Tag Archives: serie a

05.12.13
by

#WeekendFootball


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The season is one or two weeks away from its end and the winners in every major league have been decided already. Transfer rumors are spreading like wildfire and players and managers alike are either coming up to the big stage or stepping off it. Fans of the winner teams hope to have yet a good year next season and the less fortunate squads will end this season with hope of a better tomorrow. The last days of a footballing season pack a decent amount of action and it was well witnessed this weekend.

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As the English Premier League has been already settled for the Red Devils, Manchester United hosted Swansea at Old Trafford to play their last home game of the season and say farewell to their beloved manager Alex Ferguson. The match ended 2-1 with goals from Chicharito, Michu and Rio Ferdinand. Elsewhere in the league, Spurs got three vital points from their visit to Britannia Stadium which put them ahead of Arsenal in the forth league spot. Moyes ended his last game at the Goodison Park with a two to nothing victory against West Ham which made him leave the Toffees as a winner and Sturridge was a hattrick hero as Liverpool defeated Fulham. Frank Lampard graved his name in Chelsea’s history book as their highest scoring player as he scored his team’s two goals against Aston Villa, leading the fans to further wish that he gets a new contract deal with the Blues. At Wembley in the F.A. Cup final, Manchester City suffered a shocking defeat against a very professional Wigan side who dominated 90 minutes of football and crowned their performance with a 90 minute goal from Watson. More shocking was the climax of the Watford x Leicester second leg as Watford saved a penalty, counter-attacked within ten seconds and scored a goal that ensured that the Hornets will get a chance for promotion at Wembley.

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F.C. Barcelona were officially the Spanish La Liga champions on Saturday as Real Madrid failed to grab a win away against Espanyol. Los Merengues received a goal midway through the first half, and although they did equalize when the second half was underway, it wasn’t enough to postpone the league a week further. On Sunday, Barcelona traveled to Vicente Calderón to play Athlético Madrid and won their match with two goals to one. Falcao and Alexis Sanchéz both scored a goal each and the match result was settled by an own goal from Gabi Fernández. Barcelona’s league win means that they ended a domination from start to finish – Barcelona has lead the Spanish Primera Division from day one up until the winning of the league this weekend. In a strong display of character at Campo de Fútbol de Vallecas, againt Rayo Vallecano, Soldado, Guardado and Valdez all scored for Valencia and ensured a margin of 0-4. Betis got three points from their visitors Celta de Vigo while Sevilla and Malaga drew level at Estadio La Rosaleda.

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The French side Paris Saint-German finally won Ligue 1 as Menéz gave his side a to-be untouched lead at the 53rd minute. The Stade Gerland saw the Parisians win their first league title in 19 years after a very solid performance throughout the season when mainly the now 10-time league winner Zlatan Ibrahimovic has scored many goals, being the league’s top scorer. Elsewhere in Portugal, Jorge Jesus’ Benfica were shocked as they received a late goal from Kelvin, as he handled the lead for his Porto side in added time. Juventus played their last game of the season at the Juventus Stadium and celebrated the Serie A scudetto title in front of their supporters, while Palermo and Siena both were relegated after unfortunate defeats against Fiorentina and Napoli. The latter two teams clinched their Champions League places to join AC Milan and Juventus, with the former drawing in a rather dull match against Roma. In the Bundesliga, Bayern celebrated at the Allianz Arena in front of their fans and are anticipating for the CL final in a couple of weeks. Werder Bremen saw themselves off the relegation zone and Freiburg came closer to a Champions League place as they are only a point behind Schalke on the table.Image

More follow-up, detailed posts about this weekend’s footy to come within today.

Sultan Aldori

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05.10.13
by

Quotes from Franco Baresi’s interview in Libero


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“Of course I’ve been very lucky in my life to wear the shirt of such a successful and prestigious club. I’ve always been a Milan supporter, and during my career Milan gave me all the opportunities to realize my dreams.”

“If my height was an advantage or hindrance?
Absolutely an advantage. I never felt it was a hindrance and or felt inferior. My secret was trusting in our team’s way of playing; we didn’t leave our opponents, taking advantage of high balls. Our good, solid organisation made this possible.”

“If I had a friendly rivaly with my brother?
Yes, we had a friendly rivalry, never an angry one. Most of all, our rivalry was twice a year, especially during Derby days.
We always got along off the pitch. As he’s older than me, he has always been an incentive for me; he helped me lots, especially during my early years developing as a player.”

“Who were my footballing idols as a kid? As I’ve always been a very big Milan fan, I must say Gianni Rivera, Pierino Prati or Karl-Heinz Schnellinger. They were amazing players. I had admiration also for Gigi Riva, Sandro Mazzola and Roberto Boninsegna – idols of the Italian National team of that time.”

“I was young (18) when I won my first Scudetto but in that season everything went very well for me. I was considered a promising young football player, and I was imposing myself in a role on the pitch very delicate for my age. I used to feel a bit of pressure, but it was always very productive, not negative at all.”

“If I ever thought about leaving Milan? Never! In early 80’s the club had some financial problems but I always wished it could carry on and be back at the top of world football. Now I can say I was right!”

“How I felt when I missed the penalty against Brazil in the World Cup final in 1994?
“I didn’t feel good at all, for sure! The entire world was looking at me, watching me in that very moment. I was so disappointed and there was a huge sadness in all of us.
In Los Angeles, I played my best match in the whole of the World Cup after recovering from an injury. Nevertheless, I can remember all the good things we did to reach the final. We were a special group of big players and good people.”

Part 2 of the interview with Franco Baresi.

“If Arrigo Sacchi is the best manager that I have had? Arrigo Sacchi was the one who changed football in Italy. He was such a revolutionary man for that time, changing mentality and bringing in new ideas.
Arrigo Sacchi is absolutely one of the most important protagonists in Milan’s history.”

“I believe that the signing of Mario Balotelli means a lot in this new strategy of the club.
Milan has chosen a new road – many top players left the club last season, and young players now have the chance to show their skills. I believe that with Balotelli, El Shaarawy, De Sciglio and the other promising young players, Milan are back on the right track.”

“How important it is for Milan to exert its dominance on the European stage once more?
I think it’s very important. In the last 27 years, Milan won a lot of international trophies.
We had different cycles, series with different trainers and players, but always with the same ambition and goal to be dominant in Europe and in the whole world. It will be the same in the future too.”

“If I had to mention a top 11 of players who I played with?
During my career I played with a lot of top players. Let me try: Sebastiano Rossi, Mauro Tassotti, Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Costacurta, Roberto Donadoni, Frank Rijkaard, Zvonimir Boban, Ruud Gullit, Dejan Savićević and George Weah… And many more! It’s impossible to choose only 11 players!”

“Who I think was the best libero of all time?
Franz Beckenbauer”, concluded Franco Baresi.