Is Italy’s European force weakening?

AC Milan, Inter Milan, Roma, Juventus and Lazio were season after season Champions League regulars who were always capable of winning the competition each year. The club sides from Italy were regarded as some of the strongest in Europe, but are the sides from Serie A getting weaker and less feared?

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Midfield Frenzy over in Milan

It's hard to rival Serie A in terms of the amount of transfer activity between the top clubs. 

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Can the team from the eternal city join the revolution

"I didn't come to Roma for the money. I am here because the club have faith in me. However, if the players don't follow my lead, I might have to re-consider my future." 

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The biggest rivalry in... Lincolnshire!

Forget the ‘Merseyside derby’ the ‘Manchester derby’ or the ‘Derby della Capitale’, the El Classico of Lincolnshire is happening twice within this month.

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‘Derby della Capitale’ - Troubled times

On the 21^st March 2004, the Rome derby was abandoned just four minutes into the second half with the game level at 0-0 after riots erupted in the stands.

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Les Blues Dark Horses For Euro’s

The confirmation of the seeding’s for next summer’s European Championships in Poland and Ukraine were announced this week.

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Prudent pessimism or crude realism?

After France’s first competitive win in Sarajevo in September 2010, Didier Roustan – a sports journalist among others – said that we will only know this side’s true value in Poland and Ukraine (provided we get there which wasn’t assured at the time).

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The ones that got away

Today, we take a look at the top five players who could have been turning out in a red shirt over the past few years, as well as one that could go under the radar in years to come.

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Rise of Wolfsburg: Can Magath’s madness lead Die Wolfe back to the top?

As a manager Felix Magath is known as “Quälix” to his players. “Quälix” is the mashed up word of his first name Felix and the German word for torture ‘quälen’. Quite a word, to describe your manager; but that’s what Magath is all about. Fitness, discipline, conditioning; “Quälix” is all about prepping up his players to battle it on the pitch. His detached man-management and strict methods, while harsh on players have produced the goods during his management career. Back at Wolfsburg, he’s aim once again is simple: make them champions. 

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Replacing a tinkerman with the Tinkerman

It took Massimo Moratti five competitive games into the new season to see another manager feel the full wrath of his forceful hand. Gian Piero Gasperini took over the vacant space left by Leonardo, who left for Paris St. Germain over the summer, and was a somewhat surprising choice for the trigger happy chairman. Having previously plied his trade with Crotone and Genoa, it was understandably going to be a whole other ball game when Inter came calling for the 53-year-old.

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The Italian's Job

How do you define the strength of a league? Perhaps the success in European competition or the quality of player that can both be attracted and retained can give an indication? Or the amount of money that foreign countries are prepared to pay to watch it? On all counts, Italy is struggling, a marked change from 20 years ago.

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