Former Manchester United striker provides ‘Hollywood’ ending to dramatic Milan derby and leaves Inter joint top of Serie AWe ought to be talking about Verona. We ought to be talking about an astonishing week for the club with the lowest wage bill in Serie A, in which they drew with Milan and Lazio before beating the champions, and league leaders, Juventus. We ought to be talking about how a newly promoted side went from battling relegation to sixth place, via an eight-game unbeaten run, inspired by a manager with a passion for death metal.But then, Sunday night happened. A Milan derby played to a full house at San Siro. Flares, banners, and thousands of supporters lighting up their mobile phones...
Internazionale were held at home, but Lazio failed to capitalise in the Rome derby before Juve were rocked in NaplesOn his first weekend playing in Serie A, Ashley Young brought Inter back within touching distance of league leaders Juventus. OK, maybe that’s oversimplifying things a smidge. There were twists and turns galore on a weekend when the top four sides picked up three points between them, scoring fewer goals collectively than Atalanta managed on their own.Still, let’s begin with Young, and Inter. They were first to act in the title race, with a Sunday lunchtime kick-off at home to Cagliari. It felt like an opportunity to put pressure on Juventus and Lazio before they played at Napoli and Roma, respectively,...
New clothes, ‘same dickhead’: for the third time in his career, Maurizio Sarri has his team in pole position at the halfway pointMaurizio Sarri had to update his wardrobe after taking over as manager of Juventus. A man who has always felt most comfortable in a tracksuit showed up for his first day of work in Turin sporting a shirt and tie. He soon confessed that his contract obliged him to wear such a uniform when representing the club away from the football pitch. For matches, a compromise was reached. Sarri’s sideline attire at Juventus has typically featured suit trousers and a zip-neck sweater. Related: Barcelona in managerial limbo after Xavi Hernández turns down role An explosive start for Juve!⚫⚪...
Sunday’s Saudi Arabia showpiece deepened concerns over Serie A’s serial champions. Inter and now Lazio are on their tailThe 2010s will be remembered, in Italian football, as a decade dominated by Juventus: winners of eight out of 10 Scudetti, four Coppe Italia and four Supercoppe as well. Yet they began with a different team – Inter - winning the treble. They end amidst suggestions that the Old Lady’s crown might once again be starting to slip. Related: 'This can’t be Milan': Boban embarrassed by worst loss in 21 years Related: Flick to stay as Bayern head coach until end of season, Real Madrid slip up Ehm, scusate, dovremmo portarla a casa... pic.twitter.com/MpCBMhOBRUFiorentina 1-4 Roma, Torino 1-2 SPAL, Inter 4-0 Genoa,...
The outgoing coach oversaw a wretched half-season but the club’s problems run deep – as his replacement soon found outGennaro Gattuso’s debut as Napoli manager had to be delayed by half an hour on Saturday after pieces of the Stadio San Paolo’s roof broke off amid a heavy rainstorm. When the game against Parma finally did begin, it took only four more minutes for his team to start to come apartA throw-in for the visitors inside their own half looked innocuous enough. The ball was launched towards Parma’s target man, Andreas Cornelius, but sailed clean over his head. It ought to have been straightforward for the Napoli centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly to bring it under control. But he misjudged the bounce,...