I don't think there is a thread dedicated to the Serie A and Italian football in general and if there is I haven't seen it for a long time, so here's one!

Current Serie A Ladder
1. Juventus
2. Lazio
3. Roma

---

4. Napoli
5. Fiorentina
6. Sampdoria
7. Torino
8. Milan
9. Inter
10. Genoa
11. Palermo
12. Sassuolo
13. Chievo
14. Udinese
15. Empoli
16. Hellas Verona
17. Atalanta

---

18. Cesena
19. Cagliari
20. Parma



Edited by milan_7: 14/4/2015 01:19:56 PM

What do people think about Milan signing Taarabt? Good player but a selfish and not the player we need IMO.

Yeah I'm not really sure on this move for them. He hasn't done much since he broke through with QPR, but he might offer some depth for them. Especially given El Shaarawy is still out for 2 months at most.

Shattered Lazio sold Hernanes, though I assume he musn't have had much left on his current deal. Form for himself and the club has been down this season, but I guess it's better to get back the money we paid for him than nothing in the future. Doubt we will ever get a team like we had, but that raped the club anyway.

Berardi, do you think he should get a call-up to Italy?

I think Taarabt will just be a squaddie at best, although change of league and new environment might do him some good.

Also im pretty stoked that Inter signed Hernanes hopefully we can help us win a game this year!!

Hernanes is a brilliant signing for Inter, but our window was quality. Essien, Rami, Honda and Taarabt for €0. Kind of dissapointed we didn't get a new keeper though, we have been in need since bloody Dida. Guess our first choice side will be something like this (once El Shaarawy is back, shame he's made of glass).

Abbiati/Gabriel
Abate-Rami-Zapata-De Sciglio
De Jong/Essien-Montolivo
Kaka-Honda-El Shaarawy
Balo

With Pazzini, Taarabt, Robinho etc. providing the depth.

Berardi is an interesting one, we've got a fair few forwards but none in the form and the type of player he is (off the top of my head) scoring 4 against the other week would of helped his cause *facepalm.

News coming in linking Amanda Knox with a move to Italy.

Looks like we have gone ahead and signed Gael Kakuta on loan. Barely had played on loan at Vitesse this season (only coming on late usually), though they've been even more impressive and are improving on from their work the last few seasons (with the help of Chelsea).

They might sign him depending how he goes with this loan, but apparently he has an attitude problem. Makes sense given how much hype he's always had (like a Hazard), but hasn't quite made the breakthrough yet.

Edited by ryan2008: 2/2/2014 12:47:35 PM

I agree dude Milan had a great treat window, im looking forward to seeing how honda goes. Hope he does well.

Derby d'italia tomorrow morning!! I'm hoping we just don't get spanked. [-o< [-o<

You got a draw last time iirc? Was only able to watch20 minutes of Milan last night, but we were in control from what I saw. Staying up until 8 wasn't going to work :lol:

Glad i didn't get up to watch that game! watched the highlights just then, juve gave us a hiding, our defence seriously wtf! It was like i was watching my local sunday league play. Kuzmanovic needs to go and also Rolando. We need a cull at the end of the season. Pirlo what a player! That assist for the first goal! Amazing.

My sister just brought back a Pirlo shirt for me - :d love his style what a play maker.
Old Lady supporter from way back, hence loving having Ale here as well.

Serie A teams really need to start performing in Europe. Its frustrating as fark seeing Juve dominate Serie A and then fail to get out of their UCL group.
Typical Italian teams...playing to the level of their opposition.

Yeah, they are all doing horribly. Oh wait. We're in the last 16.

Enjoy it while it lasts...

Trust me, I am :lol:.

Massimo Cellino looks set to sell Cagliari to the Al-Thani family as he prepares the takeover of Leeds United.

The patron reportedly sent a text message this morning stating: “I have practically sold Cagliari, the formalities will be completed tomorrow when the lawyers of the buyers provide assurances to the league’s governing bodies. They are good people.”

According to TMW, the buyers are the Al-Thani family, who already tried to buy Roma and Manchester United in the past.

The Qatar-based group will buy 98 per cent of Cagliari Calcio, with the remaining two per cent remaining with Cellino’s son.

It is believed this deal is linked in with Cagliari’s new sponsors, MSC cruises, who can make the most of the Sardinian port and holiday destination.

The timing of the sale is no coincidence, as Cellino is on the verge of completing his takeover of English Championship club Leeds United.

http://football-italia.net/44896/al-thani-buy-cagliari



Whats everyone's view on foreign ownership in Seria A???

Edited by Inter Ant: 7/2/2014 10:33:04 AM

Roma's American owner started terribly but has made great progress in improving what was beginning to look like a stale club.

Inter's Indonesian owner has promised quite a bit and it was great to see him listening to their fans and not swapping Guarin for Vucinic.

I wonder if this move will propel Cagliari to powerhouse status amongst Europe ... This family practically bought the World Cup for Qatar. Cagliari's match day support is absolutely terrible though so let's hope that it picks up following this investment.

Edited by pat_m_9: 7/2/2014 09:42:15 PM

Yes i think so too, with Thoir now running inter he seems now to be cleaning out all the dead wood in Inter H.Q who became too chummy with Moratti. As much as i love Moratti he did become too close with some of the management staff aka Branca ( The worlds worse Transfer director).

I'm just hoping that the people at Calcio seria a hq get their shit together and really try to find a way to deal with all the issues with the league, Racism, empty stadium, violence, bribes etc.

Also another point with foreign owners is hopefully they all invest in building new stadia so our clubs can start making some really cash $$$$

Edited by Inter Ant: 13/2/2014 01:17:26 PM

Anything to improve Italian Football at a League level. Hopefully more of it happens.

Good to see us silencing Roma. :lol: Especially given their big name players, compared to out status now.

WAT

So you're saying Kevin Strootman, Adem Ljajic, Francesco Totti, Maicon, Miralem Pjanic, Daniele De Rossi, Gervinho, etc... aren't big names?

Our biggest names players are Klose, then Mauri, Biglia, Cana, etc. lol The rest are decent to average (Ledesma, Radu are good/decent), or young.

Ah, I thought by 'silencing' you were referring to Napoli's 3-0 win, and by that extension I thought you supported Napoli, so that sentence didnt make sense to me.

:lol: Ahh yeah definitely not Napoli lol, well a silencing based on this season's stocks. Still to be honest I would rather a Central/Southern club over the likes of Juve and the Milan clubs to win. Looking hard for it to go that way though.

I'm expecting Fiorentina to rip us apart this weekend, i hope i'm wrong i just don't have a good feeling.

Edited by Inter Ant: 14/2/2014 05:02:48 PM

‘Time for change in Italian stadia’
By Football Italia staff

The time has come for major changes to the way in which Italian stadia operate on match-days, according to CONI chief Giovanni Malago.

The 54-year-old President of the Italian Olympic Committee has today cited a number of ways in which the match-day experience could be improved for Italian fans, saying the country should follow the example of other European nations.

“We need new stadiums and new rules,” Malago told Polizia moderna. “The forces need to be in the right condition to act immediately, as is the case in England.

“I believe that the fan identification card has also had its day. In recent years, apart from a slight very recent upturn, there has been a steady decrease of fans attending games.

“We need to completely revisit the relationship between football and the fans.

“It’s hard for people to accept that, because of the fault of a minority, the procedure to enter stadia is so complex.

“With a new structure in place, we could have an advanced technological system that could immediately identify the culprits of violence.

“They could then be dealt with immediately within the stadium.”

http://football-italia.net/45179/time-change-italian-stadia

Edited by Inter Ant: 14/2/2014 05:09:56 PM

Serie A may end co-ownerships
By Football Italia staff

The Gazzetta dello Sport are today reporting that the co-ownership of players in Serie A could be abolished.

According to the daily sports paper, meetings regarding the issue have already taken place between clubs with a view to bringing about the change by the summer of 2016.

Nevertheless, the new measure still needs the approval of the League and of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), in order for it to proceed.

Bologna President Albano Guaraldi is one of those to state his opinion on the proposal.

“We will talk about it with the League, I wouldn’t be in agreement with it,” he has commented to Tuttomercato.web.

“Co-ownership is something that helps to develop players and to value them.

“It’s not certain that things that work well in other countries would also work well here.

“It could be reduced and limited, but there is no way it could be abolished within two years.

“The two year period mentioned is too short, that’s for sure.”

Atalanta director general Pierpaolo Marino also indicated a similar opinion.

“I’m against its abolition, I’ve already experienced a period like this,” he said. “There were so many disputes with private contracts.

“The transition period cannot only last two years. It should be between three and five if it goes ahead.”

Current statistics are that there are 164 co-ownership deals currently in place in Serie A, with 92 of those due to expire this coming summer.

http://football-italia.net/45176/serie-may-end-co-ownerships

Caught the first half of Catania vs Lazio, this goal was brilliant, the build to it was inch perfect.
[youtube]4yrT-MQN4HQ[/youtube]

What a finish!! =d>

Lippi to retire from club football
By Football Italia staff

World Cup winning Coach Marcello Lippi has announced he will retire from coaching club sides at the end of the season.

The 65-year-old intends to stand down from his current position at Chinese outfit Guangzhou Evergrande but remains open to the possibility of coaching a national side.

“At the end of the year I will stop coaching club sides,” Lippi told Marca.

“I would like to Coach a national team, maybe even China, but I don’t have the energy anymore to coach every day."

The Italian tactician has enjoyed a glittering career and also spoke about how Real Madrid once approached him for his services.

“Real wanted me but I was at Juventus and I couldn’t think about any other club,” he revealed.

http://football-italia.net/45341/lippi-retire-club-football

Surely a shoe-in for the China NT job