Category Archives: Serie A

Should “Blizzard Soccer” Be Part of the Sport?

  By O-Posts Team | May 18, 2013 - 21:58 | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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The World Cup playoff game between the United States and Costa Rica on March 22, 2013 was especially memorable. Played in the middle of a storm in Colorado, the game was the closest thing to blizzard soccer fans had seen in awhile.

For 90 minutes, players had to contend with an increasingly torrential downpour of wet, white flakes. Afterwards, the severity of the conditions had millions of soccer enthusiasts wondering: should play in such treacherous conditions really be allowed?

 

Why Continue?

World Cup games are obviously the most important in the sport and can be difficult to reschedule. When a team and its fans have already traveled thousands of miles for the game, canceling is something to avoid at all costs. In addition, postponing the game may mean players won’t get enough rest before their next round.

In this particular game, it didn’t look like the weather would cooperate any time soon. If the game hadn’t been played that night, it wouldn’t have been for quite awhile.

 

Is It Safe?

In spite of tight tournament schedules and pending forecasts, the safety of the players should be the number one consideration when choosing to continue a game. Looking back, was it really safe to continue a game in the middle of a blizzard?

In defending their decision to continue play, refs saidthe players hadn’t been sliding on the snow very much. While this may be true, any soccer player will tell you injuries don’t necessarily happen during slides.

These players were cold, wet, and covered in so much snow that they could run it through an EDI water purification system and use it to hydrate themselves. In these conditions, even the slightest misstep can cause an injury. If nothing else, the players’ immune systems were lowered by the weather.

 

Who Should Make the Call?

If the game has already started, refs make the final call as to whether it will continue. However, is this fair? Shouldn’t the league, coaches and players have more of a say in whether conditions are safe?

 

Written by Michael Deaven

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Infographic: The Top Paid Football Players Throughout History

  By O-Posts Team | May 18, 2013 - 21:40 | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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The argument over how much footballers are paid in the modern era has been going on for years now and shows no sign of stopping. Some of the world’s biggest names are now playing with wage packets that let them take home more in a week than many of us will make in our lifetimes, and all for kicking a ball around – if they even get on the pitch of course!

It hasn’t always been the case that players earned hundreds of thousands each week, however. In actual fact, some players were earning the equivalent of £228 each week back in the 1900s, the same as what many full-time workers in the “real world” earn today.

This infographic, created by equipment retailer The Soccer Store, shows just how times have changed, from the early days of £4 per week right up to the £200,000-a-week contract signed by Carlos Tevez in 2009.

 

 

 

Written and created by Matt Rawlings

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Javier Zanetti: Is it the end for ‘Il Trattore’, football’s endless narrative?

  By O-Posts Team | May 2, 2013 - 15:04 | , , ,
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Playing until 39 years of age would be an achievement for most ordinary football players, let alone suffering a serious injury at that archaic age and still expecting to make a comeback. Then again, Javier Zanetti is no ordinary footballer. Or at least according to former Argentina defender Roberto Ayala, who reacted to his former teammate’s injury by allaying fears it may force a premature conclusion, “no doubt he will come back and continue his career normally” he said.

It says something of the resilience of the man that a possible return from a ruptured Achilles’ tendon, suffered in the 14th minute of Inter’s 1-0 loss to Palermo on Sunday night, is even being mooted. “I had to change tyres after so many miles” said Zanetti upon leaving a hospital in Pavia on Monday evening, using the pit-stop metaphor like it was nothing to an indestructible midfielder who had ticked the dial over to 1,101 professional appearances before injury struck.

It was at the very same ground two years earlier in which Zanetti had suffered breathing problems, only to insist on playing on before fainting in the dressing room after the final whistle. It looked like he may have needed an operation, but the Argentinean soldiered on, leading Inter to a “mini-treble” that year of the Italian Super Cup, the Club World Cup and Coppa Italia.

They were just three medals of an illustrious career that has yielded 16 trophies with Inter during a spell  that has now meandered into an eighteenth year since moving from Banfield in 1995. His honour roll includes 5 Serie A titles, 4 Coppa Italias, 1 Champions League and 1 UEFA Cup amongst a series of minor trophies. Zanetti may not be the most decorated player in the game but few can match his longevity and remarkable loyalty, traits that saw him win the ‘Loyalty and Critics’ choice award in 2013.

It is an astounding record of personal achievement and endurance that he has featured in 845 of the 938 matches Inter have played since Zanetti joined them in the mid-90s, registering an appearance record of 90%. Between October 2006 and April 2010, Zanetti, known endearingly as “Pupi” in his native Argentina, made a record 137 consecutive appearances, only to have the remarkable stopped by reaching the yellow card limit.

During Zanetti’s time in Milan, Inter have passed through 20 managers and each one has found the Argentinean’s unrelenting professionalism and continual devotion impossible to ignore. Every supposed new dawn at Internazionale over the past two decades has been characterised by Zanetti’s diligence on the right, using his experience to defend solidly as well as use his relentless energy and evergreen legs to launch lung-busting runs from his usual withdrawn positioning on the right-side. It was slightly ironic to see Zanetti’s downfall on Sunday originate from one such run, he was shaping up to deliver a cross before his leg gave way and he was forced to signal to the bench, pain etched on his face.

Andrea Stramaccioni’s reaction was suggestive of the standing and reputation his Argentine midfielder still demands at the club. Stramaccioni, winner of the 2011 Next-Gen series as Inter’s youth coach has tried to usher in a younger generation with the likes of Ricardo Alvarez, Mateo Kovacic and Ezequiel Schelotto, yet Zanetti has played 40 times this season as the manager has found his wisdom and experience too important to ignore.

“To lose someone like him is an awful blow” he said, “because in such a difficult moment the value of someone like Zanetti to the team is incredible.”

Stramaccioni was in no disillusion about the seriousness of Zanetti’s injury and what it meant to his side but neither was the player when it came to the prospect of making a recovery. “My career isn’t over” said the midfielder, “my goal is to come back stronger than before and I believe I’ll overcome this too”. It was an unequivocal response to the most legitimate of doubts that this injury, ruling Zanetti out for six to eight months, just four short of his 40th birthday, just maybe, could finish him off.

That is not according him or even Ayala, who went on to say “this injury is not going to affect anything” when pressed on his fellow Argentine international. It maybe an outrageous claim, but there are few who would dispute the possibility of Zanetti making a return to try and overhaul Paolo Maldini’s Serie A appearance record of 647, which the Inter man stands just 45 games shy of.

It is his permanence and strength that has almost become mythological in Italian football, that concedes there will be little doubt Pupi will make the most illogical of returns.

 

Written by Adam Gray

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Marquinhos: Defensive prodigy – a rare breed in Calcio

  By O-Posts Team | April 28, 2013 - 18:20 | , , , , , , , , , ,
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Every year, upon the start of the European football calendar after each Summer, names are touted around of suggestions and hot tips for the new campaign’s “breakout stars”. 8 months ago, few people would’ve paid any attention to the name – Marcos Aoás Corrêa – on Italian outfit AS Roma’s “Transfer Ins” list.

Signed on a loan deal with a permanent option, the young Brazilian with his moniker – Marquinhos – is now an in-demand starlet and highly tipped to be a future Seleção star.

 

Background:

Marquinhos joined Cornthians in 2002, at the age of 8, and proceeded to move up the youth ranks of the Timão over the next 10 years. Marquinhos impressed so much during his time in Corinthians’ youth ranks that he was called-up by and made captain of Brazil’s U17s in the 2011 South American Under-17 championship. With Brazil winning the South American U17 title, they qualified for the U17 FIFA World Cup that year, with Marquinhos again being handed the captaincy.

In Mexico, Brazil finished 4th, with Marquinhos playing 6 of their 7 matches and earning only 1 yellow card. After a stellar 2011, Marquinhos continued to shine in 2012. In the 2012 edition of the prestigious Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior (São Paulo Youth Football Cup), the young Brazilian added more impressive displays to his CV, culminating in a 2-1 win over Fluminense in the Final. Marquinhos was clearly banging on Corinthians’ 1st-team door.

With his maturity and leadership qualities, and not forgetting his on-pitch quality, it was of no surprise that Marquinhos eventually broke into Corinthians’ 1st-team.

 

Breakthrough at Corinthians:

With his impressive performances at youth level, Marquinhos’ form in the aforementioned prestigious Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior proved to be the final piece in the jigsaw of proving to Corinthians 1st-team Head Coach Tite that he was ready for a shot in the 1st-team. A 1st-team debutant at the age of 18, Marquinhos went on to make 6 1st-team appearances in the 2012 Brasileirão, playing the full 90 minutes on 5 occasions, and providing 1 assist.

While impressive when given the chance, the youngster also showed some versatility – playing in central defence in 2 full matches and as a defensive midfielder in 3 full matches. Coach Tite was so impressed with Marquinhos that the young Brazilian, then aged 17, was on the 1st-team bench for each and every one of the knockout stage matches of Corinthians’ victorious 2012 Copa Libertadores triumph.

Just look at that, within the span of 6 months, Marquinhos had become a Copa Libertadores champion and also turned 18 along the way.

 

Into the big time – AS Roma:

After catching the eye of Roma’s South American scouts, they took the gamble of signing the then 18-year-old in the summer of 2012, despite him having just 6 months of 1st-team experience in Brazil. The deal was a loan (€1.5m fee) with a €3m permanent option – with the trigger being Marquinhos making 8 1st-team appearances of 45 minutes a piece.

Barely a few weeks after his signing was formalised, Marquinhos made his 1st-team debut on 16 September 2012, playing the last 16 minutes of a 3-2 loss to Bologna. A fortnight later, the young centreback came off the bench to play an hour of a catastrophic 4-1 thrashing at the hands of defending Italian champions Juventus.

Slowly but surely cementing his spot in the Giallorossi Starting XI, Marquinhos has gone on to make 23 Serie A appearances(all but 3 as a starter) and 3 in the Coppa Italia. The only thing that broke his string of 12 consecutive 1st-team appearances is a suspension from being sent off, following a late handball, in a 3-1 win over Milan just before the winter break.

Roma’s summer signing became such as crucial 1st-teamer that the club withdrew him from international duty at the South American Under-20 championship, held in January 2013.

 

Overview – Majestic debut season in Calcio:

An 18-year-old holding a starting spot Serie A is most rare, let alone at a team as big as La Maggica. Marquinhos is a rare breed, such is the unforgiving nature of Calcio, what with the intense scrutiny of TV pundits on the various well-followed match review shows.

Leandro Castan, Marquinhos’ former Corinthians team-mate, has been left to fight for the other starting spot in central defence with Nicolas Burdisso. Ironically, 2012 summer signing Leandro Castan had insisted upon Roma signing Marquinhos.

In light of Roma’s much-talked-about defensive problems – a negative of Zdenek Zeman’s gung-ho offensive tactics – this season, Marquinhos has more-or-less escaped criticism, a result of the 18-year-old consistently delivering impressive performances every week. Despite still being only 18, Marquinhos has been Roma’s most important defender since cementing his starting spot in the middle of the Giallorossi defence.

(All stats are from WhoScored.com)

At first glance, standing at 1.83 metres, the lean Marquinhos is not the most intimidating of central defenders. That said, he does win his share of aerial duels, at 2.3 per game. That figure is the best at Roma and, league-wise, is better than that of bigger names like Philippe Mexes.

Being still only 18, the Brazilian still has room for more physical growth, which can only be a good thing. However, his natural athleticism does more-or-less cover for that, as they enhance his key attributes – his maturity and game-reading ability. Marquinhos evidently has, as the saying goes, “an old head on young shoulders”.

He is currently 18th in the Serie A interceptions chart, on par with veteran Andrea Barzagli, and better than the highly-rated Facundo Roncaglia and Napoli captain Paolo Cannavaro. With only 19 fouls (0.8 per game) at the time of writing, Marquinhos is currently 352nd on the “Most Fouls” chart. As with all modern day central defenders, Marquinhos is good on the ball and playing it out of defence, with an impressive 88.8% passing accuracy.

Almost every Serie A centreback would like to have Marquinhos’ statistics, which makes the fact he’s still a teenager all the more staggering.

“No Serie A player has made more last man tackles this season than the teenager (10), who leads his side for both interceptions (2.9) and aerial duels won (2.2) per game, proving that his reading of the game is at the level of a far more seasoned pro.” – Martin Laurence of WhoScored.

 

A look to the future:

Marquinhos has thus far shone, not just adapted, whenever he’s been pushed to the next level – youth team to 1st-team, Corinthians to Roma. This bodes well for the young Brazilian’s career prospects, as football has seen all too many a promising youngster fail to make that “next step”, rendering him unable to realise his full potential.

I’m confident that Marquinhos will not fall under the “what could’ve been” category. With his leadership qualities, maturity and talent, and not forgetting his current high performance level in such a prestigious league, long story short – the sky’s the limit for Marquinhos.

Roma are currently looking to upgrade the youngster’s current €0.8m (per year) wage to fend off interest from elsewhere. With his impressive and mature displays in his debut season in Italy, some of the Football’s biggest clubs are looking to sign him. Among others, FC Barcelona and Manchester City have been linked as potential new employers.

However, the Roma stopper is unlikely to leave the Stadio Olimpico anytime soon. There is still much room for improvement and staying at Roma for at least the next few years will provide the stable environment that promising youngsters like Marquinhos need to develop and, eventually, realise their potential.

Considering the ambitions of this AS Roma “project”, Marquinhos could possibly play out his peak years in the capital club.

Marquinhos told La Gazzetta dello Sport: “I am not thinking about a transfer. I owe Roma a lot for the chance they gave me.”

Whether Marquinhos eventually leaves Roma or stays for the long haul, one thing’s are for sure – Marquinhos will become a Seleção star sooner rather than later. Furthermore, with his past as Brazil U17 captain, Marquinhos could eventually captain Brazil at senior level.
Over the course of this 2012/13 season, Marquinhos has proved his worth enough to be justly rated as the best young central defender in the world at the moment, alongside Real Madrid’s Raphaël Varane.

Of all the possible “breakout stars” that had been tipped to emerge in the 2012/13 Serie A season, few would’ve bet on an 18-year-old Brazilian centreback being on that list.

Marcos Aoás Corrêa is indeed a rare breed in Calcio.

 

Written by Mark Ooi

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Dede: Towering Brazilian Attracting Some Of Europe’s Biggest Names

  By O-Posts Team | April 25, 2013 - 15:58 | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Brazil have created some of the most talented and gifted footballers over the years. The likes of Pele, Falcao, Ronaldinho and Ronaldo have all dazzled the world with their samba brilliance, yet their footballing history has possibly been too top heavy. Too many attackers, not enough defenders to be held in such wondrous regard.

Even full-backs, Roberto Carlos, Carlos Alberto and Cafu have been marvelled at, but not centre-backs. Anybody but the centre-back, the unheralded job that provided the base to a side seemingly not cool enough for Brazilian recognition.

But now, with Bayern Munich’s Dante, Chelsea’s David Luiz and PSG’s Thiago Silva, that is all due to change. The Brazilian centre-back is entering a new age; big, physical, strong and extremely comfortable on the ball, they are all attributes that makes up the aforementioned trio as well as Dede, Cruzerio’s much-coveted 24 year old. Who is he?

Let’s take a look at Anderson Vital De Silva.

 

Background

After impressing with his hometown club Volta Rotunda in the Brazilian State Championship, the big defender earned himself a move to Vasco De Gama in 2009, only to find first team opportunities hard to come by upon his initial arrival. With his one year deal running out a year later, it looked like he may be returning to Volta, or even moving to South Korea.

Dede, however, had other ideas, “there was something I was determined upon” he told World Soccer Magazine back in 2011, “I wasn’t going to leave Vasco by the back door”. And so he didn’t, with injuries hitting the club in a Brazilian Cup game against Vitoria, he was given a chance, repaying the opportunity with a performance of such authority and assurance that it instantly certified him as first choice and earned himself a new contract, stretching to 2014.

He went on to produce some imperious form for Vasco, being recognised as the best right centre-back in the Brasileirao of 2010 and generating comparisons to the Fluminese-made Silva, then at Milan, who was widely-regarded as the most outstanding centre-half to recently hail from Brazil.

His commanding performances helped Vasco to win the 2011 Brazilian Cup and his partnership with Anderson Martins saw them both elected as the best central-defenders of the 2011 Campeonato Carioca. His impressive form also alerted former national-team coach Mano Menezes who included him in the squad for friendlies against Germany and Ghana in the autumn of 2011.

His transformation with Vasco from potential discarded talent was meteoric. By the end of 2012, he was considered as one of the best centre-backs in Brazilian football, seeing high acclaim from Vasco fans who endeared to him by giving him several nicknames; “O-Mito” (The Myth) and “Dedelicia” (or “Dedelicious” as female fans chose).

He was included in numerous advertising campaigns for the club and was elected by SBT, a Brazilian television network, as one of the 100 greatest Brazilian’s of all-time. His popularity in Vasco was clear and he honoured his potential departure by kissing the badge in one of his final games for the club. In total, he made 154 appearances for Vasco.

To date, Dede has received 7 caps for the Brazil national team, appearing often in friendlies and tournaments that are only eligible for native-based players, allowing him to win the Superclasico De Las Americas in September 2011.

Dede is currently the fourth-choice centre-half in the Brazil squad and he will be hoping that his exemplary performances, partnered with Luiz Felipe Scolari’s insistence that he will look more to the Brazilian league set-up for options, will help his cause for regular call-ups as the team head into a World Cup year.

 

Strengths, style and weaknesses

Dede is strong, powerful and athletic, making full-use of his 6ft 3 inch frame in order to be adept at winning challenges in the air or on the ground. His height means that not many strikers are able to beat him in the air whilst a fine reading of the game, impressive at the relatively young age of 24, sees him able to cut out danger on the ground. His imposing height also makes him a threat at set pieces, suggested by his 18 goals during his time at Vasco.

His extremely impressive pace also means that he is rarely out-foxed by the through ball, cutting out the threat that strikers pose lying on the shoulder of the back four. As well as boasting fine intelligence and strength to block and intercept many shots and dangerous passes, he also possesses superb technical ability that allows him to be comfortable in bringing the ball out of the defence and moving it on.

As well as the two nicknames Vasco fans creatively derived for Dede, they also named him “Dedekenbauer”, suggesting his likeliness to the famous German defender who revolutionised the role of the central-defender, operating on a fine reading of the game, imperious positioning and superb ability on the ball.

Dede really is a complete defender who has attracted the interest of Manchester United, Milan, Benfica and Liverpool during his time with Vasco, all top European clubs basing their interest in the knowledge that Dede, with his physicality and ability on the ball, would not look out of place on the continent should he ever head east from Brazil.

 

His move to Cruzeiro

With the Selecao heading into their home World Cup of 2014, Dede has seen best to stay in his native league and head to Cruzeiro in a deal that is worth £4.7 million. The two clubs are believed to have arranged a 55% and 45% share in player ownership which helps to ease cash-strapped Vasco’s financial troubles. Three players, Diego Rennan, striker Allison and Wellington Paulista will also head to Rio in exchange for the defender.

After moving, he voiced his reluctance to leave Vasco De Gama but understood such a move would help to aid the financial crisis at his former club. He said that even though he was moving to a new setting, his heart would remain with the Rio-based club.

There has been a financial dispute with the transfer, with the move being blocked by the FERJ, a main football institution from Rio, who claim Vasco owe a debt to the Brazilian Federal Justice. They have ruled that until the dispute is sorted, Dede is unable to play for any club, disrupting his immediate start with Cruzeiro. However, that will only be a small snag in a career that threatens to go very far.

Look out for Dede at next year’s World Cup.

 

Written by Adam Gray

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Serie A: A Preview of this Week’s two Titanic Clashes

  By O-Posts Team | April 14, 2013 - 18:02 | , , , , ,
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Juventus have set the pace in Serie A yet again. The Old Lady of Turin currently hold a 9 point lead over second placed Napoli and could see this increase if results go their way tonight. The Juventini will be looking to get back to winning ways after suffering elimination from the Champions League in the hands of Bayern Munich.

The German club destroyed their Italian counterparts, 4-0 on aggregate (2-0 H&A) to set up a mouth watering, eagerly anticipated, block buster clash with almighty Barcelona in the semis. Lazio on other hand, know that tomorrow’s game is the one of the last few opportunities to secure qualification to the next season’s Champions League.

Anything less than 3 points tonight and things will become very, very delicate. A.C Milan are one of the most in-form teams in the Italian League and it is no surprise that they have maintained third place for a long time now.

Victory over 2nd placed Napoli will take the Berlusconi owned outfit to within one point of tonight’s opponents and a chance to claim 2nd place in the next couple of weeks.

 

A.C MILAN-NAPOLI

The Milanese have won 4 and drawn of their last 5 Serie games and lie third in the League standings, four points behind 2nd placed Napoli. This would have been inconceivable at the beginning of the season with poor result after poor result coming for the 2011 Italian Champions. Allegri was on brink of a sack and things were going from bad to worse.

However, the ship has steadied ever since and it is a different Rossoneri now. The purchase of Mario Balotelli coupled with the rise to prominence of ‘Faraone’ Shaarawy has been very crucial to the Milan resurgence. El Shaarawy has carried the team all on his way at various times this season. The Egyptian-Italian’s phenomenal form has seen him earn caps with the Azzurri.

Today’s opponents, Napoli, also possess some of the deadliest footballers in Serie A. It is no accident that they sit a place ahead of Milan and still harbour the ambition of winning the Scudetto despite the 9-point lead Juventus have.

The Neapolitans, who have won three of their last 5 games, know that a win over the red and black will all but ensure 2nd place is theirs to lose. Edinson Cavani leads the scorers chart with 22 goals already this season. This means that two Uruguayans comfortably sit atop the marksmen list of two of Europe’s best leagues (England and Italy). He went scoreless for some time, but has come back strong to bang in the goals as he so regularly does.

Marek Hamsik provides the needed creativity from attacking midfield and chips in with some vital goals. Milan know all about these two guys. Stopping them tonight will not be a piece of cake.

Allegri must come to terms with the fact that ‘bad boy’ Mario will not be available for the next 3 games after he was suspended for collecting his 5th yellow card and insulting match officials in Florence. He is also set to face the disciplinary committee of his club for allegations of smoking on the train to the Artenio Franchi.

Consequently, ‘II Pazzo’ will lead the line with El Shaarawy and teenager, M’baye Niang. The EL-BA-NI partnership will have to wait until Mario returns from suspension.

Ricco Montolivo has been exceptional in the last month or so. The midfield pearl’s displays have caught the eye. A superb one again today and Milan could be singing the glory song.

 

PROBABLE LINEUPS

Milan:

Abbiati, Abate, Zapata, Mexes, Constant, Montolivo, Boateng, Flamini, Niang, Pazzini, El Shaarawy

The absence of Balotelli is a huge loss for Milan. Stephan El Shaarawy has not scored since the end of January. Well, Pazzini has goals in him.

 

Napoli:

De Sanctis, Campagnaro, Cannavaro, Britos, Maggio, Behrami, Dzemaili, Zuniga, Hamisk, Pandev, Cavani

Walter Mazzarri’s men use the wing-back system like Juventus. With Maggio and Zuniga marauding down the wings. Swiss duo, Behrami and Dzemaili will take the midfield roles with Hamsik ahead of them. Blerim Dzemaili has scored 4 goals in his last 2 Serie A games. He is a man in form.

The meeting at San Paolo ended all square (2-2).

 

 

LAZIO-JUVENTUS

Prior to midweek, the Laziali and the Bianconeri were Italy’s last two representatives in European Competitions. However, both of them have been thrown out with the Biaconceleste at least earning a creditable 1-1 draw at home to Fenerbahce. The extra motivation will be with the Rome based club.

The 5th placed team have lost three of their last five games. A draw in last weekend’s Rome derby was seen as two points lost. Hernanes has been tremendous for Petkovic’s side this season, but he let himself and Lazio down in that game by missing a penalty and conceding one at the other end that Er Pupone duly dispatched.

Miroslav Klose is back and that is a bonus for the Biancoceleste. His 10 goals before the long layoff helped the Sky Blues to Champions League places. They have since capitulated afterwards. The much travelled Sergio Floccari has deputised at times for the German Legend. It hasn’t been enough nonetheless.

Hernanes has been the shining light all season and bar the 2nd half performance v the Giallorossi last time out, he has rarely put a foot wrong. Federico Marchetti in goal has been one of the Aquile’s most consistent performers. The Italian goalie’s exploits haven’t gone unnoticed by Cesare Prandelli. Only that Gigi Buffon will be very difficult to displace. PSG’s Salvatore Sirigu has found that a futile mission too.

If the Coppa Italia finalists still want to qualify for the UCL, today’s game is a must win.

Juventus are no easy ride for anyone. Well, except you are Bayern Munich. Apart from the German destroyers, no side has been so dominant against the Old Lady since Antonio Conte took over and came back from a 4 month suspension in December.

Tomorrow night against the Biancoceleste, the league leaders have it all to do in order to restore the confidence that was nowhere to be found on Wednesday. Andrea Pirlo will not want to see Bastian Schweinsteiger anytime soon. The German midfielder gained revenge over the Italian master in both legs of the European tie. It was a performance that drew comparisons with some of the very best ever. A virtuoso display of excellence.

Marchisio cut a forlorn figure in both legs and his ineffectiveness when playing against Europe’s finest footballers showed to a great extent. The absence of Giorgio Chiellini is another minus for the Juventini. The defence without him have coped….with him, they are water tight.

Mirko Vucinic and his strike partners were no match for Dante and Danny Van Buyten who effortlessly kept them very quiet. A Cana-Ciani partnership might be weaker on paper, but can put on a similar show. Tonio Candreva is that stunning winger these days. He knows the Old Lady very well, having spent a season there on loan some seasons ago. His form this campaign has been great.

Ogenyi Onazi has shown flashes of what he is capable of, especially in the European stage. A vital squad member who can come in handy at any time.

 

PROBABLE LINEUPS

LAZIO:

Marchetti, Gonzalez, Cana, Ciani, Stankevicius, Candreva, Ledesma, Onazi, Hernanes, Mauri, Klose

The prominent Senad Lulic is suspended for this tie, so Alvaro Gonzalez comes in for him. The return of the imposing Klose is a massive boost for Vladimir Petkovic’s team.

 

JUVENTUS:

Buffon, Peluso, Bonucci, Barzagli, Asamoah, Marchisio, Vidal, Pirlo, Lichtsteiner, Vucinic, Matri

The return of Arturo Vidal and Stephan Lichtsteiner will be music to the ears of Conte. Although Chiellini is out through suspension, the old lady have enough in their arsenal to wreck havoc at the Stadio Olimpico.

Alessandro Matri is set to replace the Quag in attack, while Kwadwo Asamoah at left wing back is an automatic choice when fit.

 

Written by Ohireime Eboreime

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Stevan Jovetic to Arsenal: A Potential Game Changer for the Gunners

  By O-Posts Team | April 7, 2013 - 16:20 | , , , , , , ,
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Despite the transfer window being closed, there will always be rumors all over the market. Arsenal, usually, are being linked with almost every player available in the market, and end up singing no one. Today, we’ll be focusing on Fiorentina’s talented striker Stevan Jovetic.

The Montenegro international has been heavily linked with a move away from Florence at the end of this season, with teams like Arsenal, Man City and Juventus all ready to sign him. All these teams are tempting for a young striker like Jovetic, but which one is the best for him? In my opinion, he should opt for the Gunners.

I’ll take the case of each team a side, starting with the Italian giants Juventus. The Old Lady have been in a great form this season and are undoubtedly on the right track to retain the domestic title. However, after a great start of their Champions League campaign, they lost 2-0 to Bayern Munich and are probably heading out of the competition.

Juve are definitely a great team and any player will be lucky to play there, but Jovetic may have to face a lot of competition to make it in their starting line-up, with the likes of Matri, Vucinic and new striker starting signing on this coming summer, Fernando Llorente, all ahead of him. Beside, after some great years with Fiorentina , a move to another Italian team might make him the most hated man in Florence, so he may want to move to the Premier League looking for new challenges.

Moving on to Man City’s case. The blue team of Manchester is not exactly the best team for young talents. Jack Rodwell, Scott Sinclair, Adam Johnson and Samir Nasri were once regarded as the future of the Premier League, but a move to last season’s league champs changed all that. The same thing can happen to Jovetic. With Aguero,Tevez and Dzeko standing in his way, he’ll be warming the bench with Nasri and Sinclair next season if he decides to join Man City.

All this leaves us with the best choice for Jovetic, Arsenal are in desperate need for a replacement for RVP. Summer signings Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud, despite scoring a good amount of goals, have failed to prove to be the best successor for RVP.

However, Jovetic has been regarded lately as the new RVP. He’s versatile, has good dribbling skills, good finisher and most important, he fits perfectly with Wenger’s style. And luckily for him, he won’t face much  competition in the picking order.

In my opinion, he’ll be Wenger’s first choice, and he’ll get the chance to develop and become one of the best strikers in the world, since Wenger is known for doing so. However, in order to sign him, Arsenal need to break their transfer record and pay around £25 million, which could prove to be an obstacle.

These are my thoughts on Jovetic. Any team will be lucky to sign him – he’s terrific striker, skillful and a good finisher. Wenger should act swiftly to get his signature.

 

What do you think? Please share your thoughts.

 

Written by Ahmad Ezzeddine

Follow Ahmad on Twitter @Ahmadezz91

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Top 10 Most Poker-Passionate Football Players

  By O-Posts Team | March 31, 2013 - 17:31 | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Anyone who plays some kind of sport knows that to succeed takes burning passion and enthusiasm. Applying these elements into a game, and also having the mental determination to succeed is a vital factor in coming out top.

Poker can also be seen as somewhat of a sport so it’s not surprising that many football players are regular visitors of well-known poker rooms like Fulltiltpoker. Let’s take a look at the top football players who have decided to inject some of that passion into becoming credible and successful names and faces in the world that is Poker.

 

1. Teddy Sheringham

Teddy Sheringham, a former England, Tottenham and West Ham player decided to take his hand a poker a few years before ending his 25 years career as a well-respected player. However, Unlike many football players who take interest in a managing or training position in the football world, Teddy decided to take a different route.

He has made a name for himself in the poker world and has played in various tournaments around the world including one of the biggest, the World Series Of Poker Main Event where he managed to finish 14th out of around 3000.

Teddy’s winnings over the past years have amounted to around $298,000.

 

2. Jan Van Soresen

One of the most successful football players to have made an impact in the Poker world is Scandinavian player Jan Van Soresen, who has won a range of tournaments including the WSOP (twice) and the Masters Classics of Poker tournament in 2008.

He is expected to have won himself around $2 million, making him one of the most successful football players to have come out of Poker.

 

3. Tony Cascarino

Former international football star Tony Cascarino who spent a large amount of his career with the Republic of Ireland, has always had a gambling passion and put his eagerness and passion into place when he first started playing in around 2006.

Tony went on to win his first major tournament 3 years later in the Grosvenor UK Poker Tour, scooping himself a nice $283,000. Overall within his six years of playing in tournaments, Cascarino has expected to have won around $589,000.

 

4. Christian Vieri

Christan Vieri is a former Inter Milan forward who has never hidden his passion for card games especially Texa’s Hold’Em. In 2009 and without a club after quitting with Atalanta, Vieri went on to play in two tournaments in LA.

Whilst Vieri is not set to leave his football career just yet, he has hinted that he could be looking at a profession poker career after his retirement.

 

5. Tomas Brolin

Former Swedish football player and manager Brolin is another example of how passion can weave its way through football and poker. Brolin decided to first try his luck at Poker in 2006 and has made himself credible at many various poker tables.

In 2006 he fluttered in the Football and Poker Legends club which was organised by the well know and very popular site Party Poker.

In 2007 he then went on to play at the World Series of Poker, whilst not having won 1st place in the tournaments, he has however scooped a nice slice of the pot.

 

6. Gianluigi Buffon

Whilst if not being the greatest goalkeeper to have come out of football, it also seems that Buffon is adding a touch of his football passion into his Poker passion. Buffon learned of his passion whilst playing for a charity event a good few years back and is said to have completely fell in love with the game.

From then, Buffon continued to enhance his skills and played in numerous online tournaments, finally being noticed by online giant Poker Stars after successfully scooping the pot numerous times.

He went on to act as an ambassador for the site and hopes that one day, when his football career ends, he can work on becoming a professional player.

 

7. Poli Rincon

Spanish player Poli Rincon is well loved amongst the Spanish, with a successful career in football including stints with Real Madrid and Real Betis, he went on to win the Spanish league and cup in the 70’s and 80’s.

Rincon also has a burning passion for poker and is also said to regularly play with online giant Poker Stars favouring tournaments such as Poker Stars Caribbean Adventure and others such as Estrellas Poker Tour.

 

8. Vikash Dhorasoo

French player Vikash Dhorasoo is again another example of a budding Poker star. In 2007, Dhorasoo found his path and began playing in major poker tournaments, mainly in France. One of his most successful stories is taking the pot at the No Limit Hold’em $2.200 Barrier Poker Tour in 2010 scooping the main prize of $187,887.

This however is not his only cash in. He has also managed to come out top in two European Poker tournament events and also fluttered in several other tournaments.

 

9. Francesco Totti

Italian football star Francesco Totti who has spent his career dedicated to the Series A club Roma, is a top goal scorer and most capped player in the clubs history. Francesco has maintained a steady career with the club for the past 20 years, however football is not the only game he is passionate about.

Totti has recently been knighted as Poker Ambassador for Party Poker. Francesco Totti states that he has a real passion for poker and being a successful player requires the same abilities of that of playing football.

 

10. David Levi

Last, but by no means least, David Levi has had a major impact in the Poker world. Not only has his passion for football seen him excel in his years but when after a crippling knee injury Levi decided to take his chances by dabbling in Poker and he certainly knows how to play a hand.

He has said to have one over a huge total of $2,600,000 as of 2009. One of his favourite and most successful events has seen him scoop $360,229 from the WOSP tournaments.

 

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Borja Valero: Former Madrid man enjoying a Florentine Renaissance

  By O-Posts Team | March 27, 2013 - 19:25 | , , ,
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Florence is usually named as the birth place of the Italian renaissance, the rebirth of Italian culture through the medium of literature and art. Reformed after bankruptcy and their subsequent relegation in 2002, and then their flirtations with relegation again last season, it is the city’s football club that are continuing the historic theme of 14th century upheaval.

Fiorentina now sit 4th in Serie A under the guidance of their bright young coach Vincenzo Montella, four points clear of 5th placed Lazio and three points off AC Milan in third in the race for Champions League qualification, the competition which La Viola have not been a part of since 2010, the last season of Cesare Prandelli’s five year reign.

Fiorentina are now on their fourth manager in just over two years after Prandelli departed for the national team and are now looking up. In keeping with the Italian history that is often associated with the revolutionary city of Tuscany, it is a player of great artistry that is driving them back to the top.

Borja Valero’s career also has a touch of the renaissance about it. Released as a 22 year old by Real Madrid after just 2 appearances for his boyhood club, a promising debut year with Real Mallorca led to a move to England with West Bromwich Albion where he experienced relegation from the Premier League within just one year.

He soon returned to Mallorca on loan where he showed his great talent, winning the Don Balon award for best Spanish player in La Liga as Mallorca finished fifth to qualify for the Europa League.

Despite that, Mallorca could not afford to make the move permanent and it was left to Villarreal to offer him a route out of his troubled time in England with another season-long loan in Spain. There, he helped guide the Yellow Submarine to a fourth placed finish before suffering relegation a year later. Valero’s nomadic career that had so far only offered false starts, had to find another home.

Everton offered him a route back into English football but Valero turned it down, glancing instead towards the new era in place at Fiorentina under Montella. The Della Valle family ownership invested heavily in the likes of Alberto Aquilani, David Pizzaro, Matias Fernandez and Valero, who, at the age of 28, has finally seemed to get his stuttering career going in Italy.

In Montella’s 3-5-2 system, Valero sits alongside the defensive reassurance of Pizarro and Brazilian Romulo in a midfield full of technical ability which helps the philosophy of “alla Spagnola”, as Valero himself has called it, full of possession football and short passes. With 29 appearances so far, the ex-Mallorca man has played more games than any other Fiorentina player this season.

Montella was hired on the back of his work at Catania where he got them performing like “little Barcelona” and it is this style of expressive passing and cherishing of the ball that has helped Valero to thrive. Only Andrea Pirlo, at table-topping Juventus, has more assists than Valero’s 9 and after 29 Serie A matches, the Spaniard boasts a passing percentage of 87.7% with a massive 58 chances created.

Valero, in his sub-6ft frame and weighing in at just 73 kg, fits the mould of the stereotypical Spanish playmaker, nimble well-balanced and able to spring away from a congested central area to drive into attacking areas.

He averages 59 passes per game, with Stevan Jovetic and Adam Ljajic thriving off his ability to thread precision through balls, Fiorentina have hit 53 goals this term as a result of the creative quality Montella has packed his midfield with.

Such a productive year has failed to register on the radar of Vincent Del Bosque in the quest to add to the solitary cap he has with Spain, he has been left out of the recent squad to play Finland and France, though that may come down to the extraordinary generation of talent he is competing against.

The illustrious talent role of Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas, Sergio Busquets, Santi Cazorla and Xabi Alonso is a difficult line to breach but it will be enough to Valero to see his career finally starting to pick up momentum in a country where Spanish players have notoriously struggled.

Ivan De La Pena, Ivan Helguera, Gaizka Mendieta, Cesar Gomez and Javi Moreno have all headed to Italy and failed, Valero however, just like the influence of Da Vinci and co. back in the mid 1400s, has graced Florence with his Iberian brand of invention and artistry to become a revolutionary success.

At 28, with a career that has suffered relegations and upheaval just when it is threatening to achieve the promise he showed in his early 20′s at Mallorca, Valero’s time is coming just as he hits his peak.

Under Montella and his bright brand of creative, passing football, he could yet achieve success at the very top.

 

Written by Adam Gray

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AC Milan and the Balotelli Effect

  By O-Posts Team | March 20, 2013 - 17:05 | , ,
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Just 46 days into his career with the Rossoneri and the effect that Mario Balotelli has had on the club is clear.

Following his arrival in Italy, AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani said that the move for Balotelli was “a dream that has been realized [and] a transfer that everyone wanted; the club, the president and the fans.”

That dream got off to a fairytale start with Balotelli producing a match winning brace against Udinese, a win which lifted Milan above rivals Inter in the table at the time.

Balotelli scored in the next two games for AC Milan, including a stunning 30-yard free kick against Parma to maintain the Rossoneri’s resurgent push up the league. That strike at the San Siro proved enough to match Oliver Bierhoff’s record of four goals in three matches, but the Italy international has since kicked on.

Balotelli came off the bench to add to his tally with another goal against Genoa in only his fifth appearance for the club, whilst last weekend’s brace against Palermo took the controversial striker’s tally to seven goals in six games in Serie A.

Balotelli’s arrival has coincided with AC Milan’s unbeaten run in the league, which has seen five wins in just seven games, but the effect of ‘Super Mario’ has not been universally positive.

After hitting 15 goals prior to Balotelli’s arrival in January, Italian striker Stephan El Shaarawy has managed just one goal in the league since the controversial striker’s move from Manchester City.

Balotelli and El Shaarawy.... contrasting fortunes since the widely publicized move.

Balotelli and El Shaarawy…. contrasting fortunes since the widely publicized move.

The ‘Pharaoh’ has lost his place at the pinnacle of the Rossoneri attack, with both Balotelli and Gianpaolo Pazzini now favoured ahead of El Shaarawy in the centre of the AC Milan attack.

The competition for places up front is something which Massimiliano Allegri will have to manage carefully, but Il Faraone will likely find himself more frequently positioned either side of a central striker, with the striker’s work rate and energy considerably higher than that of the enigmatic Balotelli.

With Mario Balotelli in the side, the Rossoneri have yet to look back and AC Milan’s hopes of a second place finish seem possible based on their form in 2013. Fixtures against Fiorentina, Napoli and Juventus next month make April a huge time of the year for the Rossoneri.

How Milan manage Balotelli over the next four years could prove crucial, especially given the striker’s unmanageability in the past, but should Balotelli mature in his ways and add a higher level of work rate and determination to his game, then the effect of Mario may be long felt at the San Siro.

 

Jonathan Day is a leading football analyst who specialises in European and Premier League football. Jonathan currently writes for Sportingly Better, a football betting blog that offers free football tips and betting predictions. Follow Sportingly Better on Twitter or add them on Facebook for all the latest betting tips.

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