Italian Football Serie A News and Stories in English
Imagine a Serie A team that in the 1992-1993 season had four foreign players all coming from the same country. That team was Brescia, whose Romanian coach Mircea Lucescu had proceeded on to whip up a small Romanian colony by bringing in some of his favorite players, including international stars Gheorghe Hagi and Florin Raducioiu.
It is quite common to see Napoli play in international cups nowadays, but that has not always been the case. Since Diego Maradona’s doping ban, Napoli have had many ups and downs (more downs, actually…) and even went through a re-foundation of the club back in 2004. One thing, however, always stood there, firmly, in all its glory: The San Paolo Stadium.
In the long history of the Serie A league championship, there was one single occasion where a playoff was necessary to determine the Scudetto winner. It happened at the end of the 1963-64 season, when Fulvio Bernardini’s Bologna found themselves at top of the league with 54 points, together with the title holder – Helenio Herrera’s legendary Inter squad.
The tale of Lazio winning their first Scudetto in 1974 is a story of fights, quarrels, and kicks during training sessions. A story of weapons inside the changing rooms and internal tensions. And of a miracle that repeated itself every Sunday on the field, when coach Tommaso Maestrelli managed to turn tensions into a desire to win and striker Giorgio Chinaglia executed.
Juventus defender Daniele Rugani tested positive for the COVID-19, the disease generated by the much-famed coronavirus. Rugani is the first player from a Serie A club to be infected. Juventus and Inter issued stataments announcing that their players and staff will likely need to undergo quarantine, casting further doubts on the prosecution of their football season.
Italy was placed under a total lockdown to contain the spread of the coronavirus. With about three to four Serie A game-weeks now set to be outstanding after the suspension, what are the possible implications this may bring to the current season? According to multiple Italian media sources, there are now four possible scenarios after the ban.
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced that Italy will be in a total lockdown until at least April 3 to contain the coronavirus outbreak – extending to the whole country the extreme measures originally announced yesterday for 14 provinces only. The restriction also applies to any sports activity, including the Serie A and lower divisions.
Under bizarre circumstances, Juventus and Inter played out a fan-less Derby d’Italia in Turin. With both opposing managers knowing what’s at stake, the match was very tactical. But it did have its moment of magic when Paulo Dybala scored the second goal for Juventus. Unfortunately, only the stadium lights and a few VIP’s were there to witness it live.
You know it is going to be a great game when it is dubbed a “Derby” even if the two sides don’t come from the same city. There are always huge expectations in a Juventus-Inter game, even with closed doors. Home side Juventus will likely benefit from the return of three important players, whereas Inter cannot afford to lose if they want to keep their Scudetto hopes alive.
As it stands, Lazio sit two points clear of Juventus in second place and a respectable eight off Inter in third place. Though the two big guns have games in hand, it’s no longer a far claim to ask if the Biancocelesti can win the Serie A. Indeed, the recent changes in the match program due to the coronavirus threat may end up favoring Lazio in the Scudetto race. Here is why.
Udinese host Fiorentina in Serie A this weekend, as 13th play 14th. Luca Gotti’s Udinese sit a place and two points behind Giuseppe Iachini’s Fiorentina. They’re winless in six in the league and are fast falling towards the relegation zone – only seven five points separate Udinese from 18th-place Genoa. The Viola, on the other hand, are in a resurgent form.
SPAL make the short trip across the north of Italy to Parma this Sunday, as they look to move off the bottom of the Serie A table. Coach Luigi Di Biagio has overseen three games in charge of SPAL and has lost them all 2-1 – the last being at home to 2nd-place Juventus. His hopes of claiming anything at Parma will mostly lie with Andrea Petagna.