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Falc

I actually went twice to the beach: the first time was to Chiavari which is on the Ligurian coast. Nothing to write home about. The water was dirty and it was an unattractive shoreline. I've been on that Ligurian coastline many, many times since it's about 50km (30 miles more or less) from my house . Problem is that it's 30 miles of winding roads down a mountain. And that's the best part of the Ligurian and Tuscan shorelines: the mountains are part of the landscape and the water temperature has to be about 80 degrees. It's a gorgeous landscape.

The 2nd time I went to the beach was on a small northern Tuscan seaside town (just south of Liguria). It was either Carrara or Massa. I forgot which. It was a step above Chiavari. Nice and pleasant but again I was dissapointed with the water. Although cleaner than Chiavari, it reminded me of my ocean water on Long Island. I kept hearing that further south in Tuscany is where to go. Of course it gets real nice in Sardegna, Sicilia, Catanzaro, Bari, Consenza, etc.

Cousin Stefano is married with a beautiful daughter. He hasn't been to a stadium in years. Right now he's busy working, paying for all the good times he had while he was single. He's still quite a character. He believes nearly every match is rigged (at least that's the impression I got speaking with him). But he still loves the game and he knows the game well. He loves Parma and gli Azzurri. He actually told me that aside from a bad half (first half against Olanda) that gli Azzurri didn't play as bad as many thought. He also said that we outplayed Spagna and that Spagna wasn't all that. But I had to remind him that we didn't score a single goal from open play. He rationalized that with bad luck. Whatever. He also said that (what we already knew) that Lippi got the job because he wanted it. Otherwise Donadoni was not getting fired.

I love Stefano because he is quite a character. He was also one of a few who told me Mourinho won't make it to XMAS. Stefano had me rolling when he said that Mourinho won't dare to slap any Inter fans (should they get on his nerves) otherwise the Inter fans will kill him. These aren't Chelsea fans he told me. I was ROTFLMAO.

He's not very optimistic about Parma. He had me rolling when he said how can a team do well when they train in Collechio (just outside of Parma) under the sun when it's 40 centigrades? Ci sono delle squadre di Serie C che si allenano in Alto Adige a 1000 metri al fresco e il Parma si allena a 40 gradi.... Gotta admit... he's got a point.

He thinks Milan will win the scudetto but he also said watch out for... you'll never guess.... Juve.

Milan needs everyone healthy if they are going to win it.

welcome back, mmaggi

Well, I made it back too. Nice time at the beach with the wife and daughter and then we spent a nice week in the mountains, in the river Taro valley of course. Absolutely great weather. Very dry with temps in the mid 80s.

Casati is right about the economy here: much fewer Italians vacationing at the beach and there were many American tourists that were AWOL in the Taro valley. Not so for the French and Brits. To me it seemed that there were more or less the same number as previous years.

I didn't watch a single minute of any soccer match. Quite honestly, I didn't care. In talking with the locals many believe Morinho will NOT finish the year with Inter and that Juve will do well. I replied: "What? With Paulsen?" All kidding aside, Juve looks good but I really believe Morinho can and will do well with Inter.

Milan got Senderos (why o why??) and brought back Shevchenko. They also lost to Sporting Gijon (sp??) 2-0. Now that they have all those pre season losses out of them hope they can get off to a winning start.

Welcome back, M&M. Is Taro the same as the fruit taro?


Filipinos are crazy about the fruit and I think I may be hooked too!!!!!!!!!

agentesecreto wrote:Welcome back, M&M. Is Taro the same as the fruit taro?


Filipinos are crazy about the fruit and I think I may be hooked too!!!!!!!!!

I don't think so.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taro_River

So, my fellow calcisti, are you all excited about Juve's return to the CL?

Falc wrote:So, my fellow calcisti, are you all excited about Juve's return to the CL?

Absolutely! That way I can LMAO when they exit the tourny be it the 1st round.

Ha, ha.

Good one.

Casati wrote:Absolutely! That way I can LMAO when they exit the tourny be it the 1st round.

hehehe

Just like the Mets, right? Assuming they make it to the first round of the playoffs.

bineaz

thou shalt not mention unclean new world ballgames in these holy halls - it is an abomination before the Lord.

I forgive you Felix. Those that do not know cannot be judged harshly.

Italy Hits Back After English Journalist Attack
Former Bologna coach and head of the Italian Coaches’ Association Renzo Ulivieri has slammed the English Premier League after a top journalist who writes for The Times launched a scathing attack on the Italian game.

Oliver Kay, who writes a weekly football column for the English paper, described Serie A as: “A retirement home for ageing footballers or a get-rich-quick scheme for those who lacked ambition,” and “a long way short of the Premier League.”

Harsh words on a country which has won the World Cup four times and has the world’s most successful club side in Milan.

Kay’s ranting and raving against the Italians didn’t go down well in the peninsula and Ulivieri has lashed out as he takes aim and shoots down the small talk coming out of England.

Ulivieri has defended Calcio and he believes that the facts speak for themselves.

“It’s the pot calling the kettle black,” said the coach.

“England has a nice League, but if you look carefully they have foreign Coaches, the majority are foreign players and even foreign club owners come in from all over the world.

“I really doubt they are in any position to criticise Italian football. Besides, I certainly wouldn’t say that Ronaldinho or Andriy Shevchenko are old.”

This spat comes just days after another top English journalist Patrick Barclay slammed England manager Fabio Capello for not understanding English culture, and said that Steve McClaren was a better choice as the country's national coach.

Falc

hehe... funny you should mention the Mets. I stated at the end of July that they would not make the playoffs and if they did they would be ousted in the first round. Why? Their bullpen is atrocious. It's a shame too because their starting pitching is one of the best in the league, they have solid defense and offense. But their bullpen can't hold a lead.

Again... just my opinion.... but I don't believe Juve reinforced the troops all that much by adding Paulsen and Giovinco. Think about it: the basis of their attack is still around Nedved, ADP and Trez. I understand that Giovinco will add another dimesion but I don't believe it will push them over the top. I don't see Juve going deep into the CL and I don't see them finishing better than 3rd in Serie A. Roma, Inter and Milan are better teams than Juve.

Actually, it was Bineaz that brought up the Mets. I have no clue about the baseball race as I do not follow it.

Juve has a solid team, not flashy names. I think they are better suited for the CL than they are for Serie A. The four strikers on the roster give them a lot of fire power. While the central midfielders are not on the creative side, they will win balls and put less pressure on the defense. Giovinco will continue to rise in his play. He is not ready to carry the team but will do so in the future. While it would be a surprise for Juve to go far in the CL, they will do well and the experience gained by their young players will bode well in the future. If the team is in the scudetto hunt and makes it to the elimination rounds of the CL, then I will be very satisfied. The fact that the team has aspirations to win both tells you that the team has the right approach.

Juve:

I think Falc's partisan, but objective, take on Juve expectations is pretty much on the mark. I don't see Giovinco making much of an impact; we've seen these young guys before (e.g. Miccoli) but overall the team exceeded their expectations last season and there's no reason they can't do the same this year. I would be pleasantly surprised if they win the Scudetto or go deep into the CL, but not shocked.

Pennant race: It should be a good one as the Mets and Phils slug it out again this September (while the Dbacks and Dodgers limp on). I give the edge to the Mets as they have last year's collapse as motivation and a damn good lineup.

Should be interesting, but I hope the NL Central stays as is. However, the Cubs have an incredibly tough schedule the last month. Good thing the starting pitching is exceptional, the bullpen reliable and the offense is the best in the league. Right now they have the best record in MLB @ 83 W 50 L losses (33 over .500 hasn't happened since 1945). If they get through the remaining schedule they will be a favorite to win it all. Starting tonight with a 4 game series at home against the Phillies they have 29 games remaining; 13 @ home and 16 on the road. Of those 29, only three games are against a team with a losing record. They finish the season playing 13 straight games: Milwaukee (3) and St. Louis (3) at home; and end on the road with the Mets (4) and Milwaukee (3). They will need their FORZA.

BTW: Falc, if you want me to vote for you for President, you have to care about the pennat race and how the Cubs are doing. PS: By you reading this far down, you've qualified.

bineaz

Just do us a favor and sweep the Phillies this weekend. I'm just sick and tired of hearing Jimmy Rollins complain about the Mets and how they celebrate HRs. What a winey little bitch. I mean geez... they've toned it down from last season since now all the celebratory antics take place in the dugout.

At-a-boy Falc.

Casati,

We'll do what we can. The Cubs are looking for their 10th straight series win. I think 3 out of 4 is doable but I can't discount how hungry the Phils will be. We also tend to suck at least one game early in a home stand.

Rollins should keep his mouth shut; his comments have even pissed off his fown ans, calling them "front-runners." Philly fans are fanatics, I wouldn't want to get on their bad side.

I got to keep the constituents happy!

Here is the Champions League draw in full:

Group A: Chelsea, Roma, Bordeaux, CFR Cluj
Group B: Inter, Werder Bremen, Panathinaikos, Anorthosis Famagusta
Group C: Barcelona, Sporting, Basel, Shakhtar
Group D: Liverpool, PSV, Marseille, Atletico Madrid
Group E: Manchester United, Villarreal, Celtic, AaB
Group F: Lyon, Bayern Munich, Steaua, Fiorentina
Group G: Arsenal, Porto, Fenerbahce, Dynamo Kiev
Group H: Real Madrid, Juventus, Zenit, BATE

On paper, Inter has the easiest, Juve & Roma OK and Fiorentina the toughest group.

On paper, Inter has the easiest, Juve & Roma OK and Fiorentina the toughest group.

As was to be expected from the pot allocations...

although I think Juve's group is pretty tough as well. Don't know about BATE, but let's not underestimate Zenit.

From what I understand, Zenit lost some players from their UEFA Cup winning side, so they will not be as strong. Good thing for us in the US is that ESPN loves to televise Real Madrid, so hopefully we will get those telecasts. Any chance of Werder Bremen making Inter's time miserable? Bayern Munich and Fiorentina will be interesting with Luca Toni.

Hmmmm. Inter are the better team, but certainly their superiority is not so big that they can take 6 points from Werder for granted... I hope that both will be safely through to the knockout stages before they meet for the second time on matchday six... and I do believe this scenario to be somewhat realistic.

Casati - Well, don't forget about Amauri. Look, it's obvious that there is a new regime in charge as the transfer market for Juve has been modest at best. Although they weren't that impressive in the off season, they didn't do that badly either when compared to other Serie A teams.

Roma will not finish better than Juve this year. The loss of Mancini will be felt. AC Milan has problems. You can't assume that Ronaldinho will go back to his old form. He's out of shape, period. Does he have the drive to go back to the most exciting, best player in the world? And that's just the beginning. There are the same question marks on defense as there were last year.

Then there is Inter. I feel they will win the scudetto again. And this time it will not come down to the last game like last season. I can't understand how anyone now (today) can feel that Mourinho will fail. The guy is a proven winner even if he didn't bring the CL crown to Chelsea. He did however win it with Porto, a second tier European team at best. He doesn't employ the most exciting tactics, his teams don't play the most exciting game. But he will give the team he manages the best opportunity to win and he has won.

Pram

Do you think that Mourinho will assault some Inter fans? Anyone who discounts Inter from winningn the scudetto or the CL doesn't know what they're talkign about. They are a talented team with a proven coach.

Inter are the defending Serie A champs so they are the team to beat. I can imagine them flubbing the CL again, unless Moretti says enough with the Scudettto: CL or else and then there's still no gurantee.

So is Serie Z officially at Fox? Were they at Fox last year?

My package just added Fox Soccer Channel and Setatnta sports news.

Forza Inter!!!

Come on, Inter has been the best side in Italia over the last decade plus. But that has been on paper only. Now I will admit that they earned their scudetto last season, even if they had a slight advantage with teams still covering from farciopoli. They did what it takes to win the scudetto, beat the little guys. Roma and Juve blew their chance last season because they lost points to the lesser side.

So Inter are the favorites. The problem with Inter is that because of their transfer policy, it is a team of egos and the Special One may be the biggest one of all this season. So it all depends on how that chemistry works in the club house. Also, will the emphasis be on the CL? Is winning the scudetto a big deal for Inter and Moratti this season? They have 3 now, 2 given and one earned. I don't think it is the big prize for them. So the scudetto should be an open race this year.

agentesecreto wrote:So is Serie Z officially at Fox? Were they at Fox last year?

My package just added Fox Soccer Channel and Setatnta sports news.

Forza Inter!!!

Palo, what package is that? Dish has had Fox Soccer for some time now. GOL TV just got dropped. The were showing Fox Sports Espanol but it did not add anything that you don't get through Fox Soccer and through the Spanish networks. If anything, I would prefer ESPN Deportes.

I have the Latino Max. It features all the important English channels. It comapres to the 250 package and it has ESPN Deportes.

You should switch. Most ESPN Deportes programming has secondary English audio available.

Inter will have the target on their backs but they may not be able to get their fourth in a row.

Roma lost Mancini but they added among others, Julio Baptista.

Milan, for all their additions, they kept people they shouldn't have, like Favalli, Brocchi, Emerson. Then they just sent Oddo, Simic, Gourcuff away..

Juve should be in the mix, but I think all the teams will be relatively close in points.

Brocchi, I think, has gone to Lazio. I remember reading something yesterday about him.

CL

Tough draw for Juve. Zenit St Pete's (European SuperCup Champions) and Real Madrid.

lots of work to do here. Anyways, season opens up tomorrow against Fiorentina.

Bologna's second goal was a hell of a shot out of nowhere.

Ronaldinho spent much of the first half standing around, but he did provide several dangerous crosses. In the second half he definately picked up his game and actually started running at defenders (gasp!!). A good showing for him for his first game.
Pirlo was pretty much invisible and all of his crosses and corner kicks were very poor. He fell asleep a couple of times with the ball at his feet.
Seedorf was very active.
Inzaghi had a few half chances but wasn't able to capitalize on them.
Flamini had a alright game and did what he was asked to do.

Bologna's gk had a wonder save on a certain goal scoring opportunity by Shevchenko.

Milan 1 - Bologna 2

Definately upsetting for Milan, as they dominated most of the game. Bologna will be happy with the win.

arrgh, WTF

this was 2 points lost. I'm not saying a draw wasn't a fair result but with only 5 minutes remaining Juve should have done better to hang on.

GREAT game by Camoranesi. Probably his best game since the Inter game last year.

Happy Birthday to Pavel Nedved.

Yep, two points lost. I normally would have been happy taking one on the road against La Viola. Mellberg made a bad mistake. Oh well, it is the start of the season. It could be worse. Ask Milan.

On the replay I tried looking for a different way Melberg could have handled Gila on that play. What could he have done different though ? Those plays are hard for a defender. If you commit to a move, your burned. If you wait until the attacker moves first, you're just as fucked.

As a defender, you take away his inside. Keep him to the left post and hope Buffon has it covered. And you make sure that Gila does not use his dominant foot. Once Gila turned, he had a good portion of the goal available to him. Mellberg overcommitted and Gilardino made him pay for it. Great play by Alberto. Hopefully it will give him confidence for gli Azzurri.