Archive for August, 2008

Sampdoria 1-1 Inter: Scudetto Champions Kick Off With A Draw (Serie A Matchday 1)

Sunday, August 31st, 2008

If the game ends in a draw, it won’t be dramatic“. Those were the words of the ‘Special One’ before Sampdoria-Inter. And a draw it was, thus somewhat spoiling the debut of José’s Serie A adventure. The culprit in this occasion? Gennaro Delvecchio, author of the Sampdoria equalizer at the 68 minute mark, who rendered the early 1-0 Inter lead (courtesy of Zlatan Ibrahimovic) vain.

This was a tense match, especially in the final 15 minutes. Much contrary to expectations, Marassi had spawned a very determined Sampdoria team today, firmly decided to produce rain on the Inter Milan party. Angelo Palombo was absolutely outstanding (no wonder Lippi’s starting to notice) and Walter Mazzarri’s boys could even have snatched the win, had it not been for the lapses of concentration of Antonio Cassano.

Note: I just got back from my 8-hour Paris-Montreal flight , so please accept my apologies for the lack of updates this week-end. ;)

(From Gazzetta dello Sport): Tonight’s starting eleven for Inter were the same ones seen in the Italian Supercoppa six days ago, but compared to their performance in that game, the Nerazzurri had considerably decreased their playing efficiency along the flanks and simply did not have the same “humph” in midfield. Figo was unable to create space for himself, whilst Mancini was only dangerous when moving towards the centre (as he did in the play resulting in Ibrahimovic’s goal), and the merit was all Sampdoria’s: solid along the flanks with Stankevicius & Pieri and careful in defence, the only fault one could find in Mazzarri’s team was their lack of conviction in mounting their attacks.

A MEASURED START- From kick-off to Ibrahimovic’s diagonal effort in the 33rd (virtually their first shot on net), there was very little emotion in the game. Effectively Inter took the lead with very first chance they had, but this was a play heavily contested by the Sampdoria players (and probably rightfully so, tainted by Zlatan’s arm/chest control). In a game which was struggling to take on any sense of fluidity, the 1-0 Inter goal however took on even greater significance. It was now Mazzarri having to change his on-field structure, but the fact that referee Roberto Rosetti needed to summon Mourinho & friends back from the half-time break (Inter were well taking their time in the changing room) gives weight to the argument the “Special One” had spoken at great length about all things that went wrong in the first half.

GAME RHYTHM - Once again in the second half it was Sampdoria’s intensity that set the tone of the match. Palombo countered and defended ball after ball, which caused Inter to pull back the lines of their attack and slow down the game, shifting the balance between physical & technical more towards the former (and thus obviously playing into the Blucerchiati’s hand).

And thus the Nerazzurri defense started to suffer. Marco Materazzi (out injured since July 29) intercepted a low cross from Cassano to Delvecchio, then Javier Zanetti came very close to concending a penalty for a handball inside the box (not seen by Rosetti). Eventually, the Sampdoria equalizer wasn’t exactly a surprise, although in this particular occasion Gennaro Delvecchio’s quick tap-in was as much deserved as it was fortunate. 1-1.

SUPER SAMP – After the equalizer, the game drastically shifted in pace and produced a very exciting last twenty minutes (a completely different match almost). Mourinho, who had already substituted Mancini with Mario Balotelli before the equalizer, increased his offensive power with Herna Crespo and Luis Jiménez (on for Figo and Muntari). However it was in defence that things were not going to plan, and it was only the wasteful accuracy (or lack thereof) of Cassano (through on goal towards Julio Cesar but waiting too long to take the shot) that saved Inter from a worse fate. Contrary to their game vs. Roma, Balotelli wasn’t able to effect a change of pace in the Nerazzurri (even managing to anger Ibrahimovic due to a couple of poorly-executed passes). The Swede was thus forced to take things into his own hands, almost setting up Jiménez with a winning diving-header deflection.

When all is said and done, Sampdoria more than deserved their draw. This match gave weight to Mourinho’s prediction last Saturday that the season would be “a marathon”. But like all marathons or endurance events, the Serie A league isn’t a race which you lose in the first kilometer…

.

 U.C. Sampdoria
SAMPDORIA-INTER
1-1
[Match Highlights]
F.C. Internazionale Milano
GOALSCORERS: 33’ Ibrahimovic (I), 68’ G.Delvecchio (S)
SAMPDORIA (3-5-1-1): Mirante – Campagnaro (79’ Lucchini), Gastaldello, Accardi – Stankevicius (58’ M.Padalino), Sammarco, Palombo, D.Franceschini, Pieri – G.Delvecchio (86’ Dessena) – Cassano. (bench: Fiorillo, Ziegler, Fornaroli, Bottinelli). Coach: Mazzarri.
INTER (4-3-3): Julio Cesar – Maicon, Cambiasso, Materazzi, Maxwell – J.Zanetti, Stankovic, Muntari (72’ Jiménez) – Figo (72’ Crespo), Ibrahimovic, Mançini (64’ Balotelli). (bench: Toldo, Córdoba, Dacourt, Cruz). Coach: Mourinho.

.

Manchester United 1-2 Zenit: UEFA SUPER CUP Goes to Russia

Saturday, August 30th, 2008

Zenit St. Petersburg is the first Russian team to lift the European Super Cup. At the Stade Louis II of Monaco, the winners of last year’s UEFA Cup beat the European Champions Manchester United by 2-1, and it was a result thoroughly deserved by Dick Advocaat’s team. Only at the very end did the Russians have to deal with a Red Devil come-back, but it was too little too late for Sir Alex Ferguson.

Nine years after their defeat by Lazio, the UEFA Super Cup experience is once again a bitter one for the Mancunian manager: at least for now, Sir Alex will not go down in history as the first manager to win this trophy three times.

(article taken from Gazzetta dello Sport)

AN EUROPEAN REALITY – Claudio Ranieri & Juventus certainly did not need Friday’s match to find out just how dangerous FC Zenit can be. Already last season the UEFA Cup route of Advocaat’s boys had been impressive, and one only needs to remember the timeline from the month of May: Bayern humiliated in the semifinals, Rangers outclassed in the final match. 4-0, 2-0, give me the trophy and thank you very much.

And don’t be deceived by their misleading position in the Russian championship table (after 19 rounds, Zenit is currently 6th, 11 points behind leaders Rubin Kazan): that’s due to a few mismanagement issues off the field (the Andrei Arshavin case ring a bell?) and to the fact the Russian league has at least a dozen of competitive teams. Euro 2008 serves as further evidence to a more and more obvious reality: Russian football is slowly but surely getting up there with the best.

BLEAK MAN UTD – Was it because they were missing Cristiano Ronaldo? Or because the Premier League only just started and form isn’t optimal? Or maybe because Advocaat wanted a fast and aggressive game? The fact of the matter is that Manchester United were something of a shambles in the first half. Wayne Rooney (just recovering from a virus) was slow, and wasted the only good chance constructed by Carlos Tevez (who in contrast seemed like a pixie on crack, running around everywhere trying to create something). Nani only caused confusion, while Fletcher, Anderson and Scholes struggled to keep up with the pace set by Denisov, Tymoschuk and Zyrianov in midfield.

Frankly, United had Ferdinand and Vidic to thank in the first half, becase the tearaways Danny, Dominguez and Pogrebnyak would have really fired up the party in the Mancunian box. The obvious strength of this Zenit side is their right flank, as Aleksandr Anyukov (remember his runs during Euro 2008?) constantly created overlaps, providing one cross after the other. Patrice Evra was lost at sea, while the returning Gary Neville was only slightly better on the other side.

PAVEL’S REVENGE – Just as United were looking forward to the 15-min. half-time break to sort themselves out, bang: corner kick from Dominguez, flicked on by Denisov at the near post for Pavel Pogrebnyak. Powerful header into the back of the net, and 1-0 Zenit. Also nice to see (unless you were an United fan of course) the goal had been scored by the very same player forced to miss, firstly the UEFA Cup final (after a silly yellow card in the already-won semifinal), and then Euro 2008 (this time through injury).

In the second period, it was time for Andrei Arshavin to make his appearance. Why did he not start, you ask? This seems to be the management-approved Advocaat technique to “punish” the player with bench-time (sometimes stands-time), given his desire to leave the club. Not that FC Zenit were doing badly without him: it was only a few minutes until the score doubled.

At the heart of the action, Arshavin started it up and Portuguese midfielder Danny (full name: Daniel Miguel Alves Gomes) took the stage. Just acquired from Dinamo Moskow for €30m (the most expensive transfer in Russian history), the new St. Petersburg recruit produce a lovely solo run and even better finish, making a fool out of Ferdinand in the process and helping to justify his transfer fee. 2-0 Zenit.

The match seemed over, but the heart of Champions League winners should never be underestimated. Tevez sounded the charge, and the introduction of Park and O’Shea changed the game, facilitating the first United goal just before the 75th: a cross from Rooney was re-directed by Tevez towards Nemanja Vidic, who found the right angle. 2-1.

There was time for a final Red Devil assault, who gave it everything they had. A bit too much in fact: Paul Scholes did manage to put the ball in the net, but did so in pure Maradonesque Hand-of-God style: second booking of the night and early shower. His teammates would join him soon after however, as the match came to an end and kick-started the Russian celebrations.

.

Manchester United F.C.
MANCHESTER UTD – ZENIT
1-2
[Match Highlights]
 FC Zenit St. Petersburg
GOALSCORERS: 44’ Pogrebnyak (Z), 59’ Danny (Z), 73’ Vidic (M)
MAN UTD (4-3-3): Van der Sar – Neville (76’ Brown), R.Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra – Fletcher (60’ O’Shea), Scholes, Anderson (60’ Park) – Tevez, Rooney, Nani. (bench: Kuszczak, Possebon, Gibson, Campbell). Coach: Ferguson.
ZENIT (4-3-2-1): Malafeev – Anyukov, Krizanac (71’ Radimov), Puygrenier (63’ Shirokov), Sirl – Denisov, Tymoschuk, Zyryanov; Danny, Dominguez (46’ Arshavin) – Pogrebnyak. (bench: Contofalsky, Fayzulin, Tekke, Kim). Coach: Advocaat.

.

UEFA Cup 2008-09 – First Round DRAW

Friday, August 29th, 2008

One day after that of the Champions League, the draw for the First Round of the UEFA Cup 2008-09 took place in Monaco Friday.

Lots of teams involved, but of course right now we’re only concerned with the Serie A clubs, which didn’t fare too badly to be quite honest.
.
 

2008/09 UEFA Cup
First Round
to be played September 18 and October 02

.

Borussia Dortmund
Dortmund
vs
Udinese
Udinese
AC Milan
AC Milan
vs
Zürich
FC Zürich
Sampdoria
Sampdoria
vs
Kaunas
FBK Kaunas
Napoli
Napoli
vs
Benfica
SL Benfica


.
AC Milan probably have it easiest facing against FC Zürich, who came in 3rd last year in the Swiss Super League (after having won it in 2006 and 2007). Some of the Rossoneri will remember their stadium (Letzigrund), because Italy played two of their Euro 2008 games there (vs. Romania and France). Looking back at ancient history one also finds that, believe it or not, Zürich also managed to reach the Semi-finals of the European Champions Cup (now called UEFA Champions League) in 1964 and 1977. Ya, we’re all thinking the same thing: eons ago.

Sampdoria will play against FBK Kaunas, current Lithuanian champions. Wow… Lithuania? Easy right? Not so much. FYI, these guys eliminated Glasgow Rangers in the UCL second qualifying round (2-1 aggregate), then went on to lose 0-4 aggregate to Aalborg. Hard to gauge therefore. With Antonio Cassano in fine form though, Walter Mazzarri’s boys should breeze through.

As for Udinese and Napoli, well… the draw could have been better. The North-Eastern Bianconeri were a seeded team, but still managed to pick Borussia Dortmund (a team with a prestigious football past, but which in the past 5-6 years has been doing sh*t), while the Azzurri probably got one of the toughest opponents in SL Benfica (who by the way just signed striker David Suazo from Inter today).
.

.


Full UEFA Cup First Round Draw

.
APOEL
vs.
Schalke
Nordsjælland
vs.
Olympiacos
Slaven
vs.
CSKA Moskva
Brøndby
vs.
Rosenborg
Cherno More
vs.
Stuttgart
Rennes
vs.
Twente
Borac
vs.
Ajax
Tottenham
vs.
Wisła Kraków
Moskva
vs.
København
Žilina
vs.
Levski
Dortmund
vs.
Udinese
Braga
vs.
Artmedia
Feyenoord
vs.
Kalmar
Hamburg
vs.
AFC Unirea Urziceni
H. Tel-Aviv
vs.
St-Étienne
Litex
vs.
Aston Villa
Austria Wien
vs.
Lech Poznań
Setúbal
vs.
Heerenveen
Brann
vs.
Deportivo
Slavia
vs.
Vaslui
AC Milan
vs.
Zürich
FC Timişoara
vs.
Partizan
Hertha
vs.
St Patrick’s
Baník
vs.
Spartak Moskva
Beşiktaş
vs.
Metalist
Portsmouth
vs.
Guimarães
Kayserispor
vs.
PSG
Sevilla
vs.
Salzburg
Wolfsburg
vs.
Rapid Bucureşti
Sampdoria
vs.
Kaunas
Marítimo
vs.
Valencia
Dinamo Zagreb
vs.
Sparta
Omonia
vs.
Man. City
Young Boys
vs.
Club Brugge
Nancy
vs.
Motherwell
Everton
vs.
Standard
Napoli
vs.
Benfica
Bellinzona
vs.
Galatasaray AŞ
NEC
vs.
Dinamo Bucureşti
Racing
vs.
Honka

UEFA Champions League – Inter, Roma, Juventus, Fiorentina GROUPS Analyzed

Friday, August 29th, 2008

For the first time in 3 years, the Italian Serie A managed to get 4 Clubs to the UEFA Champions League Group Stage. With the DRAW taking place yesterday, “someone came out smiling” and others not so much. “Four Italian teams and four levels of satisfaction” as Gazzetta would say.

Let’s have a look.

.

.
Group B
.
Inter Milan Inter Milan
Werder Bremen Werder Bremen
Panathinaikos Panathinaikos
Anorthosis Famagusta FC Anorthosis

.

All things considered, Inter were the luckiest ones. Being seeded in the first pot certainly gave them a big advantage, but they also avoided all the tough obstacles (e.g. Bayern Munich & Villareal from pot 2, Zenit & Marseille from pot 3). José Mourinho & Co. will thus face Diego’s Werder Bremen, Panathinaikos and Cyprus’ Anorthosis Famagosta. On paper a fairly easy group, as it’s difficult to find a squad that could cause problems for Inter.

Werder Bremen ranked 3rd in the Bundesliga last year, solidly ranking in the top 3 since 2004. They also have the reputation of being very productive goalscoring-wise, but alas at a cost: they concede a lot too. Against Mourinho’s openly attacking-style 4-3-3 formation (who unlike Werder contains some pretty solid defenders at the back) expect the Nerazzurri to prevail.

As for the other two teams, Panathinaikos should provide an interesting match-up if only to see Giorgos Karagounis meet his old teammates again (the Greek midfielder spent two seasons in Milan, with only 20 club appearances however). Also, the biggest curiosity will be the match against Anorthosis, champions of the Cyprus first division and a first-timer in the Champions League (getting rid of Rapid Wien and Olympiakos on the way). Their nickname is “the Old Lady”, but… does anyone believe they could be as strong as Juve?
.

Match Schedule
16 September Panathinaikos
vs.
Inter
1 October Inter
vs.
Werder Brema
22 October Inter
vs.
Anorthosis
4 November Anorthosis
vs.
Inter
26 November Inter
vs.
Panathinaikos
9 December Werder Brema
vs.
Inter

.
.

.
Group A
.
Chelsea Chelsea
AS Roma Roma
Girondins de Bordeaux Bordeaux
CFR Cluj CFR Cluj

.

The silver medal in satisfaction goes to Roma. As a second seed, the Giallorossi couldn’t avoid one of the big ones, but I’m sure every Romanista smiled when the club dodged the big Man Utd bullet here.

Not that Chelsea is necessarily a better deal mind you. The UCL 2007-08 finalists are back stronger than ever this year, scoring 4 unanswered goals in their EPL debut. Since last season, big-name recruits like Deco (£8m), José Bosingwa (£16m) and very soon, Robinho, have fortified the ranks of the EPL juggernaught, who will undoubtedly have a score to settle with fate after losing last year’s competition to penalty kicks.

Apart from playing against the Blues, Roma will have to face Laurent Blanc’s Bordeaux, Ligue 1 runners-up and the only team that could provide a serious title challenge to Lyon last year. They also now have former AC Milan player Yohann Gourcuff in their ranks.

Finally there is CFR Cluj, a Romanian football club from the city of Cluj-Napoca. Another first-timer in the Champions League, but one who managed to outrank veterans like Steaua Bucharest in last year’s Romanian Liga I. If you have a look at their current team roster, you’ll notice they actually have very few Romanians on the squad. Could *they* be the Inter Milan of Transylvania? :mrgreen:
.

Match Schedule
16 September Roma
vs.
Cluj
1 October Bordeaux
vs.
Roma
22 October Chelsea
vs.
Roma
4 November Roma
vs.
Chelsea
26 November Cluj
vs.
Roma
9 December Roma
vs.
Bordeaux

.
.

.
Group H
.
Real Madrid Real Madrid
Juventus Juventus
Zenit St. Petersburg Zenit
FC Bate Borisov Bate Borisov

.

Things could have turned out a bit better for here. Although they had some luck (Schalke, who had a better UEFA coefficient than the Bianconeri, was conveniently eliminated in the Preliminary Round, putting the Old Lady in pot nº2), Juventus were probably hoping for an easier group.

Real Madrid are a well-known adversary, bringing back painful (1998 UCL Final) but also happy memories (2003 UCL Semi-Finals… I was there by the way :mrgreen: )

Zenit St. Petersburg, who will play the UEFA Super Cup final against Manchester United today, were one of the most feared unknowns. That Andrei Arshavin guy is one freakingly good player, and no, I don’t believe he’s overrated. (and let’s not forget last year’s UEFA Cup topscorer, who managed to score as many goals as Luca Toni, a certain Pavel Pogrebnyak)

Belarus’ Bate Borisov seem to be the easiest opponent in Group H, but let’s not forget they got rid of Anderlecht and Levski Sofia (not exactly UCL newbies) to get here.
.

Match Schedule
17 September Juventus
vs.
Zenit
30 September Bate Borisov
vs.
Juventus
21 October Juventus
vs.
Real Madrid
5 November Real Madrid
vs.
Juventus
25 November Zenit
vs.
Juventus
10 December Juventus
vs.
Bate Borisov

.
.

.
Group F
.
Olympique Lyonnais Lyon
Bayern Munich Bayern Munich
Steaua Bucharest Steaua Bucharest
Fiorentina Fiorentina

.

Finally, those getting the short end of the stick were undoubtedly Fiorentina, something which everyone expected because of their low ranking (pot 4).

With an ironic twist of fate: Toni and Bayern Munich is a recipe for an exciting match, but one which will prove of considerable difficulty for La Viola. The German giants need no introduction really, having regularly appeared on top of European football in the past decade (and beyond). A bleak 2006-07 campaign resulted in the club’s chairmen to make massive moves on the transfer market, resuling in talented recruits such as Hamit Altintop, Miroslav Klose, Franck Ribéry, and the aforementioned Luca Toni. The following year Bayern won 3/4 tournaments they were competing in.

Lyon and Steaua Bucharest aren’t easy opponents either. The French club has been dominating the Ligue 1 scene since 2002 (when, believe it or not, they won their first French championship). From then on, there was virtually only one club dining at the big 1st-spot table in France, all the others playing for scraps. As for the Romanians, they have not won their home league since 2006 but remain the most decorated football club in the country (with 23 championship titles).
.

Match Schedule
17 September Lyon
vs.
Fiorentina
30 September Fiorentina
vs.
Steaua
21 October Bayern Munich
vs.
Fiorentina
5 November Fiorentina
vs.
Bayern Munich
25 November Fiorentina
vs.
Lyon
10 December Steaua
vs.
Fiorentina

.

For the full table of the UEFA Champions League 2008-09 Group Stage draw, see this post.

Napoli 5-0 Vllaznia – Party Time at San Paolo, Azzurri Qualify for the UEFA Cup

Thursday, August 28th, 2008

14 years. Believe or not, that’s how long Napoli supporters had to wait before seeing their team in Europe again. As the French would say, c’est maintenant chose faite (it’s a done deal): after a whopping win over an invisible Vllaznia, the Azzurri have qualified for the UEFA Cup And what better way to celebrate at San Paolo, than to crush your opponents with five unanswered goals?

This almost seems like a “come-back year” doesn’t it? Juventus are back in the UCL after 2 years of purgatory, Fiorentina have been absent for even longer (8 yrs), and now Napoli, returning to European Cup competitions after 14 long seasons. Life seems to be smiling on Serie A clubs lately, let’s hope it lasts.

Of course now, all Neapolitan eyes will be turned towards Monaco, where the next round draw will take place on Friday. The good thing for Reja, is that his team will avoid “home” clashes with AC Milan, Udinese, or Sampdoria. However since Napoli are not seeded, there’s a very real risk of facing teams like Benfica, Sevilla, Valencia, Ajax, or Tottenham.

Fingers crossed…

(From Gazzetta): Returning to Europe playing, in essence, a training match feels good doesn’t it? Yes, because “training match” is exactly the right term to define Napoli’s fixture vs. Vllaznia on Thursday: you can slap as many “UEFA Cup preliminary round” tags on it, it still doesn’t change the fact the match ended with five goals for the home team (much to the delight of the Stadio San Paolo crowd) and could have actually been far worse for the visitors.

Truthfully, the 3-0 away win of August 14 had already placed Napoli in a very comfy spot for this one, but Edy Reja’s boys were determined to provide their supporters with some entertainment. And the main provider of said entertainment was, much to everyone’s surprise, center-back Leandro Rinaudo. Two goals (the first and the third of his team) stemming from set-pieces, cooly finished with an instep shot. A la striker.

Speaking of strikers, the biggest expectations really came from Marcelo Zalayeta, back to his first starting role since his serious Winter knee injury. El Panterón certainly had a point to prove tonight after so many months on the sidelines, and animated the Napoli attack with great determination (alongside Inacio Pià). Zalayeta’s short-range accuracy was still deficient however, much to the contrary of his Brazilian counter-part (scorer of the 2-0 goal).

And while we’re on the subject of strikers, one must make a necessary reference to the “Napoli Argentine club”, Ezequiel Lavezzi in particular. El Pocho was, alongside Rinaudo, the main protagonist of tonight and this despite not even starting the game. His entrance in minute 70 litterally resulted in an explosion of joy for the crowd, which grew even greater after his 4-0 tally (too “easy” almost, after yet another Vllaznia defensive mistake).

To cap up a productive evening, Marek Hamsik put his signature on goal nº5, another easy tap-in well set-up by German Denis. A triumphant 5-0, to say the least. Let’s see now if Reja’s boys can repeat their performance for their Serie A opener, this Sunday against Roma.

.

 S.S.C. Napoli NAPOLI-VLLAZNIA
5-0
[Match Highlights]
KS Vllaznia Shkodër
GOALSCORERS: 41’, 53’ Rinaudo (N), 52’ Pià (N), 79’ Lavezzi (N), 88’ Hamsik (N)
NAPOLI (3-5-2): Gianello – Santacroce, P.Cannavaro, Rinaudo – Montervino, Pazienza, Gargano, Dalla Bona (62’ Hamsik), Grava – Zalayeta (76’ Denis), Pià (68’ Lavezzi). (bench: Iezzo, Bruno, Blasi, Maggio). Coach: Reja.
VLLAZNIA (4-4-2): Grimaj – Beqiri, Smajlaj, Bashiq, Lici – Osja, Belisha (85’ Hoti), Doci, Bohadu (84’ Kaci) – Sinani, Nallbani. (bench: Ndoja, Rrabostha, Shtubina, Mohammed, Balaj). Coach: Canaj.

.