So it seems to be a FIFA rule that each national team manager must submit a mega-list of 50
players that will be available for selection for World Cup qualifying games. I'm unsure about the
rules of this list and if/when players can be changed or added (and info about these lists are hard
to find, the list was unveiled by a Fiorentina website) but it does show you the players that the
national team manager has in consideration.
One of the Italians to move abroad this summer was World Cup winning fullback (and team barber)
Massimo Oddo. The 32 year old right back had a nightmare season last year. He wasn't himself at
all, he played poorly, all his crosses ended up in Row Z, and he found himself left out of the
national team set-up, missing Euro 2008.
Big rumor from TuttoSport today (which is a Turin-based paper) claiming that Juventus have
struck a deal with Sampdoria to bring Antonio Cassano to Torino this summer. Cassano has always
been linked with a move to Juve (Bari had given Cassano two options, Juve or Roma, and Cassano
chose Roma because it was a better city) and then the Bianconeri have always shown a certain
interest in El Pibe di Bari the past few years.
For all those who have Serie A fantasy teams, here's a tip for you: Don't pick Fabiano
Santacroce. Who says? Santacroce himself! The Italy U-21 defender (who has an Italian father and a
Brazilian mother) is one of the most promising defenders in all of Italy, and has drawn comparisons
to Alessandro Nesta.
The 2008/2009 Serie A season has finally kicked off, and what a weekend it was. There were so
many interesting games and results. For the first time since 1984, none of the big teams have full
points after the first game. Hopefully this is a sign that this season will be very exciting and
interesting.
Interesting story today from Tuttosport. On the last day of the transfer window, Palermo signed
26 year old striker Davide Succi from Lega Pro side Ravenna. The Milan youth team product was one
of the best strikers in Serie B last season, scoring 18 goals but unable to save Ravenna from
relegation.
After the long international break, Serie A is back! Here are some things to look out for when
you're watching calcio this weekend:
Walter Zenga trying to beat his old team
Walter Zenga, an Inter legend, returns to the San Siro to take on reigning champions Inter and
try to beat his former club.
So it's been roughly 4 months since I took over the reigns of the Italy Offside. I just wanted
to see what the general consensus was about how am I doing. And who best to ask than the loyal
people who actually enjoy (or maybe don't enjoy) reading my musings about calcio. What am I doing
right?
Who had their bets on Stefano Colantuono? The Roman manager has been sacked only after one game
by Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini. Colantuono was sacked this season and replaced by
Francesco Guidolin and then was brought back when Guidolin was let go and then confirmed as manager
for the coming season.
When Alan Curbishley stepped down as manager of West Ham, many names were linked with the vacant
job. Of these names, two Italians were listed to be in the running: Roberto Donadoni, who was fresh
off his 2 year reign as Italian National Team manager and speaks fluent English after his stint in
MLS with the Metrostars, and Gianfranco Zola, who spent 7 seasons with Chelsea in the EPL, making
249 appearances and scoring 89 goals, and was most recently an assistant to Pierluigi Casiraghi for
the Italy U-21 squad.
