8/24 News Around The Peninsula

It’s late summer which means that nothing is going on in the international footy world. Instead, I’ll give you guys a heads up about what’s going on around the Italian peninsula.

So going by club, in no particular order:

AC Milan just bought the Sheva monster back from the harsh island of England. I have no idea what to think of this to be honest. Pre-Chelsea, he was one of the most feared strikers on the peninsula…but that was before the Chelsea move. Once he was in England, he just looked old and out of it (might be because he never got to play). So part of me thinks he’s old, past it and crappy, which means he fits perfectly into Milan’s mercato this year (zing! I jest). But really, is he what they need? They really need a young, strong center forward who can score a lot of goals, and defenders. I mean, Maldini and Nesta are stellar but for chrissakes, Maldini is 40 and Nesta is always injured. Where’s the defender Galliani? The rest of the team is pretty solid (If not aging)- the midfield and attack especially, is great. But does it matter when 2 of your 3 goalies are Dida and Kalac? On the other hand, they did need a striker. Pato is great but he’s young, and Pippo isn’t getting any younger and has injury problems. I’m still not sold on Borriello, either.

Udinese beat Villareal recently in a friendly. I know, it’s a friendly and nobody gives a rat’s ass. But it’s still newsworthy for 2 reasons: one, Villareal finished second last year in La Liga (Ahead of Barca for those out of the Spanish loop), and beating them can only be positive for Udin. And two, Quags scored. Yes, Fabio *HolyShitDidHeReallyJustScoreThat* Quagliarella. Personally, I find Quags to be one of the most entertaining players out there. I don’t think he scores a single goal that doesn’t come out of fricking nowhere.

Finally, Inter and Roma play today in the Supercoppa Italia. Key things to watch for:
Mourinho’s managerial style. It’s his first game in charge that counts for something(read: it’s not a friendly and Inter-Roma is turning into quite the rivalry), and the guy’s record speaks for itself. He’s a born winner and he wants this trophy. How do Inter play now compared to when Mancini was the coach?
New signings slotting in. How will the other Mancini play against his former club, Roma? How will Baptista fit in with Roma’s style of play?
Finally, superstar cameos. Totti and Ibra will probably (hopefully) play at least part of the match. They’re both injured/been injured recently, but they’re both probably the most influential guys on their respective teams. If any subs during the game can change it, it’s these two.

The Serie A starts again next weekend (Thank God. I miss soccer. I mean, the EPL is on but it’s practically like watching rugby, if rugby had no tactics and balls kicked so high that they brush Mercury as they head back to Earth) I think Udin-Palermo is the opening game on Sat, followed by Inter-Samp(Cassano!!!). The rest of the games are on Sunday.