – Barcelona – will take the league crown and get the furthest in Europe? Madrid seem to have improved vastly but with ‘Howling Mad’ Mourinho in charge it seems as if Spain’s La Liga is getting the best of The Special One. I know if I had to lead a team into battle against a Barcelona team that are possibly the greatest footballing outfit in HISTORY, I would feel a bit perturbed.

2. Wesley Sneijder. Go to Manchester United, will you? We all know you’re leaving Inter, as has Samuel Eto’o in the continent’s most peculiar move, so let’s cut the protracted contract negotiations and get the thing signed so we no longer have to go through a Fabregasian maze.

3. Arsenal are missing a few bullets to their magazine after losing Cesc Fabregas, Gael Clichy, Emmanuel Eboue (sigh) and seemingly Samir Nasri. What will Wenger’s men of mystery achieve this year and will the British press hound the man out of the job as they seem intent upon doing?

4. Are Inter a selling club? It’s supposed they are given their transfer negotiations of Eto’o and *dear Lord* Sneijder. To align their books with the Fair Play rules initiative, they have to offload a few men of black and blue to help keep afloat. Is the Mourinho empire now finally decayed and how will that affect their performances this year in what should be another fantastic season in Serie A? Milan are champions and Antonio Cassano has lost more weight; Europe, prepare yourself.

5. How will Adre Villa-Boas’ defection to Terry FC, oh, sorry, Chelsea alter Porto’s footballing mandate and style and can Sporting Lisbon look any more like walking billboards for boiled sweets?

6. How will ‘The Ever Fantastic To Watch’ Udinese fare in the Champions League should they overturn their 1-0 deficit against Arsenal? Not that WCS wishes to go off the journalistic wall and align with anyone in particular (we’re not biased here, honest….Champ19ns, ahem) but wouldn’t it be wonderful to see Europe’s 2nd most entertaining side have a crack at the best of the rest?

7. Manchester City. Well, nothing more to say there really other than…you best watch out for this lot as they’re going to make waves over the next two years and many think it will be even less than that with the wealth of talent they have.

8. Lionel Messi: is it time to make him play with one leg to make life more fair?

9. Galatasaray: will Emmanuel Eboue make them all they can be? He had Barcelona shaking in their boots last year, and that was from the bench, so how will he measure up in Turkey? We’ll be keeping an eye on him in a special feature – Eboue’s Odyssey.

Get Ready…

So, sit back, grab your beer, your wife/girlfriend, and hold on for your life because Season 2011-2012 has begun and it promises to be roughly the same as last year. We can’t wait!

So to the ‘winding down’ phase of the league. Well, winding down is perhaps the wrong term, ‘winding up’ is possibly more appropriate as tempers flare, pressure rises and the winners and losers contemplate next year’s financial and league statuses.

Brescia proved a huge frustration for Internazionale as they came from a goal down only to later go on to to earn a last-minute penalty against Leonardo’s men. The spot-kick was brilliantly saved by Julio Cesar and the game ended 1-1 in this feisty affair that saw six yellow cards and two reds brandished at the Stadio Mario Rigamonti. It was Ivan Cordoba’s late and rather uber-cameo that made the headlines.

The opening ten minutes saw the home side craft some well-worked opportunities on Julio Cesar’s goal but the Brazilian didn’t have to work too hard to contain the fire-power on the men in blue. Inter returned blows through Wesley Sneijder and Yuto Nagatomo but an early goal proved elusive. It was in the 17th minute that Samuel Eto’o hammered home a neat flick-on from a Sneijder corner kick to make it 1-0.

Brescia equalised in the second-half with thanks to Andrea Caracciolo but it was the scorer of said goal, that saw his penalty expertly saved in the dying moments. He dropped to the floor, distraught. The Inter fans, counted their blessing over and over and then wished they could have capitalised on AC Milan’s home draw.

This is game Inter perhaps should have won. Goran Pandev in particular was guilty of a sordid miss and Sneijder sent a spectacular curling ball into the upright to keep Brescia from suffering the results of Inter’s attack. Fair play, however, to Brescia who now lie second from bottom with 26 points and are doing everything they can to scrape their way out of the relegation zone. Will a home draw with Inter be enough? Many think no, but with with only 3 points separating them from safety, anything is yet possible.

AC Milan drew 1-1 at home to Bari. This was the ‘hangover’ game from being eliminated from the Champions League by Tottenham Hotspur, so it was perhaps understandable to see a Milan side that weren’t firing on all cylinders – unlike they were in the tie they drew 0-0 at White Heart Lane; all they missed was a goal.

What isn’t understandable though, is why Zlatan Ibrahimovic decided to punch Marco Rossi in the ribs as the Bari player backed in to him. I think half of the onlookers wondered why he just didn’t go the whole hog and use his Tae Kwon Do skills instead. A lurching roundhouse from a 6ft + Swede would have at least been worth the red card in ironic terms, but a journeyman boxer’s rib slap? No. Even Gennaro Gattuso used his forehead to lightly annoy the all encompassing rage in human form that is the 60-year-old Joe Jordan. ‘Less’ and ‘class’ are two words that could possibly be glued together on whatever order you wish right about now.

It was Antonio Cassano who rescued Milan late on and they still hold a 5 point lead over Inter but with the derby on the horizon and a suspended Ibrahimovic, maybe, just maybe it could be reduced to 2 and then it will be a real test of Massimiliano Allegri’s character; the Milan manager having to prove he can hold a firm grip over his team if the worst comes to worst.

There was also the small matter of the Rome Derby this weekend. Now you may wonder why this wasn’t the leading tale in this week’s bedtime story and to be honest, there is no reason other than that a certain writer who shall remain nameless completely forgot it had happened until about 5 minutes ago.

Just in case any of your forgot, the game ended 2-0 to Roma, with Francesco Totti scoring his first brace in a derby against a Lazio side that have now dropped out of the Champions League places in favour of a rousing Udinese side – more on those little gems later. It was a Rome derby to be expected, with two sendings off: Cristian Ledesma and Stefan Radu both walking to the dressing rooms just slighty before full-time. It was Totti though that was the story. His first goal came from a rather splendid free-kick and his second was a penalty which took his thumb sucking celebrations to new heights of exhilaration.

Questions have arisen as to just what Lazio can achieve this season and to be fair to them, a European place wouldn’t be too much of an accolade but, there is something irresistible about Udinese playing in the Champions League. When I say Udinese, I mean an Udinese with Alexi Sanchez, and the likelihood of the shirt he wear next season being black and white are getting slimmer by the week. Udinese stuck four goals past Cagliari and now find themselves fourth in the table. Sanchez scored one, Mehdi Benatia and Antonio De Natale scored the other three goals.

Napoli were back on form, winning 3-1 away to Parma in a game that saw the return of the suspended Ezequiel Iván Lavezzi. Perhaps it is no coincidence that they scored three goals this week with him in the side. They lie third in the table with 56 points and should they keep their heads above the water, unlike they did at Milan the other week, we should be seeing them play in the Champions League next season. Daniele Galloppa saw himself sent off in the 59th minute taking this weekend’s red card count higher than usual. Perhaps it was something in the water.

Other news:

Internazionale play Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday 15 March. They will enter the game a goal down after their seemingly obvious 0-0 draw was ruined by Mario Gomez in the final minutes following a Julio Cesar shot spill. With Milan out the door already, it is once again down to Inter to keep Italy’s flag flying in Europe and the European and World champions will want to repeat last year’s final and overturn their away goal deficit. Given that Louis Van Ghaal has stated he will be leaving Bayern at the end of the season, it remains to be seen just what kind of effect such an announcement will make on the team’s form.

Prediction: Inter will qualify – there’t just too much quality for it not to happen. Given that Leo has set his team’s phaser to maim instead of Jose Mourinho’s stun, this should be one hell of a game.

Milan: Sergio Berlusconi has stated he would like Paolo Maldini (a man looking more like The Chronicle of Narni’s Aslan every day) to return to the club in some for of director’s role. Just what he will be directing, nobody know, but if Sergio is pulling the strings it’s probably going to involve a camera, six youth team players and…a ball…what, did you think it would not be about recording training matches to see who is good enough for the first team? Tsk, some of your minds…

Full results table:

Serie A table:

Results courtesy of www.guardian.co.uk/football
Table courtesy of www.skysports.com

(Note: That small forehead you can see near Bari’s 8 draws results isn’t Wesley Sneijder or Arjen Robben. From what it seems, Wayne Rooney’s bonce has pounced not only all over Arsenal’s second season-defining game but so too, over Bari’s future. Megalomaniac.)

Forgive the brevity of this weekend’s review. This writer has been out of action for the last few weeks and it’s a case of having to get back into the swing of things.

So the end of February comes and it is a time when European football begins to catch up with itself. In all the major leagues, barring the self-certified Barclay’s Best Premier League In The World Ever, all teams have no games in hand. We are now at the point of no return: the point where the winners, loser and all those who like to just mingle in the middle all become clear

Firstly, the game between AC Milan and Napoli. This was considered a battle for the Scudetto and perhaps, whoever ‘they’ are were right. Milan ran out 3-0 winners thanks to goals from Zlatan Ibrahimovic who scored a penalty, Kevin-Prine Boateng and Alexandre Pato. Pato’s goal in particular was spectacular. He picked up the ball and ran, solo at the Napoli defender only to slow down, obviously take in the air and think about his decisions in life, only to decide to curl the ball through the defender’s legs and into the net past the diving keeper.

Napoli were not at the races and this is perhaps a demonstration that although they are up amongst the big boys of Serie A, their squad still isn’t as strong as it should be for a full title challenge. In saying that, there are still plenty of games to go and Milan and Inter – more on them later – could falter in their race for the title. But, given the calibre of both Milanese clubs, especially in terms of holding their nerve when things become tight – this is starting to sound like an 80s action script treatment – you wouldn’t be forgiven in thinking that perhaps it is now down to two.

Massimiliano Allegri, Milan’s manager stated after the match: “We didn’t allow Napoli to have one shot on goal and I think our victory is deserved. We did very well in the first half, but we made a lot of errors in attack. I liked our character though, I’m happy with what the lads did, seeing as the boys played in Napoli’s half for 90 minutes.”

We really are at the business end of the season – forgive the cliche. This weekend started with, perhaps wryly, an element of schadenfreude for in football fans in Italy, as Juventus fell to Bologna at home on Saturday. Marco Di Vaio’s two goals sank Gigi Del Neri’s Juve into yet further despair. Such form also comes in the wake of news that the club are in financial trouble, also, with a €39.5m deficit recorded for 2010/2011.

Juventus have recently recorded a 35 million Euro loss for 2010/11 and even the opposition coach, Alberto Malesani couldn’t fathom just what kind of decline The Old Lady are in: “It seems impossible to me that this is the real Juve. Perhaps it is a psychological block that is making them play this way. I like Juve, in my view they bought some real champions and once they break through that mental block, they’ll be very strong.”

The scorer of both goals commented: “This is the proof that football is unpredictable. We are continuing to play well and remain solid, then of course everyone needs that little bit of luck. We have achieved something nobody expected and are very happy,” said, Di Vaio.

Napoli manager, Walter Mazzrarri conceded his side’s ineffectiveness: “We wanted to try a few things in the second half, but we couldn’t manage it,” he mused, then proving his own open-mindedness by exposing his belief in the concept of space/time manipulation, “Milan are a phenomenal side and they stopped us from playing. If possible, I would have liked to stop the game completely and got the side to just think about a few things for three minutes. We weren’t brilliant and the pitch wasn’t at its best. Our desire to equalise then allowed them too much space and we were punished.”

Napoli are now on 52 points, 6 points behind Milan who have 58. In second, lie Internazionale, whose weekend couldn’t have been better in the wake of their mid-week 1-0 home loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League. Leonardo’s side conquered the miss-firing Sampdoria 2-0 away; Wesley Sneijder and Samuel Eto’o providing the goals in the second half and once again the men in blue & black are providing some of the most entertaining football around Europe. Sneijder scored a wonderful free-kick from 20 metres out and Eto’o as ever, took his strike with aplomb as he rounded two defenders before slotting the ball past Gianluca Curci.

The magnificent seven. Well, it was for Udinese, who utterly battered Palermo 7-0, but not for the now former Palermo manager Delio Rossi, who lost his job following his side’s slaughter at the Stadio Renzo Barbera. There is an old Italian proverb, or at least I assume it’s old, which goes: A correre e cagare ci si immerda i garretti or, as a direct translation: By running and defecating at the same time, you’ll get crap on your heels. Which is exactly what Palermo did by obviously trying to both score goals, and stop them going in at the other end, but all they did was…well. Perhaps they should have just defended against what is one of Italy’s prime attacking sides who lay claim to following the ‘Barcelona Model’ of play. Alexis Sanchez – who will most likely be on his way at the end of the season to a rather large club that that play in blue but shall remain unnamed at this time – was on fine form in this game, scoring four goals while Antionio Di Natale fired in the other two; one being a penalty. Udinese are now up to 5th place, and just one point behind Lazio who still occupy the Champions League qualification spot.

Lazio lost 1-0 away to a tough Cagliari and Roma, under the stewardship of their new manager, Vincenzo Montella, drew 2-2 at home to Parma. Montella’s appointment follows Claudio Ranieri’s sacking. Montella, a former Roma player himself, has a good record with the Roma youth team and seemed an idea candidate to step into the big job in Rome. It is a move that echoes Pep Guardiola’s appointment at Barcelona; he too was a youth coach and ex-player. No one is making assertions that Roma will follow the same path, but with an inside man in charge, perhaps their erratic form – 3 losses, 2 draws and a win can be steadied.

Talking points:

It is wholly possible, that Milan’s machismo won them the tie against Napoli. With the ever-present and potent manliness of Ibrahimovic, who seemed to use the San Siro pitch as a one-man walkway for his 6ft5in frame, almost akin to the wild and ready Led Zepplin frontman Robert Plant back in the 70s, Napoli seemed to shrink into nothing as the minutes rolled by. This was helped, in part, by Marc Van Bommel. Now, Van Bommel maybe an absolute monster of a player, mush like an apologetic Rino Gattuso, but he really is the best at what he does; which is just hang around the midfield being harder and tougher than everyone else. After scoring his penalty, Ibrahimovic seemingly held up half of the team on his shoulders while screaming aloud to the Gods of fortune. That kind of power is impressive, no end.

Not that this column wishes to show any kind of bias, given that it would be wholly unprofessional and not representative of this site’s opinion overall, but should Inter’s second-half season of revival result in either early disqualification from Europe or a faltering run of form that leaves them from the top 4 in the table, it would be a crying shame. The sheer enthusiasm Leonardo shows in his players’ attacking talent is something to be applauded and he is just such a nice guy. Well, apart from that elbow in the World Cup in 1994. We can forgive you, Leo.

Read above, but for Udinese. It’s a pity Sanchez will probably end up at *cough cough* for X amount of millions of pounds but talent and money talks, and right now hands are being shook.

Serie A table: Week 27

Serie A Table courtesy of www.skysports.com

Publicly available quotes courtesy of www.football-italia.net

Photo courtesy of www.guardian.co.uk/football

The playmaker. Yeah, that guy. He’s the one who operates in behind the forwards or striker/s, pulling the strings and using an almost ethereal view of the football field in order to make himself available for a pass and in return, he then feeds the attack. Does it sound easy? Well, it isn’t. In fact this is the position that is so difficult to fill lots of teams don’t even bother to have a playmaker.

You can have attacking midfielders, you can have central midfielders, you can have defensive midfielders, you can have wide midfielders – which is different from a winger, wing-forward and a chicken wing thrown on the pitch by an aggrieved fan – but a playmaker is a genius, and a genius is hard to find.

You would almost have to view the movement of every player on the pitch as a conflict of two fluid organisms. It may sound a little new-age, because in reality football is about a bunch of men, a sphere and a white line, but the game at the highest level is in fact such a complex operation built up of tactics, runs, fitness, teamwork, decisiveness, defensive acumen, set-pieces and technique that to simply label it ‘a game’ is way short of the mark. So to be able to take into consideration all of that at any one time and then be able to function on your own individual level requires something special. They are the ‘fly boys’ of football and over the years they have been responsible for the most amazing passes the game has seen.

Yes the game is about goals, and there’s nothing like a Lionel Messi run and strike, a Cristiano Ronaldo thunderbolt, a Diego Milito clinical finish or a Pippo Inzaghi ‘how the hell did that go in?’ but every goal has a gift of a pass behind it.

It’s no coincidence that Zinidine Zidane, Juan Román Riquelme, Juan Sebastián Verón, Luka Modric, Mesut Özil have been or are some of the most famous in world football. In fact the playmaker is so important, Barcelona FC have two of them: Andrés Iniesta and Xavi Hernández. Yes, that is greedy and yes, they should definitely sell one of them. Ah, Catalan through and through you say?

Serie A has seen some wonderful playmakers. Zvonimir Boban, Andrea Pirlo, the aforementioned Zidane, Maradonna – if he counts as such, as oppose to a whirlwind of footballing talent – are among the many. But what of today’s crop of creative players, who are the men teams rely on to dictate their teams attack?

Playmakers 2010/11

1. Stefano Mauri
The Monza-born Italian has a grand total of 7 assists up to now. He spent two years at Udinese before moving on to Lazio in 2006, where he has been ever since and his contributions for the club this season have not been unnoticed.

Playing in behind two strikers, Mauri has been key in making waves for his side’s forward play and Lazio have scaled up to fourth in the Serie A table and are now pushing hard for a Champions League place. He is also capable of making finesse finishes and hammering shots on goal.
See video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7-eg94iJzg

2. Anderson Hernanes
Perhaps not technically a playmaker as such, operating at times either ‘in the hole’ or in central midfield, but with 5 assists and 5 goals this year and a season’s worth of good performances his ability is not to be dismissed. The 25-year-old Brazilian plied his trade at São Paulo before moving to Italy at the start of the 2010 season. Naturally, he has a good first touch, an eye for goal and a fiery flare for the game. He is also not the last Lazio player in this list.

It’s a testament to Edoardo Reja’s knowledge of the game that Lazio are pushing for the Scudetto, playing some fantastic football and showing the world how it’s done with a 3-4-1-2 formation. You wouldn’t see that on a cold Wednesday night in Stoke. Although with ‘King’ Kenny back at Liverpool, they seem to be doing alright with it too. Still, Chelsea is one thing, The Potters are another. See video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQJrsHPZCAk – forgive the music. One day people will stop listening to things like this.

An example of how Mauri and Hernanes line up for Lazio.

Image courtesy of www.football-lineups.com

3. Javier Pastore
Palermo’s pretty in pink Javier ‘El Flaco’ Pastore, the 21-year-old Argentinian who made it to the World Cup in South Africa in 2010 has recently been the subject of much transfer speculation. It is said, that Manchester United and Chelsea FC are amongst the speculators interested in his services. His 3 assists don’t tell the full story. Pastore’s ability lies in spreading the play and making that scything pass when the times comes – whether or not that leads to a direct assist isn’t all that important, much like it is to most playmakers. The aim is to facilitate and that he certainly does.

This video, from the home tie against Juventus this year demonstrates my point: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WARq01xRBA4

4. Andrea Cossu
Serie A’s top assist merchant with 11. The 30-year-old Italian is perhaps still young enough for one last, big move, and with Cagliari sitting in mid-table and looking set to stay there, which is an improvement on their 16th placed finish last year, perhaps if a larger side came knocking with the right offer, he could be tempted. See him here, against AC Milan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-LbDWRK5PU

5. Ezequiel Iván Lavezzi
OK, so he may be more of a forward but with 10 assists he’s certainly been making more play than most. He also has 7 goals in all competitions so he knows how to finish them too. Often bearded, always up for it, the Argentinian has played for Napoli for 3 and a half seasons, having scored 27 goals. Napoli are currently second in Serie A, and it’s no coincidence that along the likes of Marek Hamsik and league top scorer Edinson Cavani, Lavezzi’s drive and energy help make up one of Europe’s most dynamic front 3. Look at this gem of a goal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIKKhlLL9f4

A special notice has to go to this particular player, whose idea of playmaking is perhaps a little different to everyone else’s: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1OrdQvwds0&feature=related

A wave of black and blue. A counter-current of white. Yet more surge forward, demanding the heads of their foes, screaming and snarling and appearing as wild and as fast as a hoard of Vikings that smell blood. The scary thing is, they’re not animals, barbarians or those with a lust for the kill and they know what they’re doing. They’re working together, they’re plotting, planning and executing with a distinct, dispassionate ethic. In return those on enemy soil do not back down or falter but they roar back and lunge in hope to upset the seemingly predestined loss at the hands of their oppressors.

This isn’t Joey Barton and company versus a squadron of police in riot gear at around 2am on a Sunday morning, or even a wild-eyed ‘gone mad’ Gennaro Gattuso getting violent with sea life at a marine centre: but the best possible way to describe what was possibly the game of the weekend in Serie A.

Internazionale’s phoenix-like rise from the ashes out of the bog of mediocrity is complete. It would be tempting to change a synonym into an eponym, if it wasn’t too post-modern and futile, but to dissect and describe what Leonardo: The Passion of the Pitch, has done should in effect break the rules, so we’ll stick with an epithet instead and stop messing about. This was Mourinho’s pragmatic team of careful assassins, dragged into the mire by Raphael Benitez. The team looked dead, gone, buried. But then three days after their final salute the rock rolled back from their tomb and out came a cleansed and freshened side; one ready to show the world their new technicoloured dreamcoat. Leonardo – artist, Inter – artists.

The game finished 5-3 to an Inter side that took all those who witnessed it on a ride that should not be forgotten in some time. AS Roma, Claudio Ranieri’s team played their part too.

The scoring started early through Wesley Sneijder after 3 minutes, with a wonderful long-range strike from outside the area only for Roma to come back through Fábio Simplício on 13 minutes with a near-post tap. Both sides were going at it hammer and tongues and the technique on display here was a breathless as the pace. Samuel Eto’o made it 2-1 with a goal not wholly unlike the one he scored against Manchester United in the Champions League final in 2009. He cut in from the right side, made a dummy then hammered the ball past Julio Sergio Bertagnoli, the Roma keeper.

The first-half came to an end perhaps more out of pity to those watching than anything else but the second-half then exploded into life and in the 63rd minute with Eto’o again, putting his name on the scoresheet after Nicolas Burdisso fouled Giampaolo Pazzini in the area – earning himself a red card in the process – and the referee awarded a penalty which was slotted away with ease. Thiago Motta made it 4-1 with a header in the 71st minute after Eto’o knocked the ball into his path about a yard from the goal line and the game seemed to be put to bed, but being a man down only seemed to inspire Roma to simply go for broke.

Mirko Vucinic benefitted from debutant Yuto Nagatomo’s failure to catch him offside after Roma were awarded a free-kick outside the area. He placed the ball past Juilo Cesar to make it 4-2. Simone Loria made it a rather nervous 4-3 in the 81st minute after a penalty area scramble but it was down to Esteban Cambiasso to finally castrate Roma’s chances of earning a point in the 90th minute when Samuel Eto’o – yes, him again – made light work of the Roma full-back in order to squeeze through a pass to Javier Zanetti, who in turn fed Cambiasso out to the left only for him to finish with ease.

It’s hard to explain just how thrilling this encounter was. In fact, every game between Roma and Inter is thrilling but surprisingly Inter have failed to win this fixture at the San Siro since 2005. You can just imagine Leonardo’s wife checking his hands for signs of the Stigmata while he sleeps later tonight.

Credit must go to Roma, though, who put up as much fight as anyone could against this onslaught, showing themselves to be more than adept a last-ditch defending, attacking and giving out the odd play-stopping kick or shove. It must also be mentioned, if anyone can find the counter-attack played by Inter in the 68th minute, make sure you watch it. Witnessing a team go from one end of the pitch in roughly 3.9 seconds flat is incredible.

These results leave Inter in 3rd and Roma in 7th and the title run in should now be one of the most exciting in years. It is one thing to assume teams will just play for the Champions League spot, but with the points gap now so close, perhaps any of the top four could take the Scudetto. Your money would be best placed on one of the teams from Milan, which makes the next derby a mouth-watering prospect.

So, what of the other title contenders?

AC Milan played away to Genoa and boy didn’t they know it. They were held to a 1-1 draw which leaves them with 49 points. Alexandre Pato opened the scoring in the 29th minute after eluding his defender and getting on the end of a very composed Zlatan Ibrahimovic pass. Genoa’s Floro Flores equalised at 45 minutes to make it level at half-time. This is the second consecutive draw for Massimiliano Allegri’s men.

“We did fairly well in the first half, less so after the break,” Allegri said, “during the week we should get some more players back from injury and we know that we must improve. When things seem too easy, we tend to rest on our laurels. Cassano [Antonio] is out of shape, but we played every three days this month and so needed to field him.”

3 points indeed.

Second-placed Napoli saw off Cesena at the San Paolo thanks to Edinson Cavani and substitute, Jose Sosa. They sit just three points behind Milan and now look like serious contenders for the title. A benefit perhaps, is that no one expected them to hit the heights they have, so there could be a certain degree of, almost relaxation in their minds about the final run of games. Of course, they’re professionals and they will now be thinking ‘what if’ as oppose to hoping they aren’t thinking ‘what could have been?’ when the season is at its end.

Palermo kept up their push for 4th with a 4-2 away win at Lecce. Their performances are rather impressive with media-speculation favourite Javier Pastore putting in another good show. Udinese continued their FC Barcelona impression by winning at home to a seemingly tootheless Sampdoria. This is the sixth straight game in which Francesco Gudolin’s team of flying internationals have failed to lose.

Word has recently been spread that Alexis Sanchez is set to leave at the end of the season, so to those who have yet to catch a glimpse of the Bianconeri, do so now, or fear being as distraught as those tabloid journalists who missed the announcement of Elton John’s child adoption because they were doing something much more worthwhile with their time, only to realise that they in fact didn’t care about handing out blankets to the homeless and should have been lying on a pavement with a camera trying to take pictures of what lies up Elton’s trouser leg.

Award of the week for services to ‘what, really?’ goes to Juventus, who managed to win a game of football 3-1 away to Cagliari. Alessandro Matri scored twice either side of Robert Acquafresca’s equaliser before maybe he who would be better off scraping plaster from a ceiling favourite Luca Toni scored Juve’s final goal in the 83rd minute to earn The Old Lady their first 3 points in three games.

Other results:

Bologna 1-0 Catania
Parma 1-1 Fiorentina
Brescia 2-0 Bari
Lazio 1-1 Chievo

Publicly available post-match quotes courtesy of:

• http://www.soccerway.com/

Serie A table available at and courtesy of:

• http://www.skysports.com

Related Posts:

• 5th February Weekend Preview

• What has happened to AC Milan?

Internazionale continued to show that Leonardo’s artistry in man-management translates into wonderful pictures on the pitch. A comprehensive 3-0 win away to Bari, which saw the return of play-maker Wesley Sneijder and the transfer-fresh form of January signing Giampaolo Pazzini, kept alive Massimo Moratti’s hopes of climbing the table and retaining the Scudetto for a startling sixth season in a row. The home loss has kept Bari at the bottom of the table with just 14 points and relegation is looking more and more likely.

Since the factual departure of ex-Liverpool manager Raphael Benitez, I Nerazzurri have played the kind of football that has brought plaudits as well as points. The early season troubles seem to be well and truly behind them. With only one defeat in the league since the FIFA Club World Cup victory in December, and a series of results that have seen them trade goals like a boxer trades punches, it seems the heavyweights of Italian football are back. Leonardo does it his way: the edge-of-your-seat, exciting way. You wouldn’t get that from a Ninja Turtle.

That is a stark contrast to Juventus, who seem at the moment to be in something of a lull. It would be unfair to say that they’ve been playing particularly poorly, but two losses from the last two games – to a rousing Udinese and a solid Palermo; who now lie 7th and 6th respectively – and performances that seem to show a slight unease in the team has given the Old Lady’s fans something to point the finger at. A level-headed observer would point to the fact that Juve, are soon to be re-homed in an English-style 45,000 seater stadium and like it or not, the club are in a transitional state. It is something hard to accept for fans – that their beloved team founded on past glories are in a state of flux and aren’t the powerhouse that they once were. Realism isn’t something that permeates the football faithful and it’s as damaging to the ego when a team loses as it is to be told you’re terrible in bed. If football was marital coitus, then the Juve team have left that Old Lady looking around for a man with a bit of vigour.

Guile, vigour, passion, heat, sweat, more passion. No, it’s not Silvio Berlusconi’s annual Government soirée. It is the front line of AC Milan. The temperamental Swede, the temperamental Brazillian and the temperamental Italian all conspire to, I’m sure, supplement their own huge talents and egos to make up one of the most dynamic frontlines in Serie A by terrorising the defences of every other team. Milan top the table and a draw to Lazio in midweek kept them ahead of their competitors and all is looking as rosy red as the rouge on their shirt. There is a staggering fact about Zlatan Ibrahimovic: he was won the league title with any team he has played for, for the last 7 years. 1 with Ajax, 2 with Juventus, 3 with Internazionale and 1 with Barcelona and now he looks set to get his 8th should all go well and he keep scoring in such a consistent way.

All roads lead to Rome and with the men from Roma and Lazio bringing up the rear – not a first in that city. Lazio’s form has faltered as of late, with 2 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses but they remain a danger to the top 3 teams and are pushing for that Champions League playoff spot. Roma, are in much the same mode. It is all about consolidation for both teams before a budgeted improvement can take place. 4 wins, a loss and a draw for Claudio Ranieri’s men shows that they are a team to take a note of, even if, as some say, their main man Francesco Totti is perhaps a hindrance than miracle worker. Of course with Alessandro Del Piero and the likes of Ryan Giggs in the Barclay’s Premier League still turning on the style at 35+, you can never count for talent and that is exactly what AS Roma will rely on in the run in.

The fixtures this weekend provide some interesting clashes. Udinese v Sampdoria is an enticing match, as both are sides known for their attacking prowess but it is Sampdoria who have recently been stripped of their prime attacking threat in the way of Antonio Cassano and Giampoalo Pazzini – who have found new homes in the red and blue of Milan. It will be interesting to see what type of football they will play in the wake of the loss of two of their finest players. Udinese bleed and score goals like it’s going out of fashion so it is perhaps not at all ridiculous to expect a 3-3 thriller at the Stadio Fruili.

Napoli and Lazio continue their push for spots at the top end of the table. Napoli take on a Cesena side that are fresh from 2 draws and 3 losses and are sat third from bottom in the relegation zone. Given that we’re now in the ‘business end’ of the season every point up for grabs will be scrapped for like a gang of polar bears scrap for a seal’s remains, making this game no easy task. Marek Hamsik and Ezequiel Lavezzi will be looking to profit from Cesena’s poor form.

Lazio are at home to Chievo whose last two games against Bari and Sampdoria resulted in good wins. This is also a Chievo side that beat Roma 5-1 earlier in the season so they are not to be taken lightly in any respect.

Other ties to watch out for are Genoa v Milan, Cagliari v Juventus and Parma v Fiorentina.

Fixtures: kick off times in BST. +1 hour for CET.


Saturday 5 February 2011

Udinese v Sampdoria kick off – 17:00

Cagliari v Juventus kick off – 19:45



Sunday 6 February

Bologna v Catania kick off – 11:30

Parma v Fiorentina kick off – 14:00

Napoli v Cesena

Brescia v Bari

Lecce v Palermo

Genoa v Milan

Lazio v Chievo

Internazionale v Roma kick off – 19:45

This transfer window has seen some big changes in English football. Edin Dzeko to Manchester City, Fernando Torres to Chelsea, Andy Carroll and Luiz Suarez to Liverpool are amongst the headline grabbing switches, but what stands out away from the high-rolling money spending lunacy of the Barclay’s Premier League is what has happened in Italy, or to be more specific, what has happened at AC Milan.

AC Milan’s first big change of the 2010/11 season was to appoint Massimiliano Allegri. Pour scorn upon Silvio Berlusconi and Adriano Galliani all you wish, but it was a shrewd move much in the same guise of Barcelona’s appointment of Pep Guardiola. Allegri is made of much sterner stuff than Leonardo, who is now at the helm of Internazionale’s spiritual rebirth. Allegri has brought a sense of discipline and order to a squad that had, perhaps, lost its way in the face of Berlusconi’s ongoing public dislike of Carlo Ancelotti’s methods and his own sordid prime ministerial allegations, the Kaka’ transfer saga, Ancelotti’s contract termination, Maldini’s retirement and the decline of a team that was once the zenith of European football.

Changes had to be made

Allegri was gifted with the mercurial talents of Robinho, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Kevin-Prince Boateng at the season’s start and have since rid themselves of Ronaldinho and brought in Marc Van Bommel – surely the only player even more capable of taking football’s ‘villain of all time award.’ Well, unless you count DeJong’s foray into Kung-Fu for the last six months as nothing more than an exercise in multi-sports adaptability.

In Ronaldinho’s place, came Antonio Cassano

It’s quite difficult to sum up the career of such a character. Some would say why bother given that he is so young and undoubtedly destined to make yet more waves in Serie A’s sea. But that is exactly the point: the future. To asses, perhaps with a glint of hope, just what version of a future lies ahead for Cassano we must look to the present. You wouldn’t think that Antonio Cassano is only 28-years-old, would you? The man they call ‘Il Gioiello di Bari Vecchia’ seems to have been around forever and his reputation is as much down to his brilliance as his rather wayward and emotive tendencies.

Cassano has, perhaps, found himself at the right club at the right time. Some players peak and fall by the time they are 30 but with Cassano you get the sense his best if yet to come.

This is the Antonio Cassano who, which at Madrid, was said to have spent vast periods of time in a hotel room eating cake and being offered women by obsequious club officials; he would later claim that he would be willing to walk from Madrid to Rome if it meant he could leave the club he had so fallen out of favour with. This is the Antonio Cassano that once gave a referee the ‘horns’ – as synonymised by lovers of heavy metal everywhere – as an insult. This is the same Cassano who, after being sent off while playing for Sampdoria, decided he was so aggrieved by the referee’s decision that he would throw his shirt at the man and then spend the next 15 minutes boiling with rage and insisting that he wait for the official after the match so he could give him more than a stern word. This is the same Cassano who James Richardson, former Football Italia presenter for Channel 4, described as ‘a nice guy.’ So, it’s not all bad.

In fact it’s certainly not all bad and there are those that say the flux in temperament in Cassnao that makes him so brilliant and so promising even at the age of 28. He is a player blessed with the intelligence for a key pass, the mindset that says ‘never say die’ and he certainly has the ability to execute any flash of brilliance he has in his mind when on the field. With Milan’s resurgence this year, as the cream of the crop of Italian football, in Cassano they could have found a key component in regaining the title they have sought for so long.

Whereas Ronaldinho was perhaps the player with the skill, he certainly didn’t have the steel and guile of Cassano. In layman’s terms, Cassano has ‘balls’.

This attitude had shone through in his performances for Sampdoria where he became known, along with Giampaolo Pazzini, as part of one of the most effective partnerships in Serie A, helping the club finish 4th and qualify for a UEFA Champions League spot in 2009/10.

Given the woeful state of Italy’s performances at the 2010 World Cup in Africa, and the lack of overwhelming talent coming through at youth level, perhaps Cassano’s future holds more in store than even he realises. He has made an immediate impact at Milan with his clever passing and forward play, notching up 3 assists in his 8 appearances and this is the type of player a national team should be looking to implement should they wish for resurgence.

With AC Milan sitting pretty at the top of the table with possibly their most consistent form in years, it could just be that sense of wild inconsistency in a couple of their players that could clinch the Scudetto. Perhaps that is what it takes in a place such as Italy. Inter had Mourinho, the one-man whirlwind of ego, to guide them to the treble last year so to have not one but at least three, if not more, players who know a thing or two about airing their disdain, the forward line for Milan that could break Inter’s monopoly on Serie A could be forgiven for seeming like a runaway train about to come off the tracks. But, this is football, and like life, isn’t that just going to make it all the more exciting?

I was born early in the morning on the 9th July 1982, the morning after the epic 3-3 semi final between France and West Germany, which saw the infamous Harald Schumacher ‘attack’ on Patrick Battiston after a glorious Michel Platini pass. I always credit this match as one of the reasons as to why football runs through my veins, considering I was born a few hours after the final whistle. However, looking at the whole 1982 tournament, Platini nor France nor West Germany were the stars of the show.

On the 5th July 1982, Brazil lost 3-2 to Italy in the quarter final of the World Cup. This Brazilian side is often credited as the greatest football side not to lift the World Cup (probably along with the 1974 Dutch side), which is no doubt a massive compliment to Paulo Rossi’s Italy – led by legendary manager Enzo Bearzot.

Enzo Bearzot was the second Italian to lift the World Cup trophy after Vittorio Pozzo who guided the Azzurri to victory in the 1934 and 1938 tournaments. Bearzot unfortunately passed away last month in Milan, aged 83 years old. Only Marcello Lippi has matched his great feat, ironically under the same type of controversial circumstances surrounding Calcio. The most well documented case is that of Paulo Rossi, who when at Perugia was involved in the infamous scandal known as ‘Totonero‘ in 1980, which saw the future Juventus star banned from football for three years, later reduced to two years. His inclusion in the 1982 World Cup squad sparked controversy and his performance against Poland and Peru did nothing to but infuriate his doubters even more.

A 2-1 victory over Argentina followed, which saw Claudio Gentile get to grips very early on with twenty two year old Diego Maradona, but the victory over Brazil was a massive surprise to the world of football. The then three times World Cup winners had scored thirteen goals in four matches and dispatched South American rivals Argentina in the process, beating the 1978 winners 3-1. The Brazilians had a number of superbly creative players in their side, including Sócrates, Zico, and Roma’s Falcão.

Brazil were stunned by Paulo Rossi’s hattrick, even though both Sócrates and Falcão hit back after Rossi’s first and second respectfully – however, destiny shone on the Azzurri, who no doubt felt that their 1970 defeat was now avenged. Bearzot, who was slated for the performance of his side in the first three games, was now only a single match away from the final. The ‘silenzio stampa’ looked like it was beginning to work.

Next up were Poland, who Italy easily beat 2-0 before facing West Germany in the final. Italy had played West Germany three times prior to the game in 1982, with the epic 4-3 victory in 1970 in favour of the Azzurri being the most memorable. Germany and Italy were both level on two World Cup wins, with Germany’s triumphs coming in 1954 and 1974, and the winner would join the Brazilians on three world cup victories. The Italians smashed three past the Germans in the final, with the second goal by Marco Tardelli remaining an iconic image even today. The ‘Tardelli cry’ is now down in World Cup folklore, as the Juventus man ran to the bench, shaking fists shouting ‘Goal! Goal!’. The midfielder’s war like cry highlighted the defiance of Bearzot’s side following extreme criticism prior to the tournament and in the early matches. The man born in the North East of Italy and who won a single cap for Italy was the champion of the world.

Italy lineup vs. West Germany 1982 World Cup Final Madrid

As mentioned at the start of this post, I was a mere two days old when Enzo Bearzot held the World Cup trophy aloft in Madrid on July 11th 1982. He retired as a manager in 1986 after the World Cup following a disappointing campaign where Italy were eliminated by France in the last sixteen. Bearzot was criticized for keeping a vast amount of the 1982 squad, who were deemed too old for the finals. Like any manager who has touched greatness, Bearzot was slated by the media and public in the early days, much like Sir Alex Ferguson and Brian Clough were. Both Ferguson and Clough were strong believers in their own footballing philosophy and had strict principles that they believed they needed to adhere to that may be against what was perceived as ‘normal’ – Bearzot was from the same school.

John Foot described in the excellent “Calcio: A History of Italian Football” that Italians by nature are defensive cautious people, which is why they make excellent defenders – often cynical at times. However, Bearzot was a fan of the interchanging total football philosophy of the great Dutch team of 1974 and Ajax before that, rather than the traditional ‘Catenaccio’approach adopted by legendary Internazionale manager Helenio Herrera. A quote by Bearzot sums up my respect for the manager who didn’t subscribe to the defensive pragmatic style that some of his countrymen adopted: “I select my players and then I let them play the game, without trying to impose tactical plans on them. You can’t tell Maradona, ‘Play the way I tell you’. You have to leave him free to express himself.” He later went on to add: “Coaching Italy was a vocation which has become a profession. Football has become a science, but for me it’s still first and foremost a game.”

Enzo Bearzot: Born 26 September 1927 Died: 21 December 2010 World Cup Winner: 1982

Former World Footballer of the year Ronaldinho has been called upto the Brazilian national team after an eighteenth month absence. Brazil’s new coach, Mano Menezes, has decided the time is right to recall one of the most gifted players of the past twenty five years. The AC Milan forward has failed to find the back of the net in seven Serie A games so far this season, but has three assists to his name so far.

Menezas was quoted as saying “He’s in good form, he’s a figurehead who will add value to the Brazil team. The Ronaldinho we want is the one we learnt to enjoy watching”. The Brazilian playmaker last played for Brazil in a World Cup qualifier against Peru in April 2009. His next game will be against arch-rivals Argentina in Doha on November 17th. Ronaldinho will be hungry to show doubters that he has still a lot to offer after being overlooked for the World Cup finals in South Africa this summer.

Brazil also recall Neymar, who was dropped for friendlies earlier in October for disciplinary reasons after the Santos teenager had scored in the 2-0 victory over the United States back in August to mark an impressive debut. Menezas was critical of World Champions Spain when they played against Argentina at the beginning of the season “The Argentina we saw against Spain have a strong midfield and get into the box in force. We won’t do like Spain and expose ourselves to counter-attacks,”.

The Fiorentina and Italian play maker Riccardo Montolivo believes he is the ideal replacement for Andrea Pirlo, who will miss the early stages of the tournament through injury. The AC Milan deep lying play maker is set to miss the Italy’s opening two group games against Paraguay and New Zealand after injuring his calf muscle in a recent friendly against Mexico. Italy are the defending World Champions and will be aiming on July 11th to reach a joint record five World Cup titles – currently held by Brazil.

Italy are expected to adopt a 4-2-3-1 formation or 4-3-3 in the opening game, with Montolivo breaking from midfield to support the lone front man Alberto Gilardino. The former Atalanta man praised Andrea Pirlo for his ‘special’ ability, however he believed that there are ’3 or 4′ players in the current Italian squad that can step up to the plate for the Azzurri. The went on to add: “Pirlo is a special player. But I think there are two or three Italian players that can play in his position when he is missing. I have played in Pirlo’s position this season. I believe this role suits me, it’s ideal for me.”

Montolivo also spoke about being ‘thrilled’ at his involvement in the World Cup, having watched his countrymen lift the crown back in 2006 on TV: “In 2006 I watched the World Cup on TV, now I am here. This is the most important tournament in my career and I am thrilled. The experience of playing in the Champions League this year has given me added confidence and I am ready to have a say”. Many are not backing the reigning World Champions to successfully retain their World crown, despite having been drawn in a very favourable group. Marcelo Lippi is back having stepped down in 2006 and taken over from Roberto Donadoni, who’s unsuccessful European Champions in 2008 cost him.