Capita che in Francia, di là dalle Alpi, stasera una squadra retrocessa da tempo non abbia fatto sconti a un'altra squadra che necessitava di punti per andare in Champions League. Il Troyes ha battuto il Lens che farà l'Intertoto, ai preliminari della massima competizione europea andrà il Toulouse. Ci sono stati incidenti, la partita è stata sospesa, ma alla fine il verdetto è stato pulito.

In Italia? Anche da noi domani è l'ultima giornata, c'è da decidere solo la terza retrocessa, e tutti sono convinti che uscirà da Catania-Chievo, l'unico scontro diretto della giornata. Tutti sanno già che Lazio, Milan ed Empoli non faranno niente per sbarrare il passo a Siena, Reggina e Parma. Insomma, la mancanza di motivazioni da noi -e non altrove- fa la differenza. Ovviamente tutto regolare, non ci sono soldi di mezzo, non c'è corruzione. Basta guardarsi in faccia e capirsi. D'altronde, perché dovrei mandarti in serie B? Mi farei un nemico, l'anno prossimo magari tu sei già salvo e a me servono punti per lo scudetto. Una specie di scacchi, come mi sono sentito dire da uno straniero a cui cercavo di spiegare la cosa. Vedremo domani, ma le speranze sono poche.

PS: stasera il Getafe (senza obiettivi) ha dato l'anima contro il Barcellona, che poi ha vinto. Se avesse vinto, sarebbe come se l'Inter o il Milan vincessero lo scudetto grazie alla Pro Sesto.

È un anno che mi sento dire che il campionato vinto non valle nula perché manca la Juve e il Milan è partito da -8.

È un anno che mi sento dire che dovevamo dimostrare il nostro valore in Champions da gente che ha sempre rimediato figuracce (leggi Anfield e Highbury).

È un anno che ce la menate con Ibra e Vieira, che vinciamo per merito loro, e non oso pensare a cosa ci avreste detto se non avessimo vinto lo scudetto, come minimo ci avreste preso in giro fino al 2027.

È un anno che ci accusano di complotti e intercettazioni manco fossimo la Spectre.

Ma io vi dico, con Calciopoli 2 e Calciopoli 3, Moggi, Meani e compagnia bella, schede svizzere, slovene e del Liechtenstein, ci starete mica tirando un altro colpo e vi farete penalizzare per sminuire le nostre eventuali future vittorie? Io voglio, se possibile, il prossimo anno vincere eventualmente un campionato "regolare"...

(nella foto Neri Marcoré, che col voice changer e l'id nascosto è riuscito a ingannare il figlio di Moggi e Giraudo fingendo di conoscere gli affari di Lucianone...bravo eh?)

 

Per i non romani e non tifosi di una squadra romana che, come me, vivono a Roma, il derby può sembrare un momento di follia collettiva, una questione di vita o di morte, una partita che può rafforzare una supremazia cittadina oppure vanificarla. Per dirne una, la Roma al 99,9% arriverà davanti alla Lazio, ma se la Lazio non dovesse perdere domani potrà vantare di essere la migliore squadra della città.

Una quarantina di giorni fa, in una TV locale davano un programma deedicato ai biancocelesti. Il conduttore fa partire un sondaggio: fuori dalla Champions League e vittoria nel derby o in Champions e derby di ritorno perso. Beh, ci crederest se vi dico che i laziali hanno scelto l'opzione uno? La domanda per un po' ha riguardato il secondo posto, ma da quando se n'è cominciato a parlare la Lazio è calata, la Roma invece ha avuto la soddisfazione di espugnare per la seconda volta San Siro e ora ha due obiettivi stagionali.

La Coppa Italia, ovviamente, che però per la stragrande maggioranza dei romanisti è secondaria rispetto alla partita di domani: anche qui, un sondaggio evidenzierebbe senza problemi il fatto che i giallorossi vogliono vendicarsi di un 3-0 dell'andata pesante e senza attenuanti. Purtroppo, non vedrete immagini simili a quelle qui sopra: non si gioca in notturna per motivi di ordine pubblico. Come dare torti a chi ha preso questa decisione? Io tre anni fa c'ero, fu una manifestazione del peggior teppismo, con gli ultras che fecero interrompere la partita, non credendo a quanto detto dall'altoparlante, che non c'era nessun bambino ucciso.

Quello è stato il punto più basso del tifo romano, domani si spera le cose vadano bene e che la partita non sia condizionata dal gran caldo. Totti sì o Totti no? Quale formazione metterà in campo Delio Rossi? Qualcuno farà un -stavolta salutare- tuffo nel fontanone del Gianicolo? Domani, più o meno alle cinque, lo sapremo. E gli abitanti di Roma "neutrali" come me sorrideranno nell'ascoltare i discorsi degli amici, quasi fosse una finale di Coppa del Mondo.

La prima del "Corriere dello Sport", giusto per usare un giornale sportivo che non sia diventato un magazine di gossip o l'organo di un club- mette vicine due notizie contrastanti e però interessanti. L'ad juventino Jean Claude Blanc che sostiene la Juve sia da scudetto con Buffon e tre rinforzi, e Julio Cesar in forse all'Inter perché Moratti vuole Buffon.

Io, da interista, lo dico a voce alta: voglio che Buffon resti alla Juve. Non deve andare all'Inter, perché anche se è un fuoriclasse ed è più forte di Julio Cesar, il brasiliano ha dato garanzie di affidabilità e sicurezza e con Buffon i punti dei nerazzurri non sarebbero più di quelli conquistati. Julio ha parato due rigori quasi decisivi, con Siena e Ascoli, ha effettuato interventi decisivi, ha commesso pochi errori. A dimostrazione che è meglio un ottimo portiere con davanti ottimi difensori che un fuoriclasse con davanti Legrottaglie e Boumsong alle prese con Serafini.

Certo, se le risorse di Moratti fossero illimitate potrei essere d'accordo, ma preferirei che i -tanti, tantissimi- milioni che la Juve chiede per il suo portiere fossero spesi in altri reparti, prendendo un sostituto di Figo e un grande attaccante, tipo Van Nistelrooy. E siccome le due cose sono alternative, opterei per il fantasista e il centravanti. E poi, non vorrei nemmeno che andasse al Milan, i rossoneri potrebbero rinforzarsi e infastidirci per lo scudetto.

La mia speranza, devo dire, è vana. Credo che la Juve alla fine lo cederà al Milan. E considero patetici i tifosi juventini che, invece di arrabbiarsi per la cessione del proprio portiere, si inalberano solo se va all'Inter. Come dire, non me ne frega niente se mia moglie mi fa le corna, purché non sia con l'idraulico. Infine Blanc: secondo me è un altro titolo a sensazione del Corsport, ma l'amministratore delegato dice una mezza verità: o effettua i tre grandi acquisti con i proventi della cessione di Buffon, oppure tiene Buffon e con 40 milioni bene che gli vada gli mette davanti un Barzagli o uno Zaccardo.

Insomma, Buffon resti dov'è, tanto - a sentire Tuttosport- avrà attorno a sé una formazione di assoluto valore mondiale...o no? E soprattutto, spero che Julio Cesar, più giovane di Buffon e bravo più di qualsiasi altro portiere al di fuori di Gianluigi, resti con noi.

Last weekend, almost at the same time, two presidents confessed their mistakes, by reinstating a coach they sent away before. "I made a mistake" says Torino President, Urbano Cairo, "maybe Zaccheroni could have done better with a squad built by him". The history of the Granata is really unbelievable: Gianni De Biasi, the coach that lead the team to promotion, was sent away before the beginning of the season. Cairo hired Zaccheroni, maybe he thought the Cesenatico coach was more experienced, as he coached Milan, Lazio and Inter.

Five consecutive defeats and a bad position in Serie A table (just a little bit above the relegation zone) put Zac's position in danger. Last Saturday Torino played away at ChievoVerona, and it was clear this was the last ditch for him. Just before the game the Rosina-gate made a noise: Torino striker in his personal website gave bad rankings to the whole team -except himself- and in Verona was sent to the stand. Torino lost 0-3 and the defeat was lethal to Zaccheroni. So, Cairo went back to the past, again with De Biasi.

In Cagliari, it happened almost the same. President Cellino called up Marco Giampaolo last summer after young coach did very well at Ascoli, but as usual it's not easy to work with that kind of Presdient. Cellino is a little bossy, and in Italy we say that executives like him are "Mangia-allenatori" (Coach-eaters), meaning they change coaches just like they change their shirt. That's why Cellino in December sent Giampaolo away, while Cagliari was playing badly but was just in a safe position.

Cagliari had a new coach, the experienced Franco Colomba. But the former Reggina trainer did not satisfy his chairman, who lives in Miami and manages the club from overseas. Last Sunday, after Cagliari's defeat against Lazio, Cellino decided to call Giampaolo again. In the meantime, Giampaolo had left Cagliari, his house and changed the school to his sons in another part of Italy. Unfortunately for him, the coach has still a contract in place; so, if he didn't accept to come back, he'd loose his salary from now until contract expiry.

Tomorrow the tricks of fate -and Serie A schedules, of course- will play off De Biasi against Giampaolo, for day 26. At least one of them won't loose, and a president will be, finally, happier than before.

Inter's 17th consecutive win isn't news, just like the umpteenth Totti's mistake from the penalty spot. Today we want to talk about three teams that have been punished after Calciopoli scandal, and now are trying to get into Europe by its main door: Champions League. Now it's Lazio seating on the fourth step, but Milan is just one point behind and Fiorentina is some distance from them but maybe is in very good shape and don't mind if they are six points under. Reasonably, they are fighting for just one place, but we see that Palermo is in a bad moment and there are still 14 games to play. Will the Sicilians resist in the Top Four? We'll see...

Another remark we should do is that all the people saying this year Serie A is not so good, are a little bit wrong. Take for example the table as it would be if all those teams weren't penalized. At least for the top 6, it should be: Inter 66, AS Roma 52, Fiorentina 46, Palermo 44, AC Milan 44, Lazio 40. Top teams are all there, except Juve that is still paying for its scandals, so it's not Inter's fault if they are too strong. We should talk anout no history for its strenght, but not that the level is lower than the past for the reason Juve is not there.

Anyway, yesterday night AC Milan won without deserving, for the second time three points came during the extra-time, once again Ambrosini's header has been decisive: without him now Milan would be sixth with 31 points, 35 less then Inter. Ronaldo played badly, but had to carry the weight of the attack as Oliveira has been replaced by Cafu after 10', due to Oddo's sending-off. Mach 11th is going to be the moment of truth for Ancelotti: that day his team will play against Inter for the derby. Anyway, choosing Ronaldo -that cannot play Champions League- Milan has shown how important is fourth place to them.

Lazio forward Tommaso Rocchi is the man of the day. His beautiful goal in Cagliari has been applauded by all the viewers, and he had a standing ovation by the opposite fans, and this doesn't happen every day, especially in Italy, where fair play is just a pipe-dream. Now Lazio on Wednesday is going to play Catania at the Stadio Olimpico, it won't be easy, though Catania is in deep crisis and needs some point after the unsuccessful match against Inter.

We think Fiorentina is Serie A third best team, after Inter and Roma (according to Mutu, they are second, after Inter). They have a good coach, a fantastic pair of forwards, Luca Toni and Adrian Mutu, a technical skilled player as Liverani and some good youngsters (Montolivo, Pazzini and Donadel). Sporting director Pantaleo Corvino confirms their interest to young players: today Fiorentina has signed Arturo Lupoli (Arsenal forward, now at Derby County on loan) for the next five years. So, Neapolitan forward will be back to Italy since July, as he left Parma some years ago, "stolen" by Arsenal.

So, as from now until the end of may, at least we'll see an exciting fight for Europe: giants are back!

Flachi and his way to exult after scoring

It has already happened in the past, and now it's again: Francesco Flachi, Sampdoria forward, has been tested positive for benzoilecgonine, a cocaine metabolite, after Sampdoria-Inter of 28yh of Jannuary, when the Genoans lost 0-2. Today is cocaine, like in 1996: at that time he had been even blamed for international drugs traffic by public prosecutor in Rome, in particular between Rome and Colombia. For Flachi there's been no peace this year, as he has already expiated a 2 months ban for illegal betting, together with his former teammate, Morris Carrozzieri (we talked about this ban here)

"The Anti-doping CONI commission -we read in a handout- on Federation of sport doctors suggestion, after advising the Federation involved, has established a case of positiveness. Rome laboratory has found, in his first sample analyzed, presence of Benzoilecgonina (metabolite of cocaine) for Francesco Flachi".
After Calciopoli, match-fixing and betting scandals, riots in Catania and games played behind closed doors, today another page in the Italian football 'black book'. World Cup's win is already a distant memory...

Lesile Lievesley is a 36 y.o. man from Staveley, Derbyshire. He's a goodlooks man, always smiling. When he was a boy, he used to play football at Doncaster Rovers, Crystal Palace and Manchester United (where he played only two matches in 1932), with no results. He runs in the family, his father was English National Team goalkeeper. In the summer of 1947, when coach Luigi Ferrero leaver Torino and young teams coach Sperone gets a promotion, president Ferruccio Novo hires Lievesley for his breeding ground: funds are few, so better raise some talentous boy and make money with his transfer. Lievesley seems to be the right person for this task.

His arrival has a violent impact: he also has in his tasks the athletic training of Grande Torino, and some players don't like his methods, too hard to them. Especially Gabetto and Marsso, that immediately named him "L’Ingleìs". Torino of Sperone wins 47/48 Serie A, and it's the fourth consecutive Scudetto, and for Novo it's normal giving to Lievesley the main team coach title. He also knows very welle the WM tactics, thet in Englans is in place since the 20's. Close to him Ernest ‘Egri’ Erbstein, as technical director. On the other side of Turin, in 1948 Juventus' coach is Renato Cesarini, the striker of the Golden Age of Bianconeri (5 titles between 1931 and 1935). At the end Juventus is second, but Cesarini comes back to Argentina, because of the results but also due to Lira depreciationthat makes his salary lower than expected. Just in Turin, no May 16th 1948, the Azzurri got a football lesson by the English teachers: a 0-4 that raises a lot of discussion. That's why young president Agnelli decides to look for an English coach.

William Chalmers becomes the new Juventus coach. Hes Scottish, and a former player of Glasgow Ranges and Newcastle. He is 43 and comes from Aldershot Town FC. Inter Milan hires a complete stranger, John David Astley, that will lead the team together with director Giulio Cappelli. That summer, even the Italian National team might have an English coach: Pozzo is dismissed after the Olympic Games and someone would like the famous coach Whittaker, but at the end nationalism predominates. Chalmers e Astley are a bluff, the first one has a very strong team (Boniperti, Parola, and Danish striker John Hansen) but at the end is fourth; Astley is deprived of authority in favour of Cappelli even for the daily training, and is sent away after two thirds of the season.
Lievesley? The granata coach goes very well in that 1948/49, he wins the scudetto but unfortunately dies in Superga crash together with Grande Torino, on May 4th.

In the meantime, Gianni Agnelli hires a new British coach, in spite of his baad experience with Chalmers. In the summer of Jesse Carver, ex Dutch national team coach, and coming from Milwall FC is the new Juventus' coach. He will be the last of UK coaches in that period of Serie A, and the one who remained for more time. HE wins the championship immediatelu -after 15 years- thanks to Boniperti, Hansen and the other Danish Praest. The Welsh man likes attacking game and runs a lot of risks (famous his 1-7 defeat at AC Milan, the second classified that year), moreover he tries for the very first time the zone marking. Though his game is spectacular, after a third place during his second year, he is replaced by great Hungarian Gyorgi Sarosi. Carver starts awondering around Italy, and will be a coact at Marzotto Valdagno, Torino, Roma, Lazio, Inter e Genoa. He'll be back also teice in England, at West Bromwich and Coventry City, but he won't win anymore.

Inter 1 Cagliari 0 (Burdisso)
Empoli 1 AS Roma 0 (Pozzi)
Siena 3 AC Milan 4 (Ronaldo 0-1, Vergassola 1-1, Oliveira 1-2, Maccarone 2-2, Ronaldo 2-3, Maccarone 3-3, Ambrosini 3-4)


Burdisso, this is best year at Inter for Argentina defender

This is the last week without night matches, so teams that will play Champions League next Tuesda and Wednesday played all in advance this afternoon. With its 1-0 win to Cagliari (header of Burdisso after 12'), Inter broke all records with its 16th consecutive win in Serie A, and extended its lead to 14 points on AS Roma. A double face match, this afternoon: a good first half, with Luis Figo teaching football and Ibra 'big foot' giving a ball to Burdisso that the Argentinean defendere just needed to be pushed into Cagliari's goal. Second half wasn't really unforgettable, Inter thought too much about Valencia, and just kept the match under control. Cagliari went close to equalize just once, on the other side Stankovic hit the crossbar. So, now let's think about Valencia: it's a pity that an absurd decision kept people out of San Siro, except the holding season tickets ones.

It could have been a quiet Saturday, but forward Nicola Pozzi of Empoli gave with his beautiful goal a big help to Inter. The 1-0 win of Empoli is the biggest surprise of the day, in an empty stadium (the game was played behind closed doors). This is the real difference between the Nerazzurri and their opponents: Inter can start -and win- without Materazzi, Javier Zanetti, Vieira, Maxwell, Maicon, Adriano. AS Roma today field a formation without Chivu, Mexes, Taddei and Mancini: the Romans were unlucky, hit two goal posts but at the end they lost. Now Tuscans -we already talked about them here- are speeding along to Champions League qualifying. AS Roma just needs to forget about the defeat and think of Champions League and Lyon.

Just two points below Empoli we find AC Milan. The Rossoneri got 3 important points in Siena, and Ronaldo scored twice: the 1-0 goal with a header -not exactly his speciality- and Milan third goal after a slalom of Kakà, when he could just score from 3 metres. Surely Ancelotti had a good Ronaldo, we're not sure the Brazilian was of no use to Real and coach Capello. The problem, for AC Milan, is that he cannot play in Champions League, and for Glasgow also Gilardino probably won't be available. Be sure that it won't be easy at Celtic Park next Wednesday, but Milan has been the best Italian team in Europe during these years. A very good afternoon also for Siena forward Maccarone: Big Mac, back from England, scored twice but he couldn't avoid Siena's defeat.

Serie A Table:
Inter 63, AS Roma 49, Palermo 42, Empoli 35, AC Milan (-8) 33, Lazio (-3) 31, Catania 31, Atalanta 29, Udinese 29, Sampdoria 27, Fiorentina (-15) 25, Siena (-1) 25, Cagliari 23, Livorno 23, Torino 22, Reggina (-11) 19, Chievo 18, Messina 17, Parma 15, Ascoli 12.

Inter, Roma, Empoli, Milan, Siena, Palermo, Catania played 23 matches, all the others 22.

Roberto Baggio...turned tail after his retirement

I forgave Marcello Lippi for sending Baggio away from Inter in 2000 only last Summer, as the coach from Viareggio won the World Cup on Italy's bench. Well, it's always been Roberto's destiny to be kicked away by coaches that suffered too much his important presence. It happened at Juventus, when Del Piero came and took his place, it happened at AC Milan, and it happened also at Inter. Baggio left the Nerazzurri with two goals in a very important match vs Parma that qualified them to Champions League. Then, he went to Brescia and everybody said he was over: 95 games with 45 goals in four years were his reply.

Most of all, Baggio for the Italian fans is the heart and soul of the Notti Magiche (magic nights) of the World Cup 1990: Stadio Olimpico in Rome shouted with joy and people couldn't believe their eyes after his goal to Czechoslovakia, a fifty metres ride as he entered the goal with the ball glued to his magic right foot. He had just dribbled six opponents!

Before Cannavaro in 2006, Roby Baggio was the last Italian to win the Ballon d'or and the Fifa World Player in 1993. Then, his mistake in the penalty kicks sequence in World Cup final -Usa 94- was a spot in his career, but back to Italy he won two consecutive Scudetti with two different jerseys: Juventus and AC Milan. Once he left Milan, he did well in Bologna, Inter and Brescia, played another World Cup in 98 and in 2002 fans and media entered into debate with Trapattoni because he didn't bring Baggio to its possible fourth World Cup. The lost versus South Corea helped keeping this debate live, even a lot of time after tha World Cup had finished.

Roberto Baggio will be 40 on the 18th of February, next Sunday. He stopped playing football in summer 2004, and after that we did not hear a lot of him. Now he lives in a large country house close to Caldogno (Vicenza), his home town. He doesn't follow Italian football, just hardly knows that Inter is dominating. From time to time he goes to the stadium, but only while he is in Argentina (over there he owns a farm), in his frequent shooting holidays. In fact, hunting is an old passion of his, and now he can practise it almost full time. He lives in a golden isolation, runs a sport goods shop where his sister works. He still follows Buddhism.

In other words, he enjoys the pleasures of family life (he has a wife and three sons), and lives in a home where he has even built a museum with 300 wood birds, a stuffed wild pig and a small boat with some ducks around. Well, it is not necessary that every top player stays in football world after retirement, but only the great stars will never be forgotten even if they become just family men or everything but a coach. And Roberto Baggio is one of these...