Lega Serie A – General Discussion

[RomaShield27]

Bosman/Free Transfer List: Serie A:

http://www.goal.com/en/news/11/transfer ... ly-serie-a?

[RomaShield27]

09/10 Serie A Review: Five-Times Inter, The Rise Of Roma, The Fall Of Juventus And Milan
– By Jack Downes – 17 MAY 2010

Serie A is a league of pragmatists. There are pragmatic coaches, who specialise in delivering results rather than entertainment. There are pragmatic owners, who will sack a manager without blinking. And there are pragmatic players, who will (allegedly) occasionally agree to play for a scoreline that suits both teams.

It is a league still recovering from the Calciopoli scandal of 2006 – a scandal that has reared its head across this season both in the press and courtroom. One of the consequences of that scandal is a perceived absence of competition, with Inter Milan having caught hold of the Scudetto ball and run with it, racking up several titles in the process. This year, however, a challenger emerged from a surprising source.

Title Race



Such is the force of Jose Mourinho’s personality that were Inter languishing in the bottom half of the table, he’d still be making headlines across Europe. As it is, he’s finally managed to shape this Inter side in to his own image. The summer saw them pull off one of the most remarkable transfer coups in recent footballing history – and all while selling their supposed best player. Zlatan Ibrahimovic went to Barcelona in exchange for Samuel Eto’o and a mammoth 46 million euros windfall. Ibrahimovic had been the inspiration between their title-winning campaign the season before, but Mourinho did not mourn his departure. Instead, he set about reinvesting the cash.

Aside from the arrival of Eto’o, there were four significant signings. He brought in Brazilian skipper Lucio from Bayern Munich to partner Argentinian hardman Walter Samuel at the back.

Two more South Americans arrived from Genoa, whose good form in 2008/09 saw them qualify for the Europa league. Combative Brazilian midfielder Thiago Motta arrived to add steel and a threat from long-range, whilst Diego Milito joined Eto’o as part of a new-look front-line. Milito arrived with a goalscoring record of at least one every two games for both Real Zaragoza and Genoa. Mourinho was as good as guaranteeing goals, and so it has proved.

The most significant signing, however, was Dutchman Wesley Sneijder. Like Motta, Sneijder had suffered a succession of knee injuries in his career and there were doubts about his long-term viability. Having been bought by Real Madrid to replace the expert delivery and set-piece threat of David Beckham, he now found himself being forced out by the arrival Xabi Alonso and Kaka. A move to Inter was seen as a gamble by all parties – some pundits feared Sneijder would be too delicate for the tactical minefield of the Serie A midfield. However, to the surprise of many, he has flourished.

Sneijder is not, at first glance, a typical Mourinho player. The Portugese coach is known for favouring physically powerful, consistent, solider-like players. Sneijder is a mercurial talent, but he does meet his manager’s demand for statistical excellence: like Xavi of Barcelona and Cesc Fabregas of Arsenal, he is supreme when it comes to the retention of possession. However, of these two players he is more like the latter, as most of his work is done in the final third. With Motta and Esteban Cambiasso behind him, he is free to break forward and supply the likes of Milito, Eto’o, and January signing Goran Pandev.

Finally, Mourinho had his team. A team with the efficiency of his Chelsea side, with Sneijder playing the role Deco played in his Porto team – providing the creative spark.

The one thing standing between the Portugese and the Scudetto success was an old enemy: Claudio Ranieri. Mourinho had replaced Ranieri at Chelsea, and famously denounced the Italian’s reign as one characterised by failure, branding the Italian manager “a loserâ€

[RomaShield27]

Serie A 2009-2010 TOP 20 GOALS of the season: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vPu337RDN8

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -



– By Roberto Gotta – May 18, 2010

The third of our end of season awards, in association with Castrol Rankings, is the Serie A Team of the Season. The formation of 4-2-1-3 worked for Jose Mourinho and Inter Milan as they won the title, so let's stick with that.

GK: JULIO SERGIO - ROMA (622 Castrol Ranking) - Once dubbed "the best No.3 goalkeeper in the world" by his former coach Luciano Spalletti, he was instrumental in helping Roma claw back from a bad start and challenge Inter right until the last day. Brazilian goalkeepers were once seen as little more than cardboard cut-outs propped up on a patch of turf along the goal line, but things have changed so much that Inter's celebrated Julio Cesar may not even be the best Serie A shot-stopper named Julio now.
RB: MAICON - INTER MILAN (118) - An easy inclusion for all those who regularly watched Inter. Despite some mid-season struggles, he was a force on the right flank, pushing forward, swinging from all-out attack to an effective backpedal depending on the situation. He scored one of the year's best goals at Udinese, a right-footed volley from just inside the area after a brilliant exchange with Goran Pandev.

CB: WALTER SAMUEL - INTER MILAN (173) - Those who find it ironic that two-thirds of what was at times an embarrassing Juventus back four were called up by Marcello Lippi for the World Cup, won't have grounds for the same kind of complaint here. Samuel, a few years removed from the dawn of his nickname 'The Wall', can still command a defence, sweep up everything in sight and pop up in the penalty area to score vital goals. He was paired with Lucio as a left-sided central defender most of the time, but looked at ease whenever asked to shift a few yards to the right.

CB: LEONARDO BONUCCI - BARI (954) - A member of Lippi's squads since the turn of the year, he usually plays on the left but admittedly may have slipped a bit after his central defensive partner - and another up-and-coming talent - Andrea Ranocchia was ruled out for the rest of the season back in December. Bari often morphed from 4-4-2 to 4-2-4 with gusto, which could have meant trouble for a defender as the side often included offensive-minded central midfielders, but Bonucci held his own most of the time. Bari would like to hold on to him, but Inter are counted among his suitors. He was a member of Inter's title-winning youth squad before the Nerazzurri let him go as part of the deal that brought in Diego Milito, as he is co-owned by Genoa.
LB: JUAN MANUEL VARGAS - FIORENTINA (304) - Choosing the Peruvian is bit of a stretch - the same effect he had on a lot of opposing defences while going forward - as he actually played more often as a left-sided midfielder in Fiorentina's 4-2-3-1 than a defender. At the back he's still prone to lapses in concentration, but a less than stellar field of competitors, among them AC Milan's Luca Antonini, means he gets the nod.

DM: DAVID PIZARRO - ROMA (414) - As 'Little' to Daniele De Rossi's 'Large' in central midfield for Roma when they played 4-2-3-1, Pizarro has been a schemer and playmaker more than a defensive man, but deserves a place here. Despite playing with a dodgy right knee for most of the year, he was the engine that propelled the Giallorossi to the top of the table, shuttling from sideline to sideline, making himself available to colleagues and allowing them to move forward while he kept possession. He scored as frequently this season as the unkempt De Rossi apparently shaved - twice, including a spot-kick.

DM: ESTEBAN CAMBIASSO - INTER MILAN (271) - An adopted Milanese (the city, not the team) like his captain Javier Zanetti, he barely missed a game all season, having started late because of injury. Often the last man standing at the back, he was often seen lunging into game-saving tackles when Inter went all out with three or more strikers and he also provided much-needed goals such as the winner against Chelsea in the Champions League. Cambiasso combined effectively with Thiago Motta in the 4-2-1-3 formation.

CM: MAREK HAMSIK - NAPOLI (331) - Hamsik just edges out Wesley Sneijder because Inter can't have it all to themselves, can they? Hamsik is one of the players Italy will fear most in the Group F match against Slovakia in South Africa after he improved on a brilliant Serie A debut in 2008-09, creating chances and showing uncanny timing in his runs inside the penalty area. Mostly used alongside either Ezequiel Lavezzi or Fabio Quagliarella on the right of a two-man supporting cast for a main striker (who most of the time was whoever among the aforementioned duo not paired with Hamsik himself), his hair-raising goalscoring ability apparently influences his own mane, which he keeps constantly spiked. This has not hindered his great heading ability, though, so more power to him.

RW: FABRIZIO MICCOLI - PALERMO (261) - A diminutive striker who has become a folk hero in Palermo. His sculpted, shaved eyebrows may score low for some on the fashion scale, but he has been an example on and off the pitch for the Rosanero, who were edged out of a Champions League place by Sampdoria on the last day of the season. Paired up front with Edinson Cavani in Palermo's fluid 4-3-1-2, he was almost unstoppable one-on-one when drifting inside to shoot. He shoots with accuracy and force and shows a deceptive, Jermain Defoe-esque power for someone who is on the short side. Lippi's refusal to include him in the Italy squad - even before he strained a knee ligament in the match against Sampdoria - is as head-scratching as the situation involving Antonio Cassano.

LW: ANTONIO DI NATALE - UDINESE (43) - With a rare instinct for finding the goal, a quality already demonstrated following year after year of brilliant strikes, he has once again impressed, either running with the ball or quickly turning half-chances into goals. He may have cost former Italy coach Roberto Donadoni his job when he missed a penalty in the shootout against Spain at Euro 2008, but that will only motivate him even more now the World Cup is coming up. Di Natale played mostly as a left-sided striker in Udinese's 4-3-3 before moving to centre forward in the middle of the season, but he can be effective anywhere along the frontline.

ST: DIEGO MILITO - INTER MILAN (150) - Milito, also known as 'El Principe' (The Prince) runs away with the top award, with the same vigour, subtlety and skill with which he held off defenders throughout the season. All of this despite being labelled a "gamble" by many on his arrival last summer because, the sentiment was, he had only played for second-tier sides whose best ambitions had been grabbing a European place, never mind trying to win a Treble. He took to the top of the Serie A like a duck to water and worked effectively both as a central striker in a tridente formation and half of an attacking duo with, mostly, Samuel Eto'o. His longest league goal drought lasted all of one month and four matches - between late September and late October - though half the matches were missed through injury. A Shevchenko-esque ability to find the far corner with low shots across goal and great timing made him the great success story of the year in Serie A.

PLAYER OF THE SEASON: DIEGO MILITO - INTER MILAN (150)

[RomaShield27]

Lega Serie A - Behind the breakaway: Part one
www.footballitaliano.co.uk – By David Swan

[i]“The love of money is the root of all evilâ€

[Messinterista]

Next step is to drop the team count to 18.

[RomaShield27]

Serie A fixtures for the new 10/11 season are released later today, 8.30pm Italian time:

http://www.gazzetta.it/Calcio/27-07-201 ... 4766.shtml

[RomaShield27]

Feck me, here goes another one. Its a shame he didn't stay in Italy.

Official: Bocchetti joins Rubin Kazan
– Sunday 29 August, 2010

It is now official that Genoa and Italy defender Salvatore Bocchetti has signed for Russian side Rubin Kazan. The 23-year-old was part of Marcello Lippi’s 2010 World Cup expedition to South Africa.

He had been linked with Juventus and Milan over the summer, but this afternoon Rubin Kazan announced on their website that Bocchetti had signed a three-year contract.

It is a big move for the centre-back, whose career was also spent at Frosinone, Ascoli and Lanciano. Rubin Kazan are the reigning champions of Russia and other players in the squad include ex-Inter striker Obafemi Martins and Spain’s Cesar Navas.

[RomaShield27]

Good link to Gazzetta dello Sport's list of all clubs Serie A salaries:

http://www.gazzetta.it/Calcio/07-09-201 ... 4623.shtml

[red]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/footbal ... 987971.stm

Sounds like the players are in the right to me.

[San Paolo]

the proposed contract

1. WAGES
Clubs want: Flexible contract, tied to results
AIC* wants: Only up to 50% variable

2. EXCLUSIVE
Lega Calcio: Players can be exclusively players.
AIC: players should be free to do what they want when they dont work

3. BEHAVIOR
Lega: Strict behavior code even off the field
AIC: total freedom off the field

4. MEDICAL TREATMENT
Clubs: Only from club specialists.
AIC: freedom to choose, making the clubs pay.

5. SANCTIONS
Clubs: Automatic incase of absence
AIC: To be decided on occasion by the the referee board

6. REFEREES
Lega: reform the board, with a president external to football
AIC: no change.

7. PREPARATION
Lega: The manager/coach can decide to separate players into different training groups
AIC: keep an only group

8. REJECTIONS
Lega: A player cannot reject a transfer to a club of the same quality and with guaranteed money. If he refuses, the contract will be resolved with 50%
of the salary being paid, and the player is free to sign with whom he pleases.
AIC: no change.

[San Paolo]

On Monday afternoon, fresh from recalling 33-year-old Gianluca Zambrotta to the Italy squad for the upcoming Euro 2012 qualifiers, Cesare Prandelli bemoaned the lack of young Italians whom he can build the new national side around. “The Italian championship is rich for everyone else, but poor for me,” he argued.

Rejuvenating an ageing team is high on the tactician’s list of priorities after the Azzurri’s shameful World Cup experience in South Africa. As reigning champions, they failed to win a single game and came bottom of a group which consisted of Paraguay, Slovakia and New Zealand.

Under-21 boss Gigi Casiraghi, who managed to convince the former Fiorentina tactician to leave him Lorenzo De Silvestri and Andrea Ranocchia this week for their vital Euro 2011 play-off ties against Belarus, responded to Prandelli’s angst by insisting new stars would eventually emerge. “Young talent is not lacking, but patience is needed,” he argued.

Ask Genoa patron Enrico Preziosi who that young talent is and he’ll tell you it is Stephan El Shaarawy. “He’s already ready for Prandelli,” was the claim made by the Marassi chief. A Rossoblu midfielder who is currently on loan at Serie B side Padova, the Little Pharaoh – he has an Egyptian father – made his Serie A debut for the club as a 16-year-old in December 2008.

But El Shaarawy isn’t the only young bright thing in Italian football that a Serie A President is banking his future on. Around 200km north-east of the port city, Brescia commander Gino Corioni believes he has the new Roberto Baggio in his ranks. It’s a bold claim, an even bolder one when you take into account that Lorenzo Tassi is still just 15. “He is not normal, he is out of that bracket,” Corioni raved.

Tassi, who lives in the Bovezzo part of town, is a fantasista who has been used as an attacking midfielder, a second striker and as a deeper central midfield playmaker so far during his youth level career. Blessed with class and vision which makes him stand out from his peers, there is already talk in the northern industrial city that this kid is what Italians call a predestinato, a genius which football unearths only once every decade.

Brescia’s technical staff insist they haven’t seen talent like his since the days of Andrea Pirlo. Gigi Maifredi, the Coach whose trademark champagne football went decidedly flat at Juventus in 1990, where he worked with Baggio, is also a fan after viewing him at close quarters while assisting the Rondinelle. “Taking everything into account, I consider Tassi to be a child prodigy.”

Other clubs like what they see too. Inter have already had a bid for the youngster turned down, a failure experienced by city rivals Milan who went as high as €5m for a boy who won’t turn 16 until February 12, 2011. Instead of cashing in, Corioni, who perhaps still regrets selling Pirlo as a teenager, sent Tassi to train with the first team during pre-season.

“It went well and I enjoyed it,” Lorenzo stated. “I have to admit that it was hard work, but it was an important period for me to just taste the atmosphere of the first team squad and to gather that experience.

“The Coach, Giuseppe Iachini, didn’t really say anything to me in particular, but he did advise me to keep my head on my shoulders. It is important to stay humble if you want the road ahead to be a long and successful one.”

Iachini himself was impressed. “He is a boy with great quality,” said the tactician. “I was eager to see how he would do alongside players with much greater experience. If he proves himself to be ready then he will be taken into consideration.”

Despite his recognised talent, there are concerns that Tassi may be rushed into an arena of expectation which could burn his ability. But the kid has had to grow up quickly over the last five years. As a boy he was regularly used in a League against players who were three years older, he’s already represented Italy at Under-16 and U-17 level, while at the age of 14 he had to deal with the death of his father.

Despite talk of Baggio and Serie A, Tassi is just focusing on the here and now – that being Brescia’s youth team. And in Week 1 of the new Primavera season, he again underlined his ability by grabbing the only goal of the game against Albinoleffe.

“I’m honoured to have been compared to a champion like Baggio, a player who was my idol,” he declared. “But I must still demonstrate a lot over the years ahead. My targets for now are the Primavera side and I want to do well for Italy at the Under-17 European Championship. Should I debut in Serie A too this term, well, that would just be a bonus…”

[San Paolo]

Alessandro Diamanti claims Samuel Eto’o confessed “it wasn’t a penalty because he slipped.”

Brescia were leading 1-0 at San Siro last night before Eto’o fell under a Gaetano Berardi challenge for a dubious spot-kick.

“It is an important point for us, even if the Nerazzurri’s equaliser came from a non-existent penalty,” said Diamanti of the 1-1 draw.

“Eto’o told me at the end of the game that he had slipped on the ball and not because of a foul.”

The Cameroon international did not make this ‘confession’ to the referee, as he stepped up to convert the spot-kick.

“Never mind. We have to focus on our next game against Juventus. We’ll also hold on to this point, as we have been losing matches undeservedly of late.”
===============================================================
I guess we can just all be pleased that Inter are now drawing/losing the games they would have won last season.

[RomaShield27]

Serie A strike back on after failed talks
1 hour, 23 minutes ago

ROME (AFP) - Serie A players will go on strike some time after the end of the month after the latest round of talks with Football League bosses failed to result in an agreement on a collective contract.

The Players' Union (Aic) announced on Friday that the strike was back on but said they would confirm the date after the end of the month.

"Serie A's players have noted the Football League's behaviour in rejecting the proposal by Football Federation president (Giancarlo) Abete," said a statement from the union.

"As a sign of protest we've decided not to take to the field in one of the forthcoming weekends."

The Aic confirmed it would honour an agreement brokered in September to give all parties until November 30 to find an agreement, hence the reason why no strike can take place until after that date.

They had planned to strike in September but called it off after talks with League bosses appeared to be advancing.

The dispute revolves around the recent expiry of a collective contract between the AIC and league bosses guaranteeing players' rights in the final year of their contracts.

Clubs had wanted to force players to accept transfers to clubs on an equal level.

[RomaShield27]

This was a very good game so I thought I'd post links to download it:






Only 2 files for each half! All links are interchangeable.

FILESERVE

First-Half
http://www.fileserve.com/file/v8fQEsg/m ... .part1.rar
http://www.fileserve.com/file/GybTbSc/m ... .part2.rar

Second-Half
http://www.fileserve.com/file/4DRTKu7/m ... .part1.rar
http://www.fileserve.com/file/CtD23rp/m ... .part2.rar

HOTFILE

First-Half
http://hotfile.com/dl/88845251/f502d57/ ... 1.rar.html
http://hotfile.com/dl/88845423/b03ac74/ ... 2.rar.html

Second-Half
http://hotfile.com/dl/88847088/1c9ebb9/ ... 1.rar.html
http://hotfile.com/dl/88845720/c73c5ae/ ... 2.rar.html

BITSHARE

First-Half
http://bitshare.com/files/zlfvrqiy/mg20 ... 1.rar.html
http://bitshare.com/files/8c1xvv0k/mg20 ... 2.rar.html

Second-Half
http://bitshare.com/files/4v1ot69g/mg20 ... 1.rar.html
http://bitshare.com/files/pdqcrz6z/mg20 ... 2.rar.html



(Broadcast: Fox Soccer Channel [FSC]); Commentary language: English; Size: 1.25gb; Container: Mpeg4; Resolution: 720x480 (480p))



.

[RomaShield27]

What da fuuuuuck... I think Bet365 have changed theyre streaming to make it available only to "customers with a funded account"

"Please note that you must have a funded Sports account or have placed a bet within 24 hours in order to view bet365 streams. "

Cocksmokers. It was free until now. I think €5 is the minimum amount you can put in. ATDHE it is from now on, then.

[Messinterista]

lol that sux. Yeh, ATDHE ftw. Shield I just noticed your posts above. Trying to score premium points eh?

[RomaShield27]

Premium points eh? As if I'd do that. I thought it'd be good to share useful links with everyone. Hasnt been updated in a while though. Did you use bet365 links? I think it might be worth it to put some money in my account, their links were always very reliable and never cut out or anything.

[Messinterista]

I used to. Can't say that I have used them recently tbh. 5 euros aint much. I have more in an aussie betting account, and I dont get link to any football matches

[Messinterista]

January 2011 Transfer Window;

http://football-italia.net/jantransfers.html

[RomaShield27]