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Will Gasperini last at Inter?
Many sceptical Inter Milan fans will tell you they could see their dreadful start to the season coming as soon as Gian Piero Gasperini was surprisingly named as coach.
Unproven at the very top level and having always shown a penchant for a leaky three at the back, the former Genoa boss was undoubtedly not Inter’s first choice when Leonardo left after only six months to seek a new challenge in the boardroom at Paris St Germain.
For various reasons, Inter could not find anyone more accomplished and after going through Jose Mourinho, Rafa Benitez and Leonardo in just a year, the club thought an Italian coach who at least understood Serie A in detail would be a decent if unspectacular appointment.
However, three opening losses including Wednesday’s 1-0 defeat at home to Champions League group stage debutants Trabzonspor has prompted Italian media to suggest Gasperini will be sacked if the 2010 European Cup winners lose this weekend’s league clash with AS Roma.
Looking for a fifth boss in just over 12 months would not appeal to president Massimo Moratti, but neither would another season of woe.
His hands are tied by a rule which says Serie A bosses can not manage two top-flight Italian teams in one season so a move for Napoli’s Walter Mazzarri is impossible.
Some fans think Moratti should have made that move in the close season while Zenit St Petersburg’s Luciano Spalletti won many admirers in Italy with his Roma side’s stylish play.
New Juventus stadium unique in so many ways
Juventus are due to open their new stadium next month but so far there is no name and no big-name signing to grace it.
From the very start the stadium project was unique.
Juve will be the only Italian club to own their own stadium, something which English soccer fans in particular find very difficult to comprehend.
Inter and Milan only rent the San Siro from the city council while AS Roma and Lazio borrow the Stadio Olimpico from the Italian Olympic Committee.
Juve decided to break the trend and in turn ultimately boost revenue by knocking down the widely detested and council-owned Stadio Delle Alpi (then sharing with Torino for the past few years at the smaller Stadio Communale – also council-owned) and building a new stadium all their own where most of the income goes to the club and nowhere else.
More radical was the decision to only have around 40,000 seats despite being Italy’s most successful and best supported club (although admittedly many fans live in the south of Italy and never go to Turin).
A full arena has been deemed more atmospheric and helpful to the team than playing in a huge cavernous and souless half- full stadium which the Delle Alpi, which could hold more than 60,000, often was. The San Siro and Rome’s Stadio Olimpico have capacities of around 80,00 but they are only ever full for derbies and big European nights.
Who is new Inter coach Gian Piero Gasperini?
It is the question on the lips of many football fans around the world. Why would the 2010 European champions recruit an unknown as coach?
Inter would argue Gasperini is not a nobody having guided Genoa to decent success in Serie A but the fact he was sacked by the mid-table side in November is not particularly aupiscious. He was also shocked to get the job.
Some may ask why no other club recruited him until now, but the simple answer is that coaches in Serie A are not allowed to train two team in the same season.
This doesn’t mean Gasperini was Inter’s first choice though. Far from it. Marcelo Bielsa, Andre Villas-Boas and Sinisa Mihajlovic were all contacted along with probably several other more high profile figures.
The fact Inter have struggled to recruit a top name after boasting Jose Mourinho, Rafa Benitez and Leonardo in the last year is probably as much a reflection on Serie A as it is on the club.
Italian football has been outstripped by Spain and England on the pitch and in terms of financial clout with the onset of UEFA’s financial fairplay likely to hit Inter and AC Milan quite badly given they rely on rich benefactor owners Massimo Moratti and Silvio Berlusconi.
Ageing stadiums, match-fixing scandals and hooliganism make Italy not the hot destination it was once was.
Soccer Break Monday – season already over?
Anyone else feel as though all the excitement and potential late drama for this season has disappeared?
Manchester United took less than 40 seconds to score against title rivals Chelsea, all but killing the game and the Londoners’ hopes of retaining their Premier League crown, while in Italy AC Milan made it 18 Serie A trophies with a 0-0 draw at AS Roma. Barcelona took a giant stride towards a third straight La Liga title with a 2-0 win over Espanyol. Click on this link for our European roundup.
Champions League finalists United and Barca both need a point to clinch their respective league titles, though for the Catalans three wins will be their priority. Why? Nine points plus 91 equals 100, which would set a new record for points scored in a La Liga season.
Read here for a look back at the Premier League season and five key moments for United. The first was the signing of Javier Hernandez, who darted through Chelsea’s defence on Sunday to give the home team their explosive start. Another key performer, seemingly in big games, is South Korean Park Ji-sung.
AC Milan’s latest scudetto will come as a relief to their fans but the Italian giants face tough times ahead. Read our analysis on the future for the Rossoneri.
The only league that looks like serving up any kind of late season drama is Ligue 1, where serial past champions Olympique Lyon are making a late title surge. They have the referee to thank mind you. But bring on the drama in France. And the Netherlands, where the Eredivisie will be decided this weekend.
Back to France, and the latest on the racism row. Should coach Laurent Blanc stay or go?
Good Soccer Break Friday
It’s Easter weekend but there’s no rest for the world’s football players with another hectic schedule of matches.
To bring you up to date with all of the major European leagues, read our Serie A, Ligue 1, Premier League, La Liga and Bundesliga previews ahead of the next round of matches.
There’s also news about the football rich list, David Beckham topping one magazine’s top earners while his former club Manchester United are apparently the richest club in the world. A Champions League trophy in 2011 would certainly help their cause.
In England, West Ham United’s Scott Parker was voted as the best player by the football writers, a change from Gareth Bale’s win as voted for by the players.
Who would you rate as the Premier League’s best player in 2010/11?
Discuss all these topics and other stories in world soccer on the Reuters Soccer Facebook page. And please feel free to send us recommendations for your pick of the day’s stories.
Picture: David Beckham (R) and Tim Leiweke, President & CEO of AEG, talk as they watch the Los Angeles Lakers play the New Orleans Hornets during Game 2 of their NBA Western Conference first round playoff basketball game in Los Angeles, California April 20, 2011. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
Gareth is the master no matter what – check this http://www.watcharsenalfc.com/
Soccer Break Monday
Hello everyone at the start of this new week, where before we talk Champions League and give a reminder of the weekend’s action, there’s news of another foreign takeover.
Arsenal are not enduring the easiest of times on the pitch but on Monday announced that American billionaire Stan Kroenke is taking over the club. Arsenal fans, what are your thoughts? Will this new era usher in drastic changes such as a new manager?
For a weekend recap, the title races in Italy and France look like being the closest, although Manchester United’s pursuers in the Premier League did their best to keep things interesting, and in La Liga Barcelona would appear to have the title won though with several clashes against Real Madrid coming up you never know.
Elsewhere Louis van Gaal was sacked as Bayern Munich coach after a double-winning 2010. The Bavarians are set to hand over their Bundesliga crown, either to leaders Borussia Dortmund or Bayer Leverkusen who again narrowed the gap at the top over the weekend to just five points.
The best of Monday’s football is a Premier League cracker between Manchester City and Liverpool. The Anfield club were rocked by Steven Gerrard’s injury and the news on Friday that he’ll miss the season, though they have other injury worries and are looking nervously over their shoulder as they aim for a European berth for next season.
Looking ahead to this week’s Champions League matches, and Man United v Chelsea looks to be the only tie left in the balance. Here’s an interesting read on Alex Ferguson’s side, whose success is largely down to their scouting policy and the constant influx of talented youngsters into the club.
Finally, here are some transfer rumours to get you talking.
Thanks Fury. Whether you like Kroenke or not, do you see his investment bettering the club? People are quick to point out Arsene Wenger and his talented bunch are challenging every season for honours but the fact remains they haven’t won a trophy since 2005, so the buck has to stop somewhere no? What would you do?
Soccer Break Friday
How can the upcoming domestic matches beat this week’s European action for goals? 19 were scored in Thursday’s four Europa League quarter-finals, with a further 18 coming in the four Champions League last eight ties on Tuesday and Wednesday.
What the top leagues around Europe do have however is drama, with most leagues set to go down to the wire, whereas only two out of eight of next week’s quarter-final second legs are in the balance.
Do you think the goings on in Europe will affect any title races? Will Inter Milan’s confidence be so badly shattered that they may as well leave Napoli to pursue Serie A leaders AC Milan?
Fan chanting made an unwelcome return to the spotlight this week, while Wayne Rooney’s swearing on camera was dealt with by the FA. Too harsh a penalty?
This time of the year some teams are already looking ahead to the next season, take for example Liverpool. They have nothing much to play for apart from an outside chance of a Champions League berth by finishing in the top four. Captain Steven Gerrard has been ruled out for the remainder of the season, however. Will that knock Liverpool off course?
Now for some transfer gossip. After another fine performance for the ‘Yellow Submarine’ of Villarreal in Thursday’s 5-1 humbling of Dutch champions Twente Enschede in the Europa League, Giuseppe Rossi is again being talked about.
Finally, a sending off for Brazilian Neymar in comical fashion. Agree with the referee or sometimes should the officials ease up on the rules?
Soccer Break Friday
The first day of the fourth month means April fools day, so we would really love to hear from you if there are any dubious stories doing the rounds.
Here are some. Frank Lampard’s ‘goal that never was’ at the World Cup is to be finally given. Ronaldo will start playing for Spain. And here is a list of five other classics from the past.
How about Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho for Manchester United? Or do you agree that West Ham United would have been in the hunt for Europe bar refereeing decisions?
Back to this weekend, and the title races in Spain and Italy are really hotting up as our previews will tell you. In Germany, Borussia Dortmund are still well clear but need to steady the ship.
Breaking news on Friday was the joint announcement by FIFA and UEFA that Bosnia were being suspended from international competition. Stay tuned for more including a chat with the Bosnia coach.
Finally the latest on Chad Ochocinco as the debate rages on…can athletes successfully transfer their skills in one sport to another?
Kevin Fylan adds: All betting fans, please also check out the latest edition of our sports spreads show on Insider: Click here for our lightning look at the Premier League programme and the cricket World Cup final.
Soccer Break Thursday
Gareth Bale. The dashing Welsh winger primed to scare the living daylights out of England on Saturday. Injured. Did anyone else hear that collective sigh of relief from England fans today?
But what about Tottenham Hotspur fans. Are you worried your star man’s recent struggles with injury could hamper your club’s Champions League quarter-final chances against Real Madrid?
There are of course plenty of qualifiers this weekend so read our preview for all the latest.
Anna on the Italian Soccer Serie A has picked what she reckons might be Italy’s team to play Slovenia in Friday’s Euro 2012 qualifier having spied on Cesare Prandelli’s training sessions. Read more here.
Our man Simon Evans in Miami has written a blog on a player familiar with Spurs, Real, and Euro qualifiers. Read on for the latest on David Beckham’s US adventure.
We’ve a bit of a US theme going today in fact. NFL player Chad Ochocinco (see last Thursday’s Soccer Break) has started his soccer experiment. Can he be successful?
Over in San Francisco, spare a thought for a referee on the receiving end of a player’s anger.
I wouldn’t be so sure Redcoat. The bizarre turn of events regarding the England captaincy and the fact England haven’t played well recently mean that Wales could certainly spring a surprise on Saturday. It’ll be interesting viewing.
Soccer Break Wednesday
Happy middle of the week to you all, and if like me you are in London where the sun is out and there is very little football to write about, you are forgiven for thinking the season is over and the grasscourt tennis season is about to kick in.
Don’t look so worried, David (right). While the weather will probably change before I’ve finished writing this blog, the good news is it’s only March and there is plenty more football left. It’s just this week it’s the international break.
One of the most intriguing matches is Friday’s qualifier between Serbia and Northern Ireland. Why? There will be no supporters in the ground after Serbia’s clash with Italy in October was abandoned following crowd trouble and the 2006 World Cup winners were handed a 3-0 win.
Also in action on Friday are Italy, France and the 2010 World Cup finalists Spain and the Netherlands, while on Saturday Wales host England in a British Isles derby and Norway host Denmark in a Scandinavian battle. Germany and Russia are two other big names playing.
Chelsea fans fond of Guus Hiddink should also keep a close eye on next Tuesday’s Turkey v Austria match. Blues supporters, should Carlo Ancelotti go if Chelsea fail to win any silverware this year?
Back to European football, and read here for a very dedicated look at the major European leagues including an analysis of AC Milan’s loss in form that has made the Serie A title much more open.
Some good news for Barcelona fans on Tuesday was fullback Dani Alves renewing his contract until 2015.
