Topic: Serie A

[Samie]

Without taking charge of a single Under-23 game. 

[Iska]

Someone’s playing silly bugger on Wikipedia, looks like there’s at least one Juventus fan not thrilled with the idea of Pirlo.  Or it’s the mop’s agent keeping his hopes up.

[elsewhere]

Pirlo? Damn, i didn't see that coming, this can go tits.

[kloppagetime]

Without taking charge of a single Under-23 game. 

Must have been one heck of a training season that he did with the under 23's 

[elsewhere]

Must have been one heck of a training season that he did with the under 23's 

[elsewhere]

Spezia just earnt promotion to Serie A first time in their history. So they'll join Crotone and Benevento as new teams if Serie A.
Happy for them but I hope familiar teams of my childhood like Perugia, Ascoli, Empoli makes it back next year.

Also realized Reggiana and Catania are in 3rd league. Sad!

[Iska]

It may be their first time in Serie A but they actually already have a scudetto:

In 1944, because of the World War II the Italian football federation decided to split the top league in regional rounds. The team, named 42° Corpo dei Vigili del Fuoco della Spezia (Firefighters of La Spezia) after a merger with the local firefighter to have a sufficient number of players, was included in Round D of Emilia-Romagna, together with Corradini Suzzara, Fidentina, Orlandi Busseto and Parma. Spezia won the round and qualified to the semi-finals, in which it challenged Suzzara, Carpi and Modena. Spezia won also this round, winning five of the six matches played, losing only to Carpi. By winning the semi-final round, Spezia was admitted to play a two-legs play-off against Bologna.

The first match, played in Bologna, was suspended because of incidents started after the 1–0 goal of Spezia, contested by the Bologna supporters; Spezia was awarded a 2–0 win because of that. The return match, scheduled to be played in La Spezia, was first moved to Carpi, because of the heavy bombings underwent by the Ligurian city in the period, then cancelled because of protest by Bologna chairman Renato Dall'Ara, so Spezia was admitted to the final without playing the return match.

The finals, held in Milan, were played against Venezia and Torino. On 9 July 1944, the first match between Spezia and Venezia was played: it ended in a 1–1 draw, commented by the Gazzetta as "surprising result".

On 16 July, Spezia challenged the Great Torino, with Vittorio Pozzo as coach and Silvio Piola as striker. The match ended in an epic 2–1 victory of Spezia. After the third match, in which Torino beat Venezia in a 5–2 win, Spezia was declared champion.

However, the Italian league of 1944 was not immediately considered as official by the Italian federation, because it was obtained during war times in a reduced league, and the only scudetto of Spezia was finally awarded only in 2002 by the Federation, even if not counted officially as an Italian championship triumph, but as a "decoration".

Today, Spezia remembers the 1944 triumph by playing with a tricolour badge on the team's official jersey (but different from the Scudetto), with the authorisation of the Football Federation.

And to think there were people saying our title this year should have an asterisk.

[IanZG]

It may be their first time in Serie A but they actually already have a scudetto:And to think there were people saying our title this year should have an asterisk.

This is a brilliant story, thanks for sharing

[LovelyCushionedHeader]

It may be their first time in Serie A but they actually already have a scudetto:And to think there were people saying our title this year should have an asterisk.

Bet they weren't allowed drinks breaks and 5 subs though were they

[Fromola]

It may be their first time in Serie A but they actually already have a scudetto:And to think there were people saying our title this year should have an asterisk.

I was looking at the play offs the other week and did a search on Spezia to see if they'd been in Serie A before. I had to do a double take when it seemed they hadn't but they'd won a Scudetto.

Asterisk or not it's a nice quirk.

[Goalposts for Jumpers]

I was looking at the play offs the other week and did a search on Spezia to see if they'd been in Serie A before. I had to do a double take when it seemed they hadn't but they'd won a Scudetto.

Asterisk or not it's a nice quirk.

It'd be nice if they could get into Europe, La Spezia would be a great away day.

[Vinay]

I predict Inter will win the Serie a this coming season.

[Fromola]

I predict Inter will win the Serie a this coming season.

I think they've got a good chance with Conte up against Pirlo. Juve are dropping off. If the season had gone normally Lazio were looking likely before lockdown, Juve were really quite poor last season but Inter couldn't sustain the challenge. The transfer window will be key, they'll both make changes to the squad.

[BobPaisley3]

I was looking at the play offs the other week and did a search on Spezia to see if they'd been in Serie A before. I had to do a double take when it seemed they hadn't but they'd won a Scudetto.

Asterisk or not it's a nice quirk.

Great story.

[Caligula?]

I predict Inter will win the Serie a this coming season.

Depends on what happens with Conte. There are reports saying that he's contemplating leaving Inter and wants to wait for the United job. If he leaves and depending on who they appoint to replace him, they can really push on and win it given Juventus' current situation or make a total hash of it.

[Drinks Sangria]

Depends on what happens with Conte. There are reports saying that he's contemplating leaving Inter and wants to wait for the United job. If he leaves and depending on who they appoint to replace him, they can really push on and win it given Juventus' current situation or make a total hash of it.

There's rumours that due to the friction he's causing and constant moaning, that the Inter hierarchy would welcome Conte leaving. He's still got three years left on his deal and is the highest paid manager in Serie A so they can't really afford to sack him. It's not like they haven't backed him, he just wants an unreasonable amount of squad turnover in my eyes. They went and spent on Barella and Sensi (players he complained about having, despite them being two of Inter's best performers this year) and paid out for Eriksen who would've been free six months later. Not to mention the massive fee on Lukaku and the huge contract given to Diego Godin. They also let him increase the age profile of the squad with the likes of Alexis and Young. He threw his toys out the pram when he didn't get Dzeko.

He'll end up staying at least this season, but I can see Lazio making a better fist of it than Inter. At least due to the current situation thy probably won't be strong-armed into selling Lautaro.

[Caligula?]

He's basically the Italian Mourinho. Not just in footballing style, but also with the constant moaning and bitching. He stayed as long as he did at Juventus because they're basically given a free run to the title every season, but since leaving them he's gone the Mourinho way: not staying at a club for more than 2-3 seasons and always throwing his toys out of the pram and falling out with both players and staff because of his terrible attitude. Solskjaer may be an incompetent fool, but United would have to be out of their mind to basically hire a Mourinho Mk II who will leave the club after a season or two.

[Dynasty]

Yes but he's been massively successful wherever he has gone plus he is the one who put Juve back on the map and made them the dominant team, he didn't join a winning machine. He's one of the top managers in the world and I can't see how anyone can argue otherwise. He's won the league title at all his previous clubs he's not exactly a huge failure.  Inter have always spent big but it's only under him that have actually shown significant progress since god knows when.

[Dim Glas]

He's basically the Italian Mourinho. Not just in footballing style, but also with the constant moaning and bitching. He stayed as long as he did at Juventus because they're basically given a free run to the title every season, but since leaving them he's gone the Mourinho way: not staying at a club for more than 2-3 seasons and always throwing his toys out of the pram and falling out with both players and staff because of his terrible attitude. Solskjaer may be an incompetent fool, but United would have to be out of their mind to basically hire a Mourinho Mk II who will leave the club after a season or two.

apart from his shite record in europe! Considering the teams he’s had the last few years, his European record is piss poor. 

[Drinks Sangria]

Yes but he's been massively successful wherever he has gone plus he is the one who put Juve back on the map and made them the dominant team, he didn't join a winning machine. He's one of the top managers in the world and I can't see how anyone can argue otherwise. He's won the league title at all his previous clubs he's not exactly a huge failure.  Inter have always spent big but it's only under him that have actually shown significant progress since god knows when.

He's got a great record no doubt and is clearly a good manager. But I think what would stand against him is, as stated by Dim Glas his shite European record, as well as his inability to take a super talented Juve side further in Europe. Allegri pretty much came in and immediately surpassed him, producing better football on the way to more domestic success, whilst getting them to a Champions League final.

At Chelsea too he produced that one exceptional season but imploded with bitterness and recriminations shortly after. I do think his time at the top is over. I can't see him suddenly making Inter a legitimate European super power again. But given the money they're clearly willing to spend and the amount of good players in the squad, I could see a more positive character taking them further.

[oojason]

.



Italian matches being shown live on UK TV: https://www.live-footballontv.com/live-italian-football-on-tv.html : https://www.live-footballontv.com/live-football-on-freesports.html

Italian matches being shown live on TV around the world (+ great for IPTV etc) : https://www.livesoccertv.com/competitions/italy/serie-a


Lots of stream sites & match highlights - and more info for the 2020/21 season : https://www.redandwhitekop.com/forum/index.php?topic=345769.0

^ aka the pinned 'Some useful info for following the football on tv (+ streams etc) for 2020/21' thread in the 'General Football and Sport' section of RAWK.


For live scores, team line-ups, fixtures & results, tables, in-game comms, info, stats and more... : https://www.flashscore.co.uk/football/italy

Wikipedia page for the Serie A for 2020/21 season: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020%E2%80%9321_Serie_A

http://www.legaseriea.it/en : https://twitter.com/SerieA : https://twitter.com/SerieA_EN : https://twitter.com/azzurri : https://twitter.com/Vivo_Azzurro

[Garrus]

Inter just might regret giving in to the cult of Conte.

Apparently Tonali has agreed to join Milan despite Inter having a long standing agreement with Brescia for his transfer. Looks like they'll be focusing on getting in Vidal instead. Kolarov is also set to join.

They might well end up winning the Scudetto next season but there just doesn't seem to be any long term thinking with Conte at the helm.

[aw1991]

Inter just might regret giving in to the cult of Conte.

Apparently Tonali has agreed to join Milan despite Inter having a long standing agreement with Brescia for his transfer. Looks like they'll be focusing on getting in Vidal instead. Kolarov is also set to join.

They might well end up winning the Scudetto next season but there just doesn't seem to be any long term thinking with Conte at the helm.

Tonali is a life long Milan fan so it probably played a factor.

Milan have some strong midfield options right now. Tonali joins Bennacer, arguably their best player last season, and Kessie who improved a lot since Pioli joined. They still want Bakayoko as well

[Garrus]

Tonali is a life long Milan fan so it probably played a factor.

Milan have some strong midfield options right now. Tonali joins Bennacer, arguably their best player last season, and Kessie who improved a lot since Pioli joined. They still want Bakayoko as well

He probably got sick of waiting too by all accounts.

Milan are recruiting well. Let's see if Pioli can actually translate his bounce to the new season.

[Gods_Left_Boot]

It's a funny one with Tonali. He's universally considered a top young player, but the stats indicate that he's been a decidedly below average player last season. Also, it's unlikely that he's going to take many set pieces with Calhanoglu in the team, so that xG assisted is also likely to drop sharply.

[aw1991]

Tonali is a player who is a bit hard to quantify. He played for a bad Brescia side and that's going to impact his output, but he also had to play more of a tactical role which doesn't always translate to numbers.

I think he's still got a way to go but he definitely got talent and tons of experience and maturity for his age, and Milan are getting him on a loan with an option, so it's a really shrewd piece of business from them

[Drinks Sangria]

Tonali will be considered one of the best central midfielders in the game within 5 years, I'm happy to be quoted on this low-stakes claim. I'd agree that the above profile doesn't look hugely commanding, but as aw1991 has stated, he played surrounded by crap players in a crap team (at a crap club).

He's also fantastic to watch when he has a good game. Stylistically he's a lovely footballer.

[DelTrotter]

Zaniolo has done his ACL again after just returning from doing it in January. Awful luck, hopefully he can recover well again.

[PeterTheRed ...]

Zaniolo has done his ACL again after just returning from doing it in January. Awful luck, hopefully he can recover well again.

Such a shame. The only (somewhat) good news is that it is not the same knee. AS Roma have confirmed that tomorrow he will undergo tests for the true extent of the injury to be determined.

[demain]

Ibrahimovic still looking miraculously sharp for someone a few weeks shy of his 39th birthday. It's somewhat staggering.

Despite stating that, he missed a sitter that could have sealed his hat-trick today.

[deFacto please, you bastards]

Ibrahimovic still looking miraculously sharp for someone a few weeks shy of his 39th birthday. It's somewhat staggering.

Despite stating that, he missed a sitter that could have sealed his hat-trick today.

It's even more impressive considering the injury he had at his last year at the Mancs, at his age.

[kloppagetime]

Roma made an admin error so their opening day draw with Verona will be overturned to a 3-0 defeat.

Ibrahimovic is simply incredible and since he's returned to Milan they have probably been the best team in the league.

[Scottymuser]

Roma made an admin error so their opening day draw with Verona will be overturned to a 3-0 defeat.

Ibrahimovic is simply incredible and since he's returned to Milan they have probably been the best team in the league.

Just read about this - it seems rather unfair on Roma, although entirely their fault - it's not like they did it to fit other players in the squad, as they didn't have more than 17 non-homegrown players (as he counts as home grown) or more than 25 total, just a balls up.

[sinnermichael]

Zlatan's tested positive for Covid.

[LovelyCushionedHeader]

Just read about this - it seems rather unfair on Roma, although entirely their fault - it's not like they did it to fit other players in the squad, as they didn't have more than 17 non-homegrown players (as he counts as home grown) or more than 25 total, just a balls up.

Also doesn't seem fair that Verona get 3 very undeserved points. Could be the different between them staying up or not, or qualifying for Europe or not.

[Caligula?]

Zlatan's tested positive for Covid.

Has he said anything about Covid catching Zlatan, etc etc? 

[aw1991]

Zlatan's tested positive for Covid.

I bet the jokes are super original and funny

[Dave McCoy]

Juve posted a €90m loss but are somehow still in the market for more players.  Incoming Douglas Costa/Dembele swap transfer with each valued at 120m or more.

[Wengerpresser101]

Zlatan's tested positive for Covid.

Zlatan doesn't test positive for Covid. Covid tests positive for Zlatan.

Oh and another,
Zlatan and Covid walked into a bar. The bar caught Zlatan.

[rafathegaffa83]

Zlatan doesn't test positive for Covid. Covid tests positive for Zlatan.

Zlatan Ibrahimović@Ibra_official
I tested negative to Covid yesterday and positive today. No symptoms what so ever. Covid had the courage to challenge me. Bad idea