Sixth place is just about all that Inter or Milan can aspire to after the Nerazzurri went down 5-4 at Fiorentina and the Rossoneri lost at home to EmpoliFor Serie A’s 20 clubs, the finish line is in sight. The two representing the city of Milan, however, might be starting to wonder what race they have even been running. They had presumed for many months to be part of that elite group chasing after a Champions League berth. Instead, at the end of this gruelling marathon, they find themselves contesting a prize that hardly seems worth winning.Sixth place is just about all that Inter or Milan can aspire to, after a weekend in which they each hit new depths of...
The dramatic end to the Milan 2-2 derby should not hide the fact that the now Chinese-owned clubs should be fighting over a greater prize than sixth place“Closing.” That English word has dominated the Italian sports pages for more than two years now: seven letters that became a shorthand for the day when Silvio Berlusconi would sell Milan. A good many people doubted it would ever arrive. The man they call Il Cavaliere was thought too proud to relinquish his favourite plaything: a football club that not so long ago billed itself as “the most titled in the world”.Owning Milan had granted Berlusconi not only the chance to demonstrate his self-touted sporting acumen but important social and political capital as...
The minnows were given next to no chance of staying up but a spirited manager and a prolific striker who helped slay a giant have made it a tangible prospectThink of Davide Nicola less as a football club manager than as a public servant. Speaking before his Crotone team’s match against Inter this weekend, he told reporters that his main goal was to “make this end to the season interesting”. Related: Robben and Ribéry party like it's 2013 as Ancelotti styles Bayern Munich his way | Andy Brassell Related: Barcelona's Neymar at risk of missing clásico after red card in Málaga defeat Continue reading...
Juventus’s last-gasp win over Milan all-but settled the title but the race is on for a top-three spot and Inter’s 7-1 destruction of Atalanta gives them reason to believeA stool smashed, a lamp shattered, graffiti scrawled across the walls. The only thing more dramatic than Juventus’s last-gasp win over Milan at J-Stadium were the reports of what came afterwards, with claims that members of the losing side had gone on a rampage in the changing rooms. Displays celebrating the Old Lady’s 2004-05 and 2005-06 title wins – officially revoked following the Calciopoli scandal – were said to have been daubed with the word “THIEVES”.Such actions cannot be condoned, but it was easy to understand how Milan might have felt robbed...
Inter have made slow and steady progress under Pioli and Juventus would be unwise to underestimate Serie A’s form team when they meet on SundayYou could hardly blame Stefano Pioli for rolling his eyes at the question. Can Internazionale qualify for next season’s Champions League? Fielding that inquiry – or subtle variations upon it – has become as much a part of the manager’s daily routine as brushing his teeth in the morning.The answer never really changes. Pioli is always focused on the next game, controlling what he can control. On Thursday he cited an article published in that morning’s Gazzetta dello Sport to illustrate the futility of any other approach. Related: The 50 best young footballers in Italy Related:...