The youngster is not elegant but he scored again as Milan’s manager showed he has the nous to win tactical battles tooGennaro Gattuso already had our attention. How could he not, after steering a Milan team that began 2018 in the bottom half of the table to seven wins and two draws in nine games? Under his stewardship, the Rossoneri had climbed all the way to joint-sixth, as well as progressing to the Coppa Italia semi-final and Europa League last-16. Related: Cengiz Under's talent no longer a secret as he profits at Roma | Paolo Bandini Serie A results Continue reading...
Turkish forward reaps rewards from Eusebio Di Francesco’s new tactical approach with four goals in three gamesUdinese were served with ample notice of Cengiz Under’s threat. The Roma forward had scored three times in two games leading into his visit to the Stadio Friuli on Saturday but more explicit were the words of his manager. “He has this great quality of being able to line up his shot while still hiding it,” explained Eusebio Di Francesco. “Just like [Vincenzo] Montella used to do.”Forewarned but not forearmed. How does anyone prepare for something they cannot see coming? There were just under 70 minutes on the clock when Under took a pass a few yards outside the area, turned, glanced and in...
The warning signs were there for another Napoli implosion, but Maurizo Sarri’s side responded emphatically to beat LazioNapoli went into their Saturday night meeting with Lazio under real pressure. For a club with a recent history of implosions, this did not bode well. The last time they were involved in a serious Scudetto push, in 2015-16, they self-destructed at Udinese. Defeat that day meant they ceded crucial ground to eventual champions Juventus. Almost two years on, a similarly fateful performance seemed to be on the cards.All the warning signs were there. Juve had taken top spot with a win over Fiorentina on Friday, meaning Napoli had to beat third-placed Lazio in order to reclaim the initiative. They proceeded to go...
The Premier League’s lack of downtime is much maligned – but few clubs are truly idle over an ever more frenzied ChristmasThe Champions League returns this week and, for many, the most thrilling football tournament in Europe and arguably the world starts now. The wheat has been separated from the chaff, the Juves and Bayerns from the Qarabags and Maribors. As the first country in the history of the competition to have five teams through to the last 16, England’s interest in the knockout stages has never been greater, even if José Mourinho believes it will end sooner rather than later because of the absence of a winter break in the football calendar.Speaking in November, the Manchester United manager poo-poohed...
Luciano Spalletti’s side have drawn their past five games, have not won in 10 and seem stuck in their own Groundhog SeasonAt this rate, Luciano Spalletti might want to contemplate learning the piano, helping a homeless man and declaring his love for Andie MacDowell. Milan is a long way from Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, but on the weekend that Americans celebrated Groundhog Day, the Inter manager appeared to be trapped in a time loop akin to the one that Bill Murray found himself in during the 1993 movie by that name. The Nerazzurri just keep on drawing. They have done so five times in a row, and the last four of those by the exact same 1-1 scoreline. Even the order of...