You just gotta love the month of August in Italy, and the regular occurrence of triple-team tournaments. The “Triangolare” format (as they call it down in the Old Boot) seems to be an Italian specialty because I have yet to see it appear regularly elsewhere in Europe (feel free to prove me wrong in the comments). With prestigious tourneys such as the Trofeo TIM and Trofeo Birra Moretti , these series of friendlies provide Serie A fans with interesting pre-season insights on their favorite teams.

So, while we wait for the “Birra Moretti” (August 25, featuring Juve, Milan, Napoli), last week was the turn of the Trofeo TIM and the first chance to see Juventus, AC Milan, and Inter Milan face off against one another, albeit with different levels of preparation and in matches of reduced length. The game format is the following: each game consists of one single half of 45 minutes; should the game still be tied at the end of regulation time, it wil go straight to penalty shots. Points are attributed as follows: 3 pts. for a win, 2 pts. for a P.K. win, 1 pt. for a P.K. loss, 0 pts. for a loss.

In front of the 20,000 spectactors of Stadio Olimpico di Torino, let’s see how it all went down.

Juventus vs. AC Milan

( From Gazzetta ): In the first 45 minutes, Juve manager Claudio Ranieri picked his classic 4-4-2 formation; Buffon in net, Grygera-Chiellini-Mellberg-Molinaro at the back, Marchionni and Nedved on the wings and Sissoko-Tiago in the center (with the former operating as defensive mid and the former in a playmaking role), and Trezeguet-Iaquinta up front. As for AC Milan, many players were unavailable for Carlo Ancelotti (Maldini and Inzaghi still recovering from injuries, Ronaldinho and Pato away with the Brazilian olympic team, and Mathieu Flamini unable to join the party due to a muscular problem) so the Milan manager also stuck with the “classics”, namely Milan’s patented Xmas tree formation: Kalac – Zambrotta, Bonera, Kaladze, Jankulovski – Brocchi, Pirlo, Ambrosini – Seedorf, Kakà – Paloschi.

It didn’t take very long for the match to pick up pace: in minute 2 Massimo Ambrosini already had to chance to shoot on target (deflected by Tiago), while one minute later it was Alberto Paloschi’s turn to fire one at Buffon. In other words, the Rossoneri seemed keen on proving that despite the many absentees this team “wanted some”. As indeed did Clarence Seedorf , who in the last month seemed to elicit interest just because he was “the guy with the nº10 shirt”, till Ronaldinho finally picked 80. Indeed, the Dutch international donned his “super-goal” shoes and slammed a wonderful 25m-strike straight into Buffon’s top-right corner. 1-0 Milan .

Just 60 seconds later, Juve made it 1-1 : a Grygera cross was tackled into the net by David Trezeguet , via Kalac’s wide open legs. While Milan certainly was showing touches of class, the Bianconeri’s determination (even in friendly matches) needed to further introduction, and the fact Giorgio Chiellini was being the usual rock in center defense (damn were the Azzurri lucky to have him at Euro 2008!) could not hurt either. In fact, in minute 11 Ranieri’s boys actually took the lead through Marco Marchionni , exploiting yet another Grygera cross (deflected by the Milan defense) to beat Kalac with a precise header. 2-1 Juventus and looking strong.

Back on the other end, Kakha Kaladze fell short of redeeming his defensive mistakes by incredibly missing an easy finish (minute 16), while five minutes later a Marek Jankulovski howitzer was deflected wide by Buffon. Signs that AC Milan were still alive & kickin’. But so was Juve: in minute 40 the Bianconeri could have made it 3-1 as Pavel Nedved (yes, Furia Ceca is still around for one more season) narrowly missed the post from the edge of the box.

However this clearly was Clarence Seedorf’s night, as the Dutch midfielder seemed to make a point in proving that Ronaldinho or no Ronaldinho, he’s still the guy with the starting spot at AC Milan. In minute 42, picking up a loose corner-kick clearance by Sissoko, Seedorf put his super-boots to work one more time and pierced Buffon’s top-right corner again. Boo-ya! 2-2 the final score, time for penalties. With the misses of Trezeguet (don’t let him shoot penalties anymore!!) and Tiago for Juve, the 2-point P.K. win went to AC Milan.

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	JUVENTUS-MILAN 2-2 (4-6 p.s.o.)
GOALSCORERS: 8’ Seedorf (M), 9’ Trezeguet (J), 12’ Marchionni (J), 43’ Seedorf (M).
PENALTY SHOOTOUT: Trezeguet (J) wide, Kakà (M) goal, Iaquinta (J) goal, Pirlo (M) goal, Chiellini (J) goal, Jankulovski (M) goal, Tiago (J) saved, Paloschi (M) goal.
JUVENTUS (4-4-2): Buffon – Grygera, Mellberg, Chiellini, Molinaro – Marchionni, Sissoko, Tiago, Nedved – Iaquinta, Trezeguet. Coach: Ranieri.
MILAN (4-3-2-1): Kalac – Zambrotta, Bonera, Kaladze, Jankulovski – Brocchi, Pirlo, Ambrosini – Seedorf, Kakà – Paloschi. Coach: Ancelotti.

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Juventus vs. Inter Milan

For Juventus to tame an evidently still unfit & unprepared Internazionale, a Vincenzo Iaquinta goal was clearly sufficient. For their second match Claudio Ranieri operated a whole line of changes, keeping only Buffon, Molinaro, and Sissoko compared to the original team. Thus the Bianconeri stepped back onto the field with Buffon - Zebina, Knezevic, Legrottaglie, Molinaro - Camoranesi, Sissoko, Ekdal, F.Rossi - Amauri, Del Piero. As for Inter’s first appearance tonight, José Mourinho fielded his favorite 4-3-3 formation with Julio Cesar - Maicon, Burdisso, Materazzi, Maxwell - J.Zanetti, Vieira, Cambiasso - Balotelli, Adriano, Mançini.

Unlike the sparkling start of Juve-AC Milan, the night’s second fixture took a little while to become interesting, both teams evidently taking a bit longer to study each other’s movements. With good reason too, because unlike last year when the Bianconeri were just coming out of a season in Serie B, this year Ranieri’s team is claiming a definite role in the Scudetto race. Interisti, you have been warned! In minute 6, Adriano (yup, he’s back and José’s counting on him this season) received a good ball inside the box, but the Brazilian’s first touch betrayed him as he allowed the Juve defense to clear. One minute later, bad news for Mourinho as Marco Materazzi was forced off due to a muscular strain, and with Samuel, Córdoba and Chivu still unavailable, Inter was left facing a real Center-D problem. On came Dejan Stankovic (greeted with a plethora of boos) thus forcing Esteban Cambiasso to backtrack to the backline.

In minute 11, Alessandro Del Piero came close to opening the score (his powerful instep finish was deflected wide by Maxwell), shortly imitated by Adriano on the other end (Knezevic doing the deflection job here). Alas for Juve (and neutral spectators looking for goals), twelve minutes after Materazzi it was Amauri’s turn to leave the field injured (head-to-head collision with Vieira), forcing Ranieri to put Vincenzo Iaquinta back in. This actually turned out to be a good move for Juve though, because the Calabria-born striker exploited a perfectly-timed long ball to get behind the Inter defense, control the ball on the edge of the box, and beat Julio Cesar with a powerful shot low on the left side of the goal. 1-0 Juventus .

Overall and based on the level of play seen so far, the Bianconeri certainly deserved their lead: Inter’s passing was leaving something to be desired, their striking trio still lacking teamwork, and the team as whole severely lacking fitness. The Nerazzurri it must be said, had the excuse of beginning their pre-season training later than Juve (who will be playing the preliminary round of the UEFA Champions League qualifiers), but still one was perhaps expecting something more from the Serie A title holders. The positive note of the evening for Mourinho though was the good form of Adriano, back to Italy after his loan spell at Sao Paulo and capable in minute 43 to force Buffon (still the world’s best) to his only real “save” of the night.

Before the match ended, there was still time for Christian Poulsen and Giorgio Chiellini (on for Sissoko and Molinaro) and Luis Figo and Hernan Crespo (on for Stankovic and Balotelli) to make an appearance, and for Del Piero to showcase his still lethal (but not tonight) set pieces skills (double post on a great 25m free kick, leaving Julio Cesar to watch). The match ended 1-0 for Juve.

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	JUVENTUS-INTER 1-0
GOALSCORERS: 27’ Iaquinta (J)
JUVENTUS (4-4-2): Buffon – Zebina, Legrottaglie, Knezevic, Molinaro (40’ Chiellini) – Camoranesi, Sissoko (26’ Poulsen), Ekdal, F.Rossi – Del Piero, Amauri (20’ Iaquinta). Coach: Ranieri
INTER (4-3-3): Julio Cesar – Maicon, Burdisso, Materazzi (8’ Stankovic, 35’ Crespo), Maxwell – Vieira, Cambiasso, J.Zanetti – Mançini, Adriano, Balotelli (35’ Figo). Coach: Mourinho.

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AC Milan vs. Inter Milan

Unlike Juventus, Milan manager Ancelotti decided to include his goalkeepers in the substitution rounds. Indeed, it looks like Christian Abbiati and Zeljko Kalac are roughly at equal chances of starting this season (with Dida set to remain in the stands, refusing the termination of his contract). The Rossoneri thus operated six changes compared to their match vs. Juve, fielding Abbiati – Oddo, Simic, Digao, Favalli – Gattuso, Pirlo, Ambrosini – Seedorf – Kakà, Paloschi. As for Inter, there were many changes for the Mourinho boys as well, including the appearance of newest recruit Sulley Muntari: Toldo – Maicon, Burdisso, Maxwell, Cambiasso – Dacourt, J.Zanetti, Muntari – Figo, Crespo, Mançini.

Now, tonight’s first match (Juve-Milan) had been an exciting goal-laden spectacle while the second one (Juve-Inter) dropped the intensity level somewhat. Continuing on this decreasing trend alas, the third game proved to be a total dud (or almost), a great example that “leaving the best for last” isn’t always true. Indeed, the only player attempting some kind of percussion forward in the initial minutes was Kakà for AC Milan, and even then his shots were easily saved by Toldo (min. 4) or wide (min. 9). In fact, after 15 minutes it was already time for Inter to make their first changes, as Luis Jimenez and Mario Balotelli stepped on for Maxwell and Mancini.

Five minutes later, it was Milan’s turn as Ambrosini and Seedorf left their place to Antonini and Brocchi, and the newcomers immediately got to work to re-ignite the play (shots in minute 20 and 21 deflected into corner). Inter in all of this? First real chance in minute 24 (scramble inside the box, last touch by Dacourt and great save by Abbiati), shortly followed by Muntari’s howitzer in minute 26 (parried again).

More changes followed for both teams (Primavera’s Chinoye & Strasser for Paloschi & Pirlo in AC Milan, Suazo & Adriano for Crespo & Balotelli in Inter) but without major changes in the scoreline. Balotelli did have a few good opportunities before leaving the field, but the Italo-Ghanaian youngster (who will soon get full Italian nationality on his 18^th birthday) was obviously not in a good night of form. The match thus ended 0-0 after regulation , proceeding to penalty shots (again) where the errors of Figo, Jiménez, and Muntari proved decisive (or rather, decisive were the excellent saves of Abbiati on the aforementioned shots). 4-3 AC Milan the final score, making the Rossoneri Trofeo TIM winners.

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	MILAN-INTER 0-0 (4-3 p.s.o.)
GOALSCORERS: /
PENALTY SHOOTOUT: Kakà (M) goal, Adriano (I) goal, Oddo (M) saved, Figo (I) saved, Jankulovski (M) goal, Suazo (I) goal, Favalli (M) wide, Jiménez (I) saved, Brocchi (M) goal, Santon (I) goal, Digao (M) goal, Muntari (I) saved.
MILAN (4-3-1-2): Abbiati – Oddo, Digao, Simic (47’ Jankulovski), Favalli – Gattuso, Pirlo (42’ Strasser), Ambrosini (16’ Antonini) – Seedorf (21’ Brocchi) – Kakà, Paloschi (27’ Osuji). Coach: Ancelotti.
INTER (4-3-3): Toldo – Maicon, Burdisso, Cambiasso (42’ Santon), Maxwell (16’ Jiménez) – J.Zanetti, Dacourt, Muntari – Figo, Crespo (30’ Suazo), Mançini (16’ Balotelli, 43’ Adriano). Coach: Mourinho.

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Fourth episode in Nike’s “ What the Pros Know ” series. After What Ruud Knows, What Wayne Knows, and What William Knows, it’s Chelsea and England winger Joe Cole ’s turn to dispel wisdom. And indeed wisdom it is, because this episode is by far the best of the series yet. It may seem as simple advice but as Joe says, “those that maintain their focus on improving and practicing usually go a long way”. Put it into action lads!

In the words of Nike themselves: “A player can have the best box of tricks on the field, but he needs to be in the right position to spring them. See what England midfielder Joe Cole had to say about creating space for a piece of game-turning brilliance, committed training and beating defenders“.

High rez version here.

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Two bigs news in Nike’s “ What […] Knows ” series (substitute the […] part with the player’s first name for cool effect).

Firstly, Nike has tagged the “What […] Knows” playlist with an appropriate name, sparing us the weird use of […] for each segment. From here on out, this marketing campaign will be referred to as “ What the Pros Know “.

Secondly, it seems that when we presented What Wayne Knows and What William Knows, we mistakenly assumed that Rooney’s was episode nº1. There was actually a van Nistelrooy episode just before that, so without further ado, here’s what Real Madrid and Netherlands striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy has to say. Or in other words: “ Inside the mind of a goal-scoring legend“.

High rez version here.

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Milan have Ronaldinho, Inter have Mourinho, Roma have squat (for now at least), and Juve have pre-season form. That and Amauri , the tall & skilled Brazilian (soon-to-be Italian, hopefully) some Juventini did not even want back in May. I hope JuveAlessio is eating his words now, because the ex-Palermo striker has been absolutely on fire in July pre-season matches. In fact, I’ll even dare say he’s the best money Alessio Secco ever spent, since he took over at Juve. That and Momo Sissoko’s (and hopefully soon, Christian Poulsen).

Not only that, but competition for a spot seems to be doing great things for La Vecchia Signora: Vincenzo Iaquinta (another player thought to be on the verge of leaving) also keeps scoring, while his partnership with Amauri grows better by the minute. Del Piero and Trezeguet ought to watch out, but Juventus supporters should refrain from getting too excited however. Remember what everyone was saying about Ibrahimovic-Suazo last year? And we all know what happened to Suazo…

(From Gazzetta ): DORTMUND (Germany), 27 July 2008 - It’s a shame this was only a friendly and not the UEFA Champions League, because  Juventus showed in Dortmund today they are in great form and playing well. Extremely well. The 3-1 win over their hosts, Borussia Dortmund , was truly convincing: a victory which displayed a good overall performance and above all the strength of the attack. Amauri (who is fitting in well) opened the scoring, while  Iaquinta’s double sealed the win after the break, leaving Juve manager Claudio Ranieri with a squad-selection problem for future matches: between Amauri, Del Piero, Iaquinta and Trezeguet, who’s going to be left out?

In front of the 50,000 supporters of Westfalenstadion, Juve were particularly strong in the first half. Though still far from optimal fitness compared to their opponents (and despite the heat), the bianconeri started well and conceded very few chances. Ranieri had selected Buffon in goal, behind Grygera, Mellberg, Chiellini and Molinaro, with Camoranesi, Sissoko, C.Zanetti and Nedved in midfield behind Amauri and Trezeguet up front. As early as the 4^th minute Juve were showing the right approach, with a great left-footed shot from Pavel Nedved , turned behind for a corner by Dortmund keeper Roman Weidenfeller. Amauri’s goal came just a minute later: a great creative move from Camoranesi, who passed to the right for Grygera who immediately put in a low cross to the unmarked striker for an easy tap-in. 1-0 Juventus .

Dortmund reacted immediately with a fierce shot by Kuba in minute 9 (well saved by Gigi Buffon), and some defensive uncertainties by Molinaro left the Juve defense a bit open on the left-wing, but overall Momo Sissoko and Cristiano Zanetti were being real rocks in the center of midfield, controlling the play and giving the home side real problems. After 14 minutes Juve nearly doubled their lead thanks to a killer volley by David Trezeguet (provided by a Molinaro cross), but the ball finished just wide. In minute 22, it was Dortmund’s turn to get a chance to equalise but Florian Kringe was guilty of a shocking miss from a great position. From then on the match seemed to reach a stalling period, as Mellberg and Chiellini closed down everything at the back, while counterattacks from Nedved, Amauri and Trezeguet began to fade.

After the break there were changes on both sides, most notably Vincenzo Iaquinta and Alessandro Del Piero on for Amauri and Trezeguet. Dortmund ran into problems straight away: after a precision assist from Nedved, Iaquinta beat the keeper with a great chip, but saw his effort scrambled off the line by defenders. Juve’s second however came 6 minutes after the restart, stemming from yet another Nedved cross for Iaquinta, who scored with a comfortable header from the centre of the area. 2-0 Juventus . The German defence was partly at fault but the Bianconeri’s movements at this point were excellent. Dortmund could respond only with long range shots from Buckley which demanded relatively straightforward saves from Buffon.

By then, Juve were in control, closing down all openings (with good performances from Salihamidzic and Legrottaglie) but never giving up on the attack, seizing every chance as it presented itself. Such as in minute 62, when Del Piero found Iaquinta unmarked in front of the keeper, who however managed the save. Or on minute 75, when Christian Poulsen (yes, you have read that correctly!) executed a perfectly weighted aerial pass for Vincenzo Iaquinta, right in the front of the box. The Calabria-born striker instantly controlled the ball and chipped it over the keeper for a spectacular third goal. 3-0 Juventus . A minute later Dortmund won a penalty after a confused move in the Juventus area (Knezevic foul on Santana), which lead to Kruska’s 3-1 . Claudio Ranieri and the Bianconeri fans should however be delighted with the team’s hard work: Juventus is on the right track for their return to the UEFA Champions League.

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	DORTMUND-JUVENTUS 1-3 [Match Highlights]
GOALSCORERS: 5’ Amauri (J), 51’, 75’ Iaquinta (J), 78’ pen. Kruska (D)
DORTMUND (4-4-2) Weidenfeller – Santana, Subotic, Kovac, Dede (46’ Schmelzer) – Kuba (46’ Klimowicz), Kruska, Hajnal (56’ Gordon), Kringe (46’ Buckley) – Federico (66’ Hillenbrand), Petric (46’ Valdez).Coach: Jürgen Klopp.
JUVENTUS (4-4-2) Buffon (70’ Chimenti) – Grygera (46’ Knezevic), Mellberg (46’ Legrottaglie), Chiellini (46’ Zebina), Molinaro (62’ F.Rossi) – Camoranesi (46’ Marchionni), Sissoko (70’ Poulsen), C.Zanetti (46’ Ekdal), Nedved (62’ Salihamidzic) – Trezeguet (46’ Del Piero), Amauri (46’ Iaquinta).Coach: Claudio Ranieri.

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Phew! I’m finally back from holiday. These can be really exhausting you know?

Picture this: I had to wake up at 11 everyday (sometimes 12!), walk up to the cafeteria to get food (someone had provided for me), walk back down for an afternoon nap. Then later, walk down to the beach and lie in the sun till evening, sometimes have a swim in the Mediterranean sea, sometimes play a little game of beach volley (those are tiring!) or “Calcetto” (the 5 on 5 Italian version of indoor soccer, even more tiring!!). Then in the evening, more food, hang around at the bar and go to bed late. I’m bushed.

Thank God I am back to the big city to enjoy the relaxing atmosphere of Calcio, as it prepares for yet another glorious Serie A season. Just like myself, the soccer stars have been working their ass off during the month of July, so we’ll have a look shortly on how their pre-season training and friendly matches are going.

Updates should resume more or less normally over the next few days.

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Holidays are a rare commodity for soccer players. In terms of time at the very least, because with seasons ending late May, Summer championships and/or club teams’ exotic tours extending into June, and pre-season training camps starting mid-July, athletes usually have no more than 2-3 weeks in order to don some flip flops and stroll down to the beach (thereby making the fortune of paparazzis and their holiday snapshots). Not that they won’t have plenty of time later in life, when they retire at age 34 with multimillion dollar bank accounts, but I digress…

Anyways, because it’s such a rare commodity (and because they can afford it), soccer stars usually aim quite high when choosing their holiday destinations, opting for super-luxurious resorts or trendy hot spots (like Formentera and Porto Cervo for Serie A players). Predictable and boring, right? Mario Balotelli on the other hand had more exciting plans this Summer. Kudos to him.

[Source: Gazzetta dello Sport (paper edition), July 14, 2008, article by Massimo Arcidiacono. Also available online (in Italian) here]

While his Inter teammates and Serie A colleagues travelled to Formentera and Porto Cervo, “Turbo” Mario Balotelli followed his heart and… WWF. Nope, not the wrestling federation (which changed their name to WWE, to avoid any confusion with the other one), but the actual World Wildlife Fund. Destination Sicily and more specifically the “ Riserva Naturale dello Zingaro “, a natural park reserve that also turns into an adventure camp. For Mario, that meant 10 days of excursions into nature and deep sea diving, an experience which the young Inter striker already tested the previous year, with excellent memories.

“I liked the idea of spending a vacation out of the ordinary, with boys and girls my age” explains Balotelli. “I went with the WWF last year and enjoyed it a lot, so together with a few friends I met last year we decided to repeat the experience“. The groups are composed by two supervisors and 15-17 year-old kids, “united by their passion of nature and thirst of adventure” says Fabrizio Giacalone, manager of the WWF camps in Sicily. “Mario? He’s just a normal kid, like all the others“. A “normal kid” indeed, although the defenders of Atalanta, Siena, or Fiorentina will surely have a very different opinion. Gazzetta interviewed the young Italo-Ghanaian striker at his return from camp.

Soccer players usually go to Costa Smeralda during the Summer. Mario, your choice went countercurrent to usual trends.
It’s an experience I recommend to all young people my age. I don’t really care what other players are doing, I am Mario and Mario makes his own choices. Countercurrent you say? Probably because the trend is to go places where all other VIPs go, but I would rather stay away from the masses. I prefer uncontaminated, “wild” locations: it’s better to have peace and quiet when you’re holiday, and perhaps have experience something different once in a while. Besides, you’re talking to someone who’s been in the junior scouts when he was little: we played, we learned to respect nature and people, to live in a group and without too many material things. Just like the WWF camp: we couldn’t drink Coke or iced tea when we were there, just water. We carried a bottle in our backpacks which we refilled every time. Plus we couldn’t use TV, playstation, or cell phones.

Did you go with your girlfriend?
No, I went alone. There was a “special” girl there though, but that’s all I’m gonna say.

Ok you’re right, let’s talk about other things. You went to Sicily: what has this land, so full of contradictions, left you with?
It left me with its colors. Blue from the sky and the sea, yellow and green from the vegetation. Also the strong tastes of Sicilian dishes, like walnut granitas, cassatelles and cannolis… mmmmh those are good! And I’ll never forget the night dip in the warm water of Segesta. So warm in fact that I stayed inside for nearly an hour and almost felt sick when I got out. Plus the dives from the tall and rocky coastline, which almost felt easier than going for a walk under the midnoon sun at the “Zingaro”.

We were informed that when it was time to come back, you cancelled your flight home and returned by train with all the other kids. The naturalist experience really left its mark on you huh?
That’s true, I came back by train with the rest of the group. You have to live certain experiences to their fullest, all together. At first you might be a little shy, but after the team acclimatization period (just like in a soccer team) it’s great. And you enjoy it even more after that.

In a month’s time (August 12) you’ll finally be an adult. When you get your driver’s license, will you buy a nice SUV just like the other players and say “Take that, WWF!”?
I don’t know any SUVs, in Sicily I was only a sub (note: in Italian, SUV is pronounced Suv, and sub means scuba-diver).

Good one, 1-0 for Mario. By the way, do you confirm that you’ll choose Italian nationality? You didn’t receive a phone call from Casiraghi or Mourinho while you were in Sicily, by any chance?
I waited for August 12 this Summer for years. I will get Italian nationality because I AM Italian. Italy is the country where I was born, where I studied and where I learned to play soccer. The language I speak is Italian and my family is Italian. It’s only because of a stupid law I was forced to live 18 years as a foreigner in my own country. And no, I did not receive any phone calls while I was in Sicily.

I guess they really did take their cell phones…

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Howdy all.

I’m just dropping by to say hi and to verify you’re all behaving yourselves. I’m currently spending 3 weeks in Southern Italy, in a place called Marina di Camerota (not too far from Naples). Sun is great, sea is great, sex is… well… nothing is ever perfect is it?

Seriously though, I’m having a great time down here, back to checking footy news the traditional “old” way, aka with an actual printed paper between my hands (in this case, none other than Italy’s most famous pink publication: La Gazzetta dello Sport). In fact as you may have noticed, the latest batch of articles on mCalcio originated precisely from the printed edition of La Gazzetta.

Yeah I know, even while I’m on vacation I just can’t stay away from writing and providing you with important news… how kind am I huh? Good thing that I brought my laptop along with me, and that the resort I’m currently staying in (called Touring Club Italiano) has some sort of Wi-Fi service available. That allows me to type and translate the articles offline, then log on and upload everything on the website. At €6.00/hour I really have to pace myself with my internet time anyway.

Yeah I know, €6.00/hour is a pretty scandalous rate, fu**ing thieves. Got no choice though. I’m getting them back by stocking up on sweets during lunch hours (buffet is all included) and bringing the food back to my room. Hah! I just gotta watch out though, not to create an ant colony in my bed or something…

Anyways, one more week and I’m back. Be good everyone!

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One day, Marcello Lippi closed his eyes and a magical scene went through his mind: entering Berlin’s stadium to play the FIFA World Cup final against Brazil. Then, he reopened his eyes and told everyone about his dream, without any concern that he might be made fun of. Indeed, Marcello had a strong belief that his boys “could match any team in the world”.

With the exception of Brazil (crumbling to leave their place to France) Lippi’s vision came true, including the story’s “happy ending” that the Italian coach never dared prophesizing, but which could not have been any different. After all, this was a dream not a nightmare.

Two years ago (almost to the day, it was July 9, 2006) Italy were crowned FIFA World Champions, sending the country through an unforgettable but much-needed collective euphoria, given the dark cloud that the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal had brought over Italian soccer. Precisely due to those unfortunate circumstances, Lippi had already decided that at the end of the Germany 2006 adventure, he would leave the Azzurri bench.

Times have changed now. Lippi is back, and he is looking forward. Towards 2010. Gazzetta had a chance to speak to him and gather his thoughts.

Close your eyes again and imagine July 9 in Berlin. What do you see?
Everything I have seen over and over again these past two years, everywhere I have been. A magnificent canvas painted in Azzurro, an immense emotion, the boys’ joy, the triumph in the heart of the Italian people.

Unlike your dream, Brazil wasn’t there however. France was.
I still don’t understand why. [Brazil] were the strongest team but their champions did not perform to the best of their potential.

How important was the drama surrounding those days, those that were asking for your resignation to unite the group?
In truth, as you know and as everyone knows, the real uniting force for our group were two years of intense work. Two years during which we built a tightly-knit group, incredibly strong psychologically and where everybody sacrificed himself for everyone else. A unique group.

When did you realize, without necessarily saying it out loud, that Italy could go all the way?
Day after day. It was a crescendo. After we won the first match, we went all the way despite a few obstacles on the road. The key moment was right before the match against Czech Republic.

The famous “highway” towards Berlin.
I heard the boys saying ‘If we beat them, we’ll avoid playing Brazil in the Round of 16′, who was the most fearsome team at that point. Even I realized that our opponents until the Semi-final match weren’t going to be impossible.

Any decisive episodes?
Totti’s penalty-kick against Australia, in the 94^th. And the extraordinary match against Germany. The belief in ourselves was growing more and more.

“Belief”: not a foreign concept, but something that you had been repeating ad nauseam in those two years.
Because our team grew following a project and passing important test-matches. We travelled to the Netherlands and obtained a victory with great plays and personality. Then we beat Germany 4-1, at which point we realized we were a really strong team. That we could match any other team in the world.

The new cycle begins from Berlin 2006?
Berlin was the reward for two years of intense work, and Italy’s new chapter must begin from that very moment, starting from day one. That night must become the pyschological prerequisite to build a group with the same characteristics. That doesn’t mean winning at all costs, but at least that no objective will be out of our reach.

So, we’re starting over from Berlin, but with a few new faces. Not too many mind you…
I won’t name names, but I’m optimistic: every two years we have an extremely competitive Under 21 team, among the best in the world. This means that despite foreign players, we have youngsters in every part of the field. I’ve watched them grow up in these last few months, and followed them on TV: those players are a warranty for Italy’s future.

Then there are the “old” ones. How can you give up a player like Cannavaro for example?
I don’t like that word, “old”. There’s no one to throw away here, only people to re-evaluate. La Nazionale must not be built on debts of gratefulness, but before discarding certain players, who have that enormous capacity of uniting the team [note: the reference to Fabio is obbious] one must think very carefully. But we will still keep the date of birth on their ID card under consideration.

The gas tank for Italy’s national team will be the Serie A, who within moments will be hit by the Mourinho “hurricane”, one who always had words of praise for Lippi.
And I always appreciated him as well, his originality, the great enthusiasm he already transmitted to Inter’s players and fans. Plus there is an unmistakable feature with Mourinho: his players only have positive things to say about him. That means he’s always done a great job.

Inter must watch out from Juventus you think?
Juve have already made an extraordinary 2007-08 season: third in the standings after a season in Serie B. I have no doubts they can improve on that performance.

And now they’ll also have Amauri, who it seems, is heading towards the Brazilian national team.
I’m not worried about that. We will wait upon the decisions of Amauri with a serene mind.

Someone like Amauri would be quite useful though, in Lippi’s new Azzurri team. Don’t you think?

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First, let me ask you a question: did you get your hour of exercise today? If you haven’t, get movin’! Listen to the big green ogre! (courtesy of HealthierUS.gov)  

Speaking of exercise, if you can get it on the following field, kudos to you (if you think it was done by Photoshop, check out the second picture). The photo was taken in the Olympic Park of Munich, and depicts the artwork of French artist Marie Denis in 2003 (possibly in anticipation of the 2006 World Cup?). 

It’s also the soccer article with the most “diggs” on digg.com…

Here’s some quotes from the digg story:

And for dessert, why not a nice little video?

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Second episode in Nike’s “ What […] Knows ” series (once again, if you haven’t been following, the […] part can be substituted by the player’s first name to make it look cool).

We had “What Wayne Knows” as the pilot episode, this time it’s Arsenal and France center-back  William Gallas ’s turn. The Frenchman tells us about the joy of big-pressure games, the importance of winning the first ball, and why his first instinct as a defender is to counter-attack. “After playing for some of the top teams in France and England, the Arsenal man is a past master at shackling the best strikers in Europe” says Nike. Oh, and “he’s far from goal-shy himself” too.

High rez version here.

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