AC Jimbo and co discuss what can be done to halt Leicester’s alarming slide. Plus: Hull’s renaissance continues against Liverpool; Romelu Lukaku puts Bournemouth to the sword; and Cameroon win the Africa Cup of NationsSubscribe and review: iTunes, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast & Stitcher. And join the discussion on Facebook and TwitterToday’s Football Weekly line-up sees AC Jimbo and Barry Glendenning join forces with the continental élan of Rafa Honigstein and Philippe Auclair, and all four serve up a 60-plus-minute dose of controversy with two fierce debates taking centre stage. Continue reading...
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:...
Diego Maradona returned to Naples last week and admits he was wrong to write off the Partenopei’s chances of toppling the leaders at the top of Serie ADiego Maradona was back in Naples last week, swapping his old stomping ground at the Stadio San Paolo for an audience instead at the Teatro di San Carlo opera house. Tickets were priced at a whopping €300, but of course they still sold out. On stage, Maradona acknowledged complaints about the cost, but explained: “they told me Pelé had a similar event, and set his tickets at €200. That guy always has to come second.”It was precisely this showmanship that caused the city to fall so head-over-heels for Maradona in the first place:...
Fiorentina’s manager has been savaged by his own fans for his Juventus links and ill-conceived words but beating his old club may prove a turning point for himThey remember the wins over Juventus, down in Florence. They remember them for the goals: for Gabriel Batistuta’s header beyond Angelo Peruzzi and the Giuseppe Rossi hat-trick that helped convert a 2-0 deficit into a glorious 4-2 victory in 2013. They remember them because they hate Juventus, those entitled ‘thieves’ and ‘hunchbacks’ from Turin. Most of all, though, they remember the wins over Juventus for the simple reason that they don’t come along very often.Heading into Sunday’s showdown at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, Fiorentina had beaten the Bianconeri just once in their previous...
The 28-year-old captain sported another unusual armband and led his younger team-mates to a big win at Chievo after a week of off-field upheavalNot for the first time, Papu Gómez’s biceps stole the show. The Atalanta captain has made headlines all season with his unconventional armband designs. First there was the Mother’s Day tribute, then the Spiderman logo, the Holly & Benji cartoon and, most famously, a celebration of Pro Evolution Soccer’s original Master League XI. As Serie A returned to action on Sunday, he unveiled a new design, inspired by the movie Frozen.It was chosen to mark his daughter Constantina’s second birthday, with her face appearing alongside those of Anna, Elsa and Olaf. But he might unintentionally have also...