Patrick Cutrone and Gonzalo Higuaín are forming an unlikely partnership after both scored to boost Gennaro GattusoOld habits die hard for Silvio Berlusconi. It is more than a year since he sold Milan, and barely a month since he completed a takeover of Monza in Serie C, but still he presumes to address his former club’s manager with tactical advice. “I don’t like [Gennaro] Gattuso’s team, because they only play with one centre-forward,” lamented Berlusconi recently. “Milan should always have two.”It seems unlikely these words swung Gattuso’s thinking. This can hardly have been the first time he heard such a suggestion from a man with whom he remains in occasional contact. Berlusconi’s preference for two up top has been reiterated...
Inter’s lethal finisher scored an injury-time winner in a derby notable for the feelgood factor among both sets of fans“An assassin.” That was how Gonzalo Higuaín described Mauro Icardi in the build-up to Sunday’s Derby della Madonnina. Invited by Gazzetta dello Sport to name the attributes he would most like to steal from his compatriot, the Milan striker replied: “His heading ability and his sense of timing.”It appears that no such theft could be arranged. Icardi demonstrated both qualities as he arrived to head home a 91st-minute winner in a match that had looked certain to finish as a goalless stalemate.| WINNER! |Milan is blue and black! ⚫Mauro Icardi's header gives #Inter a dramatic #DerbyMilano victory. It finishes #InterMilan 1-0...
Pep Guardiola’s refusal to countenance a two-horse race for the title may have merit and other leagues look similarly openWhen Pep Guardiola was asked whether he thought the Premier League was turning into a two-horse race last week, before Manchester City’s trip to Liverpool, he shook his head and said no. There were still Chelsea and Arsenal to be considered, he explained, not to mention Tottenham and Manchester United.This was received at the time as diplomatic headline avoidance, with Guardiola smartly sidestepping the trap of writing off rivals’ chances so early in the season, though the odd suppressed snigger could be heard at the mention of Manchester United. Looking at the Premier League table after the last round of matches...
The Ronaldo case is bringing out the worst aspects of football’s tribalism, with reactions driven by club loyalties over any consideration of the human beings involved Cristiano Ronaldo scored a goal on Saturday. Not one that is likely to be remembered, among the almost 700 he has scored in his career, though the technique was exemplary. Running on to a Mario Mandzukic pass that was moving across his body 12 yards from goal, the Portuguese took the shot on first-time – drilling it into the bottom corner with his notionally weaker left foot.That strike sealed a 2-0 win over Udinese, and marked another dominant performance from a player who looks ever more comfortable in a Juventus shirt. Ronaldo dovetailed superbly...
The record signing rediscovered some old wing wizardry as the champions won 3-1 amid their best start to a season since 1930For a man who launched an app devoted to football tactics, Massimiliano Allegri does not always sound terribly fond of them. “We can talk for hours about schemes and organisation,” he told La Repubblica in 2014. “But games are won by players. If you have [Leo] Messi you almost start 2-0 up. It’s the same with [Cristiano] Ronaldo.”Little did he know the Portuguese would join him at Juventus. A lot can change in four years, but the victory they shared over Napoli on Saturday suggested Allegri’s assessment might be as valid as ever. Related: The farcical case of Virtus...