So most of the teams, apart from like two of them, have given us their home kits for next season. However, all 20 have provided at least one kit and I’ve been through them all and assessed them for your pleasure. Now, be warned, I’m not listing all 20 teams, I’ve picked the best and the worst ones. These are, of course, only my opinions – yours will differ so don’t come at me unless you agree.
The Best
Napoli (Both)
Napoli have the best midfield and best kits for 2025/26
My word. Not only are they champions, not only do they have De Bruyne and McTominay together but these kits are works of art. The home is nice and clean, classic, it’s hard to get it wrong when you go simple. But it can be equally hard to get something beautiful – AND YET LOOK AT THAT AWAY KIT. Chef’s kiss. Well done Napoli, early trophy to you lot as best dressed this season.
Roma (Third)
They’ve killed it with this
This third kit launched just after I wrote this initial blog and it couldn’t be more welcome! It pained me having to put the Roma home kit in the bad section. Then someone at the club read it and did something about it. Probably. It is pure sex. Should come with a health warning it’s that naughty. Give me more!
Como (Home)
Yes Please
Yeah, everything about this works. The main chest of the shirt looks like the lake with some moonlight or something on it. And yet, despite that motif, it’s still pretty clean and basic. The colour consistency, the uncomplicatedness of everything else that isn’t the background. It’s gorgeous, 10/10 for Como.
Sassuolo (Home)
Is it this years shirt or a 90s classic?
Promoted for their footballing merit, they could’ve gone up for this shirt alone. Everything about it I’m in love with. The design of it is simple, yet nods back to the 90s – everyone’s favourite nostalgic period currently. Love that collar on the shirt too, a good collar seems like a lost art. Little touches like anything else on the shirt only being in white is really smart too. I don’t normally buy “other clubs” shirts but I might this one… 15/10
Parma (Third)
Parma’s third kit this year is a really nice effort
Is it an early 90s Leeds kit? Is it the current Parma Third Shirt? Who knows but I want more of it. Parma should’ve used this as their home shirt for me. It’s clean, simple, slight throwback. It works. Well done.
Milan (Home)
Clean, Simple, Milan.
Ok, so I am typing this with gritted teeth as an Interista, but this kit is nice. They’ve done no messing about here, like Inter did with their stripes. This is a really nice effort, the two tone badge is cool and the little pattern on the stripes is a nice touch. Hope this is all they get right this season. Well done Milan.
The Worst
Inter (Home)
Hmmm…
Rumour has it they took over 3 millions photos of Lautaro in this shirt and he refused to smile in this kit. I think when teams try something a bit different it can work, it refreshes their style and it can be a nice departure. None of that is true here. Inter have some of the best kits of all time and they’re all just SIMPLE BASIC BLUE AND BLACK STRIPES! What they’ve been up to the last couple of seasons I can’t tell you, but it isn’t cool. Go back to what you do best.
Juventus (Home)
Nope. No thanks.
Stop messing about with stripes. All teams. Now. If you have stripes, look at Milan and Atalanta and do that in your colours. Hate the haphazard stripes here, hate the two sponsors and although I know Juventus used to wear pink when they were founded, I hate the pink accents. Please god, just get together with Inter and bang your heads together.
Cremonese (Home)
Not for me
Goalkeepers wear grey kits. There’s not a lot else to say. It’s a weird colour for an outfield shirt and I’m not on board. Pass.
Lazio (Home)
Home? No. Away? Yes, just.
Guess what guys? Lazio have a plain sky blue shirt. They’ve made zero effort here and I’m not making any effort to talk about it. Wear the away kit, it’s a much sharper look.
Inter (Away)
As an Interista… No
Two things here. 1) Was this designed by a competition winner? 2) How did they win the competition with this design? Honestly, after the embarrassment we Interisti suffered at the end of last season, these kits feel like Nike rubbing it in a bit. Pass.
Juventus (Away)
Monstrosity
This looks like the hooky shirt you see hanging from a souvenir stand in a main piazza in Turin. Why this colour? Why the yellow Adidas stripes? Why are there two sponsors on the home shirt and none here? None of this adds up, I’m sure there’s a conspiracy here but I don’t know why, or what. Just wear that gorgeous third strip all season please.
Roma (Home)
Mixed feelings
Ok so hear me out here, because maybe there’s nothing actually wrong with this, maybe there is. I just feel like Roma normally turn out in such beautiful kits that this feels a little… generic? Again, it looks like a copy of a real Roma kit. Maybe the PES version of a Roma shirt. It’s not awful, it’s not horrible, it’s just not very Roma for me.
So there you have it, I’m sure some of you are upset by my choices, it goes without saying! But as you can see I’m not biased, an Interista choosing Milan’s shirt as nice and condemning the Inter efforts! Anyway, I’m off to Sassuolo to buy a shirt. Let me know your favourites…
There are only a few countries in the World that can rival the Italian passion for the beautiful game, and fewer that can match the passion that comes from her derbies. So when the two most successful teams in Italy come head to head for bragging rights, shit goes down…
Juventus and Inter Milan isn’t a city rivalry like the Derby della Madonina, or the Derby della Capitale. The Derby D’Italia, as the name suggests, is a battle for Italy. Not a city. So what led to this being a game that would have Gianluigi Buffon say, “There are matches you play with pride, and then there’s Inter — you play those with your blood.”
Both sides hold contrasting identities. Juventus, based in Turin, owned by the powerful Agnelli family (think Fiat) and linked traditionally with the business elites. And while Inter and their hedge fund manager owners are more lately considered business elites – historically the Milanese team was considered more cosmopolitan than business like.
Inter’s foundation in 1907 after a split from AC Milan over the issue of foreign players led to Inter being considered a team of artists, poets and generally anti-establishment. This, therefore is a battle of contrasting styles, different cities and a battle for supremacy on the pitch – and off it.
The best players in the World have played the Derby D’Italia
Think Liverpool v Manchester United.
And when you add up the trophy count, it’s easy to see why this rivalry was allowed to blossom. Constantly competing at the top for honours, Juventus have 36 titles (officially, but we’ll come back to that). Inter hold 20, but have the upper hand with 3 European Cups (Champions League) to Juve’s 2. Overall, the two teams hold 113 crowns, with Juve edging Inter 67-46.
Titles ignited this rivalry into pure hatred during the 2006 season when Calciopoli exploded. Juventus (more specifically Luciano Moggi) were accused of manipulating referee appointments to favour certain clubs during the 2005 and 2006 seasons. Juventus would be relegated to Serie B and stripped of the 2006 title which was then handed to Inter who originally finished as runners up.
It was Inter’s first title since 1989 and often referred to by Juventus fans as the cardboard title (scudetto di cartone) but as Marco Materazzi put it, “We took what they stole from us”. Inter were implicated in Calciopoli but never charged with anything which led to calls of hypocrisy from Juventus fans. There were calls of a witch hunt against Juventus, however, Inter fans point to one game in 1998 which they feel proves their point.
With four games remaining in the season, Inter travelled to the Stadio delle Alpi for a showdown with league leaders Juventus, who sat one point ahead of them. Inter, without a scudetto in nearly a decade were loaded with stars including Ronaldo, Djorkaeff, Simeone and Zanetti. Juventus included in their squad Del Piero, Zidane, Davids and Deschamps. None of these players would be the star of the day, step forward referee Piero Ceccarini.
Juventus took the lead in the first half with a really well taken goal by Del Piero (what else did you expect), before Inter piled on the pressure, with Ronaldo going close on several occasions. The game then settled into a rather scrappy second half, before the flashpoint.
Iuliano was judged to have not fouled Ronaldo
It all happened in 15 seconds really. Ronaldo entered the Juventus box and was blocked off from taking on a shot by Mark Iuliano. The Inter players looked round at the referee, expecting a whistle that never came. Cue pandemonium. Inter players reacted as you might expect, chasing the referee and waving their arms, while Davids brought the ball away and up the pitch. He passed to Zidane who beat two defenders and rolled the ball into Alessandro Del Piero. Taribo West came in from behind and pushed him in the back, Del Piero went down and Ceccarini blew for a spot kick.
Few debate that West had fouled Del Piero, but Inter were incensed, seeing no difference between the foul on him and the challenge on Ronaldo less than a minute earlier. Inter lost their heads, surrounding the referee, shoving him, the Inter manager Simonini was sent off.
The controversy didn’t stop there though, Del Piero actually missed the penalty. Inter, buoyed, went on the attack and had a goal ruled out for a Zamorano foul on the keeper. Juve celebrated, Inter fumed.
Inter lose their heads.
Pagliuca ended up in a scrap with Juventus fans and three days later in the Italian Parliament, Domenico Gramazio of the far-right National Alliance party had to be held back as he tried to confront footballer-turned-politician Massimo Mauro, who had won the title with Juventus in the 1980s before joining the Democratic Party.
Inter fans refer to the game as the mother of Calciopoli and the season became known as the great robbery. The damage was done though, the Derby D’Italia which was once a great sporting spectacle was now an all out war. And it wouldn’t get any prettier.
There’s much debate in Italy about the role of Ultras and that isn’t going away, but one thing you can usually guarantee is that they’ll light up an atmosphere, especially in a derby. It isn’t always in a positive way, however, and there have been numerous examples of this Derby boiling over off the pitch.
One of the more famous examples comes from 2018 when Inter’s Curva Nord caused national outrage with a banner mocking the Heysel disaster from 1985. I won’t put here what the banner said, it’s reprehensible, you can Google it yourself if you want. Needless to say, it didn’t go down well and retribution was swift.
Historically in Italy, especially around derbies, Ultras groups agree to pacts of non-aggression. Instead, hoping to protect the streets of their city from becoming a warzone and ensuring no innocent fans are swept up in the trouble. There is no such pact between the Juventus and Inter ultras. In fact, quite the opposite, they maintain a “guerra aperta” or “open warfare”.
Perhaps Zlatan Ibrahimovic captured this the best, when he signed for Inter from Juventus in 2006, “When I signed for Inter, I knew I wasn’t just changing clubs — I was switching sides in a war.”
Hopefully, I’ve managed to tread the area around some of the Derby’s thornier issues without upsetting too many people and if you’re still here we can debate some of the greatest matches.
Yildiz rescues Juventus in 2024
I actually went to one last year, I was at the San Siro as Inter blew a 4-2 lead to draw the game 4-4 thanks to an inspired Kenan Yildiz who took it upon himself to rescue his side. In 2022, however, Inter did win a match 4-2, with goals in extra time from Ivan Perisic, one penalty and one absolute thunderbolt securing the Coppa Italia crown for Inter.
In 1961, the biggest win in this fixture happened. In what was supposed to a title deciding fixture, crowds flocked to the Stadio Comunale in Turin to see the Bianconeri (hopefully) crowned champions. The game was clearly oversubscribed, with Juventus fans sat on the Inter bench and covering the running track, inches from the pitch.
After 30 minutes, the referee called time on the game, the conditions were ridiculous. According the rules, Juventus (responsible for crowd control) should have forfeit the game 0-2 as the responsible party for the abandonment. Juventus appealed the decision to the CAF (Football Arbitration Court) which happened to have as its president… the Juventus president.
The 1961 clash between Juventus and Inter
The 0-2 defeat was therefore subsequently overturned, and a replay ordered. A furious Inter Milan were deducted their (then) 2 points for the “win” and told to replay the game. This dropped them back below Juventus. Inter were furious and protested the decision, sending a youth team instead of their first team, subsequently losing 9-1. Juventus won that title and a pure hatred was born.
The Derby D’Italia is Italy’s El Clasico. It’s the two most successful teams fighting it out for supremacy. It’s bragging rights until the next time. Since Calciopoli, the bitterness and hatred between the two sides has intensified and despite the league position, the games are always intense. Inter hate Juventus. And Juventus hate Inter more. As Claudio Marchisio put it, “We’re not just playing Inter — we’re defending who we are.”
The fixture shows off the best and the worst of Italian football, and if you get the opportunity to go, you should. You just might enjoy yourself.
Serie A is rightly embedded in football folklore and the Italian passion for the game doesn’t stop at the real life game. It extends to the virtual World too. Some of the great stories from old football video games stems back to Italian teams.
And where else to start than with Adriano’s left foot in the incredible old versions of Pro Evolution Soccer (PES). On the PES5 and PES6 games this was one absolute beast. You could literally shoot from anywhere and it was a guaranteed goal, the Inter Milan and Brazil front man was repping 99 Shot Power for two editions.
Some of those goals seem impossibly realistic but Adriano really did have this skill and power for a brief moment in his career. Unfortunately for the man Inter fans called “The Emperor” it never really worked out long term for him, but that’s not a story for today. The great man was such a cheat code that people would just refuse to play against Inter.
I remember specifically in my evenings playing PES with friends that Inter wasn’t allowed. Just because of Adriano. However, as our Serie A gaming connection goes on, you’ll see that an overpowered Adriano wasn’t the only reason Serie A had a lasting impression on gaming.
In 2020, Juventus signed a big massive deal with Konami to be exclusively represented on PES and not on FIFA (now EA FC). After the 2019 game, Juventus was no more on FIFA. Instead, there was a bizarre Serie A team called Piemonte Calcio. The kits looked strangely like the Juve kit, and they had the same players, and the badge was similar, but it wasn’t Juventus.
Unfortunately, to get really deep, this just showed how the business and commercial aspect of football was now creeping into the gaming world. Something that was supposed to be fun was now a victim of the men in suits wearing man bags. By 2023 they were back, but we’d lost the Milan based teams!
Yes, that’s right, in their place was Milano Calcio and Milano FC. The badges made it clear that Calcio was Inter and FC were in fact, AC. Clear? Wait until you see the kit.
See the difference? I know it’s hard because they’re such good fakes… But if you look closely, you can see that they’ve completely and utterly bodged it. What on Earth is this supposed to be??? I mean, I’m not an idiot, I understand the concept of commercial licenses – it’s just a bit sad it’s crept into the supposed fun hobby of gaming.
One way that fake and copied stuff was kept fun in gaming was in PES and the inventive names. Milan being called Rossoneri was less a kick in the teeth than Piemonte Calcio somehow. Although PES did refer to Juve as PM Black and White in one edition. What?
My favourite will always be the Brazilian marauding full back that represented Milan and Roma. Remember him? Facu? There was also great fun with Tachicardi (Tacchinardi), Naldarinho (Ronaldinho) and heroic defending with Cannarobo (really need help with that one?).
However, the likes of Lucatone started to disappear to be replaced with the real names from PES2010 onwards and the days of editing all the team names before playing were over. Palermo will always be SI Black Pink to me though…
Adriano wasn’t the only overpowered Serie A gem in history though. Old FIFA gamers might remember the sheer ridiculousness of Gervinho’s pace while playing at Roma during FIFAs 13-15, or after 15 when Pogba had an obscene long shot, strength and 5* skills. Try tackling him on FIFA 16, bet you can’t.
Even as recently as 2023, Victor Osimhen was the player Napoli would love him to be now. Insane skill and pace combo that meant he was damned near impossible to get the ball from. And don’t even get me started on Totti or Dida on old versions of PES.
Gaming funnies like these often step over into real life, such is the bond with fans and their clubs that their virtual namesakes also take over our lives. Case in point was when Juventus fans were spotted at matches waving Piemonte Calcio flags. And if I ever have the pleasure of meeting Adriano one day, I’ll be sure to open with a PES related anecdote, not one of his actual career. Perhaps it’s best I never meet him.
I guess the beauty in this article is the acknowledgment that the gaming world has for the general chaos that is everyday Calcio. It’s been embraced by our favourite football games, whether you’re launching 40 yard screamers with Adriano or spending hours editing the clubs names and player names before actually playing a game.
What are your favourite Serie A anecdotes from the world of gaming? Let me know in the comments below, or on X @EnglishCalcio.
Ok, it isn’t strictly week one, since there was a window pre- Club World Cup, but the main summer window is now open and Italian clubs have wasted no time getting to work.
It’s been a week, just, and what’s going on? Who’s signed, who’s leaving and who’s rumoured to be doing what? We’ve rounded up the latest news and rumours below!
✅ Confirmed Signings (Incoming)
🔵 Inter Milan
Ange‑Yoan Bonny (Parma → Inter) – €23 million + €2 million in add‑ons.
⚪ Juventus
Jonathan David (Lille → Juve) – Free Transfer
Pierre Kalulu (Milan → Juve) – €14.3 m(after loan)
🔴 AC Milan
Samuele Ricci (Torino → Milan) – €23 m + €1.5 m add‑ons
🔵 Napoli
Luca Marianucci (Empoli → Napoli) – €9 m
🔵 Pisa
Isak Vural & Mateus Lusuardi (Frosinone → Pisa) – €4.5 m & €0.5 m
🔄 Rumoured Incoming Transfers
🔵 Inter Milan
Giovanni Leoni (Parma → Inter) – Rumoured buy
Richard Rios (Palmeiras → Inter) €30m rumour
⚪ Juventus
Jadon Sancho (Man Utd → Juve) – ≈ €25 m in talks
Dusan Vlahović – Rumoured sale (~€70 m)
🔴 AC Milan
Luka Modrić (Real → Milan) – Free; arrival confirmed August, on a one‑year deal worth net €3–3.5 m .
Lorenzo Lucca (Udinese → Milan) – Interest growing
🔵 Napoli
Jayden Addai (AZ → Napoli) – ≈ €14 m, close deal
Jens Cajuste (Besiktas → Napoli) – Loan with €6.5 m option
🔵 Lazio
Lorenzo Insigne – Free agent, potential September arrival
📤 Outgoing Transfers
🔴 AC Milan
Tijjani Reijnders → Man City – €55 m + €15 m add‑ons
Theo Hernández → Al Hilal – €25 m
Marco Pellegrino → Boca Juniors – €4 m
Davide Calabria, Alessandro Florenzi, Luka Jović – Left on free transfers
⚪ Juventus
Timothy Weah → Marseille – ≈ €15 m, deal in progress
👑 Spotlight: Ange‑Yoan Bonny → Inter Milan
Fee: ~€23m + €2m in add‑ons; plus a 20% sell‑on clause per Calcio e Finanza
Contract: 5‑year deal until June 2030 earning €2m net/year
Why It Matters: Inter have secured a young, powerful striker and are now prioritizing midfield and defence reinforcements
⚽ Final Thoughts
Serie A’s transfer window is in full swing. Transfers like Bonny, Modrić, and major departures have reshaped several squads. Expect more dramatic moves as clubs await preseason preparations.
How often can one man unite the whole of Italy? How often does a player play for Juventus, Milan and Inter and become universally admired by their fans? How often does a man miss a crucial penalty in a World Cup final and have his legend grow? How often can one man be told his career is over due to injury and still continue?
Welcome to the crazy world of Roberto Baggio, Il Divin Codino (the divine ponytail). The sale of Roberto from Fiorentina to Juventus in 1990 was so poorly received that it led to rioting, looting and 50 people being hospitalised. A fall out with Marcelo Lippi at Inter would lead to the manager being sacked. A man who was the idol of Zinedine Zidane.
Baggio was born in Caldogno in 1967 and made his debut in Calcio at the tender age of 15 for Vicenza. He would stay with Vicenza for three years, playing in 47 games and bagging 15 times in that time.
A move to Florence followed and he would impress so much there in his 5 years that his transfer to Juventus inspired rioting and looting, with the move seen as a betrayal by the player and the club. After 55 goals in 136 appearances there, it’s easy to see why the fans were so upset to lose Baggio.
He truly announced himself to World football when in 1989 while playing for Fiorentina against Napoli, he outshone Maradona with a dazzling solo goal. This all came after his first career ending injury, too. During a game in 1985 at the age of only 18, Baggio experienced a major ACL and meniscus tear so brutal that doctors said he’d never play again.
Baggio takes on Maradona
It was his determination and will to come back and succeed that endeared him to La Viola fans, and would lead to their outrage at his sale. Baggio would later tell JuveFC.com that he “didn’t want to leave Florence. I felt indebted to this city, these people, these fans”.
When Baggio returned to Florence with Juventus in a Coppa Italia match, the anger over his move only intensified when he refused to take a penalty and his replacement subsequently missed.
However, his time at Juventus wasn’t all controversy, it was mainly illuminating moments. Il Divin Codino scored 115 goals in 200 matches for the Old Lady and would win the Scudetto, Coppa Italia and UEFA Cup during a spell that also saw him win the Ballon D’Or.
Roberto Baggio scored 115 times for Juventus
In that 1993 UEFA Cup final against Borussia Dortmund he would score two goals and assist his namesake Dino in a 3-1 first leg win away to the German side. Dino would say of Roberto after the game, “Roberto could change the game in an instant, he is our leader without shouting”.
Roberto Baggio would truly make his name a year later, however, with a virtuoso performance in the 1994 World Cup in USA. Italy would start the tournament very slowly, with a 1-0 loss to Ireland in their first game before a narrow 1-0 win against Norway (in which Sacchi was criticised for subbing off Roberto) followed by a 1-1 draw with Mexico that saw Italy scrape through to the second round.
It was in the second round that Il Divin Codino burst into life. With Italy trailing Nigeria 1-0 in the Round of 16 game, Baggio stole an equaliser in the 88th minute, before scoring the winning penalty in Extra Time.
Again, in the 88th minute of the Quarter Final against Spain, Baggio took control of the game, slaloming through defenders to score a sensational winner that put Italy through to the Semi Final against surprise package Bulgaria. Baggio scored twice in the first half to secure a 2-1 win for the Azzurri, the second being a classic Baggio run and finish – poetry in motion.
Unsurprisingly playing on an injury, Baggio had carried Italy to the final with one leg. Arrigo Sacchi said after this game, “He played like an angel with the knees of an old man”.
All that was left to complete the legend of Baggio was for the Ballon D’Or holder to carry Italy to World Cup triumph in the final against Brazil.
A cagey affair, the final went the distance, going to a penalty shoot out after a 0-0 draw. It was the first ever World Cup final to be decided on penalties and with Brazil having missed one and Italy having failed twice, it all rested on Roberto Baggio to keep the dream alive.
In truth, even if he had scored, Brazil would’ve won by scoring the next kick, but it never got there. Roberto skied his penalty high above the goal and into the stand behind the goal. Later Baggio would say, “I failed. But only those who have the courage to take a penalty can miss them”.
Italy’s Roberto Baggio hangs his head after missing the decisive penalty during the 1994 World Cup Final
Despite the miss, Baggio had garnered global admiration for dragging Italy to that final almost single handedly. Lothar Matthaus of Germany and Inter said afterwards, “He was magical, like Maradona in 86, but with worse luck”. World Cups aren’t just about who wins them, they’re about the players who light them up, and Baggio had certainly done that. Baresi said, “Roberto was the World Cup, without him we were half the team”.
Baggio returned to Italy and would play for Milan between 1995-1997, winning the Scudetto again. After notching 19 goals in 67 games for them, he moved to Bologna to improve his chances of appearing in France 98. Scoring 22 goals in 33 appearances there succeeded in getting him on the plane to France where he would score his last goal for Italy in a 2-1 win over Austria.
Roberto Baggio for Inter Milan
That form earned him a transfer to Inter Milan, where he would score 17 times in 59 games, including two on the last day of the season against Parma to secure a 2-0 win and Champions League football for Inter. This all came after a fall out with coach Marcello Lippi who was sacked after the game, showing the influence of the Divine Ponytail in club decisions.
Baggio’s final career move was to Brescia where he spent 4 seasons until retiring in 2004. He had scored 45 goals in 101 appearances by this point including a sublime lob from outside the area against Juventus at the age of 34. He helped Brescia to qualify for Europe and mentored a young Andrea Pirlo during his time there, cementing his cult status among Calcio fans.
Upon his retirement, Roberto Baggio had scored 288 goals in 643 Serie A matches, along with 27 goals in 56 games for the Azzurri. He had played for the three biggest teams in Italy who were also the biggest enemies. He had cost Italy a World Cup that he nearly won them. And yet everyone loved him. Baggio was a symbol of the beauty of football above all else. He was a symbol of the decadent days of Calcio in the 90s. He was a symbol of artistry, humility and perseverance. He inspired a generation of fantasisti with Totti, Del Piero and Cassano all citing him as an influence.
The San Siro, a fitting venue for Roberto Baggio’s last ever game
Perhaps the best way to sum up Roberto Baggio is with the words of Italian journalist Gianni Mura, “Roberto Baggio is not a footballer. He is an idea”.
Back to chronicling some travel again on today’s blog and judging by its popularity last time out I’m calling it as being “Back by popular demand”.
And yes, I went over to everyone’s favourite football tournament, the FIFA Club World Cup. Now, I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea but I’m so open minded I was willing to give it a go, and when my pal Francesco suggested we fly over to experience it and watch Inter take on River Plate – I thought, “why the hell not”.
The first thing to say is, I’m not a millionaire, far from it! In fact I’m not even rich, I do ok in my job but high rent and cost of living means I generally live month to month. So how were we going to plan this properly? Tickets weren’t an issue (as is well publicised) and with our Inter Club Memberships we easily purchased tickets in the “Inter end” for the game, for around €120.
But how to get to America? Seattle is as far away from London as it can possibly be so this wasn’t going to be cheap. BA were after £1600 for return flights, Virgin wanted more and the American airlines seemed to want me to fly exclusively with BA. I tried looking at connecting options if I could get into New York with Fly Norse for cheap but to no avail.
Suddenly, Icelandair revealed itself to me. I’d heard rumours before that they were cheap due to some variation on long haul taxes in the Viking island. A quick check on their website confirmed it. Around a £1000 saving on the previous cheapest option. It seemed mad to me, £650? Really? to get to Seattle and back?
Now there’s a few caveats here, that was the base fare and didn’t include my seat or luggage. There’s a generous free hand luggage allowance of a small wheeled suitcase and a backpack. The thing you pay £50 to bring on Ryanair. I didn’t need to book a seat either, as you can get one allocated for free, but for ease I decided to pay for a window.
Icelandair Economy was more than spacious for someone of 6′ plus!
So all in I think it was around £700 to fly. I didn’t get fed, you have to buy food, but that’s fairly reasonably priced. But there’s something I haven’t told you! In a bid to boost tourism, Icelandair offers up to 7 nights stopover in Iceland for no additional airfare. So whatever you pay for you flight, you can connect in up to a weeks time for nothing extra.
Francesco had already decided he was going to head over there on Friday night and give himself a few days to explore. It was a little trickier for me. Work commitments, a wedding and the Mrs being furious I was going away for a week without her meant I joined him on the Monday.
My layover was only 16 hours in Reykjavik and it was a bloody expensive 16 hours. Frustratingly for me, we were flying to Keflavik and not the central Reykjavik airport. There was an Icelandic Premier League game kicking off at 6pm that was right next to that airport, but Keflavik was around a 45 minute transfer away. Alas, I didn’t make it to the Icelandic match, but I did catch the second half in a bar while waiting for Francesco to return from an excursion.
It’s a shame I didn’t manage to make it, the game finished 7-1 and I wouldn’t have spent £45 on three pints… Never mind though, that wasn’t the game I was coming for. Francesco and I got a bit drunk and headed back to the hotel where blackout blinds were most welcome. It was around 2am when we got back there and the sun was still shining like it was 8pm in England. A truly bizarre experience!
Next morning we headed over to the airport for about 8am, our flight was at 10:30 and we didn’t want to take any chances. As it turns out, the process in Keflavik couldn’t have been smoother. We breezed through security, straight through passport control to be stamped out and headed straight for a coffee (pint).
Boarding was on time and quick and I must say I was hugely impressed with Icelandair. The plane was bright and spacious, we had huge TV screens for entertainment, the food and drink was well priced and the temperature was just right. I’m not sure what it is most airlines do, but pretty much every other plane I’ve been on has been too hot or too cold, but Icelandair got it just right.
After take off, I tucked into a cup of noodles, very tasty and 4 beers in between chatting with Francesco, reading a book, watching Twisters (don’t bother) and napping. It’s that weird thing flying to America where the travel time and time difference mean you essentially land the same time you leave. And we did just that. Arriving into Seattle roughly 30 minutes after take off. In reality, our day had moved on 7 hours, but in Seattle we were only 30 minutes further on in our day!
A great sunny approach into Seattle over the bay
To stave off jetlag we enjoyed a nice long queue at the US border (sort it out Trump) and then an even longer queue for the bus to the car rental service. Each queue was around 40 minutes and moved the day along nicely. At the car rental area, we were greeted with our first taste of good ol’ fashioned USA when we were presented with a monster of a pick up truck!
It wasn’t exactly what we were used to, but you know what they say – when in Rome…
Getting into the spirit with this monster…
After checking in at our Motel on the outskirts of Seattle, we drove into town to check out the Inter team hotel, see what was going down. It turned out to be great timing, we arrived there about 6pm just in time for some kind of player curfew as we met Davide Frattesi. He was good enough to pose for pictures with us and some other fans before heading into the hotel. Sebastiano Esposito also stopped for a photo but didn’t seem best pleased to be doing so!
After dinner, we walked back past the hotel towards the car with some more perfect timing and stumbled across bona fide Inter and Argentina legend Javier Zanetti. He was a gentleman who stopped for photos and long chats with all the Inter fans – much to the annoyance of his wife who was waiting to go back into the hotel.
An Inter legend with Javier Zanetti…
Wednesday was match day and the day began with another stop at the hotel – Francesco’s obsession – and we once again arrived just as the players returned from training. This time there was no mood for photos, Thuram, Bisseck and Frattesi all strolled straight into the hotel, while I’ve never seen Zielinski move so quick as when some kids wanted an autograph. Maybe Inter should employ some to follow him around the San Siro pitch?
The game kicked off at 6pm local time and we decided around midday that it was time for a beer and headed to the oldest pub in Seattle called Central Bar. On the way there, we once again tripped over an Inter legend when we saw Maicon out for a stroll.
Central Bar is your typical American pub, it looks a little like what an American thinks a British pub should look like. But the bar staff and the locals were welcoming and keen to learn about “soccer” from us and some River fans.
This leads me in nicely to dropping a little praise for River fans. They’re mental. They outnumbered Inter fans there by 20 to 1 and they were all over the city and constantly decked out in their River shirts. They also have this weird thing where when one group sees another group, they immediately start singing and jumping up and down. They had clearly come to party and were in bouyant mood on match day.
The teams about to (slowly) enter the pitch…
After a short pub crawl towards the stadium (Lumen Field is so central in Seattle it’s crazy), we arrived at a designated meeting point for the Inter fans. Some of the clubs from America had organised a get together at The Gantry pub just outside of the stadium.
Flags were prominent with Inter Club DC, Miami and Ohio present with Francesco and I repping London. It was great to see the fans come together like this and it was definitely a different experience to the San Siro being among American fans. Some of them are children of Italian immigrants, some of them are Italians who live and work in the States and others just liked Inter because they were in Milan on their honeymoon when Inter played.
We shared some beers (maybe too many) and sang songs, we bantered with River fans and appeared on various Argentinian TV stations who wanted to speak to us. It was a great way to pass a couple of hours pre match.
Around an hour before kick off, Francesco and I decided to head into the stadium. Now, let me tell you, Americans may not have the right kind of football, but their stadiums for this sport are nothing short of amazing. Lumen Field is a spectacular stadium, with the Inter fans housed in a large open air section behind one goal. Behind the stand was a plaza like area with food and drink stalls and general mingling.
Our seats were amazing, right down behind the goal and we got a great view of the spectacular River fans behind the other goal enjoying their day. The noise that came from them was incredible, I can only imagine the scenes if they’d scored.
As it stands, they didn’t. Inter actually played well, probably for the only time in the tournament. They had a nervy opening few minutes but quickly settled and were largely the better side. A few scuffed chances and the score could’ve been a lot better than 0-0 at half time.
Pio Esposito – the younger brother – was an absolute handful throughout and probably played his way into Chivu’s thinking for next season. His goal was therefore thoroughly well deserved. Good play by the also impressive Petar Susic played him in and he turned well before firing low into the net. The celebrations of his team mates tell you this was a popular goal.
The second followed from Bastoni who rode a couple of attempted assualts from the Argentinians before smashing low under the keeper and into the net. What followed was all a bit unsavoury if not desperately funny as Dumfries and Acuna clashed and followed it on after the full time whistle.
Heading back into Seattle post match
Inter had won, they’d played well and deserved it, I’m not sure if we’ll say that a lot based on the fall out that followed. More importantly though, it was literally a 5 minute walk from the ground the a dive bar where we enjoyed a few beers in the evening before heading back to the Motel.
The next couple of days were quite chilled. We drove North near to Canada to the Northern Cascades National Park which was breathtakingly beautiful, exploring small town America on the way. We did all the tourist bits in Seattle too, the Space Needle and the boat tour round the harbour and I’ve got to say I really enjoyed the city.
Looking towards Canada in the Northern Cascades National Park
Now don’t get me wrong, there’s not really enough going on in Seattle to warrant a flight around the World just to see it, but it’s clean and spacious, it isn’t as busy and bustling as some of the other US cities. It doesn’t really represent what we all hear about “Trump’s America” either, it all seemed a bit… woke, I guess. Everyone was friendly, there was Pride flags hanging everywhere as it was Pride month, the food was all Mexican, Vietnamese, Thai – people from all cultures were mixing.
Seattle from the boat tour around the bay
Well worth adding to any trip you’ve got planned in the States.
As for the Club World Cup? Well, I had kept an open mind. I’m glad I did. Even though I only did one game I thoroughly enjoyed the spectacle. Where else can we see Europe’s finest take on South America’s finest in something meaningful? I do a lot of international tournaments following England and the group stages are always the best part. Everyone from around the World is still there, everyone’s happy because the proper serious stuff hasn’t kicked off yet.
Seattle certainly had these vibes. After the games River fans and Inter fans were swapping shirts, swapping scarves, swapping flags, sharing a drink together and laughing together. There’s no doubt that FIFA’s new flagship tournament has some work to do – but I enjoyed myself in this first iteration.
There are all sorts of quotes from opponents, team mates, managers and pundits that are quoted in this blog, but to be honest, the biggest compliment from me is that Il Fenomeno was the man who made me fall in love with Calcio – and especially the Nerazzurri. Although I clearly hide my bias towards Inter well usually, I won’t in this blog.
Those Sunday afternoons spent glued to Channel 4 in the UK watching James Richardson sit outside a café with the Gazzetta describing the articles to us would spawn a lifelong obsession with the beautiful game in Italy. It would be years before I finally took a trip to the San Siro, Ronaldo long gone, but his shirt still for sale in the club shop and in the stalls around the stadium tells the true story of his impact on Inter.
The reigning FIFA Player of the Year arrived in Milano in 1997 after one season at Barcelona. A paltry €28m paid to secure his services was a world record fee at the time – those days are long gone from Italian football. He hit the ground running in Italy, hitting 34 goals in 47 appearances in all competitions, although he would only play another 52 in the next four years before departing for Real Madrid.
Ronaldo signs for Inter
His team mates, opponents and managers alike were in awe of the phenomenon. Zanetti remarked that he was “from another planet” and Lippi said “you didn’t coach Ronaldo; you just gave him the ball”. The fact he was referred to by Maldini as the “toughest player I ever faced” and Cannavaro described facing him “a nightmare – he was unstoppable” should tell you all you need to know.
That first season was capped by a UEFA Cup win (Europa League) with a 3-0 victory against fellow Serie A side Lazio, in which Ronaldo delivered a spectacular solo goal, showcasing his natural pace, power and composure to leave a Lazio defence spinning. However, it would be another cup final against Lazio that would come to define the man.
He’d already suffered a serious rupture of the tendons in his right knee in a Serie A match against Lecce in November 1999. Surgery and a significant recovery period had the star man sitting on the sidelines watching his team mates compete for the rest of the season. As Ivan Cordoba remarked at the time, “Watching someone so talented suffer like that was painful for all of us”.
“He fought so hard to return, and that injury broke all of us”.
Christian Vieri
However, on April 12th 2000, Ronaldo was back on the bench in the Coppa Italia final against Lazio. His return highly anticipated by a team that had drifted somewhat without him. However, just 6 minutes after his introduction a sudden movement caused his kneecap to rupture, Ronaldo collapsed to the floor and was in visible agony, clutching his knee.
Ronaldo leaves the pitch in agony. Again.
The impact wasn’t just on the player himself, but his team mates too. Goalkeeper Gianluca Pagliuca said, “It was devastating. Seeing Ronaldo, knowing how much he worked to come back was unbearable”. With strike partner Christian Vieri adding, “He fought so hard to return, and that injury broke all of us”.
Ronaldo headed to Paris for surgery under famed physician Dr Gerard Saillant spending over a year in rehabilitation, rebuilding his strength and mobility. As Javier Zanetti would say after his return, “even when it looked impossible, he never gave up”. And at one point it looked impossible. There was some doubt whether Ronaldo would even walk again, let alone play football.
One of many celebrations in an Inter shirt for Ronaldo.
Fortunately for Il Fenomeno, he had a strong group around him, including team mate Roberto Baggio who has suffered similar knee issues over his career. “I spoke with Ronaldo often. I told him recovery is a mental battle as much as a physical one”. Over a year later it seemed Ronaldo had won the mental and physical battles.
Looking understandably tentative on the pitch initially, Ronaldo was back on the pitch in September 2001 against Brescia. He would only appear 16 times that season, scoring 7 goals, but he had showed the World his resilience. Hector Cuper, Nerazzurri coach that season, said of Ronaldo, “He showed the World that after everything he went through, he was still Ronaldo – still Il Fenomeno”.
The pace and explosiveness that made him the World’s youngest Ballon D’Or winner in 1998 aged 21 were affected. But his football brain, his finishing and his faith in himself have never been diminished.
Ronaldo with his 1998 Ballon D’Or
Youri Djorkaeff once said that “Even in training, he’d do things we couldn’t even imagine” and Luigi Simoni commented that “he made the impossible seen ordinary”. Recovering from that injury against Lazio probably tops any feat he ever managed on the pitch. His legacy is still felt today, with strikers such as Kylian Mbappe and Zlatan Ibrahimovic attributing his influence to their game.
In 2002 Real Madrid and the galacticos came calling and Ronaldo was gone from Italy after 59 goals in 99 appearances in Milan. It wasn’t forever, however, and Ronaldo would return to Calcio, and Milan in 2007. This time in red and black and for a mere €7.5m and would stay for an injury plagues year and a half. He managed 9 goals in 20 appearances for Milan, forging a strong partnership with Kaka and Clarence Seedorf.
He once commented that one of the most bittersweet moments of his career was scoring for Milan against the Nerazzurri in the Derby della Madonnina in the 2007/08 season. During a match against Livorno, Ronaldo once again ruptured his patellar tendon in his left knee and the season was over – with it his time in Italy.
Ronaldo in a Milan shirt, being congratulated on ANOTHER goal.
One of the few players to score for both sides in the Derby della Madonnina, he also managed to score for both sides in El Clasico. The only footballer in history to do both. Perhaps why he’s known the world over as Il Fenomeno.
Firstly, straight off the bat, let me make it absolutely clear that “banter era” is a phrase used in modern football that I abhor. For an over 30s man like me, it represents everything I don’t like about modern day football. But it seems strikingly appropriate to describe Inter at the moment.
It seemed for a while that the banter era was over at Inter. Conte came in to the club in 2019 and promptly turned their fortunes around, coming runner up in the 2020 Europa League final and then winning a Scudetto a year later. A couple of Coppa Italia and Supercoppa triumphs followed under Simone Inzaghi and they finally added their second star in 2024 as well as competing in two Champions League finals.
But that second Champions League final was where it all seemed to come undone for Inter. An ageing and already exhausted squad was stuttering in the Serie A race with Napoli and were unceremoniously dumped out of the Coppa Italia by city rivals Milan in an embarrassing 3-0 defeat.
A complete collapse against Lazio in the league followed and meant that Napoli had to slip up at home in their final league game. They didn’t, became champions and Inter were second. But no worries, they had a Champions League final to compete in barely a week later.
Inzaghi picked up another medal, but not the one he wanted
Everything began to unravel in the wake of the Scudetto disappointment when Gazzetta broke the news that Simone Inzaghi had been approached by Saudi club Al-Hilal. Surely this wouldn’t be seriously entertained? Yep. News broke that his wife and representatives were in Saudi Arabia in the build up to the final. An eye watering €30m per year on offer should he decide to make the move.
A distracted Inter were shocking in the final, slapped 5-0 by a remarkably good PSG side and that was that. No trophies this season. Immediately the fingers began pointing, and most of them landed squarely at Inzaghi’s feet. He was too distracted, he’d already planned to leave, apparently he’d already began tapping up players to join him… We’ll never know the truth but in the wake of the embarrassment and abuse, Inzaghi decided Arabia and a shitload of money was a better bet.
Inter were left licking their wounds, but had designs set on Cesc Fabregas. The young Como coach is impressing and it wasn’t his first link to an outside job. However, he plumped for staying by the lake and building something with Como, another embarrassing pursuit for Inter. That forced the clubs hand and at the last minute before travelling to America they landed on former defender Christian Chivu.
Chivu is learning on the job, and needs to do so quickly
Their former youth team coach had managed 13 games in Serie A with Parma at the end of last season and while a popular person, his appointment has received a mixed bag of reviews.
Still, a trip to America and a chance to put the shambles of the start of 2025 behind them and prove everyone wrong. The start of the trip was only the start of the issues, Hakan Calhanoglu was a target for Galatasaray and his agent promptly flew to Istanbul to try and get a deal going. Oddly enough, Hakan was then injured and would miss every Inter match during the tournament.
Their first game, a 1-1 draw with CF Monterrey was typical of Inter in the second half of the season. Dominant on the ball, creating chances but a combination of poor defending and profligacy meant they had to come from behind to rescue the point.
Worse was to come, in a victory over Japanese side Urawa Red Diamonds, Inter were 1-0 down thanks to poor defending (again) and chasing a game they never really had the creativity to do. Leave it to Lautaro to pull something from nowhere from a set piece (as he did in match 1) and then Carboni to break the hearts of the tired Japanese side.
Matchday 3 was a significant improvement. A comfortable 2-0 win over River Plate that in truth, could’ve been more. Maybe Inter had clicked, maybe they were back? Don’t get carried away.
They went into last night’s perfectly winnable game against the only team with an older defence than them (probably in the World) and laboured from the start. 1-0 down thanks to some poor defending by De Vrij and Darmian and questionable goalkeeping from Sommer, they never truly looked like having the creativity or ideas to break down Fluminense.
A second goal on the break for Fluminense capped a well deserved victory for them and a thoroughly well deserved defeat for Inter.
Lautaro not holding back…
But at least the season was now over, a chance to rest before next year and come back fighting to move on. You wish. Inter were straight into the playground, with Lautaro calling on anyone who didn’t want to stay and fight for Inter to “just leave”. Lautaro, however, was positively diplomatic when compared with Marotta who bluntly put it as, “he means Calha”.
That’s that then.
Calha’s wife put out a message on Instagram (now deleted) that was akin to something your mum’s friend puts on Facebook mid-divorce. Something to do with trust and loyalty or whatever.
Hakan responded with his own statement on his Instagram page today ending with, “History always remembers those who stood tall, not those who shouted the loudest”. All it was missing was a black and white picture of Tommy Shelby holding a shotgun and it would’ve been perfect.
In amongst all this, there was some good news! Ange-Yoan Bonny arrived in Milan for his medical ahead of a €25m deal from Parma. The 21 year old is part of the club’s strategy to lower the average age of the squad and add some much needed depth. Nico Paz, Giovanni Leoni are two others who are linked heavily with Inter this summer. They might want to sort out what’s happening inside the club first though.
One thing’s for sure, this soap opera at Inter isn’t finished yet.
The blog took a short break this week as I took a little holiday, but we’re back at the end of the Group Stage of the Club World Cup. In fact, that’s where my holiday was, Seattle to catch the Inter v River Plate match – but more on that later.
The game against River Plate signalled the end of Inter’s group stage matches, while Juventus completed their run in Group G against Man City. So how did the Italians fare? What does the press think? And what’s next for both? Well the Calcio Blog has it covered.
Inter Milan
Inter came into the back of the tournament off the back of a disappointing season where a potential Quadruple resulted in zero trophies, culminating in that 5-0 schellacking in Munich against PSG.
They didn’t exactly bounce into the tournament full of beans, with the loss of Simone Inzaghi and the failed pursuit of Fabregas. But the announcement of club legend Christian Chivu as manager lifted spirits somewhat in the approach to the tournament.
Their first match against CF Monterrey was a chance to put all that behind them and get on the pitch and show everyone that Inter still had it. And it got off to a terrible start, going 1-0 down to a Sergio Ramos header. Unmarked and definitely saveable for Sommer, it appeared the weak underbelly of Inter hadn’t gone anywhere.
Sergio Ramos’ free header opener against Inter Milan.
But they steeled themselves, and ultimately dominated the game, equalising through a well worked Asllani free kick that led to Lautaro slotting in at the back post. Inter showed high energy in the game, the press would have been pleasing for Inter fans and their mental toughness and resilience to fight back from 1-0 down also pleasing.
Chivu said before the game of their recovery from Munich, “sometimes you have to eat a bit of shit… accept that you have to do it” and they did so in both of their first matches. They fell behind against the run of play to Urawa Red Diamonds who then sat in as deep as they possibly could and demanded Inter break them down.
Something, they struggled to do for most of a first half which they dominated and the second appeared to be petering out to nowhere despite a dominance that saw Inter enjoy nearly 90% possession. They were out of the competition until their captain stepped up.
Lautaro scored a fairly spectacular bicycle kick to drag them back into the game before Valentin Carboni sealed the win in stoppage time. There wouldn’t have been many more popular scorers than Carboni, a young prodigious talent who suffered a terrible ACL injury at the start of last season.
In fact possible the only more popular scorer than Carboni would’ve been one of the Esposito brothers. Sebastian had been starting games in the absence of Marcus Thuram but in the final group game with River Plate, younger brother Pio was in from the start and caused all kinds of issues for the South Americans.
Pio was only 19 at the time of the game and the younger brother is somehow much taller and stronger than Sebastian. Pio bullied an Argentinian back line famous for their resilience and strength themselves.
Inter were too strong for River, in what should’ve been their toughest test of the Group Stage, they dominated River and Pio’s opening goal assisted by new signing Petar Sucic. One of the criticisms of Inter last season was the age of their squad, and the need to bring that down.
Lautaro congratulates Pio Esposito after his opener against River Plate.
Sucic was the first step made this summer towards that, the Esposito brothers introduction to the team is a chance for them to stake their claim with the departure of Correa and Arnautovic (although Bonny appears to be coming in from Parma). Bastoni put the gloss on this win before the game ended in fairly ugly scenes as Dumfries and Acuna continued their dispute from the 2022 World Cup.
So what are we to make of Inter’s matches in Group E? Chivu was quick to praise his new team’s mentality and the Italian media celebrated Chivu’s “relaxed yet strategic” approach and their higher intensity.
Young talent has certainly been stepping up, Pio Esposito’s goal was well taken and rounded off a stellar performance from him against River Plater, while Valentin Carboni’s winner in match 2 was pleasing for everyone involved at Inter.
AS.com noted that Inter have made positive steps in rotation, with Thuram and Frattesi recovering from injuries and the club’s pursuit of Parma’s Bonny and Nico Paz from Como. Chivu is consciously building depth, aware of the fatigue that comes with a congested season and these games have seen deep rotation.
A scouting report from Goal.com noted Inter’s shift to a “great” level from “very good”, proving they can hold their own on a global stage.
Next up, Inter will face Fluminense on Monday evening. They’ll need to maintain a deep and compact shape, the Brazilian side are quick in the transition and high in energy. Inter’s early rotation has balanced the energy of the Squad well and with Thuram and Frattesi now fit, it’ll be interesting to see what Chivu does up front.
Inter stumbled into the tournament off the back off an embarrassing end to the season, losing their manager and a swiftly handled replacement, but they’re bouncing into the Round of 16 thanks to improving performances and a solid win over River Plate. They’ll fancy their chances against Fluminense and setting up a Quarter Final tie against either Man City or their old manager at Al-Hilal.
Bigger tests are to come for Inter, but Juventus have already faced one of the tournament favourites in their group…
Juventus
If you follow the X account, you’ll know that it’s no secret I’m an Inter fan, but I’m probably equally as big a Kenan Yildiz fan. In the Juventus opener he dazzled. Granted Al Ain weren’t going to represent the biggest challenge, but Yildiz bagged in the opener which set him on his way to being currently tied for top scorer.
Kolo Muani celebrates with Conceicao after scoring against Al Ain.
Conceicao and Kolo Muani both netted twice in what was a routine win for Juventus. In the second match, Juventus faced Wydad Casablanca, and recorded a second routine win. This was the game that Kenan Yildiz used to announced himself to the World bagging a hat trick. Well, ok, he only got two apparently, with the first going down as an own goal, but a virtuoso performance sealed a 4-1 with outgoing striker Dusan Vlahovic also on the scoresheet.
Yildiz scored a screamer against Wydad Casablanca.
Analysts rightly were falling over themselves to laud the attacking verve and their technical proficiency in these opening two matches, but the big test was to follow in game three.
Early tournament favourites Manchester City were next but Juventus were confident heading into the match after two proficient wins.
However, a humbling was to follow, with City rolling 5 past Juventus. Doku opened the scoring after 9 minutes, but Koopmeiners equalised almost immediately. However, a Kalulu own goal followed by Haaland, Foden and Savinho strikes meant that it was game over by the time Vlahovic netted a consolation.
Punditry scorn followed, with Juve’s defensive frailties being exposed too easily by City. Prominent pundit Giuseppe Rossi commented on the lack of midfield depth and called for urgent reinforcements if Juventus are going to compete at the top level.
One recurring critique was a lack of defensive compactness and their midfield control, which failed to withstand high-intensity pressing. While their were undoubtedly moments of brilliance in Juventus’ group stage matches – even the City one – journalists noted the “midfield being overrun, defensive lines stretched”.
Igor Tudor was happy to take responsibility for the City result, saying his decision to rotate had backfired. Tudor still wants the team to progress, however, stating “Juve always plays to win, we are not at the Club World Cup just to participate”.
Tudor wasn’t happy against City, but took the blame himself.
Errors under pressure cost Juve in the City game, the own goal by Kalulu and the Ederson error underline recurring lapses in concentration. The attempted high pressure press against City was an admirable tactic, City have been vulnerable in the Premier League this season, but Rodri and Reijnders exposed the breaks in the lines.
It isn’t all doom and gloom though, Vlahovic looked to be on the way out of the team he and Koopmeiners showed sparks in the City game and the consolation at the end showed a resilience and goal threat under great pressure.
It doesn’t get much easier either, Real Madrid await on Tuesday evening…
Juventus’ Club World Cup journey has shown both potential and vulnerability. They can craft intricate play and score—but under elite pressure and demanding conditions, their defensive frailty and tactical inexperience at this level emerge starkly. With Tudor at the helm, the tone is optimistic—yet results now hinge on whether tactical lessons are swiftly converted into tighter, sharper performances.
The Club World Cup has provided a lot of talking points in the build up to the tournament. And a few more now the tournament is underway. Chief among them is, who does this actually benefit? From forklift drivers conceding ten goals to completely empty stadiums and matches played in blistering heat with exhausted players, the tournament is prompting discussions.
But there may be one man, or one club who can benefit greatly from these glorified exhibitions. Christian Chivu walked into Inter Milan this month hot on the heels of Simone Inzaghi’s swift exit after the Champions League Final humiliation. The UCL final was the latest in a line of Inter collapses as they went from quadruple to trophyless in a matter of weeks.
A tired looking team and pundits questioning pretty much everything about the team. Its age, its rigid formation, the full backs… In any other season, the players would be on holiday now and Chivu and his superiors would be guessing who was going where, what was happening with transfers, who would be able to step up from the younger groups. Instead, they have at least three games to check it out.
Sebastiano Esposito and Asllani starting last night, with de Lima and Sucic off the bench, was a nod to Chivu taking the opportunity to check out a few players. I would expect to see a much less experienced line up for the game against Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds too.
Christian Chivu checks out what his players can offer
Chivu started off with the tried and trusted 3-5-2 that Inzaghi so fervently developed. At its best, Inzaghi’s Inter bewildered opponents with positional interchanges, overloads and energy. At its worst, the shape was too predictable, lacked defensive width and left an ageing squad struggling for their life in midfield.
However, what we saw last night was a little different. In the incredible Californian heat the first half saw an energetic press, quick one touch football and resulted in a lovely move that saw Lautaro equalise at the end of the first half.
Lautaro tries again
Asllani’s clipped ball over the top marked his improvement from a player who appeared more than a little lost in the closing months of last season. The Inter fan base will take a bit more convincing if he stays at the club, and he just might with Calhanoglu flirting with a move to Turkey.
The same problems that Inter struggled with last season began to show through at the end of the game and their predictability shone through. Lautaro’s offside goal was another lovely move and if the one touch football persists, Inter will get it right – they always manage to.
There’s a lack of real creativity in Inter’s midfield. Mkhitaryan is 36 years old and looks every day of it in the burning Pasadena sun. Barella is nowhere near the player he was a year ago, but is it any wonder? The Italian has been almost ever present for club and country for around 3 seasons now. He looks like he needs a long summer break.
Barella, in need of a break, toils in the sun
With a team with the highest average age in Serie A pace is always going to be a problem and with no Dumfries or Thuram in the line up it becomes stark that Inter will struggle in transitions. The final issue is the sheer profligacy in front of goal. Despite the aforementioned problems they face, Inter were by far the better team in this game and should’ve scored three or four goals quite easily.
That they didn’t harps back to games that ultimately cost them the Scudetto last season. Milan away in March being the most obvious example. The midfield problems they face is mostly nitpicking, they still created a lot, but they do need to get better at putting that ball in the back of the net.
The good news for Chivu is, he’s got a couple more games at least to make a full assessment of his squad and to begin to impress ideas upon them before the window opens and the squad takes a well earned break.
The Calcio Blog 