It’s a fun-filled week after that excruciatingly long (in my mind) and pointless (ditto) International break. I won’t spoil too much (up here) because there are a few matches to take joy from today and I wouldn’t want to steal my own thunder by spilling the beans right away. So I’m just gonna take it slow and leave the best posts to la -

ACF Fiorentina 1-0 Olympique Lyonnais – Well, La Viola have sealed their Group of 16 qualification! Fiorentina will be joining their French compatriots (ha!), having defeated said Frenchmen by a single goal at the Stadio Artemio Franchi this evening. It would be Juan Manuel Vargas who provided the difference for the home side, with a spot kick on 27′ after AC Milan almost-signing Aly Cissokho downed Marco Marchionni in Les Gones’ area. However, I think the true credit for the victory belongs to Sebastien Frey, whose stellar display between the sticks saved Cesare Prandelli’s men’s collective behinds time and time again – their defense simply is not the same without Alessandro Gamberini marshalling the back line. Oh, one other minor detail regarding their match: it eliminated Liverpool  from the Champions League. Humble Fiorentina move on, while the Scousers are sent home to cry in their… scouse. Beating up on a French team and an English team with the same result? Two birds with one stone, I say. All that’s left to do is seal first place with a victory at Anfield – normally a tall order, but hell, I’m feeling good about it right now.

Your clock is ticking, Rafa!

Liverpool 1-0 Debrecen – Need I even bother? Does it matter? Liverpool have been knocked out of the Champions League as a result of La Viola’s win over Lyon (for those of you who may have skipped the above paragraph) David Ngog put the Reds ahead early in a game which they started confidently – the Frenchmen was first to the ball within the box on 4′ to poke home and give his side an early 1-0 lead. Rafa Benitez’s men put in a spirited performance in the first half, but by the second they were well away what the score was in Firenze and, with their destiny out of their hands, seemed content to simply boot the ball around. Now completely out of Champions League running despite tonight’s victory, the only heart that the Merseysiders can take is in the fact that they can get their revenge on Fiorentina by spoiling their 1st place hopes at Anfield in 2 weeks time. It seems strange after a victory, but Rafa Benitez unemployment watch, anyone?

Rubin Kazan 0-0 Dynamo Kiev – Rubin Kazan were crowned Russian champions earlier this week, but were unable to work any magic in snowy Tatarstan tonight to bolster their European hopes. Both the Russians and Ukrainians seemed aware of the importance of the match, which could have seen either rise to within grasping distance of Round of 16 qualification, and both sides started the match with tense and tentative play, unwilling to give ground but unwilling to push too far forward as well. The visitors actually dominated the play for much of the match, carrying possession and keeping the Rubinovye on their heels. However, it would be the Russians who came closest to scoring in the 90 minutes, with Oleksander Shovkovski being forced to swat away an acrobatic attempt from Alejandro Dominguez just before the halftime interval. In the end, neither side would get ahead, but both still have a chance of qualification thanks to the result that Barcelona and Inter achieved at the Camp Nou this evening.

Xavi will haunt Jose's nightmares for weeks.

Barcelona 2-0 Inter – Ah, the European Inter we know and hate – and the European Barcelona that we know and (some people) love. Italy’s most dominant team domestically once again failed to show up on the European stage, and were beaten black and blue (get it?) all over the pitch by a dominant Blaugrana side in Catalonia. It was all Barcelona from the very start, as the home side started early and didn’t really slow it down until the match was more than won. I Nerazzurri were reminded of their own glaring deficiencies as they found themselves unable to deal with Barca’s more technically proficient midfield (Xavi, anyone?) and perhaps the more forward-thinking tactics of Pep Guardiola. Barcelona struck twice early in the match, with Gerard Piqué side-footing in a corner on 10′ and Pedro volleying into the top corner after some beautiful team build-up on 27′. To illustrate the point of Catalan dominance, Inter didn’t even get their first shot off until 35′, and Victor Valdés wasn’t called into action until almost halftime to make a routine save on Il Principe, Diego Milito, who wasn’t looking very princely tonight. The scoreline could have been a lot higher if not for the world-class netminding of Julio Cesar, who proved a strong last line of defense against Barcelona’s constant onslaught. Though not exactly a blowout, Inter’s match has shown once again that Jose Mourinho’s men simply do not have the quality or the mentality to succeed in European football. Mourinho himself spoke of the large gap in quality after the match, citing individual talent as a key area in which La Beneamata simply could not compete. I tend to agree, and with creative genius Wesley Sneijder sidelined that gap becomes even more apparent, but I also think it comes down to tactics. Barcelona always play football on their own terms, with brilliant passing and constant movement, while Mourinho’s men play a more tentative game, content to simply grind out wins while expressing only momentary flashes of genius. Regardless of this result, it seems that both these sides will be advancing to the next round (unless Inter lose at home to Rubin Kazan in a fortnight), but to be swatted out of the Camp Nou so easily is surely a blow to i Nerazzurri and especially their loudmouthed tecnico.

Arsenal 2-0 Standard Liege – A run of the mill match for Arsenal – a Beer and Waffles speedbump, if you will. The Londoners cruised past their visitors at the Emirates Stadium on the strength of 2 first-half goals from Samir Nasri and Denilson on 35′ and 45′ respectively. Manuel Almunia was saved his blushes once by the grace of the woodwork, but other than that it was mostly smooth sailing for the Gunners, who have apparently bounced back nicely after a half-arsed defeat to Sunderland on the weekend. As predicted/warned waaay back when, Arsene Wenger’s men have topped Group H with ease.

Unirea Urziceni 1-0 Sevilla – This one’s just up here for its comic value. Sevilla have looked strong all season, both domestically and in European competition, but have fallen for the first time in these group stages after the Romanians were gifted a win through an Ivica Dragutinovic own-goal and the help of the woodwork. The match’s only goal came just before the interval, with the Serbian defender heading an incoming long ball directly into the back of his own net. Comic gold, that (when it’s not happening to you, anyways). Though the Andalusians continued to dominate much of the play throughout the second half, they were unable to overcome that deficit and ultimately fell to the home side in Bucharest. Dragutinovic’s own-goal may have helped the Romanian side to qualify, as they now sit second in the group behind Los Rojiblancos with 8 points. Interestingly, Urziceni have only score 6 goals in this competition, and 3 of those have been own-goals gifted to them by their opponents! If these guys make it through, they’ve definitely earned it.

These are th- Well, you get the point.

A couple of very big (in my not-so-humble opinion, at least) matches went down this weekend, with some producing more exciting results than others. This week there was a double countdown to what I thought were two of the biggest Red v. Blue matches this year. In England we had arguably the two largest Premiership contenders in Chelsea and Manchester United going head-to-head, while in Italy Scudetto favourites Internazionale went testa-alla-testa with my beloved (but struggling terribly) AS Roma.

Football:

Arsenal 4-1 Wolverhampton – Sure, Chelsea and United are probably the two favourites in the Premiership race this season, but I’m not fool enough to dismiss Arsenal as also-rans just yet. For one thing, the Gunners are on a hot streak of 13 unbeaten matches in all competitions. For another thing, one of those matches consisted of something of an Arsenal youth squad (but then again, aren’t all their squads youth squads?) defeating admittedly-struggling Liverpool in Carling Cup play. On the other hand, this weekends performance in particular wasn’t all that impressive, and it might be more appropriate to say that Wolverhampton lost the match rather than saying Arsenal won it. The Molineux Stadium offered the Wolves no security, as the visitors went up 3-0 before the end of the first half, with 2 of those goals being put into the Wolves’ own net by their defenders Ronald Zubar and Joey Craddock. Cesc Fàbregas would provide the third. Andrei Arshavin added his name to the scoresheet in the second half, and Joey Craddock somewhat atoned for his errors by scoring a consolation goal (in Arsenal’s net, this time) in the 89th minute. Along with the result of the Chelsea-United match this afternoon, this win in Wolverhampton sees Arsenal climb to second in the League table.

Perhaps one day Drogba will follow the footsteps of Vinnie Jones to Hollywood.

Chelsea 1-0 Manchester Utd A fairly controversial match – but then again, it was always going to be. There’s bound to be a million gripes from United fanboys about the various ‘injustices’ committed against them today, so if you’re a Blues fan gloat with caution, because you’re likely to receive a long series of whines in response. Let me say a few things: Darren Fletcher’s foul was not a foul, Drogba should probably retire and become an actor, and Jonny Evans is a little punk. Many tempers flared during the match, and it seemed as if a full-out brawl was imminent at points, but alas they kept their heads and all that came of it was a flurry of yellow cards. It was nevertheless dramatic, though, with such highlights as the constant battle between Didier Drogba and Wes Brown providing (me, at least) with much entertainment. It would be Mr. Chelsea himself, John Terry, who would make the difference between the two sides, heading in what I believe was the only goal United have conceded from a set piece this year on 76′. I suppose that earns him a man of the match nod, but other contenders include Wayne Rooney, Nicolas Anelka and Michael Essien, who all gave 110% and played hard-nosed games (must’ve eaten their Toast’n'Butta this morning). Though Drogba’s theatrics were shameful, and he may have hauled down Wes Brown in the build-up to Chelsea’s goal, I have to call out Jonny Evans here, for his kung-fu kick to the chest of Drogba and then his tackle on Ricardo Carvalho long after the whistle. Horrific performance for the youngster; he should consider himself lucky that he wasn’t sent off. A win that sees Chelsea sitting 5 points clear atop the EPL table, and which should boost their morale for weeks to come. As for United; well I’m sure we’ll hear all about how they feel.

Manchester City 3-3 Burnley – Bad news all over Manchester this weekend, it seems. City have been struggling for weeks now, and had drawn their 4 previous fixtures. Well, make it five, Citizens. Newly-promoted Burnley are notoriously shoddy away from home, yet a late goal helped them to steal a point at the City of Manchester Stadium in a 6-goal draw. Burnley in fact took an early 2-0 lead over their hosts after Graham Alexander converted a spot kick and Steven Fletcher found the back of the net. City fought back, and goals from Shaun Wright-Phillips, Kolo Toure and Craig Bellamy saw them take control of the game by the 56th minute. However, they were unable to keep hold of that control and on 87′ Burnley substitute Kevin McDonald scored to bring his side level for once and for all. I’m sure Burnley won’t be happy to have given up that initial 2-0 lead, but all in all, this is a result which should leave Owen Coyle pleased and Mark Hughes with his head in his hands.

Futbol:

The dangerous duo nearly gave Los Blancos a run for their money.

Real Madrid 3-2 Atlético Madrid – Well, El Clásico never fails to disappoint. Even in a season where Atléti has struggled so badly that they have been forced to make a change in management, against Los Blancos they always bring their all. It seemed at first that Real would simply stroll to a Clásico win this season, after Kaká gave his side the lead on 5′, with Marcelo and Higuaín adding their names to the scoresheet on 24′ and 64′, respectively. However, Los Colchoneros would battle back late in the second half after Sergio Ramos was given his marching orders on 66′; a frenzied 2 minutes would see Diego Forlán and Sergio Agüero pull two goals back for their side with 10 minutes left to play. Manuel Pellegrini’s men would ultimately be able to hold off their crosstown rivals, but Quique Sánchez Flores can at least take heart from his side’s spirited fightback. An exciting Clásico, to say the least.

Barcelona 4-2 Mallorca – Samuel Eto’o commented this week that if he had not been bound by his duties to Inter, he would have traveled to the Camp Nou to see his ex-sides face off against one another – he would have sat directly at the centre line so as to not betray his allegiance to one over the other. I gotta say, Sammy, from a Romanista’s point of view, I wish you’d gone. But I digress. Barcelona youngster Pedro gave his side an early lead on 10′, only for Mallorca’s Nunes to equalize from a corner kick just under 10 minutes later. Pedro wasn’t finished yet, though and on 39′ restored the lead to his side, smashing home the third rebound after Mallorca keeper Aouate denied teammates Thierry Henry and Sergi Busquets. The two would get their chance just a few moments later, when Busquets sent in a cross for Henry, who beat Aouate with a diving header to make it 3-1. Lionel Messi was introduced after the break to further increase Barca’s tally – he would eventually, but he would take his time, and it would only be from the spot after teammate Ibrahimovic was brought down in the area. Mallorca sub Alhassane Keita would earn one back for his side late into stoppage time, but ultimately it was too little too late and Barcelona would cruise to an easy victory.

Fußball:

Bayern München 1-1 Schalke 04 – Bayern have been demoralized over and over again the past two weeks, and were perhaps unenthused to face the stiff challenge of Schalke this weekend. Schalke sit above Die Roten in the standings, and looked to pressure the home side early, forcing them into rash challenges and using their wingers to cause Bayern problems on the break. Both sides traded chances in the early stages of the match, but ultimately it would be Bayern who would get ahead first, with a little bit of luck. On 31′ Holger Badstuber lofted in a long ball to Miroslav Klose, whose headed effort deflected off of Kevin Kuranyi and landed at the feet of Daniel van Buyten, who duly buried it. However, Joel Matip, making his debut for Die Königsblauen, was able to cancel out the home side’s advantage with a strike of his own on 43′. The teams would go into the half level, and when they came back it was all Bayern – Louis van Gaal’s men poured forward and for the better part of the half had their visitors pinned in their own end. However, no matter what Bayern did, they were unable to find the back of the net, and both van Gaal and Felix Magath’s sides would come away from the game with a point. Bayern need to get themselves out of this current slump if they are to have any chance of keeping alive their hopes of European and domestic conquest.

Calcio:

AS Roma 1-1 Inter – I think I’ll tackle this one in its own article.

Mauro Camoranesi makes the difference for Juventus once again.

Juventus 5-2 Atalanta – It seems that when Mauro Camoranesi is on form, so is La Vecchia Signora. Forget Brazilians and expensive summer signings (and those that are one and the same); the success of Ciro Ferrara’s squad depends on the performance of the Italian international, who has been with i Bianconeri since 2002. In the case of yesterday’s game, it was Camoranesi’s brace which opened up the scoring in a 5-2 drubbing of Atalanta. Felipe Melo, Diego and David Trezeguet would account for the other 3 goals on Juventus’s part, while Valdes and Fabio Ceravolo pulled back 2 for the home side. This is a very positive result for Juve; while Atalanta generally climb to midtable at the best of times, they are nonetheless notoriously difficult to defeat at home. With Inter tying Roma and yesterday’s drubbing in Bergamo, Juve move to 5 points off of first place.

AC Milan 2-1 SS Lazio – I give Davide Ballardini until the end of the month. After the horrendous loss to Villareal in Europa League play on Thursday, Lazio needed some kind of result to break them out of a long, long losing streak. Admittedly, this revived AC Milan team are not the easiest team to achieve it against, but if they are going to do it anywhere, it would be in their Roma’s house, the Stadio Olimpico. As it can plainly be seen, they did not achieve said result. Thiago Silva and Alexandre Pato both found the Lazio net with first-half goals to dash whatever hopes could still be held in the Curva Nord even before the halftime whistle. However, Lazio were handed a lifeline when Thiago Silva deflected the ball into his own net after some deft play by Mauro Zarate. After that own-goal, gli Aquilotti seriously threatened to equalize, with Tommaso Rocchi and Mauro Zarate both coming close to restoring parity. In the end though, AC Milan would grab a valuable 3 points, while Lazio return to their fortress of solitude media silence to ponder what continues to go wrong.

Fiorentina 1-0 Udinese – It took them 84 minutes, but la Viola were able to to squeak by midtable side Udinese with some help from a Juan Manuel Vargas strike. It was  night of missed chances for both sides; a race to the finish where both teams were misfiring on all cylinders. Fiorentina had the bulk of the chances, with 14 shots and 5 on target, compared to Udinese’s 7 and 2. However, only one of those shots would make a difference tonight at the Stadio Friuli, and it would be Vargas’ set-piece shot. That shot earned i Gigliati a victory which sees them only 1 point behind AC Milan in the standings, sitting comfortably in 4th place.

Better late than never, I suppose. Or at least, Jose Mourinho and Claude Puel will suppose. Hell, even Cesare Prandelli had to wait until the second half before his squad came to life. But I digress. Here’s what happened in CL business today:

"WTF HAXX"

Liverpool 1-1 Olympique Lyonnais – Another disappointing day in the life of a Reds fan. They fought and fought all night against Lyon, with Ryan Babel finally putting them ahead on 84′, only for Lisandro Lopez to rob them of all their hard work with a cheaply-had goal in extra time. Or so the story goes. But didn’t Lyon fight just as hard back to keep Liverpool scoreless for those 84 minutes? Don’t they deserve some credit for never saying die, even when it seemed Liverpool had already won the game at its last breath? I for one am not going to feel sorry for the Scousers – not this time – because this was a game that they knew they had to win, and the fact of the matter is that they didn’t do enough to win it. Sure Dirk Kuyt worked his ass off all game, but what good is hard work if you’re too exhausted to make sure you put in a quality performance in the final third of the pitch? That goes for you too, Javier Mascherano. Editor’s Note: This may not seem to make a whole lot of sense, but believe you me, it’s pure genius. I won’t say it wasn’t a disappointment for the ‘Pool – because it was – but I will say that that doesn’t mean they deserved it anymore than Lyon. The Benitez unemployment countdown continueesss!!

Marchionni is improving in leaps and bounds.

Fiorentina 5-2 Debrecen – I may have more than a healthy amount of bias, but I am becoming a believer in Fiorentina as a legitimate continental side. Sure, their defense leaks like a sieve at times, and the two goals scored against them this evening were borderline humourous (one can partially blame the absence of starting keeper Sébastien Frey for that), but la Viola have showed that they can bury them when it counts, as they did in a second-half goalfest this evening at the Stadio Artemio Franchi. I Gigliati took an early lead in the match when Adrian Mutu executed a diving header off of Marco Marchionni’s cross on 14′, and looked strong coming out of the starting gates, but they lost steam by the end of the first half and Debrecen were keen to take the wind from their sails as Gergely Rudolf equalized on 37′. The teams would go into the half level, but when they reemerged, it was all Fiorentina. Three goals in 10 minutes came from Dario Dainelli (51′), Riccardo Montolivo (58′) and Marco Marchionni (61′) to give la Viola a commanding 4-1 lead. I must give credit to Debrecen though, as they certainly did not say die. Substitute Adamo Coulibaly put his head onto the end of a pinpoint cross to pull one back for his side on 69′ and remind the jubilant Florentine supporters that the match was not over yet. However, Fiorentina were quick to assert their dominance; on 73′ Alberto Gilardino responded with a header of his own to restore his side’s 3-goal lead and the game pretty much ended there. Fiorentina repeated their first-half trick of gradually slowing the pace of the game, content to kick the ball around aimlessly with the comfort of their large lead. A victory in their next match (against Lyon) will see Fiorentina secure their passage to the first knockout round. Who would’ve thunk it?

The Barcelona bus doesn't even have snow tires!

Barcelona 0-0 Rubin Kazan – Picture this: You’re in Siberia, on a frozen tundra of snow and ice – the only way out is to score a goal on the net that is inexplicably situated in front of you. That’s already a pretty tall order, because you’re from Catalonia, and not exactly used to this very Russian weather. Oh, and then someone parks a bus between you and the goal. Ta-da! You’re Barcelona in Tatarstan this evening. Personally, I hate Russian weather. Editor’s Note: The author has never been to Russia. Chelsea lost their Champions League final match 2 years ago because some genius thought an open-air stadium in Moscow was a good idea – I’m sure Barcelona would agree with me tonight that an open-air stadium anywhere in Russia is just bad news. The Blaugrana were held by the Russian champions, unable to crack their 11-man defense or cope with the Russian cold. The best effort of the evening came on 2′, when Zlatan Ibrahimovic beat his markers only to hit the post. Both sides would trade a handful of chances throughout the remaining 88 minutes, but ultimately no one would be able to get ahead, and those sneaky Russians would steal another point from the reigning champions of Europe. Good on ya, Kazan!

Pictured: Enemy #1 of Inter Milan

Inter 2-1 Dynamo Kiev – If Jose Mourinho’s hair isn’t just a little more grey- I’m sorry, silver, after this evenings game, the man might be ageless. It seemed like the same old (hilarious) story – Inter dominate every week domestically, but go on to choke (and choke hard) in European play. The rest of us point and laugh, then realize they’re still 7 points clear of anybody else in the Scudetto race and go home to weep softly to ourselves. Well, I do, anyways. But I digress. It took only 21 minutes for Inter to fall behidn in the Ukrainian capital this evening – that old Nerazzurri nemesis, Andriy Shevchenko was back to haunt them once more and take the lead with a ridiculous left-footed volley from outside the 18-yard box. Inter had their world rocked, for a spell, but they would fight back, and fight back hard. I’m not exactly sure how it’s possible, but La Beneamata spurned a seemingly endless stream of chances throughout the remaining 69 minutes. No one was innocent; Samuel Eto’o, Mario Balotelli, Diego Milito, Lucio, Walter Samuel – each had a golden opportunity served up for them on a silver platter, and each duffed theirs in turn. In the 86th minute, Diego Milito would finally bring Inter level, latching on to the end of a spectacular low cross/throughball (?) from Wesley Sneijder and nudging it past Stanislav Bogush. Inter had been fighting for more than an hour to achieve that equalizer, and when that ball went in, Mourinho’s side roared to life. Just 3 minutes later, Wesley Sneijder would win the game for Inter and break Ukrainian hearts with just seconds to spare – Sulley Muntari launched a low shot at the Kiev net, and Diego Milito prevented the rebound from exiting play in order that Sneijder could run onto the ball and bury it – for once and for all. Inter take the lead in their group with this win, if only by a point, and break their barren winless spell in European play. Jesus guys, it took you long enough!

Arsenal 4-1 AZ Alkmaar – Today’s last relatively important match (which I for some reason feel obligated to mention) consisted of Arsenal handily defeating Dutch champions AZ Alkmaar at the Emirates Stadium. Cesc Fàbregas bagged a brace, Samir Nasri added a third, and Vassiriki Diaby made it 4 to complete a solid (and fairly routine) home rout. Jeremain Lens would pull back a consolation goal for his side with little time left in the match, but ultimately the Dutch simply could not contend with Arsene Wenger’s squad, who have hit their stride with a blistering run of form lately and are a danger to anyone they face.

These are th- Well, you get the point.

Come di seguito riportiamo le seguenti probabili formazioni di Fiorentina – Lazio. Diretta Mediaset Premium, Sky, Dahlia TV.

FIORENTINA(4-2-3-1): Frey; De Silvestri, Gamberini, Kroldrup, Pasqual; Zanetti, Donadel; Marchionni, Jovetic, Vargas; Gilardino. All Prandelli

LAZIO(4-3-1-2): Muslera; Lichtsteiner, Cribari, Radu, Del Nero; Baronio, Matuzalem, Mauri; Foggia; Rocchi, Zarate. All Ballardini

FIORENTINA: La Fiorentina che scenderà oggi in campo è la solita, con Prandelli che sceglie ancora una volta in campionato il 4-2-3-1. L’unica assenza che c’è, è quella del capitano Dario Dainelli in difesa, assente per squalifica, mentre invece vediamo giocare da titolare De Silvestri. L’unico ballottaggio, invece è quello fra Donadel e Montolivo, con il primo che sembra più favorito. Infine c’è il rebus Gila, che sembra non aver smaltito al 100% la febbre, ma cercherà di stringere i denti e se non c’è la farà ci sarà pronto Mutu.

LAZIO: Una Lazio un poco in emergenza quella che scenderà oggi al Franchi di Firenze, con Del Nero costretto  fare il terzino, e con le assenze di Ledesma e Pandev, alle prese ancora una volta con i problemi societari. Ballardini quindi ancora una volta non rinuncia al 4-3-1-2, nonostante alcune assenze.

Secondo alcune indiscrezioni riportate dal giornale “Mercafutbol”, la Roma  sarebbe intenzionata a portare il centrocampista offensivo della Fiorentina Mario Alberto Santana in prestito nella capitale alla riapertura del calciomecato invernale.

Well well well. Champions League Matchday Two has kept my vague predictions about the Year of the Underdog alive and well (well well). Inter drew against Russian champions Rubin Kazan, and though the Tatarstans played well, it was not a particularly spectacular match and i Nerazzurri choking in the Champions League is frankly, old news. So let’s forget Inter – It is the match between Fiorentina and Liverpool which I am really interested in.

Now, I don’t really like La Viola. I’d say give me three good reasons to like them, but one could answer with a) Gabriel Batistuta, b) Nintendo, c) they are purple - and I would have to concede. Those are three ingredients for a pretty likable club. Nevertheless, there is something about ACF Fiorentina that irks me, and I will generally support other sides against them in Serie A. But Champions League is different. In the CL they are an Italian team; and when they are up against an English team of Liverpool’s calibre, Fiorentina undisputedly become the underdogs (especially when key man Alberto Gilardino is out on suspension). So I pull for them – especially if there is a chance that these purple underdogs will prove me right.

And they have.

BOOM! Striker Hair!

I suppose I should be thanking Stevan Jovetić (and his crazy striker hair) for keeping my assertions afloat – it was the young Montenegrin’s two first-half strikes which made the difference for his side in Fiorentina’s 2-0 win over Liverpool tonight. The funny-looking little guy even had a run through the Scouser defense that included two nutmegs, though he failed to capitalize a third time. A man of the match performance from Fiorentina’s youngest star that will give both teams’ managers plenty to think about.

La Viola walked all over their Merseyside counterparts in the first half, and probably could have been up 3-0 had Marco Marchionni been on target with a fantastical bicycle kick inside the ‘Pool area. The Tuscans had chance after chance, with Juan Manuel Vargas looking dangerous up the left flank and Jovetić causing absolute terror in the middle of the pitch. To their credit though, Liverpool pushed back after the break, and managed to turn the Fiorentina backline inside out on a couple of occasions – though Alessandro Gamberini nearly shut Torres completely out of the game and the Reds would ultimately not end up finding the back of the net tonight. The game was closely fought to the last minute as Liverpool looked to rally and save some face, but Sebastien Frey (who had what was probably the easiest first half of his CL career) came out in spades to keep La Viola well ahead of their opponents and to preserve his own clean sheet. All in all, a memorable Champions League victory for the Tuscan side, who came into the match looking to prove that they were worthy of a Champions League berth – and I can’t speak for the rest of you, but I’m ready to see what Fiorentina can do.

Roma! Roma! Roma! Man, this feels good. AS Roma pulled off a fantastic win today at the Stadio Olimpico over AFC Fiorentina, who last year proved to be one of i Lupi’s strongest rivals for a spot in the Champions League and who ended up usurping Roma from said spot by finishing 4th in Serie A. Roma have been much maligned of late and have struggled to gain form – on Thursday they suffered an embarrassing defeat on the European stage to Swiss side FC Basel. The side were clearly struggling to adapt to playing in the style that Claudio Ranieri espouses – and frankly they have lately been a side that just didn’t get no respect. Hence, the Rodney Dangerfield Special – a club which hasn’t been able to gather any respect from anybody as of late but which has managed to reverse their fortunes and put forth a performance which maybe, just maybe, earns them a bit of grudging respect. Obviously, I’ve got a bit of a bias here.

However, I think it is a sign that a club is widely scorned when their own Ultras, the most fanatical of all their fans, refuse to come inside their home stadium and support their team – just as Roma’s Ultras did today, standing outside of the Olimpico in protest of club president Rosella Sensi. Personally, I love the Sensi family, and I think when they act they truly have Roma’s best interests at heart – but that’s neither here nor there. To give a bit of context, in their last match against Fiorentina i Giallorossi were handily defeated by la Viola by a score of 3-1; it was only fitting that Roma should have their revenge today to the tune of the exact same score.

Even without their Ultras to spur them on though, Roma hit the ground running and swiftly went on the aggressive, causing all kinds of problems for Fiorentina early in the half. The scoring would open on 27′ via, who else, Francesco Totti, who stepped up to the penalty spot and beat Sebastien Frei after Alessandro Gamberini gave up a handball in the box (the second of the game by Fiorentina, but the first to be called). Only seconds later Er Pupone thought he had doubled the lead and his goal tally, but was ruled offside. However, he got his chance to do just that in the 32nd minute as la Viola failed to mark him (most unwisely) on a corner kick and he smashed the ball home from near the penalty spot through the traffic in front of the net. At this point, the Ultras rushed into the Olimpico, clearly dismayed that they had missed Totti score not once but twice against the hapless Viola. Il Capitan wasn’t finished yet though, and on 40′ he set up his successor, Il Capitan Futuro, with a cross that Danielino duly headed into the back of the net to give Roma a 3-0 lead before halftime.

Sometimes it just takes two.

Thankfully Fiorentina decided it was best that they should show up in the second half, though they simply could not handle the furious attacking power and, perhaps more surprisingly, rock-solid defense that Roma embodied throughout the game. The return to starting fitness of Mirko Vucinic and Juan provided a great boost to both these aspects of i Giallorossi’s game. Though it was Totti and De Rossi who appeared on the scoresheet, Vucinic gave the visitors great difficulty in the final third of the pitch (and probably should have drawn a penalty on a handball by Dario Dainelli), and with Juan in the back line Roma for once actually seemed unshakeable. Both returning stars would be substituted in the second half over concerns about their fitness, replaced by Stefano Okaka and Philippe Mexes, respectively.

Fiorentina, to their credit, began to push their way back into the game, and on 53′ Riccardo Montolivo’s long-range effort forced a save from keeper Julio Sergio. Fiorentina would finally get onto the scoresheet when a defensive error from Simone Perotta gave Alberto Gilardino an opening in the box, and when Mexes failed to dispossess the hitman Gila duly buried the ball into the back of the net. Nevertheless, the goal would be little more than consolation for la Viola, coming as too little to late to turn the tides of the match – Roma would roll on to a confident 3-1 victory in a performance that, given their form as of late, was absolutely refreshing. Since this is a victory that might actually garner some praise for La Maggica and its manager, it can’t truly be a Rodney Dangerfield special, ’cause everyone knows Rodney never got no respect. However, its still great to see this team fight, and fight hard, to get the results they need and the respect that they (sometimes) deserve. I like to think that Rodney might approve.

La presidente Rossella Sensi aveva detto:”Basta parole! Vogliamo i fatti!“.Pretendeva una reazione e l’ha avuta: Claudio Ranieri ha ritrovato la Roma. All’Olimpico, nel posticipo della 4.a giornata, la squadra giallorossa ha travolto la Fiorentina per 3-1. Strepitosa prestazione di Francesco Totti, autore di una doppietta (27′ e 33′) e di un fantastico assist per De Rossi. Inutile il gol nel finale per Gilardino. In casa Fiorentina, alla seconda sconfitta in quattro giorni, è già tempo di processi.

LA PARTITA: Inizia bene la squadra gigliata con ottimo pressing a centrocampo e le solite ripartenze pungenti sulle fasce, ad essere però pericolosa per prima è la Roma con Riise al 4° minuti. Il giocatore della Roma ha tentato un diagonale pericoloso che Frey ha bloccato in due tempi rischiando anche qualcosa. Intorno al quindicesimo, prima ammonizione dell’incontro ai danni di Pasqual per fallo tattico a centrocampo, pochi istanti dopo sugli sviluppi di quella punizione, grossa dormita difensiva dei viola con Vucinic che a tu per tu con Frey ha calciato in malo modo favorendo l’intervento del portiere gigliato. Intorno al ventesimo del primo tempo ci provano i viola da calcio d’angolo con Mutu che stacca bene di testa ma non trova la porta. Insiste la Roma con il capitano Francesco Totti, pallone rimesso al centro per Pizarro che dal limite colpisce male il pallone e lo spedisce sul fondo. Al 26° del primo tempo palla in profondità di Riise per Vucinic che di tacco tenta di eludere l’intervento del difensore gigliato Gamberini, il giocatore viola nell’azione in velocità ha toccato involontariamente il pallone con la mano, per l’arbitro il fallo è risultato volontario ed ha concesso il rigore a favore della Roma. Sul dischetto Francesco Totti che dagli undici metri mette a segno il goal che porta in vantaggio i giallorossi. Dopo appena dieci minuti dal goal di Totti, Fiorentina in tilt e raddoppio giallorosso sempre messo a segno da Totti dopo un batti e ribatti in area. Sul finire del primo tempo ancora in goal la Roma con Daniele De Rossi che dal limite dell’area stacca di testa e mette per la terza volta la palla alle spalle del portierone viola Frey, non incolpevole sull’ultimo goal giallorosso. Finisce il primo tempo con una Roma costantemente in attacco ed una Fiorentina totalmente assente ingiustificata, dovrà sicuramente cambiare qualcosa Prandelli in questo intervallo anche per cercare di salvare il salvabile anche se fino a questo momento la Fiorentina ha dimostrato ben poco di positivo in campo. Inizia il secondo tempo con una Fiorentina, almeno per i primi dieci minuti, più propositiva ed infatti è riuscita ad arrivare al tiro in un paio di occasioni, l’ultima di queste con Montolivo che da fuori area che ha impensierito Julio Sergio. Dopo appena due minuti dall’occasione di Montolivo ai viola risponde la Roma prima con Taddei che impegna Frey e successivamente con Totti che dal limite calcia al volo, pallone che finisce di poco sopra la traversa della porta difesa da Frey. Al quindicesimo del secondo tempo girandola di cambi, nella Roma esce Vucinic per infortunio al suo posto Okaka, nella Fiorentina escono Mutu e Santana al loro posto entrano Jovetic e Jorgensen. Errore di Marchionni al ventesimo che si fa soffiare il pallone da Okaka, l’attaccante della Roma arriva al tiro dal limite dell’area ma Frey gli nega la gioia del goal, sulla ripartenza Jovetic avanza palla al piede ed arriva al tiro, pallone che finisce di poco alla destra di Julio Sergio. Al ventesimo del secondo tempo Prandelli effettua il terzo ed ultimo cambio, dentro Donadel per uno stanco ed appannato Montolivo. A meno di quindici minuti dalla fine dell’incontro incursione di Totti palla al piede dalla trequarti, panico tra i difensori gigliati e fallo tattico di Dainelli che viene ammonito per questo fallo, appena cinque minuti dopo ammonito anche Gamberini per fallo ingenuo a centrocampo. A cinque minuti dal novantesimo goal della bandiera per i viola con Gilardino che sfrutta un grossolano errore di Perrotta, il giocatore della Roma in ripiegamento difensivo regala un assist al bomber viola che non può far altro che battere Julio Sergio. Sul finale di partita bellissimo colpo di tacco di Okaka che libera Totti, tiro di quest’ultimo deviato dai difensori gigliati in calcio d’angolo. Finisce la partita sul risultato di 3 ad 1 per la Roma. La squadra giallorosa ha dominato l’incontro grazie alle giocate del loro grande capitano, Francesco Totti, questa sera ispirato più che mai. La Fiorentina torna a casa amareggiata per una prestazione a dir poco imbarazzante, mercoledì a Firenze arriva la “capolista” Sampdoria, sarà importante fare subito bene in casa contro i blucerchiati per dimenticare al più presto la partita di stasera.

“LA PARTITA” Fonte: TMW

Goal.com reported this morning that Serie A side Livorno has set their sights on securing a big name American player.  Who is that player?  Landon Donovan.  Some are glad that Donovan is in the transfer rumor news, but in this case not all news is good news.  This is an absolutely terrible idea, and for the sake of the USMNT, I hope with all of my might that MLS declines should these rumors prove true.

Without question, Landon Donovan is the USMNT’s most skilled player.  While I disagree, many make the argument he is the greatest player to ever come from the United States.  Doesn’t he deserve better?  Donovan’s fellow USMNT teams Oguchi Onyewuand Clint Dempsey both play for big teams in big leagues in big cities (AC Milan/Milan and Fulham/London).  Livorno has been an up and down team in Serie A.  While they were part of the 06/07 UEFA Cup, they were relegated the following season.  Donovan’s skills would certainly help a team clearly struggling for stability, but he deserves to be starting for a much bigger club.

Donovan isn’t the regular US captain, but he did fill that role in the Confederations Cup when Carlos Bocanegra was injured.  After the Confed Cup, the US jumped to 12th in the FIFA rankings.  Of the eleven teams ranked ahead of the US, only two of the captains play outside of the European big three leagues (Serie A, La Liga, EPL).  Here are all eleven players/teams in order of FIFA rank:

1. Lucio – Brazil, Inter Milan
2. Iker Casillas – Spain, Real Madrid
3. Giovanni von Bronckhorst – Netherlands, Feyenoord
4. Fabio Cannavaro – Italy, Juventus
5. Michael Ballack – Germany, Chelsea
6. Andrei Arshavin – Russia, Arsenal
7. John Terry - England, Chelsea
8. Javier Mascherano – Argentina, Liverpool
9. Thierry Henry – France, Barcelona
10. Robert Kovac – Croatia, Dinamo Zagreb
11. Angelos Basinas- Greece, Portsmouth

Only two of the eleven players (in italics) are not playing in the Champions League this upcoming season.  If the US’ top player and occasional captain is going to play in Europe, shouldn’t he play Champions League soccer?  Shouldn’t he be playing for a team that has a shot at UEFA competions?  At the very least, shouldn’t he be playing in a big city?

You may be asking yourself where Livorno is.  Unless you take a Mediterranean cruise, it is highly unlikely you’ve heard of it.  Livorno is a port city on the Western coast of Italy.  It is a small, albeit very pretty, city who has two main purposes: fishing and tourism.  Aside from the daily fish market, there isn’t much reason to stick around.  Livorno’s primary use is as the gateway to Florence and Pisa for cruises.  I had the chance to visit Livorno on my cruise.  I went to Florence instead.  Donovan should too.

Fiorentina could actually be a good fit for Donovan.  While it places him outside the big three in the Serie A, but within realistic reach of the Champions League.  They also happen to be short of major stars or players, so Donovan wouldn’t have the situation that kept him from staying at Bayern Munich.

Wherever Donovan ends up, he deserves a quality team.  Donovan isn’t Freddy Adu or Jozy Altidore.  He not only needs playing time, he deserves it.  Any team that gets him is getting a world class player, not some developmental prospect with loads of potential.  World class players need world class teams.  Anything less for Donovan is a waste of his time.

When a powerful club disintegrates, the result is usually conflict, consecutive relegations, or even administration. Top international players are sold, season ticket sales dramatically fall, and transfer funds suddenly disappear.

A case example is Leeds United. Champions of England three times, runners-up five times, European Cup finalists in 1975 and Champions League semi-finalists in 2001. Leeds have more accolades and honors that I haven’t mentioned, but who cares about a club that went into administration in 2007 and were relegated to Division One. No one.

Football is a business and thus holds little sympathy for clubs who are poorly managed.

There are other clubs like Leeds of course. Back to back European Cup winners Nottingham Forest are the only European Cup winners to have been relegated to the third tier of English football. In three seasons, 1984, 1985, and 1986, three times English champions Wolves were relegated from the First to the Fourth Division. Wolves were bankrupt, with very low attendances and three sides of their decaying stadium condemned. This was a result of the club being sucked dry by the infamous owners the Bhatti brothers.

The message is clear. The most important factor for any club is how it is managed off the pitch. In June 2002, Italian club Fiorentina ceased to exist. They had accumulated debts of $50 million, were relegated to Serie B, and went into judicially controlled administration. This resulted in Fiorentina being refused a place in Serie B for the start of the 2002/03 season and they were forced to close.

No fan wants their club to be a Leeds or a Fiorentina. But the reality is that more clubs will follow their path.

Arsenal will not be one of them. That’s because they’re one of the best financially run clubs in the world.

However, The Negatives think otherwise. They claim that Wenger should spend more. Myles Palmer claims that for an extra 200,000 pounds Arsenal could have bought Alonso from Liverpool. These people are like men who can’t be bothered to wear a condom on a one night stand. They want the short-term glory. The FA Cup, another shag to their list, a major signing or a hot dumb bimbo for the night. Their short-term glory is debt, high interest loans, an STD, or baby that they never want to see.

Arsenal fans are in a civil war. You are either with us “The Wenger Knows Brigade” or you are with “The Negatives.”

The Negatives don’t have a long-term plan. They would like an all English Arsenal team, but are incensed when Wenger doesn’t buy the Spanish midfielder Alonso. They hate Wenger for promoting youth, yet they will be proudly watching Arsenal academy players in the FA Youth final tomorrow. They want Wenger out but have no idea about a replacement or the chaos that his departure would bring.

Some people think that hooliganism is dying. Take me to Nevada Smiths on a day when I have lost my house, job, wife and car. Show me a Negative and you will see if hooliganism is dead.

We are after all in a midst of a recession, so that day may not be far off.

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Domenica Prossima 22 Marzo, in occasione della partita di Campionato Fiorentina – Siena che si svolgerà allo  Stadio A. Franchi alle ore 15.00, il Movimento Shalom e la ACF Fiorentina raccoglieranno dei fondi per il Progetto 7 Gennaio per la costruzione di una scuola  nella cittadina di Dorì in Burkina Faso.

Sarà distribuita a tutti i tifosi una mano viola per  fare la coreografia durante la partita.

Il progetto 7 Gennaio nasce in memoria di  Matteo, uno studente prematuramente scomparso e prevede la costruzione di una scuola con il collegio femminile e la residenza per le suore e gli insegnati a Dorì in Burkina Faso (costo del progetto 340.000,00 euro). Per seguire l’andamento dei lavori potete consultare questo link sul sito di Shalom!

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*Foto mano by Movimento Shalom

** Foto Il “mare” di gente in Fiesole by-= Treviño =-  flickr

Di dalam tubuh yang sehat terdapat jiwa yang kuat, motto ini sangatlah tepat. Tidak ada alasan untuk menunda olahraga! Selain sebagai ajang berkumpul fans Fiorentina Jakarta, kegiatan tersebut juga bermanfaat bagi kesehatan, juga sebagai ajang sosialisasi. Berikut adalah parade foto Fans Fiorentina Indonesia saat bermain melawan Fans Manchester United di Grand Futsal Kuningan pada hari Minggu tanggal 15 Februari 2009 yang dimotori oleh Putra (yang selalu menyediakan waktunya untuk membesarkan klub).

A UEFA sorteou hoje os confrontos da primeira fase de mata-mata da Copa da Uefa,

o segundo torneio em importância do continente europeu.

Destaque para os jogos:

Werder Bremen X Milan

Fiorentina X Ajax

Shakhtar X Tottenham

Aston Villa X CSKA Moscou.