A Football Report

By Giancarlo Rinaldi

A couple of decades ago, in a golden age of Italian football, there was a bunch of credible contenders for the Serie A title dubbed Le Sette Sorelle, which translates to ‘The Seven Sisters’. Six of them were traditional powerhouses - Milan, Juventus, Inter, Fiorentina, Lazio and Roma - but one was a team from a place previously best known for its cured hams and cheeses. Step forward Parma Associazione Calcio.

To say the Emilia-Romagna club had little pedigree would be something of an understatement. Serie B was the best they managed in the first 70-odd years of existence with spells in Serie C and even Serie D littered along the way. For a city of close to 200,000 souls, it was a meagre sporting dish to dine from. They would, however, go from famine to feast in the 1990s.

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By Ogo Sylla

When Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Antonio Cassano both left Milan, the attack of the club was left in the hands of Alexandre Pato, Robinho, Bojan and Pazzini. However, no one would have expected young Stephan El Shaarawy to be to be sitting as Milan’s top-scorer this season.

In fact, El Shaarawy is not only Milan top-scorer but he’s the Serie A topscorer as well. His 14 strikes place him ahead of Cavani, Klose and Di Natale; all of whom are renowned for their goals. Additionally, the attacker has three assists to his name; the young man who was born in Savona, Italy is responsible for a little over 50% of the Rossoneri’s goals this year. His new role in the team has created more freedom on the field, allowing the attacker to flourish, without playing in the shadow of somebody else.

It was last summer that El Shaarawy signed for Milan from Genoa for a fee around €10m. It indeed looked a hefty sum for a 19-year-old who had previously only made one league appearance and mostly featured in Serie B during a loan spell at Padova. But with Italian clubs not so flush with cash and lowering their wage bills in recent years, El Shaarawy has become one of the many Italian youngsters benefiting of more playing time.

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By Giancarlo Rinaldi

Sweeping back his trademark flowing locks on the sidelines at the Etihad Stadium, Roberto Mancini contemplates which multi-million pound star to throw into the fray. The fans sing a hymn in his praise and he waves, smiling, in recognition of their words. But, in his coaching career, ithas not always been this way. The former Sampdoria star cut his managerial teeth in a much more trying set of circumstances. More than a decade ago, before he had even properly hung up his boots, he was thrown in at the deep end to run a club on the brink of financial collapse with its fans in a state of continual turmoil. Welcome to Fiorentina in 2001.

The Viola had been regulars in the Champions League but, in the background, their president, film producer Vittorio Cecchi Gori, had failed to keep a close eye on the books. Without the watchful gaze of his father Mario, who passed away in 1993, things spiralled out of control. In a desperate attempt to balance the accounts he had sold Gabriel Batistuta to Roma in the summer of 2000 and there were rumours the players were not being paid. It was a script which would not have a happy ending.

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Are vertical stripes thinning or fattening?

By Max Grieve

Since arriving in Turin dressed like Alan Partridge, Nicklas Bendtner’s time at Juventus has been as action-packed as a night spent watching every one of the Die Hard films during a lightning storm with all the windows open. His request for the No. 10 shirt, then-recently vacated by Alessandro Del Piero, was promptly turned down due to concerns that he could be too good and overshadow its previous holder, so he humbly accepted the No. 17 instead, agreeing that it was best for everyone; not least and most importantly himself. 

Bendtner has had a flying start to his career at the Juventus Stadium, making one appearance as a substitute in the 80th minute in a 2-0 win over Chievo Verona – that’s where Romeo and Juliet is set! He had one shot, then left the field with the rest of the players once the game had ended. Club coaches have remarked on the Danish striker’s weight; an issue which Bendtner has acknowledged, and is working to resolve. In response to claims that he is “fat”, Bendtner tweeted ‘Overweight? Yeah it’s really horrible, will need 4-5 months to get going. Ha ha,’ demonstrating a clear shift in his attitudes towards a humanly acceptable work ethic. 

Juventus have an option to buy Bendtner at the end of the loan period, and one man at la Vecchia Signora believes that it’s an opportunity too good to pass up. ‘Nicklas Bendtner is the best striker in the world. Of course Juventus would like to have Nicklas Bendtner stay at the end of the season, as would any club,’ said Bendtner.

By Mirko Corli

It’s likely you have heard very little of Lorenzo Insigne so far and nobody won’t blame you for that. The Napoli lad developed through a series of loans in the lower divisions before receiving wider attention last season whilst playing in the Serie B with Pescara, who became eventual champions. The attacker’s strong displays rewarded him a place in Napoli team this year and more recently, a call-up to the Italian national team.

And now, everyone’s talking about him. 

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