Giornata/Week 37: Serie A Preview and Results

Preview from Serie A TV

“I had an argument with my girlfriend and then I went to three prostitutes to heal my sorrows. I wasn't drunk and when we got to the hotel I realised they were men so I decided to kick them out.” Ronaldo of AC Milan. Hard to kick anyone out with a bad leg, Ronnie, but you aren't O Fenomeno for nothing... ;-)

“Certainly it wasn’t his finest hour, but I am not going to judge people’s private lives.” Carlo Ancelotti, manager of AC Milan. The understatement of the year from Mister Ancelotti.

“I know people in the football world who do this sort of thing, but at least they do them well and nobody ever finds out.” Luiz Felipe Scolari, the manager of Portugal and former manager of Ronaldo with Brasil. Big Phil gives the professorial stance and reminds us how important it is to do things well behind closed doors.

“Mourinho has bought a house in Monza? Why hasn’t he bought one in the centre? If I had his money that’s what I would have done.” Julio Cesar, keeper for Internazionale. Perhaps Mister Mourinho wants to race Formula 1 cars in case his next job doesn't work out, Julio?

“I met Materazzi one evening in a bar in Perugia when I was very young. There was a bouncer causing trouble and he helped me because he was a little older.” Gennaro "Rino" Gattuso of AC Milan. Notice that Rino didn't clarify if Matrix was the bouncer who was causing trouble.

Courtesy of Football Italia.

Sunday, 11 May 2008 at 1500 local time. Two fixtures left to play as the plot thickens in the Serie A.

AS Roma 2 x Atalanta 1 (Roma needs to win and hope that Inter drop points. If the two teams end the year tied, Inter win the Scudetto based on head to head results).

Roma gained three precious points to move one behind Inter.

Udinese 0 x Cagliari 2 (The Friuliani are still fighting for a top 6 finish, and the Sardinians only need one point from the final two games to secure salvation).

The Rossoblu continue their excellent form and will remain in the Serie A. Well done, Cagliari.

Juventus 1 x Catania 1 (This game has no meaning for Juve, but is very important for the Sicilians as they fight relegation).

The Elephants were unlucky not to grab all three points, and still face uncertainty about their future in Serie A.

Reggina 2 x Empoli 0 (A relegation derby in its truest sense).

The Calabrians sail to safety. The Tuscan ship is sinking.

Genoa 0 x Lazio 2 (Both teams are safe and this match should be uneventful).

Napoli 3 x AC Milan 1 (The Azzurri will try to keep Milan out of the Champions League).

The Azzurri may have sealed Milan's fate due to the victory by La Viola.

Fiorentina 3 x Parma 1 (La Viola fights Milan for the last UCL spot, but Parma is in the relegation zone).

La Viola jump over Milan for the last Champions League spot.

Palermo 0 x Sampdoria 2 (Samp is trying for a top six finish. Amauri and friends will try to prevent that in what should be an entertaining game in Sicily).

Samp is poised for an UEFA Cup or Intertoto Cup slot after this impressive victory in Sicily.

Internazionale 2 x Siena 2 (Inter can seal their third consecutive Scudetto with a win against the Tuscans).

Inter fail to wrap up the Scudetto as Marco Materazzi's penalty kick was saved by Manninger. Inter was unsportingly whistled off the pitch by their supporters. The Serie A race goes down to the last week as Inter maintain a one point advantage over Roma. In case of a tie, Inter will be crowned champions.

Livorno 0 x Torino 1 (Another relegation derby).

Torino survives and the Amaranto will return to the Serie B.

La Classifica before Giornata 37

Inter	81	Atalanta	45
Roma	78	Siena	42
Juventus	70	Lazio	40
Milan	61	Cagliari	38
Fiorentina	60	Torino	37
Udinese	57	Reggina	36
Sampdoria	56	Catania	35
Genoa	48	Parma	34
Napoli	47	Empoli	33
Palermo	46	Livorno	30

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Video Highlights


Image courtesy of 101 Great Goals.
Another great source for
Serie A videos. Please click the image.


Image courtesy of Serie A TV.
Please click the image for
free video previews and
selected clips after the games.

• Serie A TV on YouTube has highlights after the games.
  

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Giornata/Week 37:

• For live scores during the games, please click here.
  
• For an ESPN Matchtracker of Serie A games, please click here. You may have to adjust for the proper date.
  
• For a live game tracker called Match View from the Gazzetta dello Sport, which has very detailed statistics and graphical displays, please click here. You may have to click on the number of the week to see a full fixture list.

Juventus FC To Tour Asia and Australia in late May

Image courtesy of Juventustour2008.com.

Juventus will tour Asia and Australia in a few weeks where they have a significant fan base.

Here are the fixtures:

• South China FC x Juventus on 22 May in Hong Kong.
• Shenhua FC x Juventus on 24 May in Shanghai..
• Melbourne Victory x Juventus on 28 May in Melbourne.

To learn more, please click the image above.

The sun never sets on La Vecchia Signora. :-)


Courtesy of Tankedup-Imaging.

Sempre Juve.

Andrea Pirlo: The Art of Free Kicks

In the above referenced video, Andrea Pirlo of AC Milan and the Italian National team takes ten shots on goal.

His aim was not to score, but to strike the crossbar.

He is one of the best dead ball specialists in the world, and in my humble opinion, was one of the main reasons why Italy won the last World Cup. He is a midfield maestro, and a rare modern-day player who can literally win a game with one kick.

For those who say that there is no proficiency in soccer as compared to other North American sports, this demonstration will speak volumes. Ted Williams, the great American baseball player, was quoted as saying the following:

"Baseball is the only game where 3 out of 10 is considered successful."

What would Mr. Williams have said about Signor Pirlo?

A Picture That Speaks 1000 Words In Any Language

Courtesy of 101 Great Goals.

MLS paid millions to bring David Beckham to North America, along with a significant marketing campaign.

But one facet of the marketing equation that the brain trust at MLS fails to understand is quite basic:

You can't expect the rest of the world to take your product seriously when you continue to play on unofficial pitches of the lowest possible quality.

Beckham scored two great goals against Real Salt Lake. But a high school player should not be expected to play on such a pitch.

You don't expect a great artist to paint a picture with crayons, now do you? But that is what they asked Beckham to do. Rice-Eccles Stadium is not the only MLS facility with these gridiron markings.

Here is a $600 solution. If you don't believe, please click the image.



Let me throw an idea back from the time capsule of the 1970s and 80s. Spray the field with green paint to cover the gridiron. Totallysoccer.com sells a spray paint machine for about $600. That includes the machine, paint, and UPS shipping. Roughly, the cost of 4 scalped tickets to see Beckham play. ;-)

To borrow a line from a popular credit card ad: Price of tickets: $150. Parking: $20. Popcorn: $5. Beer: $10. Beckham replica shirt: $100. Spray paint machine: $600. The experience? Priceless.