After bagging his 300th career goal last month, AC Milan’s Filippo Inzaghi has set his sights on Roberto Baggio’s tally of 318.

The 35-year-old hit a hat-trick in Sunday’s 5-1 thrashing of Torino in Serie A to take his total up to 304 and he looks good to achieve his target next season.

This got me wondering whether reaching a milestone set by a universally recognised great of the modern game will win over those still sceptical about Inzaghi’s talents.

Inzaghi’s goal feats often fail to receive the enthusiastic greeting they get in Italy outside his homeland, especially with British fans and journalists.

“English colleagues have often suggested that ‘SuperPippo’ was nothing more than a ‘poacher’ and a ’six-yard merchant’, with a marked penchant for taking a ‘dive’ to boot,” Irish Times correspondent Paddy Agnew wrote in his book Forza Italia.

Agnew, who has covered Serie A since the 1980s, argues that Inzaghi is no more of a diver than his colleagues who have played in the Premier League “Saint Michael Owen, Ruud Van Nistelrooy or Wayne Rooney included”.

But the accusation that he is little more than a goal-hanger may be harder to shake off. His first goal of the 2007 Champions League final against Liverpool, which he deflected in with his arm, is seen by many as a typical Inzaghi effort.

What critics fail to take account of is that Inzaghi’s knack of being in the right place at the right time is more than just luck, it stems from the understanding he has with his team mates and his superb ability to read the game.

What’s more, you don’t score 300 plus goals just by sticking out random body parts. Indeed, I’d says Inzaghi’s second strike in the 2007 Champions League final, where he rounded the keeper and coolly slotted in from a tight angle, was much more typical than his first.

And while he is not a playmaker forward in the mould of Baggio, scoring goals is not his only contribution, as displayed by the smart lay-off he produced to create Clarence Seedorf’s winner for Milan at Chievo Verona two weekends ago.

Inzaghi has already pulled off many achievements, including being part of Italy’s 2006 World Cup-winning squad, so I doubt that one more will dispel the reputation he has gained, in Britain at least, for simply being an expert poacher.

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PHOTO: AC Milan’s Filippo Inzaghi celebrates with team mate David Beckham (R) after scoring against Torino during their Serie A match at the San Siro, April 19, 2009. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi

Jose Mourinho has finally met his match.

I’ve never seen the Inter Milan boss look so timid and uncomfortable as when he was confronted by a pole dancer on a famously bizarre Italian TV show.

He looked away as the half-naked beauty strutted her stuff, twitching in his chair and scratching his ear to try to avoid embarrassment.

The Portuguese must have known what he was in for. Daily show Chiambretti Night also has a singing drag queen, a woman dressed as a rabbit sat on a swing and an older couple supposedly from another planet.

When the dancer had more clothes on, outspoken Mourinho still found time to clash with the host and an AC Milan-supporting journalist sat with me in the audience.

“Most of the things written about me are lies,” he fumed.

PHOTO: A dancer performs in front of Inter coach Jose Mourinho during Italian television programme “Chiambretti Night”, April 1, 2009. REUTERS/Paolo Bona

Marco Tardelli is famous for that crazy goal celebration as Italy won the 1982 World Cup.

He loves his country so much that he is ready to whisper the Italian national anthem at Bari on Wednesday despite the fact he is now assistant coach to Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni. 

At least he is honest, but it’s doubtful the thousands of green-clad Ireland fans making the trip to Italy’s heel for the World Cup qualifier will appreciate his words. It will be April’s Fools day after all.

I don’t remember Sven Goran Eriksson’s lips moving when the Swedish anthem played before his England side faced his homeland in the 2002 World Cup.

Current England boss Fabio Capello would certainly keep his mouth shut if Italy ever visit Wembley while Trapattoni may well cringe when he hears the Italian anthem given he has such bad memories from his spell in charge of the Azzurri.

The debate over the nationality of international coaches had seemed to have disappeared before Tardelli’s comments.

But if he dances down the touchline flaying his arms about when Robbie Keane scores the winner on Wednesday, the Irish fans will surely forgive him.

PHOTO: Marco Tardelli sits with fellow Ireland assistant coach Liam Brady at a press conference in Dublin, May 1, 2008. REUTERS/Russell Cheyne

It may prove difficult to switch a nation’s sporting focus from rugby to football, especially one that is basking in the glory of a first rugby grand slam in 61 years, but a wave of good fortune is boosting hopes of Ireland featuring at the World Cup finals in South Africa next year.

Guided by the mercurial talents of Italian Giovanni Trapattoni, the Irish have made a solid, undefeated start to a tricky qualifying group containing World champions Italy, Dimitar Berbatov’s Bulgaria, Cyprus - who beat them 5-2 in Euro 2008 qualifying - and a skilful Montenegro.

Optimism of a first appearance in a major finals since 2002 is growing but in earning their second place position, behind the Italians only on goal difference, a number of fortuitous moments have occurred.

Firstly they managed to avoid playing Georgia in their difficult Tbilisi home venue because of the war with Russia. They instead played in Mainz, Germany which seemed liked a home game for the Irish with the number of supporters they had to cheer a 2-1 victory.

Then Cypriot striker Efstathios Aloneftis, identified by Trapattoni as the dangerman ahead of their clash in Dublin in October, injured himself in the warm-up and missed the 1-0 defeat by the home side.

(more…)

Italy coach Marcello Lippi probably expected to be grilled for again overlooking Antonio Cassano, but England counterpart Fabio Capello may not have foreseen the furore surrounding him actually picking a player.

Tottenham Hotspur’s Ledley King has a chronic knee problem which prevents him training yet Capello still deemed the centre back good enough for an England squad recall for the friendly with Slovakia and World Cup qualifier with Ukraine.

“It’s mad. It’s pointless at best,” blasted Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp in the Sun.

King has now returned to Tottenham and will not be involved in either game.

Capello, whose side were easily beaten by Spain last month, may have been trying to show who was boss by taking a look at King first. The decision, though, does look a little odd.

Lippi, a World Champion, also has the same imperious air as Capello. However, the Italians are not happy that he has ignored Sampdoria’s Cassano despite the cheeky playmaker’s wonderful performances this term.

Being a soccer reporter, I don’t often have to pay to see football but I would certainly buy a ticket to watch Cassano, who is a magician at times.

He got a reputation for being childish at Bari, AS Roma and Real Madrid but he looks more mature in every game. No wonder Juventus and Inter Milan are interested.

Any defeat in Montenegro on Saturday or at home to Ireland will only increase the calls for Cassano’s inclusion after he was also ignored for February’s limp loss to Brazil.

Are Capello and Lippi losing some of their invincibility?

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PHOTO: Tottenham Hotspur’s Ledley King (L) fights for the ball with Udinese’s Fabio Quagliarella during their UEFA Cup match in Udine, Oct. 23, 2008. REUTERS/Daniel Raunig

All professional matches in Italy started 15 minutes late at the weekend in protest at the Court of Arbitration for Sport banning two players for a year for turning up late for a doping control.

Daniele Mannini, now at Napoli, and Davide Possanzini were punished for tardiness after Brescia’s game against Chievo in Dec. 2007. Both said they did nothing wrong and Italian football has for once come together to support them.

The Italian soccer federation is looking at ways of appealing CAS’s decision but any hope of reversing the verdict is very remote.

We have been here before, of course, both with Rio Ferdinand and British 400 metre Olympic champion Christine Ohuruogu.

Manchester United defender Ferdinand was banned for eight months for forgetting a drugs test in 2003 while Ohuruogu missed three out-of-competition drugs tests and after an initial ban and much legal wrangling, was allowed to run in Beijing last year.

The anti-doping authorities have to be tough but when sportspeople have legitimate excuses shouldn’t there be a way of giving them a bit of leeway?

The England team threatened to strike during the Ferdinand affair and were lambasted in the media for putting principles ahead of national pride. In contrast the protests in Italy this weekend were well-received by the public and the two players know they have the support of the whole of Italy, if not the law.

Here’s a question for you: Who is Manchester United’s official club captain?

The hullabaloo surrounding the England cricket skipper has shown how different the role is in the two sports.

I think Gary Neville is actually the club captain at United, but to be honest I’m not sure. He has been injured for most of the last two years so Ryan Giggs took over.

The Welshman is in and out of the team, though, so Rio Ferdinand has donned the armband the most recently. (The pair lifted the Champions League trophy in May, see right, with poor Gary left on the sidelines).

Let’s face it, it doesn’t really matter who the captain is on the football field. Technical areas are so large now that coaches can bark the orders and leave centre backs, traditionally the obvious skippers, to the defending.

In Spain, clubs often have several club captains and in Italy it generally goes to the most-experienced player.

Paolo Maldini, 40, is club captain at AC Milan but plays once every three games. If the captain was that important, wouldn’t they appoint one who played every game?

At Euro 2008 after Fabio Cannavaro was ruled out through injury, the Italy captaincy switched between Alessandro Del Piero and Gianluigi Buffon depending on whether Del Piero was picked or not. In this case, the situation made Italy’s bungling performances worse and is perhaps an instance where one clear skipper was needed.

In cricket, the captain is all-important given he decides field placings, bowling changes, declarations etc.

As we have seen with Kevin Pietersen’s demise, the way a captain conducts himself off the field with management is equally important.

Maybe football has learnt from this too. A club captain can be the bridge between the team and the coach but that doesn’t mean he has to be on the field.

PHOTO: Manchester United players Rio Ferdinand, Wes Brown, Ryan Giggs and Tomasz Kuszczak celebrate with the Champions League trophy after defeating Chelsea in the final at the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow May 22, 2008. REUTERS/Eddie Keogh

During the 1980s and 90s, Italian defences were world-renowned as the toughest of the lot.

The word catenaccio became known in other languages and jokes about boring Italian teams winning 1-0 were all the rage.

The likes of Franco Baresi, Alessandro Costacurta and Paolo Maldini were hailed while Fabio Cannavaro was a rare defender to win the Ballon d’Or and FIFA world player after his stunning defensive displays helped Italy lift the 2006 World Cup.

Now everything has changed.

Cannavaro is coming to the end of the line after some stuttering displays for Real Madrid. Maldini, 40, is in his last season before retirement and only plays now and then when his weary body allows. AC Milan team mate Alessandro Nesta has missed the past two seasons with injury. (more…)

One of the benefits of being a World Cup-winning manager is that nobody complains if you turn up at a party and start badmouthing the hosts - they’re too grateful you came in the first place.

Italy boss Marcello Lippi did that this week when he reprimanded his country’s professional footballers for their treatment of referees at a ceremony celebrating the 40th anniversary of their union, the AIC.

“No one could have Italian footballers more dear to their heart than me, they made me world champion,” he said. “But something unpleasant exists, there are bad manners on the field. Relations with opponents and, above all, with referees are rude, vulgar and taste of animosity.

“Insults, swearing, expressions of intolerance have become habitual. The referee is faced with the dilemma of pretending not to hear to save the match or sending people off and spoiling the spectacle. Either way he gets criticised.”

The problem is certainly not limited to Serie A and Lippi’s comments take him into a debate sparked by the FA’s Respect campaign in England.

Launched earlier this year, the initiative is already on the ropes as it seems to have amplified attention on the errors referees inevitably commit, producing more questions than solutions.

What can players get away with? Should refs be made to speak to reporters after matches to explain their decisions and admit when they get things wrong?

Might it not be easier to encourage respect by upping the level of refereeing with the use of video replays rather than by ‘awareness-raising’ drives?

Jose Mourinho said on Tuesday that Italian referees have it even harder than their Premier League colleagues because in England “there is lots of fair play and the game finishes with the referee’s final whistle”. In Italy, on the other hand, they have to contend with a roasting in the media as well as grief from players and coaches.

Sevilla’s Italian midfielder Enzo Maresca said he had seen “more replays in half an hour tonight than in four years in Spain” while taking part in a TV show on Sunday that was analysing controversial penalty calls in AC Milan’s 2-2 draw at Torino.

Lippi thinks that player associations should make moves to cut out the surliness because “a union should not just defend its members’ rights, but also their dignity”.

But I reckon this is unlikely to work too because in football, disrespect pays!

Dissent is not just about letting off steam in the heat of battle. It’s also a way to pressure officials into being softer on your side in subsequent decisions. If a ref makes a dodgy call, it’s a good idea to make sure he knows so he’ll think twice next time. It’s a tactic and one that is hard to wipe out because it’s successful.

Lippi has won all the trophies in his illustrious career. But this time he may well be on the losing side.

PHOTO:Italy coach Marcello Lippi conducts a training session in Coverciano, Aug. 18. REUTERS/Marco Bucco

I have a suggestion on how to clear up inconsistencies with handballs.

Law 12 states that “a direct free kick is awarded to the opposing team if a player…handles the ball deliberately”.                                                                  

In reality, we all know this rule isn’t always applied correctly. When the ball strikes a hand or an arm which is well away from the body and all the stadium can see it, the referee will invariably give a foul whether it was deliberate or not (we can also argue whether the player is being naive by having his arms flailing about).

I think we should take ‘deliberately’ out of the law and replace it with “…gains an advantage from handling the ball”.

A perfect example was Sunday’s 2-2 draw between Torino and AC Milan. Hosts Torino scored a late equaliser from the spot after the ball hit Milan defender Kakha Kaladze on the thigh before striking his outstretched arm. 

Milan were furious but Torino would have been as well had the penalty not been given. If the ball had not struck Kaladze’s arm it would have flown across the face of goal and given the home side a chance to score.

If the ball had bounced down off Kaladze’s arm into the path of a Torino attacker, then there would have been no advantage to Milan and therefore it should not be a foul.

Defenders don’t deliberately score own goals but they count. Forwards don’t deliberately run offside but they are still penalised. What’s the difference with handball?

I know controversies make football so enjoyable but if we sorted out the handball rule, we’d still have tackles, offsides, red cards and goalline technology to argue about…