Daje Roma!

It sneaked up on me without allowing any real sense of anticipation. I was just finishing off my summer holidays and then, bang, there it is. The first Italian team plays the first match that really matters as Roma swing into action against Belgian outfit Gent.

As always, I'll be hoping the Italian team makes progress. It would be good to have our contenders repeat Udinese's good show in the equivalent competition last year. The Giallorossi have great potential to do so.

It has been hard to watch Roma's decline from Champions League elite to Serie A strugglers. However, this season without Europe's biggest prize to worry them might just do some good. The squad is still strong - the trouble is that they are unable to really add to it. Nonetheless, at their best they are capable of glorious football.

So, Daje Roma! There is a lot of doom and gloom around the Italian game at the moment. It would be nice to kick that into touch for a little while at least.

Et tu, Felipe?

Twenty years ago, more or less, I was an English language assistant living in a little town about 30km from Florence. The Viola were flirting with the bottom end of the table as usual but heading off on an amazing run in the UEFA Cup. Our undisputed idol was Roby Baggio.

Yet even as we made progress in Europe - I recall an icy night in Kiev in particular - there was the sound of distant thunder. Our Special One was being pursued with a pot of gold and the club did not seem likely to offer much resistance. It only aggravated matters that his suitor was dressed in black and white.

In my late teens, I tried sticking my head in the sand, I think. Hoping the deal might fall through. Nothing was signed and sealed, we could still see our magical number 10 in purple again next season. How foolish I was.

Enough has been written about how badly Fiorentini took the transfer to the Bianconeri when it was confirmed. I wasn't one of the ones out on the street throwing stones at the club's HQ. Instead, I was brooding in a one-bedroom flat in Borgo San Lorenzo.

I was angry, I guess, but it wasn't directed at Baggio. I don't believe in that fickle approach - one minute a hero, the next minute a Judas. Besides, even at the time it seemed pretty clear he could have done little to halt the process. To some extent, I could even understand the club for selling him. After all, why not cash in on your most valuable asset?

My biggest emotion, I think now, was one of emptiness and a feeling of powerlessness. You buy into your team so much that it feels like they belong to you - maybe are part of you in some way. Then they sell off the player you idolise and you realise just how far apart you actually are. Sometimes you feel that it is your world, but this just brings it home that it really is not the case.

Disillusioned is the right description.

Those same feelings have been stirred up now as I stare down the barrel of 40. In his brief time in Florence, Felipe Melo was a kung-fu kicking breath of fresh air. He brought a verve and vigour to our midfield in place of the surgical but often sluggish precision of Fabio Liverani. I loved the whole-hearted gusto with which he played each game.

His sending-off against Juve was the perfect calling card.

Nowadays, however, loyalty is a word which belongs only on store cards. You can't blame big Fil, really, nobody has it installed on their brain's hard-drive any more. The rush for honours, glory and personal gain has swept everything else to one side. The path of using a provincial club as a "shop window" is so well-worn it takes nobody by surprise.

Still, however, in the pit of my stomach, there is a sick feeling when I think about the Melo move. It says that Juve are back to their position of pre-eminence after just a couple of seasons of penance for their part in the Calciopoli affair. It also underlines that Fiorentina will only ever be a stepping stone for players with aspirations of playing at the top level.

I don't mind that, really, but it is sometimes hard to accept. I have seen what it can do to a club to spend beyond its means and I don't want to go back to Castelnuovo Garfagnana to play our games again. I admire the salary cap in Florence and the way they are using clauses in players' contracts not as a way of "trapping" them but rather as a method to assess their commitment to the cause.

All the same, it hurts to see a good player leave. Especially to Juve.

The first cut, with Baggio, was the deepest. This pain will pass. I will come to accept seeing Felipe in black and white and probably join the jeers when he comes back to the Artemio Franchi as our enemy. There will be new idols, other players in whom to invest my dreams.

But still, deep down, I know - as I did a couple of decades ago - that a little something has been lost and it will never return.

Calciomercato - Inter, Juve & Milan

There is still time for a few twists and turns but how have Italy's big three been looking in the summer transfer campaign? Inter started out with a distinct advantage from last season but how much, if at all, have Juve and Milan closed the gap. At about lunchtime on 22 July my appraisal of the situation is as follows.

Inter. IN: Milito, Thiago Motta (both Genoa), Lucio (B Munich), Quaresma (Chelsea, end of loan), Suazo (Benfica, end of loan). OUT: Crespo (Genoa), Jiminez (West Ham), Maxwell (Barcelona), Figo and Cruz (end of contract).

Of course, the big question over Inter at the moment is the will-they/won't they swap of Ibra for Eto'o. There is still a bit of haggling to be done but it seems like the Nerazzurri have finally tired of the Swede's constant posturing and grumbling. He is a great player but, to paraphrase an old hair-care advert, is he worth it?

On the one hand, he is a mercurial talent and one of the most addictive players to watch in Serie A. On the other, he has yet to deliver to the same level in Europe as he has in Italy. It might be best for all to let him move on and do his Ibra-cadabra magic elsewhere.

There is little doubt Milito and Motta were the best two early blows in the campaign. Since then, however, things have gone a bit quiet. Not sure about how Lucio will settle in and he certainly won't turn the Nerazzurri into the Champions League winners they aspire to be. Still a bit of fine-tuning required. A cautious 6.5/10.

Milan. IN: Onyewu (S Liege), Abate (Torino), Thiago Silva (Fluminense), Oddo (B Munich end of loan), Storari (Fiorentina, end of loan). OUT: Kaka (Real Madrid), Senderos (Arsenal), Maldini (end of career), Antonelli (Parma), Shevchenko (Chelsea, end of loan), Emerson (out of contract), David Beckham (LA Galaxy, end of loan).

With the Luis Fabiano deal looking dead in the water at the moment, there is a real danger of the Rossoneri being the summer's laughing stock. Kaka out for Onyewu in is hardly the stuff that dreams are made of.

To be fair, Thiago Silva may be a prospect and Abate is a rising talent. Nonetheless, this has been a sluggish campaign so far by the boys in red and black. They have been lacklustre so far and the gap between them and Inter appears to have widened.

They may still have a few tricks up their sleeve but the days when they competed for the best players in the world seem a distant memory. Maybe, just maybe, Leonardo can help them plunder the South American market and find the next Pato or two. Otherwise, it looks grim. A bleak 5/10.

Juventus. IN: Diego (W Bremen), Cannavaro (R Madrid), Almiron (Fiorentina, end of loan), Felipe Melo (Fiorentina). OUT: Mellberg (Olympiakos), Nedved (end of contract), Ekdal (Siena), Marchionni (Fiorentina).

While Inter stole the early thunder by plundering Genoa, it has been the Bianconeri who have landed the heavy late blows. Diego gives some craft, guile and goals to their midfield while Felipe Melo was one of the most sought after defensive midfielders in Europe. They certainly give the heart of the team a nice feel.

It can be debated whether going back to Fabio Cannavaro is such a wise move. However, there is little doubt that Legrottaglie and Chiellini needed somebody to watch over them and fine tune their defensive skills. As for the outgoing players, few will mourn Mellberg and Marchionni and the club hopes to shift on Trezeguet (a legend in his time) and Poulsen (a disastrous signing from day one).

The intriguing element, like Milan, is how a young Coach can get on. Ciro Ferrara was a great player, now he must make the transition to management. A bold move by Juve, who have given him the best tools available in terms of playing resources. I don't know if the squad is strong enough to compete in both Europe AND Italy but the Scudetto might be in reach. A tentative 8/10.

Breathing space

Time for a calcio breather after the Confederations Cup and Under 21 Euro Championships. Much more bitterly disappointed about the latter than the former. We never looked all that enthusiastic for events in South Africa but the young boys were desperately hard done by.

What made it all the tougher to take, for me, was that Germany destroyed England in the final. We were so superior to the Germans in our clash that it was breathtaking. But the harsh rules of football state you have to stick the ball in the net. A lesson worth learning.

However, at least there is hope for the years to come. Judicious use of these young stars in the full international team should bear fruit. And who knows what judgements Serie A will bring in the year ahead?

Vai, Super Mario!

It seems ridiculous to say it about a boy yet to emerge from his teens but tonight is a big chance for Mario Balotelli to really come of age. Having seen red already in the European Under 21 championships, how sweet would it be to deliver the goals that send Italy into the final.

Let's be honest, the Azzurrini have sweated a fair bit to get where they are. But what they have shown is commitment and effort. Now they could do with the extra touch of class that the Inter hit man can bring. I don't feel any of Italy's big three - Giovinco, Balotelli and Acquafresca - has properly delivered yet.

Tonight could be that time.

From Calcio Italia

Italian fans have had to keep their heads down of late. It seems that our descent from World Champions to total laughing stock has been complete. Thank heavens for a little bit of sunshine from the normally chilly climes of Sweden.

It is not that the Under-21s have been brilliant at their European Championship, but simply that they have made progress. The Azzurrini remain unarguably the most successful national side at continental level. They may not win the tournament this year – it would be their sixth triumph – but at least they are in the hunt.

What has pleased me, personally, is not any individual performance but more the spirit of the team. They hung tough against Serbia for a point. Then they beat the host nation despite playing most of the match with 10 men. And finally they turned the ship around when they could easily have been sunk by Belarus.

It was supposed to be all about the attacking trio of Sebastian Giovinco, Robert Acquafresca and Mario Balotelli. Instead, I have been more impressed with the graft and organisation of the midfield and defence which has provided a vital platform. All credit to Gigi Casiraghi for that.

Of course, anything the young boys achieve cannot take away the pain of Confederations Cup humiliation, but it can send a powerful message to Marcello Lippi. Perhaps more of our youngsters are ready for battle than the wise old Coach suspected. Certainly, a few of them deserve their chance.

A World Cup winning side rarely shines four years on. Italy found out in 1986, so did France in 2002 and Brazil in 2006. It is vital, however, that you use that transitional period well. The Azzurrini have shown there is a crack of light appearing between the clouds. It is up to Lippi to find the way of capturing it – and using it to his best advantage.

From Pablito to Peppino

It was a long, hot Italian summer when a frail-looking striker burst into life in Spain to capture the heart of a nation. About 27 years ago, give or take a few days, we were living through the birth of a legend. Paolo "Pablito" Rossi has never been forgotten.

It was a magical story, one of rebirth for a player who had been beaten down and banned from the game for his part in a match-rigging scandal. With six stunning goals he catapulted Italy to winning the World Cup for the first time in 44 years. The little lad from Tuscany done good.

Nearly three decades on the Azzurri have another Rossi. Another kid who looks like his strip is a bit too big and clings onto the ends of his sleeves to hold them in place. And he might just help us turn back the clock.

This time our good fortune comes from the USA, not Prato. Giuseppe "Peppino" Rossi transformed a drab Italian display against the States with a performance full of verve, guts and character. The way he won the ball, strode forward and thundered his first goal past Tim Howard was a breath of fresh air in a side which was starting to smell a bit stale.

Different times, different styles, of course. Pablito was more the goal poacher, the Pippo Inzaghi of his day with a splash of Alberto Gilardino. His namesake likes to buzz about behind the strikers like a firefly. It is a position which can - when used effectively - throw the opposition into chaos. Finding the space between defence and midfield is a special gift.

For us old timers, it is great to see the name back on the scoresheet for Italy. The very thought of John Motson shouting: "It's that man Rossi again!" as he bagged his third against Brazil back in 1982 still makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck. For one brief moment, on Monday night thanks to Giuseppe Rossi, I was 12 years old again.

Confederations crazy

There was a time when I could recite the fixture list of any major tournament without a moment's hesitation. It was just kind of programmed into my brain. With the passage of the years, however, I have to admit those days are gone.

If I am being kind to myself, I could say that the Confederations Cup is not worthy of my mental exercise. No matter who wins and in what manner, not many will remember it next year - never mind in 20 years time. But it bugs be that I can't get the date and time of the ties fixed in my head.

I'm beginning to think part of the problem might be that I am turning into my great uncle Dante. In the early days of satellite TV he used to come round to join us watching the great European nights. Sometimes there were eight or nine games involving Italian sides on a Wednesday evening - many of them taking place at the same time. As we hopped from channel to channel, the old boy from Bergamo lost track of what the results were. Now I am starting to know how he must have felt.

I blame UEFA for putting the Under 21 championship on at the same time. It is too easy to get your Azzurri and Azzurrini mixed up. I end up thinking Italy play Serbia and the Under 21s face the USA. So I've decided to write out my schedule for the next few days to help myself out. You know things are getting bad when you have to write yourself notes. (All times based on UK)

Monday, 15 June - Italy v USA (19.30)
Tuesday, 16 June - Italy U21 v Serbia U21 (19.45)
Thursday, 18 June - Italy v Egypt (19.30)
Friday, 19 June - Italy U21 v Sweden U21 (15.00)
Sunday, 21 June - Italy v Brazil (19.30 - Even I couldn't forget that one)
Tuesday, 23 June - Italy v Belarus (19.45)

Feeling better now that I have got that down in print somewhere...

Showdown in Tuscany

This weekend Fiorentina and Milan go head to head for the last automatic spot in the Champions League. The Viola are already guaranteed a place in the qualifiers but a victory over the Rossoneri would see them leapfrog straight into the group stages.

Can it happen? Definitely yes. Should it happen? I think maybe so. At first I was inclined to say it might be better overall to have Milan in the main competition given their stature and pedigree. However, maybe it is time to let some new faces get in there. Unless the Milan giants spend a bit of money this summer they are only going to be another year older. The boys in purple, on the other hand, have a crop of younger players.

Of course, I'm hoping for a Fiorentina win anyway but it should be a pretty good game. Nice end to the season while Torino and Bologna fight it out to avoid the drop at the other end of the table.

A bit of Italian work

For those with a knowledge of the old Italiano, take a trip over here.

Unlucky or unworthy?

So, the Ranieri era at Juve has come to an end. I suspect not many Bianconeri will be shedding any tears. The most sympathy, I reckon, will probably come from fans of other clubs. Claudio is a nice guy, but would you want him managing your team?

Did he do as much as could be expected with the players at his disposal? Probably. But the team needed a shake-up for the last couple of games. Otherwise Fiorentina might sneak up and pinch third spot and the automatic group stages in the Champions League. And how funny would that be?

Isn't it ironic?

The summer of 2002 is one I don't recall with any pleasure. I had to get time off work to get out of the office to watch the Azzurri clash with South Korea in the World Cup. I remember wishing I hadn't bothered.

And yet all the memories have come flooding back to me following Chelsea's elimination from the Champions League. The same finger-pointing at the referee, the same conspiracy theories, the same bitter recriminations. Except it has all been turned upside down.

Let us recall what Italy fans were told after they lost out in the Far East. "Get over it," was the main message. "You didn't take your chances - so don't blame the referee. You are just making excuses."

Well, great Blues of Stamford Bridge, how about taking that advice?

How many times have I seen an Italian team which based its game on stout defence and great organisation go out to a late goal? We are usually told it serves us right. So why does the same not hold true for an English club side?

The conspiracy theory about UEFA not wanting an all-English final is laughable. Magnificent as the match referee was, how could he have foreseen Iniesta's late, late thunderbolt? Without that, remember, Chelsea were heading to Rome. And how does the ludicrous red card for a Barca player fit in to the theory anyway?

Of course, those of us long enough in the tooth to remember South Korea will recall who was sitting on the bench that day. Yes, it was Mr Hiddink. So when he says the referee on Wednesday night was the worst he has ever seen it is hard not to think he might have a slightly selective memory. Byron Moreno was streets ahead of Tubby Tommy Ovrebo in the controversial decision department. He managed to send a man off when he should have got a penalty. Now imagine if that had happened to Didier Drogba...

Check it out!

There in spirit

It wouldn't be the Champions League if there wasn't a bit of Italian influence. This time, in the form of referee Roberto Rosetti. Guilty, apparently, of a "totally ridiculous" red card for Darren Fletcher - if you believe the pundits.

But, wait a minute, just because you get the ball doesn't necessarily mean it is not a penalty. My take is that he had to go through the man to get to the ball. It was only really in the context of the match that the decision was harsh - at 3-0 to Man Utd there was nothing left to play for. Was it a foul? Yes. Was it in the penalty box? Yes. Was it a clear goal-scoring opportunity? Yes.

I feel sorry for any player who has to miss a major final but all this ballyhoo leaves me cold. Why should UEFA reverse the decision? It was perfectly acceptable in the first place.

Oh, and should Chelsea get through tonight, prepare for all the stories about why the final should not be played in Rome.

Tifare contro

It is a sorry state of affairs, but it is the only option left to me this season. I have been reduced to trying to come up with a combination of outcomes which allows England's Big Four to win the fewest trophies possible. At least I have already been spared Manchester United's quintuple celebrations and Liverpool's European triumph.

What I have come up with is as follows. Barcelona, obviously, to win the Champions League. Everton, naturally, to win the FA Cup and whoever the hell you like (probably not Man Utd since that would give them a double) to win the Premiership. It is a kind of damage limitation exercise since Italian teams have let me down.

In a more positive manner, I am still hoping Fiorentina can sneak into 4th spot in Serie A. However, after the way we played against Udinese and the penalties they have started giving to Roma I am none too optimistic...

All quiet

All quiet on the Calcio front. What to say? Everybody out of Europe with the last hope of Udinese flickering faintly. Serie A looks like a stroll for Inter unless Juve can do something amazing. Only the relegation fight and last Champions League spot to stir the blood.

Quiet times indeed.

Fighting Irish!

Imagine looking at your enemy and finding it is like looking in a mirror. That will happen in Bari tonight when Italy take on the Republic of Ireland. On one bench a silvery haired Italian and, on the other bench, another silvery haired Italian!

Of course it is about the players on the pitch but it is hard not to think of it as Trap versus Lippi. Two legends of Juve - one with club honours from around the world, the other a World Cup winner. And Marco Tardelli involved as well. It will be hard not to have mixed emotions.

Still, a win for the Azzurri would put them virtually on the plane to South Africa. That is why I can hardly believe it will happen. Something must surely go wrong. Italy just don't do straightforward qualification campaigns.

All hail Super Pippo

From Calcio Italia

If they ever make a patron saint of the flukey goal, they should call him San Filippo. If there is an art form in scoring with every part of the anatomy imaginable then he is its Leonardo. Love him or loathe him, you can’t ignore the 300 goals of Pippo Inzaghi.

It has been an amazing career for a man who has had many more lives than your average cat. His facial contortions as he takes a tumble in the penalty box have become the stuff of legend. And his ability to be in the right place at the right time is so uncanny that even experts in the paranormal are lost for an explanation.

It is a common insult of the school playground to dub someone a goal poacher. It implies a certain lack of effort in all other departments of the game other than popping up to tap the ball into the net. Inzaghi has taken it to a whole new level.

Yet there has to be more to his game than that surely? He scored the goals that gained Milan revenge over Liverpool in the Champions League Final. He is a bona fide World Cup winner. Your praise might be grudging, but it is nonetheless something he deserves. Inzaghi springs the offside trap like a master locksmith.

And, for a man with such a fragile frame, he shields the ball with the strength of Hulk Hogan. His precision in front of goal is football’s equivalent of keyhole surgery. Finally, of course, his ability to win vital penalties and free-kicks is totally priceless.

In many ways, Super Pippo is a symbol of Italian football. Disliked, reviled and generally belittled across Europe, he gets the job done. After all, he has got the trophies and the goals to prove it.

Addio sogni di gloria!

And the lights went out all over Europe. Max Tonetto battered a penalty over the bar to seal the fate of the last Italian team left in the Champions League. A bitter feeling indeed.

It would be easy to wallow in despair, I guess. But let's look at things a little less harshly. Yes, Inter were pretty well beaten but even they had their moments at 1-0 down to turn the tie around. Roma went out after an extended penalty shootout. And Juve were worth something more from their two ties with Chelsea.

Of course, the results are the ultimate verdict. No teams in the quarter finals is something of a disaster. Especially when England has four. However, if you want the glass to be half full let's think of the green shoots of recovery. Marco Motta at Roma, Cristian Molinaro and Claudio Marchisio at Juve, Mario Balotelli and Davide Santon at Inter. It is something to build on.

It may take time for the great Premiership to collapse but, sure as anything, it will not dominate forever. There are creaking signs in some corners with the debt their clubs have amassed. However, until then it is hard to compete. All three Italians gave it their best shot but, in the end, they came up short. Better luck next year. At least, I hope so.

Good luck, Juve Tuesday

It's been a busy day for me, trying to get my house in order before this big Euro week. Got to hope at least one Serie A side can knock out a Premiership one. Tonight it is the turn of the Bianconeri to make their bid to overturn a one goal deficit against Chelsea.

They were worth a goal at Stamford Bridge. So maybe, just maybe.

And if you want to know how on earth a Viola man can be backing Juve you can find out courtesy of my Gazzetta blog debut. All of which came about courtesy of the legend that is Antonio Gurrado.

Exciting days indeed. They may end in misery by Wednesday night but, what the hell, let's go for it.

STOP PRESS: Juve drew 2-2 and went out but they showed a lot of heart. After going 1-0 up they got caught with a killer blow just before half time, deflected shot, parried onto the bar, bundled in by Essien. Then Chiellini got sent off for winning the ball twice. Then Del P converted a penalty. Finally got caught by Drogba to clinch their exit.

I hope the other two Italian teams show the same heart - and maybe get a little more rub of the green. At least we didn't lie down like Real Madrid.

Och aye the Mou!

From Calcio Italia

It is the easiest thing in the world to carp and gripe about the team which leads your League. It almost seems only right that Inter should take a bit of stick due to their position at the top of the table.

The trouble is, if you do it too often, you can lose sight of the qualities which put the team there in the first place. I confess I have been guilty of this myself. The Nerazzurri rarely produce the kind of football that is pleasing on the eye. And they have been the beneficiaries of a few kind refereeing decisions. But they do have a quality I reckon all of their challengers lack – backbone.

Look at the players down the spine of this Inter side and you will start to see what I mean. Julio Cesar is one of the best goalkeepers in the world. Esteban Cambiasso and Javier Zanetti are the kind of versatile and relentless footballers any team would love to have. And Zlatan Ibrahimovic forms an impressive attacking line all on his own.

The rest of the squad bristles with guts and commitment too. Nicolas Burdisso, Walter Samuel, Ivan Cordoba and Marco Materazzi are the kind of men you would like to have on your side in a fight. While Dejan Stankovic and Douglas Maicon provide the sort of surging power that even the national grid would love to harness.

Add to that the little matter of two of the most interesting young Italian talents of Serie A and you get a heady mix. Davide Santon and Mario Balotelli may not be the finished article but they are pretty exciting prospects. The simple fact that they can hold their own in this Inter line up speaks volumes.

It is this strength in depth and real resilience which has put the Nerazzurri so far clear of their rivals. Juve are the only ones who come even close in the character stakes. Roma and Milan look flimsy and weak-willed in comparison. It’s fine to criticise Inter and it goes with their territory – but it should never obscure the fact that they are, actually, a pretty good team.