By Enzo Del Llano | This article was first published on Football Chronicle in December, 2019. It was the end of the 1994-5 season, and in Barcelona, there were heated discussions about the team’s direction. Johan Cruyff was still the manager, but it seemed as though the glory days of the
Tag: Serie A
Ronaldo – The story of a starry-eyed boy from Madeira
In 2004, a devastating Tsunami destroyed millions of homes and killed innumerable people all-over South-East Asia. World Television footage of the tsunami focused on the image of a seven-year-old survivor named Martunis wearing 'Rui Costa' 'Number 10' Portuguese football jersey. He had been stranded for 19 days after watching his
How Have Christian Eriksen, Alexis Sánchez & Co Handled Inter Milan?
Eyebrows were raised amongst English fans over the course of the 2019/20 campaign when Italian giants Inter Milan hoarded some of the Premier League’s ageing talent. In Antonio Conte’s first season in charge, the club have spent a huge £158million pounds on transfers. Of this, over £80 million has been used
How Gattuso’s Horn Sharpened Napoli’s Resolve
Full-blooded Italians are, much like their monuments, a relic of a bygone era. Still, they wouldn't be so if they didn't try to clamour unhealthily for their glory days, only to bookend themselves like a Shakespearean political drama. Like many of Italy's hardmen of the early 2000s Gennaro Gattuso's foray
The making of Ronaldo – Leaving School, Impressing in Portugal and the 1994 World Cup
Arthur at Barça: A Moment’s Beginning Ends in a Moment
Sitting in the backseat of a car with an interviewer after signing for FC Barcelona, a starry-eyed Arthur Melo carries a beaming smile. Amid a long list of pre-prepared questions, came one that endeared the new boy to almost every cule around the world. The interviewer asks Arthur his biggest wish. He
Embracing the ‘new normal’ will take time
The lockdown, due to the pandemic, has brought about the true sentiment behind the well-known axiom, 'you don't know what you have until it's gone'. While people are subconsciously aware of life and its sudden and frail nature, the virus has seemingly brought these feelings of trepidation to reality. People from
A closer look at Monchi’s disappoitning stint at AS Roma
The famed sporting director of Sevilla - Ramón Rodríguez Verdejo, commonly known as Monchi, was one of the most in-demand figures in football a few years back. He had overseen transfers, youth promotion and managerial choices in Seville for 17 years, after being appointed as the Director of Football in
FIFA’s stance on racism and politics
[EADF Shorts] Catenaccio – Rappan, Herrera and the birth of a revolutionary philosophy
Only on rare occasions do managers get more famous than their players. Pep Guardiola is recognised globally for his use of positional play or Juego de Posición at Barcelona but the recognition his players received was consistent with the attention he garnered. On the other hand, the famous 'Catenaccio' defensive style of
Sarri’s last chance; The return of Serie A
Joga Bonito – The Brazilian foundations of ‘The Beautiful game’
The cost of winning – Athletes as role models
With the world of professional sports teetering on the edge due to the coronavirus crisis, Netflix's 10-part documentary series-The Last Dance, chronicling sporting icon Michael Jordan's emergence in the NBA until his final days in the empire that he built with the Chicago Bulls, has been a welcome consolation during
Lautaro Martínez – The Argentine Predator Wanted by Europe’s Elite
"Lautaro Martínez is already a champion. He scores in all sorts of ways and helps out his teammates" - Gabriel Batistuta. One of Europe's hottest striking prospects, 'El Toro' (The Bull) has been devastating for Inter Milan this season, living up to his nickname by rampaging and ripping apart defenses, forming
From a mining village in Chile to conquering South America and beyond – The Alexis Sánchez story
The psychological challenges of recovering from long term injuries
Sport is a canvas for mankind’s imagination. A most beautiful painting where we see mental thought and creativity combine with wonderful, mind-bending feats of physical prowess. Different sports provide different things for fans to enjoy. Yet football stirs up intense passions, often far more powerful and emotive than any other
Juventus and Inter prepare for tense Derby d’Italia
A closer look at Lazio and how they are challenging for the Scudetto
The game’s new boardroom masters – How directors of football are pulling the strings off the pitch
Kalidou Koulibaly – Profiling the most sought after central defender in the world
Written by Hammad Kalidou Koulibaly has built an incredible reputation as one of the most complete defenders in the game. There are a host of reasons why he is one of the most in-demand centre-backs in Europe right now. The man nicknamed "K2" will bring solidity, enthusiasm and defensive stability to whichever clubs he
Emre Can – Turning his blues to Black and Yellow
The Sleeping Giants Awaken – Conte’s Inter
Italian Football – A Journey Down Memory Lane
Written by Shubhodip Bhattacharya The Mediterranean country of Italy is the cultural powerhouse of Europe. From the inception of the Roman civilization to modern-day art and culture, the land unified in 1861 has been shaped by a multitude of regional customs that transcend into the footballing philosophy and heritage of the
Zlatan Ibrahimović- Hard work pays off, dreams come true, bad times don’t last, but bad guys do
Every sport needs a bad guy, Someone you love to hate. A figure that embodies the antithesis of the beautiful game. That man was Zlatan Ibrahimović. For the better part of the last twenty years, the Swede’s nefarious attitude, narcissism, and moxie were justified by his performance on the pitch. With
Napoli crisis shows intolerant Italians must buck up or risk further damage to Serie A perception
The downfall of a European giant – AC Milan
Gianluigi Buffon – The Man who oversaw a new dawn at Juventus
How do football stadiums make money?
Antonio Di Natale – An oasis in football’s desert
Breaking down the tactical nuances of Gian Piero Gasperini’s Atalanta B.C
Atalanta B.C have graduated from being relegation candidates to regulars in European competitions. Their acclaimed academy has served them well, but it is Gian Piero Gasperini who has helped them break out of their cocoon. After making some smart investments here and there, they are now borderline outside contenders in
O Monstro: Thiago Silva, The epitome of determination
Gentleman First, Then Champion – A Memoir to Javier Zanetti
Marek Hamšík – The Prince of Naples
Paolo Maldini – Il Capitano
Francesco Totti – A Timeless Romance in Rome
The Left-Overs – Experienced Free agents in the lookout for clubs
As easy as ABC; flying the European flag for Italy
Football is back, and more importantly, so is the Champions League. Liverpool’s loss at Napoli and Chelsea’s Valencia setback have already given the English sides plenty to think about, with the likes of PSG hosting Real Madrid and Juventus travelling to Atletico sure to provide yet another warm welcome back
Antonio Conte and Inter’s next step
Ebbs & Flows – The life and career of Mario Balotelli
Chucky Lozano hours away from sealing Napoli move
Written by Maria Post a long summer of talks and speculations regarding his transfer by the Vesuvius, the baby faced Mexican Hirving Lozano, also nicknamed ‘El Chucky’, finally appeared on Italian soil. The long desired signature of the Mexican starlet on a 5-year deal worth 42 million euros is awaiting final confirmation,
Grande Inter – A tribute to the eternal side from Milan
Written by Deepankar Mazumder Italian football is full of mysteries and spine-tingling stories - of huge tifos being unfolded at every historic stadium, of how a team formed at an alley in front of Duomo di Milano. FC Internazionale (colloquially known as Inter Milan) is undoubtedly one of the three biggest
Like a glove – Transfers that would benefit players and clubs alike
“A choice that came from the heart” – Why Radja Nainggolan chose to come back to Cagliari
Matthijs de Ligt’s incredible journey to Juventus
Juventus have pulled off the transfer coup of the summer by signing Dutch wunderkind Matthijs de Ligt from Ajax in a €75million deal. The 19-year-old was the hottest property in world football and they saw off ferocious competition from Barcelona, PSG and Manchester United to capture his signature. It came
Born Offside – Super Pippo and beating the offside trap
Can Allegri, Ronaldo and Co finally take Juventus over the line this time?
Juventus have been a European heavyweight for quite some time now. Their unmatched success in Serie A, in addition to their impressive campaigns in the Champions League in 2016 and 2018 clearly bear testament to that. With the transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo this summer, they have clearly outlined their far-sighted
The underappreciated genius of Edin Džeko
Monchi, the man behind Sevilla’s success and Roma’s ongoing youth revolution
Krzysztof Piątek – The Polish Trailblazer Setting Serie A Alight
If Krzysztof Piątek’s story was pitched to Hollywood executives, they would turn their noses up at this notion and fling the script onto the pile of monotonous ideas for sports films at their disposal. However, the Pole’s blockbuster start to life at Genoa is anything but predictable. From plying his
Jorginho: A Regista On A Rainy English Afternoon
Inter Season Preview: Can Spalletti Galvanize The Nerazzurri?
Inter finished the 2017-18 campaign in dramatic fashion; Matias Vecino’s late header against Lazio sealed their place in the 2018-19 Champions League at the expense of their opponents, rounding off a promising first season under Luciano Spalletti. There's been a renewed sense of optimism around the club in the summer
Lucas Torreira: Sampdoria’s pea sized dynamite.
As the Dust Settles
Nasri and Kondogbia make switches!
Antalyaspor signs Nasri. Image via Daily Sabah. (https://goo.gl/U4ks6e) The transfer window sees another absurdity take place as Samir Nasri leaves City for an estimated fee of 3.2 million pounds. Reports confirm his move to Turkish club Antalyaspor. Nasri will be joining the likes of Samuel Eto’o, although reports from the Turkish
