Riccardo Rossi Serie A articles

Riccardo is a regular blogger for all things Serie A, i've been reading his stuff for almost a year, and despite being a self confessed Inter fan , his articles are witty & cover up all Serie A weekly events .. so here is his latest work for those interested in Serie A and those who can't follow it & need a short view on events .
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Serie A laments Champions League shipwreck


Italians hate to be left out of any gathering where the spotlight will be shining brightly on those in attendance.

So it must have been with a heavy heart and a sad sigh when La Gazzetta Dello Sport got down to reporting the fact that the English Premier League are once again dominating the Champions League – the “English Cup” as they have renamed it.

“Premiership party and only Barca are invited,” they forlornly lamented at the thought that each of the three conquerers of Serie A sides are one step – or two legs - from the big dance in Rome.

After berating Manchester United for only drawing with Porto in the first leg, Il Corriere dello Sport had to concede that Sir Alex Ferguson had got it right second time around.

“Manchester went to Portugal with the mindset of dominating the opposition and they did so,” was one line from the editorial before the inevitable was asked: “Would an Italian side have done that?”

Probably not was their own take, not as long as they continue to possess the mentality of going out not to lose rather than to win.

Delving back through the European games this season, the paper could only come up with one parallel to United where an Italian side were involved, and that was Juventus against Real Madrid – the same Real who were then humiliated by Liverpool.

In fact, weren’t those two ties against the Spanish the last time Alessandro Del Piero had a decent game?

As the season has worn on, so Ale has become a shadow of his former self. And in turn Juve have lost their spark that even the arrival of Inter this weekend is nothing more than the chance to restore some pride for the Old Lady.

Jose Mourinho’s side have done their best to keep the title race alive – dropping points whenever the opportunity presents itself – but Juve have time and time again failed to take advantage.

10 points separate the sides ahead of the grandly-titled “Derby of Italy” but such is the gulf that the game cannot even be described as a title showdown.

A home win will change little, although it is not as if Mourinho will want to grant his nemesis Claudio Ranieri any flicker of pleasure, never mind his hand.

Ranieri has been given a vote of confidence for next season, although it has come with a warning that the runners-up spot in the league or the Italian Cup is a minimum requirement for the remainder of the campaign.

It is a long way from the proclamations at the start of the season when all roads led to Rome, but those outspoken assertions have long since receded into the mists of time and now it’s a case of beggars can’t be choosers.

That goes for Italian football in general, but here's hoping that Juve and Inter take the first step towards that winning mentality in Turin.

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Post his "Thiago Motta is Serie A's best player" one please.

This guy seems like a good journalist. Who does he write for ?

FourFourTwo.com

A weekend to forget for second-best Serie A

Monday 20 April 2009 10:00
Second best is an apt description of Serie A at the moment.

And suddenly the chase for the runners-up spot has taken on more significance that it would normally have done.

Inter did little to honour the title of “Italy’s top team” against Juventus – this being a game that is meant to be bigger for the Milanese side than their own city derby – allowing the Old Lady to somehow escape a potential mugging on Saturday evening.

And we thought Fabio Capello’s Juve side were dull.

Having been totally outplayed by the Nerazzurri, who at times seemed completely uninterested in adding to their 1-0 lead, Claudio Ranieri’s lame ducks - reduced to 10 men for the second week running – somehow contrived to find an equaliser.

It's a terrible state of affairs when a once-proud team are reduced to celebrating a home draw, and there was no surprise on Sunday when the club’s very own propaganda arm Tuttosport were calling for heads to roll.

First on the chopping block is, of course, Ranieri himself.

In the frame to take over is former midfielder Antonio Conte, who is leading Bari back into the top flight and whose name was chanted around the Olympic Stadium on Saturday – when the local Neanderthals weren’t racially abusing Mario Balotelli that is.

When are the authorities going to make a stand against such uncivilised behaviour, or is a club going to finally find the fortitude to order its players to walk off the pitch?

Anyway, on less pressing matters, Ranieri’s fate may well be sealed by Wednesday evening with failure to overcome Lazio in the Italian Cup.

The Bianconeri are trailing 2-1 from the first leg and the Romans will come into the tie fresh from putting a spanner in the works of Genoa’s Champions League hopes.

Then there is Milan to worry about. The Rossoneri are now level with Juve after sinking Turin’s other side in such a one-sided affair that watching Brazil coach Carlos Dunga asked Adriano Galliani if he could get Carlo Ancelotti to bring Ronaldinho on at the start of the second half.

It is ineptitude more than anything else that is turning the scramble for the Champions League and UEFA Cup spots into the focal point for the closing part of the campaign.

Having buried Roma last week, Genoa and Fiorentina breathed life into the ailing Giallorossi by their own inability to gather at least a point from the aforementioned Lazio and - in the Viola’s case - Udinese.

It is not as if Roma deserve to take advantage of any late nerves from the two sides above them, as they had to rely on a dodgy penalty decision to overcome doomed Lecce.

All-in-all, it was pretty much a weekend to forget all round, although Filippo Inzaghi’s failure to grow old gracefully as he celebrated another hat-trick in trademark demented manner did raise a smile or two.

Snyde said:

Post his "Thiago Motta is Serie A's best player" one please.

Click to expand...

due to popular request here it is

Motta makes Juve pay while Rome derby turns ugly

Monday 13 April 2009 12:30
If you are looking for a candidate for player of the year, then look no further than Thiago Motta.

The Genoa midfielder just gets better week after week, and down in Rome - where Serie Aaaaargh! decamped for the weekend, ostensibly to watch the derby and indulge in some fine Easter fare - the locals were cooing over the Brazilian.

This was 10.35 in the evening following a raucous afternoon at the Stadio Olimpico, and after Motta had just about buried any hopes Roma had of playing in next season’s Champions League thanks - in part - to his two goals in the 3-2 win over Juventus.


How the Giallorossi could do with a white-knight to ride to their rescue, instead of the peevish Philippe Mexes and Christian Panucci – both banished to the changing rooms for second yellow cards in the afternoon dust-up.

They were joined by the equally-odious Francelino Matuzalem, who in also receiving his marching orders - along with Mexes - ensured what must be the first case of two players sporting neck tattoos being sent-off in the same match.

The day had begun in such a different manner, with a perfectly observed minute’s silence at each of the Serie A stadiums up and down the country to honour those who had lost their lives in the Abruzzo earthquake.

Thankfully, that annoying habit of applauding during such occasions is beginning to recede and the absolute silence in the Olympic stadium spoke volumes of the depth of feeling towards the victims.

Unfortunately, any hopes that a moment of solemn reflection would quell the animosity that surrounds the derby in the capital proved unfounded, as those on and off the pitch got down to the business in hand – insulting and kicking seven lumps out of each other.

While the ultras are caged at opposite ends of the stadium, the rest of the masses are free to mingle along the Tevere stand – and when Lazio raced into a 2-0 lead the tension spilled over into, maybe not running battles, but a fair amount of fist-throwing and general unsavoury behaviour.

Even in the relatively benign setting of the posh seats in the Monte Mario stand there was enough insulting language and hostility to make you wonder if the whole experience was really worth it.

A Roman acquaintance attempted to explain the local character and the city in general, describing it as “provincial.”

“When you visit places like Paris, New York and London you immediately feel you are in a city, while here it’s like a village,” he mused.

Well, the village idiots certainly spoilt the occasion but there is one thing that can never be ruined in the capital... and that is a good pizza.

Hence we found ourselves in a fine eatery late on Saturday discussing the merits of Thiago Motta in tandem with Daniele De Rossi in a dream-midfield partnership.

It’s a pipe dream of course. Roma’s crippling debt means they need to sell half of the squad before they can even think of bringing in much-needed reinforcements.

Motta will be playing in the Champions League next season, but don’t count on it being with Genoa - place your bets on a team wearing black and blue stripes.

Juventus on course to ensure Ranieri the sack

Friday 24 April 2009 12:00
If Claudio Ranieri is a man at risk of losing one of the biggest jobs in football, then he is certainly hiding any concern very well.

The coach appeared pretty sanguine after seeing Juventus booted out of the Italian Cup by a pretty nifty Lazio side – and maybe he believes the ever-more vocal assurances coming from the suits at the club that his job is safe.

However, the question has to be asked, do the players want dear old Claudio in charge in next season?

You have to doubt it after the way they went about trying to claw back a 2-1 deficit from the first leg on Wednesday.

If the coach didn’t seem to have a care in the world at the final whistle, then his players demonstrated the same attitude during the game.

With so much riding on the outcome, Ranieri would of course be expected to field his strongest side. Instead, he left Alex Del Piero, Mauro Camoranesi and Pavel Nedved on the bench.

A Lazio acquaintance of Serie Aaaaargh! claimed that after winning the derby, his side would not lose a game for the reminder of the season.

Not a bad wager and an equally tempting one would be Juventus not winning another game either.

Just looking at the bench behind Ranieri on Wednesday evening it was like one of those scenes from a World War I battlefield, where the officer goes over the top and the soldiers remain in the trenches to leave him to his fate.

The aforementioned trio may outwardly have given off a united front of 'see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil' but you just got the feeling that inwardly it was quite the opposite.

A goal down at the end of the first-half and the big names still in their tracksuits, it was a no-win situation for the lonesome boss.

On came the three ‘saviours’ and off Camoranesi trudged near the end - the proud owner of two consecutive red cards.

Only Del Piero put up any half-hearted resistance and flashed home a consolation goal when the score was 2-0.

Whistles and boos once again in Turin but this time they were totally justified.

Ranieri is definitely a proud man who has had to shoulder the burden of attempting to rebuild a totally discredited Juventus from the ruins of Calciopoli, and he must know better than anyone when he is being stabbed in the back.

Meanwhile over in Milan, Jose Mourinho had the knives out for the referee after Inter failed to overcome their 3-0 deficit Sampdoria had set the league leaders from the first leg.

The Nerazzurri gave it their best shot – with most of them coming back off the woodwork - but in the end had only Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s stunning volley to celebrate.

Of course, the Portuguese accepted the exit gracefully, claiming that the official only blew his whistle against one side and they weren’t wearing black and blue.

So no Mourinho-Ranieri tussle in the final then, but for the neutrals Lazio on home turf against Antonio Cassano should make the showpiece a must-see... for once.

Thanks for posting man, I love your articles

you're welcome mate

Always knew Thiago Motta would be a great player. He just needed to remain injury free which he seems to have done for the most part this season.

lol just shows the downgrade of serie a that a player the quality of motta, or there lack of to be precise, is being named as one of the best players. Like Shitoko it is a joke.

Juve need to sack Ranieri he is a crap manager and doesn't have that cut-throat edge at the top level - simple.

Ranieri is a shocking manager. Did he not relegate Atleti in the 99/00 season ?

Decline and fall of the Roma empire

Monday 27 April 2009 10:00
Much like the dear old Eternal City, AS Roma have seen better days. Both are in need of a major makeover.

The 4-1 thumping at Fiorentina on Saturday all but ended any hopes of grabbing fourth place and unless there is a miracle of biblical proportions, UEFA's showpiece final at the end of May will be the last Champions League football at the Stadio Olimpico for some time.

That unthinkable state of affairs has left the future of everyone – from president Rosella Sensi to the kitman – very much up in the air.

The feeling is that Luciano Spalletti is already looking for an escape route and in the Machiavellian world of Italian football, the whispers along the corridors are of the shaven-headed coach defecting to AC Milan when Carlo Ancelotti decamps to either Chelsea or Real Madrid.

Nice work if you can get it, but what of the mess Spalletti leaves behind on the banks of the Tiber?

Of course, he can't shoulder all the blame – having had little or no say in last summer’s transfer campaign – but his handling of the team in the most delicate moments has left a lot to be desired.

The 50-year-old may or may not have snubbed Chelsea last summer, publicly committing his future to Roma through thick or thin. But for most of the season he has been a distant figure compared to his usual chirpy self.

To those outside the club that lack of real belief has transferred itself to the players and Florence was typical of recent Giallorossi performances.

La Viola broke the deadlock with their first shot, and despite dominating the first half – when chances couldn't be turned into goals – it all went pear-shaped for the visitors.

Attacks broke down, players lost their positions and there was no use in looking to the bench for help as Spalletti was either staring at the ground or shaking his head in resignation.

With no one or nothing to prop up their fragile egos, those on the pitch switched to default mode: whining and whingeing before losing all semblance of discipline.

The diminutive but very uptight David Pizarro lost his rag over nothing and squared up to France Semioli, receiving a second yellow card and his marching orders.

That's now a dirty dozen red cards this season, most of them for dissent. It's back to the bad habits from before Fabio Capello's reign (1999-2004) briefly brought everyone into line – when there was never a week that passed without someone or other getting sent off.

Sifting through the ruins of the season, the only similarity now with Don Fabio’s reign is that the club are still in the depths of financial woes.

Sensi has admitted that interested parties have been in touch about a possible sale, with a consortium fronted by disgustingly rich industrialists the Flick family ready to acquire a major stake in the club.

The billionaire financer George Soros could have taken over last year for a snip, but having apparently predicted the current worldwide financial crisis, he decided to keep his readies closer to home.

Where too now for the failing Romans? Well, the players have been banished to the dreaded ritiro for a week, which smacks of closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.

As for the rest, the Sensi family need to step away and allow the German-Swiss axis to come in and clean up the mess – ending the handouts of jumbo contracts (and that includes Francesco Totti’s hopes for one last mega-payday), selling off some of the assets (Philippe Mexes and Alberto Aquilani) then jettisoning the deadwood and starting from scratch again.

As they say, Rome wasn’t built in a day, but it hasn’t taken long for the club to crumble.

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Spaletti is/was loved by Roma fans and the Italian journalists but now I don't know nothing is working. Roma are good enough to see Champions League football every year.

Salesman Silvio still knows how to sell a lost cause

Wednesday 29 April 2009 15:00

Class is ageless as they say, and at seventy-something Silvio Berlusconi still doesn’t possess it.

When he is not picking a former Miss Italy and a Big Brother contestant as candidates for the upcoming European Parliament elections, he is giving it the old salesman routine of selling Inter’s title credentials short.

Despite still being seven points adrift of the Nerazzurri, the Milan owner is spinning an unlikely comeback for all it is worth - and even if the government team fail to pull off the miracles of all miracles with six games remaining, Inter’s success will never be worthy in the eyes of the man who started out flogging vacuum cleaners.

Harking back to Adriano’s handball goal in the derby, with a smirk that would have left even Jose Mourinho reeling with the insincerity of it, Berlusconi claimed that if that goal had been disallowed then the Rossoneri would only have been a point off top spot.

You have to admire Berlusconi’s front, not to mention timing: the matter would probably never have been brought up if Inter had not lost at Napoli.

The remark did have the desired effect and has planted a few seeds of doubt across town.

Gruff old Massimo Moratti was forced into a response, but lacking charisma could only come up with that old chestnut... penalties.

“We’ll count how many penalties Milan have had and then we’ll see who are champions,” he countered in the war of what ifs.

Rather than worry about engaging in a squabble with the neighbours, Moratti should be more concerned with matters back home and his coach’s laid-back attitude of late.

When not inviting persona non grata Adriano to drink the bar dry at the title-winning party and laughing off what seems a genuine desire by Zlatan Ibrahimovic to up sticks, he’s started shrugging his shoulders in response to just about every question put his way.

The dull, rudderless performance at Napoli encouraged La Gazzetta dello Sport to launch their “Crazy Idea” campaign - if Milan can catch Inter, all the uncommunicative one could come up with as he stifled a yawn was “well, it had 0-0 written all over it and they scored.”

What about the ref? A dodgy offside? It was too hot? Nope, not a thing to raise his ire. The dullness that engulfs everything associated with Inter has finally turned Jose into the Portuguese man of bore.

Or maybe this is another variation of his [in]famous mind games: the game where he doesn’t mind anymore.

No doubt if he were back in the Premier League you would be selling the product for all its worth.

Berlusconi may be cheesy to some, but he knows how to maintain our interest.

Here’s hoping Jose returns from his self-imposed trading-on-cheap-shots embargo and gets back into the market of playing up the run-in to the season finale.

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