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Italy News Roundup for the Day: Champions League Qualifying and Transfer Sagas

August 14th, 2008 | By: Julian | 13 Comments »

-Italian clubs are doing pretty well in the Champions League qualifying stage so far. Juve wrecked Artmedia 4-0, including an absolute screamer by Del P.

Yeah, I stole this picture from the Juve Offsides. It was just too good a pic not to post.

I dunno what it is with this guy- no matter how old he gets, he never seems to stop scoring goals. It’s like he scores another goal for every year that gets onto his age. He said a while back that he wanted to play until 40, and if he keeps his body in shape, I see no reason as to why he can’t. Pure class. Camo, Chiellini, and Legro also got on the scoresheet. The Juve Offside page has a great write-up and vids of all the goals, if you wanna check those out.

Fiorentina also have one foot in the door, albeit a smaller one. In their first leg game against Slavia Prague, Gila and Mutu both scored (Click the link for video). Mutu’s free kick looked almost laser guided. They go to the return leg with a 2 goal advantage, and barring a horrible game, should be in the group stages come fall. Fiorentina’s Offside has a great write-up of that game. Overall, this year ~~could~~ should be Italy’s year in the CL. We have 4 teams that all, in one way or another, have what it takes to make it: Inter have the coach, Juve have the pedigree, Roma have the final being played in Rome, and Fior have the squad to be dark horses.

-The whole transfer saga concerning Roma and Julio Baptista might finally be over. But knowing Roma’s transfer gurus, I expect the deal to collapse in oh 4 hours. And yes, I’m a Roma fan. Other mercato news: Milan missed out on Ivanovic, and their back four alone is still older than all of Arsenal’s squad combined. (And before all the club bias comments come out: that was a joke. Look up 2 sentences and I made fun of Roma, too).

Tags: Alessandro Del Piero, Champions League qualifying stage, Fiorentina, Group E, Italy, Julio Baptista, Juventus, Maldini, Nesta, Roma

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Comments

By Sofia | August 14th, 2008 at 11:25 am

ADP is for sure my hero!!! WOW!! i can’t believe that goal! amazing!!!

Posted from Canada

By yoman | August 14th, 2008 at 12:24 pm

YEa, but when ADP wears the Azzurri shirt he Sucks big time. He will only be a Juve Legend

Posted from United States

By Joseph C | August 14th, 2008 at 5:29 pm

ADP is nothing but pure class. And this is coming from a Napoli fan! If the national team only gave him a shot. He could prove himself even more. I love to watch ADP he is one of the best. Here’s to a Italian team winning the UEFA Cup and the CL. We need to show the world we have talent that is home grown like ADP. Forza Napoli.
Ps. Where the he’ll is my uefa cup update. My boys played to day and did some serious ass kicking.

By KJ | August 14th, 2008 at 9:17 pm

romanistas are like roaches around here…simple minded and seem to come out of the cracks

By yoman | August 14th, 2008 at 9:25 pm

…So what happens if he doesn’t get a call up on 8/16?

[quote] Balotelli: Foreigners In Italy Are Discriminated

Balotelli has been unable to play for Italy until he became a citizen, and he has always complained about the discriminatory nature of the law.

“Life in Italy is much harder for a foreigner than for an Italian,” he explained.

“I could give you many examples, like when you’re forced to stand in endless queues to get into the offices of the police headquarters.

“I did it once with my mother and once was enough for me. She has done it tens of times for me.

Finally, Balotelli was asked who his footballing idol was. “Ronaldo is the number one,” he concluded.

[url]http://jp.goal.com/en/articolo.aspx?contenutoid=817716[/url]

[/quote]

By mike de robbio | August 14th, 2008 at 11:16 pm

anyone know where i can see the belgium game tomorrow online?

Posted from Australia

By lamagica | August 15th, 2008 at 3:19 am

kj’s inferiority complex has no bounds.

Posted from Italy

By John Silver | August 15th, 2008 at 4:30 am

KJ - your insults are gratuitious, and it offends me that you should call me simple-minded just because I am a romanista. It sometimes makes me wonder what I follow football for if the people I’m supposed to be sharing a passion with find nothing better to do than to antagonise me.

Bah.

Posted from United Kingdom

By Porchetta | August 15th, 2008 at 5:34 am

Italian football is another world in comparison to the British equivalent. High scoring draws, goals scored with the back-heel, dismissals and penalties are regular occurrences. Any other football seemed like a watered down equivalent. It is sadly only after Calciopoli that our serie A has gone down a notch, but i see our teams getting back to the best in 2-3 years.

For these reasons it has been downright depressing to see the Azzurri resort to a bland, defensive style so often on the big occasions over the years. The Euro 2008 quarter-final was the nadir, when the world champions played, let’s be blunt, with fear, not caution. Donadoni´s feeble attempts to convince one and all that Antonio Cassano and Alberto Aquilani were capable of much more were in vain.

The irony is that Roberto Donadoni brought a squad bursting with attacking talent to the Euros, only to squander it through mismanagement. If Lippi can combine the attacking intent of Donadoni with shrewd tactical nous, and bring Giovinco and Co along for the ride, a second successive World Cup is a probability, not a possibility.

By lamagica | August 15th, 2008 at 6:54 am

rather than resorting to pathetic plagiarism by copying and pasting someone else’s comments from another website in oprder to mask your ingnorance, we dont you continue to ‘enlighten’ me on my african ancestors. that is much more comensurate with the capabilities of your teflon brain.

Posted from Italy

By calisi | August 15th, 2008 at 6:59 am

I guess you are quoting channel4 blog, Porchetta? I was going to say nicely put but then saw it somewhere else lol. Either way it is an interesting view on the current squad.

Posted from United States

By gianfranco | August 15th, 2008 at 7:35 am

Julian dont sweat your safe the Milan Police are on Ferragosto, and upon their return they will be dispatched to seek aging defenders.

BTW they way you have done a great job keeping your Romanism in check on this blog, and despite what others may say, you are a rarity among the bunch.

Posted from United States

By porchetta | August 16th, 2008 at 6:27 am

DELETED

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