###### **I﻿mage: Lewis Urquhart ([@calciolewis](https://twitter.com/calciolewis?lang=en))**



Football hipsters rejoice. Parma are back in Serie A. Get the classic jerseys out, play the grainy footage of Crespo and Chiesa; we’re having a party.

After a near miss in last season’s playoffs, a 1-1 draw at Bari gave i Crociati a hard-fought promotion on Labour Day.

For those outside Italy, any knowledge of Parma almost certainly comes from the Football Italia days, which coincided with the club’s rapid rise and sharp fall.

Standing on the shoulders of dairy giant Parmalat, novice coach Nevio Scala built a team worthy of cult status, taking them from Serie B to winning Coppa Italia, Cup Winner’s Cup and UEFA Cup in six years between 1989-95, before another [few years of glory under Alberto Malesani](https://tmgitalia.net/posts/2023-05-30-parma-the-last-italian-uefa-cup-champions) at the turn of the millennium.

> **It has been an eventful two decades since Tanzi abandoned what had become a flaming wreckage that once promised so much.**

The subsequent instability brought about by Parmalat’s declining financial situation and subsequent bankruptcy is arguably still felt at the club today.

By April 2004, Calisto Tanzi’s Parma-Parmalat odyssey lay in tatters. An allegedly fraudulent €14bn hole in Parmalat’s accounts forced it into bankruptcy, taking the football club with it.

Reformed in summer 2004, Parma remained in Serie A thanks to the Marzano Law which allowed for a restructuring of Parmalat, therefore saving the club from relegation to Serie D. However, they re-appeared as a poor imitation of the gialloblù hoops that threatened to smash the Milan-Inter-Juventus axis in the late 90s.

![](/assets/blog/parmapic5.png)

Relegated in 2008, back to A in 2009, bankrupt and sent to Serie D in 2015, back in Serie A by 2018, back to B in 2021; it has been an eventful two decades since Tanzi abandoned what had become a flaming wreckage that once promised so much.

The current guardian/owner is a very different man. Like many clubs, Parma have benefitted from the recent stream of US investment into the Italian game.

In Kyle J. Krause, Parma have what appears to be a more sensible head than Tanzi, and more competent than his replacement, Tommaso Ghirardi.

The American businessman has overseen the creation of a team built to withstand the rigours of Serie B, escape it, and make a fist of Serie A.

Though his first season ended in relegation, his almost four-year tenure as Parma owner has to be considered a success.

The team he inherited had just lost Dejan Kulusevski (end of loan) and Matteo Darmian, but signs of that failed 2020-21 season are seen throughout this current team in players like Dennis Man, Valentin Mihaila, Yordan Osorio and more.

![](/assets/blog/parmapic4.png)

Fabio Pecchia was granted another season to take the club back to where it, and most others, feel they belong. Faith that the squad built over three years had enough to go up remained, but that faith had been tested.

The manner in which their 2022-23 season ended could have been fatal for some managers. Leading 2-0 in Cagliari at half-time, an injured Gigi Buffon left the pitch for the last time as a professional footballer. By full-time, Cagliari had won 3-2 and played out a quiet 0-0 a few days later.

Less than twelve months later, Pecchia is about to claim another promotion to Serie A, having left Cremonese for Parma after guiding them up in 2022.

> **Pecchia has rotated at times throughout this season; a mix of managing players’ fitness and indecision around the optimal formula for his best XI.**

Captained by Enrico Delprato and powered by goals from Man, Mihaila and Adrian Benedyczak, all of whom joined 2021, it seems that faith has paid off for Parma. Throw in the creative vision of Adrian Bernabé too; a player with a bright future after signing from Man City in…2021. 

Rather than tearing everything down, Parma played the long game and it should set them up nicely for next season.

It would be prudent to improve in certain areas; goalkeeper, left-back and centre-midfield would feature high in my list. Still, this is a team you can’t help but like. 

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Provided they can reinforce, we should see this team mostly kept together next year, as its hard work over the past three years merits a crack at Serie A.

Pecchia has rotated his midfield, full-backs and even attackers at times throughout this season; a mix of managing players’ fitness and indecision around the optimal formula for his best XI.

While seeing inconsistency in the lineup may have frustrated at times, and it’s safe to say it didn’t always work, it has allowed them to remain fresh going into the final weeks of the season.

Last weekend’s game against Lecco was a prime example. A banana skin of the highest order. Playing the last-placed team at home, who knew that anything other than a win would see them relegated. 

> **They did what others couldn’t.** 

Rather than fall into the trap of playing conservative enough to ‘just win’, Parma blew Lecco away inside half an hour and eventually won 4-0. The gulf in class (and fitness) told.

That win, plus Venezia’s loss at Catanzaro hours before Parma faced Bari on Wednesday meant that all they needed was a point, and they duly delivered. Nervy, but job done.

Being the best team in Serie B has never been about beating teams by three or four goals every week, because it just doesn’t happen. In a league where two points per game is a promotion guarantee, 

![Parma Curva in full flow](/assets/blog/parmapic2.png "Parma Curva in full flow")

They did what others couldn’t. While promotion may have been mathematically secured at Bari, it was nights like Friday 8th March that defined their season.

Trailing at half-time against Brescia, a wet Stadio Ennio Tardini started to feel the weight of being league leaders for the first time. Their boys had struggled, with Benedyczak missing a penalty moments before the break just to add to the feeling that it wasn’t to be their night.

Minutes into the second-half, the tide turned when Dennis Man seized on a momentary lapse in Brescia concentration and finished like a footballer playing above their level. 

After surviving the Brescia reaction to Man’s equaliser, Parma set about finding a winner. A slice of luck in the form of Melvin Huard talking himself into a red card in the 87th minute gave Parma another shot in the arm, at which point captain Delprato stepped up.

> **For now, it’s a case of enjoying their success; but this is a club which is all too familiar with the concept of pride coming before the fall.** 

The right-back appeared in the middle of Brescia’s penalty area almost immediately after the red card and headed in the decisive goal, three weeks after scoring a last-gasp winner against Pisa. Two points turned into six thanks to Parma’s captain leading by example.

It says a lot about a team that news of them losing a game is met with real surprise. It makes sense, given they have only lost four times this season. Venezia, Lecco, Modena and Catanzaro the only sides to do so, with the latter being the only loss at the Tardini.

That loss to Catanzaro on Easter Monday convinced Pecchia to tinker ahead of a trip to Sudtirol, which ended 0-0 and prompted the first suggestions that the pressure might be getting to the league leaders.

Eight points in four games since suggests otherwise. They will have to negotiate a tough home game against Cremonese and [derby against Reggiana](https://tmgitalia.net/posts/2023-08-31-parma-reggiana-divided-by-football-united-by-cheese) on the final day, but four points will guarantee them the title to top off a wonderful season.

![](/assets/blog/parmapic3.png)

The city that gave the world Giuseppe Verdi and Parmigiano-Reggiano deserves Serie A football, and now it has it again.

If Parma can approach this summer sensibly, they can have a team capable of achieving comfortable safety next season, which would provide them with a platform upon which they can build towards re-establishing themselves as a Serie A club.

For now, it’s a case of enjoying their success; but this is a club which is all too familiar with the concept of pride coming before the fall. 

While chasing scudetti may be a nostalgic dream, there is no reason we shouldn’t be seeing that famous yellow and blue on our screens for years to come. 

Away with the boom and bust cycle, in with some stability.

Parma: Back in the big time

I will miss Victor Osimhen in a Napoli shirt. Since he joined the Partenopei from Lille in 2020, it’s been a wonderful journey and a story culminating in downs but with really, really big ups too. 

Having delivered a Scudetto, Osimhen will leave Naples a hero - regardless of what you read about his relationship with the fans. 

Osimhen will live on forever in Neapolitan folklore thanks to that championship-winning season. His lovely half-volley goal vs Roma. His chest, knee and volley without the ball touching the floor against them, as well. 

The goals versus Juventus. Atalanta. Fiorentina. Sassuolo. The list goes on. And then finally, his equaliser in Udine to clinch the title.

### **But what’s important is not mourning the good times with Osimhen but rather, what comes next.** 

The post-Osimhen era will be fascinating. Rearing its head during a time of instability at Napoli, where major rebuilding is needed following a season of idiotic decisions and a whole load of carelessness from the higher-ups. 

With three coaches across this season and a very slim chance of qualifying for the Champions League, Napoli’s season has been nothing short of a trainwreck. 

Cashing in on Osimhen is an uncomfortable decision, but when you look at Napoli’s squad, it might just be a necessary one. 

> **Aurelio De Laurentiis has some big decisions to make at the end of this season.**

His release clause is said to be €120m with PSG set to activate it in the summer, which allows whoever takes over the reigns as Napoli manager a half-decent kitty to improve their squad. 

The main objective when reinvesting that money is to sign Kvicha Kvaratshkelia to a long-term deal, preferably without a release clause, although unlikely. 

His current deal ends in 2027 but reward and recognition are needed to keep the Georgian sweet because losing not one, but two prized assets in the summer is not an option for the club in its current state. 

If they hire Antonio Conte, let’s just hope he isn’t used as a wing-back in a 3-5-2…

And it’s just that. Napoli’s future isn’t exactly looking bright and President Aurelio De Laurentiis has some big decisions to make at the end of this season to not only recover but to make up for his neglect. 

Whether it will be Antonio Conte or Vincenzo Italiano - giving the new manager the financial backing (fuelled by Osimhen’s transfer), as well as the freedom to build their squad, is of the utmost importance to allow Napoli to go forward and get back to Champions League football. 

Once Kvaratshkelia is signed to a long-term deal, the next priority is to replace Victor Osimhen, of course. But how on earth do you do that?

> **Amir Rrahmani looks past his best and Natan has disappeared from the starting lineup.**

They’re linked with the likes of Joshua Zirkzee (also linked with Milan and Juventus), Victor Boniface from Bayern Leverkusen and even Viktor Gyokeres. And no, they don’t have to get someone named Victor. 

Away from the striker department, replacing Piotr Zielinski is a must. The midfield is weak, and with the danger of Stanislav Lobotka being poached by Barcelona, it could get a whole load worse for them. 

Jens Cajuste and Hamed Traore are not good enough but with Gianluca Gaetano showing promise at Cagliari, it begs the question as to why they let him leave on loan in the first place. 

18-year-old Matteo Popovic is joining on a free transfer this summer as well, which could provide another good option in attacking midfield, if he’s ready for first-team football. 

They’re also lacking at centre-half. Juan Jesus is deadweight, Amir Rrahmani looks past his best and Natan has disappeared from the starting lineup for whatever reason. 

I’m not sure anyone expected the departure of Kim Min-jae to derail Napoli’s defensive work as much as it did but when you combine that with appointing tactical dinosaurs, it takes its toll. 

Properly replacing Kim has to be near the top of their list this summer, even if it’s a year too late. 

> **It’s a vital time for the club and needs to be handled carefully and strategically.**

Shockingly, Giovanni Di Lorenzo has dropped in favour among Napolitani too. He’s miles off his Scudetto-winning level, with some calling for him to be dropped entirely, albeit to the stubborn refusal of coach Francesco Calzona. 

One of the main reasons is most likely to be the lack of a capable replacement. If I were Napoli, I’d be looking at Raoul Bellanova from Torino who is a breath of fresh air down the right flank. 

Right now, Napoli long for the end of the season so they can draw a line under this dismal year and put it behind them. 

Whoever they hire and whoever that manager signs, it’s a vital time for the club and needs to be handled carefully and strategically.

It might be my blind hope but I expect Napoli to hire right and be back fighting at the top of the table. I guess time will tell,. 

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Napoli: Life after Victor

As a Leeds United fan, I’m familiar with the burden of expectation and what it must be doing to Palermo right now. 

A city of around a million people, a club with European football in its recent history. It’s no wonder that City Football Group (CFG) bought the club in the wake of its promotion back to Serie B in 2022.

For Palermo and its rather large fanbase, this probably felt like a seminal moment in the club’s future. 

An imminent return to Serie A. Money flowing into the club. A helping hand from their newfound friends from Manchester via Abu Dhabi.

> **Palermo fans may point to Girona, their footballing step-brothers, who look set to play Champions League football for the first time in their history, largely thanks to CFG’s influence.**

Two years later, the Rosanero find themselves limping into Serie B’s incredibly competitive playoffs; and few would have them as favourites to reach the promised land. 

So what, if anything, has gone wrong? It would be wrong to accuse them of complacency or having made a series of recruitment errors, neither of which the modern CFG are known for.

For all their (alleged) faults, they have made a habit of harvesting a bounty of talent for the clubs within their web.

Palermo fans may point to Girona, their footballing step-brothers, who look set to play Champions League football for the first time in their history, largely thanks to CFG’s influence.

However, that journey to the top was not without its moments of doubt and pain. Relegation, multiple underwhelming seasons in the second tier; a tale that will sound all too familiar to those in the Sicilian capital.

Reading the comments under Palermo’s posts announcing their shock 4-3 loss to Pisa on Easter Monday, one could be forgiven for not realising this was a team that had been playing in Serie D four years prior. 

> **T﻿he manager and sporting director resigned in protest at CFG' transfer strategy.**

A club of Palermo’s standing should never grace Italy’s third tier, never mind the semi-professional Serie D, but the same could be said of Parma and Bari, two sides who befell the same fate. 

In May 2019, despite qualifying for the Serie B playoffs, Palermo were relegated to Serie C by FIGC, the game’s national governing body, who cited “administrative irregularities”. As always in these scenarios, the financial situation failed to add up.

Salaries had not been paid for three months and the €500,000 fine imposed by FIGC went unpaid, and before long, Palermo declared bankruptcy. 

It had been rumoured two years previous that then owner Maurizio Zamparini was keen to sell up as the club were tumbling towards the abyss, and perhaps the instability that followed sealed their fate.

Having reformed in Serie D under the stewardship of Dario Mirri, they returned to the second tier in June 2022 having come through the brutal 28 team Serie C playoffs, powered by a 29 goal season from Matteo Brunori, their current club captain.

Both summer transfer windows since CFG’s arrival saw transfer activity that could be considered significant by Serie B standards, as the club built a team around Brunori’s goals.

CFG’s aggressive strategy ticked off manager Silvio Baldini and sporting director Renzo Castagnini in July 2022, who both resigned in protest at players being signed without their approval.

> **CFG were overly patient, based on a zealous belief that their recruitment strategy and footballing philosophy would be enough to conquer one of Europe’s most attritional leagues.**

Baldini’s replacement, his ex-player Eugenio Corini, arrived with the memory of promotion to Serie A at Brescia three years earlier and set about integrating CFG’s signings and playing football the ‘City’ way. In essence, 4-3-3.

Having just missed out on the playoffs in 2022-23, the pressure on Corini to deliver promotion will have been a huge weight to carry throughout this season, and it played its part in seeing him sacked a few weeks ago.

Despite being comfortably inside the playoff places, Corini’s job security has been non-existent since winning only once in an eight-game run between October and December 2023. 

A late Jacopo Segre winner against Pisa at La Favorita, the iconic home of Palermo, saved Corini’s job, but it was the aforementioned 4-3 loss in the return game that sealed his fate.

While it would have been easy to sack Corini back in December, prior to the first Pisa game, it may have been a case that CFG were overly patient, based on a zealous belief that their recruitment strategy and footballing philosophy would be enough to conquer one of Europe’s most attritional leagues.

It almost worked, however, as another aggressive transfer window in January brought new hope of automatic promotion. 

> **Venezia was likely the last chance for Corini  to convince his bosses that he could take them higher.**

Along with defender Salim Diakité and winger Chaka Traoré came Filippo Ranocchia, an attacking midfielder from Juventus.

Four million euros, a fee only surpassed in Serie B this year by Como’s purchase of Gabriel Strefezza for double. A statement of intent.

After four goals and an assist in his first eight games, Ranocchia suffered a muscle strain before Palermo’s crucial home game against Venezia last month. A win in front of 27,000+ at La Favorita would have sent them into the March international break in contention for automatic promotion.

However, Venezia floored them with a heavyweight of their own, as the league’s top scorer Joel Pohjanpalo added another two goals to his tally along the way to a 3-0 win. 

The Pisa loss came after the international break, prompting the end of Corini’s time in pink. Palermo lead 2-0 and 3-2 before succumbing to defeat that day, a fourth loss in five games and proof that Venezia was likely the last chance for the manager to convince his bosses that he could take them higher.

His replacement, Michele Mignani, must right the ship in time for the playoffs. Draws against Sampdoria and Cosenza do not inspire hope that this is a team reborn, but one must allow him some time.

> **This is a league that cannot be tamed, and that wealth certainly does not guarantee success.** 

A switch to a back three has prompted a total shift in role and responsibility for most of this Palermo side, which still looks rather fragile, having surrendered the lead in both of Mignani’s games.

Five games left to arrest the slide and get everyone fit for the playoffs, especially Ranocchia. Starting with Parma this Friday, Mignani must light a fire inside his team.

He came agonisingly close to consecutive promotions with Bari last season, taking them to the playoff final and leading by virtue of finishing higher in the league table, before Leonardo Pavoletti scored Cagliari’s winner in the dying embers of injury time.

Presumably, nobody told CFG that Serie B would be easy; and if they did, they were lying. This year’s edition looks a little like Squid Game, a battle to the end with many casualties along the way.

Cittadella briefly occupied 2nd place in early January, now they sit outside the playoffs. Sampdoria spent the first half of this season in the relegation zone, yet currently occupy the final playoff place (8th). 

This is a league that cannot be tamed, and that wealth certainly does not guarantee success. 

> **The expecting Palermo fans will demand better, and likely demand promotion from their club this season, but the realistic neutral would be very unlikely to put their money on a Sicilian success.**

Even Como, who came into the division with Palermo in 2021, have had to spend more than double the outlay offered up by CFG, only to find themselves a mere three points ahead of Venezia in 2nd. 

Palermo have come a long way since declaring bankruptcy in 2019, thanks to a little help from their new friends, but they clearly have some way to go before they can call this project a success.

Perhaps they can kick into gear in time for the playoffs, but they will have Catanzaro plus two of Venezia, Como and/or Cremonese to contend with. 

The expecting Palermo fans will demand better, and likely demand promotion from their club this season, but the realistic neutral would be very unlikely to put their money on a Sicilian success.

CFG bought into one of Italy’s more unique clubs, in one of the nation’s biggest cities, and now more than a million people expect. Time to deliver.

City Football Group and Palermo: The Weight of Expectation

For calcio advocates, the conversation mainly focuses on a select few players. Kvicha Kvaratshkelia, Rafael Leao and maybe Joshua Zirkzee, for the most part. 



In recent months, players like Christian Pulisic, Riccardo Calafiori and Alessandro Buongiorno have become increasingly prominent in Italian football discourse. 



It helps that the latter two have hit form this season and are pushing for a place in Luciano Spalletti’s Euro 2024 squad. 



But there’s one player currently plying his trade at AC Monza that I don’t feel is talked about enough. No, not Matteo Pessina (who deserves all the plaudits he receives) - it’s his counterpart, Andrea Colpani. 



And before Italian football aficionados come at me with their torches and pitchforks saying “Colpani isn’t good enough for the Azzurri this summer!” or “How can you say Colpani is as good as Rafael Leao?!”, that’s not what I’m saying. Colpani deserves credit, and for me, he often goes under the radar when discussing young(er) talent in Serie A. 

> **He has the potential to cause a selection headache in the future.** 

“I knew that I was on the longlist but I wanted to be certain. I hoped for it, I’m giving my best at Monza,” Colpani said of his first national call up in November. 



It was well deserved at the time, following a sequence of top Serie A performances. He’d scored five times and assisted once in 11 games leading up to the call; a return that couldn’t be scoffed at. 



Despite this call-up, Colpani is yet to make his debut for the Azzurri, but being included in the squad was good enough recognition for the performances he had been putting in at Monza. 



His exclusion from recent friendlies is harsh, and there’s an argument to say the upcoming tournament is too much too soon. 



He might not be ready to challenge the established Azzurri players, but he certainly has the potential to cause a selection headache in the future. 

> **The tall, gangly build. The long hair and hairband.** 

The Brescia-born player was signed to Atalanta’s youth academy as an 8 year old, which is nothing short of impressive at a club with their youth output. He never featured for their first team, and was eventually loaned to Trapani in Serie B. 



“Real football is when you leave home, in Trapani I had a year that I’m really proud of,” Colpani said. He was a prominent feature in that team during the 19/20 season, one which actually saw Trapani relegated to Serie C. 



Character building, for sure. And upon his return to Atalanta, it was a quick turnaround as he was shipped back out on loan to Monza. After two seasons there, helping them clinch promotion to Serie A, he signed permanently and under Rafaelle Palladino, began to flourish. 



Now, I’m no tactician or analyst. One of the main reasons I like Andrea Colpani is because I’m quite the football romantic. The tall, gangly build. The long hair and hairband. 



Put this together with his playing style and you can begin to see why he’s been compared to Javier Pastore in the past. But looking at his playing style and Monza’s tactical approach, his influence in Palladino’s system is massive regardless of his stats. 

> **It’d be beautiful to see him at the Maradona, wearing the Neapolitan blue.**

He’s often situated as a wide right midfielder in a 3-4-2-1 formation, despite being entirely left-footed. Not only are Colpani’s tactical proficiency and awareness two of his standout features but his technical ability is wonderful, too. 



He’s not your typical winger. More of a technical player, with the ability to beat a man, yes, but one that doesn’t rely on pace. 



Combine this with his ability to make late runs into the box and break lines when required to do so, you start to realise why his name was being mentioned alongside Jude Bellingham’s at the start of the season. 



His momentum has slowed towards the end of this season, but interest from bigger clubs in the league hasn’t dwindled and I suspect his name will be tossed around a lot during the summer market. 



Inter, Milan and Juventus have all expressed an interest in the past but it’s hard to know whether they’ll reignite that. 



For me? I’d love him at Napoli. It’d be beautiful to see him at the Maradona, wearing the Neapolitan blue. And, depending on who Napoli hire at the end of the season, it’d be a good fit. 



“My biggest idol is Totti,” he said when asked about his football inspirations. Gianluigi Buffon, Gennaro Gattuso and even Mario Balotelli were also listed. 



Colpani has a high ceiling, for sure, and he’s at a critical stage in his career. A slower second half of the season so far, but with the talent he possesses, there’s a whole heap of potential to fulfil. Whether he stays at Monza or moves, I’ll follow him and keep an eye on his development. You should too.

Andrea Colpani: Romantic Football

As the heavens opened, we ducked for cover into the bar opened inside Florence’s Loggia del Grano, condemned to paying €7 for a bottle of beer at midday on a Sunday. 

A tough life, I know. This former grain market has been converted into a ‘bar’ where prices are inflated and food looks microwaved, so we were not compelled to stick around.

Rather, we would chance our arm at making it as far as Piazza Santa Croce before admitting defeat against rain so heavy that it prompted us to ask: “Is this match actually going to be on?” 

A couple of friends and I had made our way to the city for a weekend of football tourism and food. We had just seen Bologna-Inter the night before and were on a hot streak of finding good food spots, which was not about to end like this.

> **A wooden board of goodness made us forget about our damp socks before long.**

While huddling under one of the piazza’s balconies for shelter, good fortune appeared over our shoulder in the form of an open bar that appeared welcoming and shuffled a few tables around to make space for three soaked football fans. 

The potent combination of an enticing drinks list and the sight of several locals and tourists eating meant we had nowhere to be in a hurry. 

![](/assets/blog/whatsapp-image-2024-03-24-at-20.54.41.jpeg)

Meat, cheese and bread appeared at our table in semi-miraculous circumstances and we were settled. 

It was still seven hours until our Sunday night kick-off at Artemio Franchi, and it was to clear up before 3pm, so life was good. 

A wooden board of goodness made us forget about our damp socks before long, anyway.

Onto the game at hand. Fiorentina-Roma. A game worthy of the Sunday evening primetime slot. Roma had just dismantled Brighton; Daniele De Rossi’s side winning 4-0 to continue their acutely upward trajectory post-Mourinho’s sacking.

Fiorentina remain enigmatic. For large periods during games, they look like a top four side, but then they go and spoil it all by doing something stupid like missing a penalty. More on that later.

![](/assets/blog/whatsapp-image-2024-03-24-at-20.18.04.jpeg)

I have been lucky enough to see the Viola live in Florence twice before and have only good things to say about the city, the stadium, the fans and the lampredotto panini outside the ground.

Few other places in the world can claim to exude such beauty and also provide top quality football. Maybe Leeds. Joking, sort of.

A trip to Dolce Vita Vintage Lab, a shop filled to the brim with football nostalgia, fulfilled its potential and left me a few euros lighter.

> **M﻿y ginger hair acted as an assuring symbol that we had not come up from Roma.**

A quick stop for a drink in Piazza Santa Maria Novella allowed us to catch a glimpse of Juventus’ struggles against Atalanta, much to the delight of the locals. Drinks finished; off to the station.

Huddled in like cattle on the train to Campo di Marte, a five minute journey felt like a pilgrimage of penance before the football we were about to enjoy. 

For those who make this journey on a fortnightly basis, the sight of these pasty boys wearing light clothing must have been odd, but at least my ginger hair acted as an assuring symbol that we had not come up from Roma.

![At the gates of Stadio Artemio Franchi](/assets/blog/whatsapp-image-2024-03-24-at-20.18.25.jpeg "At the gates of Stadio Artemio Franchi")

An evening at Stadio Artemio Franchi always feels like a proper football experience. That welcome buzz of a congregation with the same intention, the hum of a food truck's engine and slightly uncomfortable seating. 

A balmy, by my standards, fourteen degrees and no sign of the afternoon rain that had threatened to turn this night into a damp squib. The conditions were perfect.

Despite the generally poor state of Italian stadiums, they do make up for it in atmosphere, functioning barista and the ability to just stand near the pitch during warm-ups without being ushered to your seat every five seconds.

Watching Paulo Dybala juggle a football before stroking it 50 yards onto Aouar’s foot was great, as was watching the various Roma fans sat in the home end drift towards the magnetic away end, rather than stay undercover among discerning Tuscans. Before long, it was time for kick off.

> **While the Torino version still eludes us, the Fiorentina Belotti thrived in the physical battle with Roma’s defenders.**

*Oh Fiorentina!* blasted out as the players emerged from the tunnel in the pit of the Curva Fiesole. The stage was set. 

Fiorentina’s cup runs, domestically and in Europe, failed to stop them from sending out a strong XI to match Roma; a team whose Champions League ambitions are three-fold. Fourth place is in sight, as is the Europa League final, and finishing fifth might even be enough under UEFA’s new competition format.

The game itself was delightfully entertaining. Andrea Belotti, draped in Florentine purple, gave his old Roman teammates a tough evening. 

While the Torino version still eludes us, the Fiorentina Belotti thrived in the physical battle with Roma’s defenders.

![Half-time: Fiorentina 1-0 Roma](/assets/blog/whatsapp-image-2024-03-24-at-21.07.19.jpeg "Half-time: Fiorentina 1-0 Roma")

Roma started the better, but it was Luca Ranieri’s goal which kicked this game into life, his header putting the home side ahead in the 16th minute. 

Fiorentina enjoyed almost total dominance for the rest of the half, going close on multiple occasions, but the profligacy that has haunted the Italiano era continued. 

Houssem Aouar equalised early in the second half before Rolando Mandragora made the most of a defensive mix-up to tap in Fiorentina’s second; and that’s where the game gets a little loopy.

As the entered the final ten minutes, Belotti turned Leandro Paredes just inside the Roma box, prompting the Argentina to grab him and give away a laughably soft/silly penalty. 

Step up Belotti, against his old team, to make it 3-1 and send them back to the capital with frowny faces, right?

Unfortunately not, says every Fiorentina fan. Rather, team captain Cristiano Biraghi, admittedly a dead ball specialist, but also a left-back, took the ball and placed it on the spot before giving Mile Svilar one of the easier penalty saves he will have to make in his career.

![Curva Fiesole, Fiorentina](/assets/blog/whatsapp-image-2024-03-24-at-20.19.12.jpeg "Curva Fiesole, Fiorentina")

Oh well, not to worry, just see out the last few minutes and take the 2-1. If only. Fifteen seconds after the four allotted minutes were up, a wild Diego Llorente saw Evan Ndicka’s knockdown bounce into his path and caught it perfectly. 

With the last kick, the game was level. Roma close the gap on Bologna in 4th and Fiorentina fans head home feeling short changed. 

Perhaps that goal never happens if Italiano decides against making three subs in injury time, but we shall never know.

> **Should we really have drank that shot of Borghetti at half-time?**

After joining the masses to flock out of Artemio Franchi after a wonderful night of calcio turistico, we headed for a debrief in La Guerrina, a pub near the stadium. 

Only then did we process the fact that Diego Llorente, once of Leeds fame, had equalised with the last kick. 

Heading back to town, we jumped in a taxi whose driver proceeded to tell us he used to play football in Ireland and referenced various rural villages, prompting us to question: “Should we really have drank that shot of Borghetti at half-time?”

Meat, cheese, pasta, lampredotto, beer, Diego Llorente going full Roy of the Rovers and the only taxi driver in Florence to have played in the Irish League. All in a day’s work.



### C﻿over photo: [Lewis Urquhart (@calciolewis)](https://twitter.com/calciolewis?lang=en)

Florence: Coming in from the rain

The first week of March is not just like any other for a Fiorentina supporter. It resonates with the memory of Davide Astori, who was not only our Captain, he was also a leader in the truest sense.



I remember that Sunday morning very clearly. I did not wake up early, as usual. I went to the kitchen, grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. There was a famous Italian sports presenter speaking, but without the same old joyful atmosphere of a game. She was visibly touched and then she said the words I will never forget: "And so the captain of Fiorentina is dead". 



I shouted: "NO!" I was in total shock, I could not believe it. I thought it must be some kind of hidden camera moment but then they showed the body being taken away from the hotel and the tragedy became painfully real.



I called my mother and she said that she heard the news on the radio. She had to pull over the car because she could not believe it either. She cried. When I opened Twitter, the feed was full of other Fiorentina fans in disbelief. Opening Whatsapp, I found messages from friends telling me the same heartbreaking news.

> **Everyone in Florence was crying that day.**

We saw on the local news that the Curva Fiesole ultras had hung a banner and scarves at the stadium gate; by which point, more fans had begun to do the same. As soon as my mother got home, we decided to bring a purple seedling to the stadium as our way to honour the Captain.



As we arrived, the gate was already covered with purple scarves and objects, each carrying a message. Walking past this wall filled with esteem and love made our eyes teary. We were still in disbelief that we were there to remember a guy who we had seen recently scoring for our team and talking to camera. We thought he would be our Captain for a long time to come.



We placed our plant there and stayed for a few minutes, quietly praying. I remember vividly looking behind me and seeing a mother with a baby, crying and wiping her tears. I don't know if that mom was a fan or just there with her child, but everyone in Florence was crying that day.



Davide Astori's family later agreed to have a funeral in Florence, perhaps sensing all the love this city had given (and received) from him. The Basilica of Santa Croce was not only full inside, but outside, despite the rain. Hundreds, if not thousands, gathered to witness the final farewell to our forever Captain. The casket's journey to the church was accompanied by thousands of people on the streets silently paying their respect, many who had taken leave from work or had come from out of town.



I was at the first match after Astori's death, Fiorentina-Benevento, and I have never seen, even for the most important of matches, the Stadio Franchi so full. The rain had not stopped the love of an entire city for its Captain.



Perhaps it is because Florence and Fiorentina feel like one big family, or perhaps because in Davide Astori the city had truly found a Captain with a capital C, worthy of the armband he wore, but his loss seriously shook all of us. I treasure my jersey with his name printed on the back and wear it with great pride.



Despite all the murals, titled stadiums, charitable initiatives, and cheers in the 13th minute of every home game, it still does not seem enough to express what we lost on that March 4th. If Davide Astori were still with us, he would probably still be leading the team. He would have led us in the Italian Cup and Conference League finals last year, and who knows how it would have gone...



### Florence has changed but one thing will never change, at the reading of the lineup in response to "and with jersey number 13, Captain forever" the stadium will shout "DAVIDE ASTORI".

Davide Astori: Captain Forever

###### **P﻿hoto: Lewis Urquhart (@calciolewis)**



Thiago Motta and I both found ourselves compromised in Bologna this weekend. My slightly-better-than-basic Italian led me to order the wrong mortadella panino, while Motta’s (somewhat) inexperienced team found themselves trapped in Inter’s 3-5-2 web during the first half of a tactically gripping 1-0 away win.



Bologna had not lost at home since this season’s opening day and came into this Inter game on a seven-game unbeaten run after returning from Bergamo with three points, having beaten direct Champions League rivals Atalanta.



Securing tickets for this game required experience in international espionage and unholy amounts of patience. Bologna’s run whipped fervour in the city and the club responded by allowing season ticket holders to purchase up to four additional tickets, most likely for friends/family who want a premium seat on the hype train. 



The club hoped that this move would block any attempted Inter invasion, as often happens when one of the big boys comes to town. It meant that by the time mere mortals such as myself and my accompanying friends were eligible to buy, the only tickets available were the expensive ones, but we had come this far, so why stop now? In fact, we ticked a box that said we were Bologna residents to get our tickets a day early and had banked a friend’s Airbnb address as ‘proof’, but you didn’t hear that from me.

> **While staring at a yellow Lamborghini, trying to work out if it was a raffle prize or just poorly parked, Luciano Spalletti walked past in a trench coat.** 

Anyway, filling the ground with Bologna fans plus a few randoms like myself sounds like a great plan, right? The reaction to Yann Bisseck’s goal would suggest otherwise. A half hour of Inter dominance eventually told as Alessandro Bastoni’s exquisite first time cross found the back post run of his defensive partner. While the perennially noisy Inter away end erupted, so did half the Tribuna beside them. Almost nobody sitting around us were here to witness Bologna’s best team in twenty-five years, but rather the processional march of this year’s scudetto winner.



Suddenly, it all made sense. The atmosphere walking to the ground had seemed oddly neutral. The Bolognese wall of noise sought by the club was non-existent and the streets around the stadium resembled a fire extinguished by light rain, the loudest racket being made by the police helicopter that flew back and forth every few minutes. 



The whole Stadio Renato dall’Ara experience felt like a surreal lucid dream. Within ten minutes of entering the ground, we managed to squeeze through the queues and get sat down with a beer. While staring at a yellow Lamborghini, trying to work out if it was a raffle prize or just poorly parked, Luciano Spalletti walked past in a trench coat. 



We presumed he was in town to see Riccardo Calafiori, Italy’s hot new centre-back, who failed to make it off the bench in this game, or perhaps Riccardo Orsolini, a potential Euro 2024 replacement for the injured Berardi. The latter appeared from the bench with ten minutes remaining and sparked life into Bologna on the pitch and in the stands, but it was not to be.

![P﻿hoto: Lewis Urquhart (@calciolewis)](/assets/blog/bolognainter2.jpg "P﻿hoto: Lewis Urquhart (@calciolewis)")

###### **P﻿hoto: Lewis Urquhart (@calciolewis)**

Inter travelled down to Emilia-Romagna with twelve consecutive wins behind them, having scored more and conceded fewer goals than everyone else this season. It is little wonder that they were fifteen points clear coming into Saturday night’s game. Inzaghi thrives on rotating his squad and their dominance across this campaign only enhances their ability to do so, while reflecting on the success of the approach. 



No Lautaro, Pavard or Dimarco; all rested with the Champions League clash against Atletico Madrid in mind. Without their best striker, possessing a virtually insurmountable lead atop Serie A and with one eye on Europe, one could foresee Inter slipping up. But they did not. After all, this is one of the continent’s best teams and not even this year’s surprise package could catch them cold. 



Inter spent the opening stanza putting serious pressure on Bologna’s attempts to play out from the back, capitalising on visible nerves and forcing a handful of opportunities that meant Bisseck’s goal was ‘coming’. Barella probably should have put Inter ahead early on, but Bologna would argue that Lewis Ferguson’s long-range effort required a stretching save from Sommer and a pair of half-chances from set pieces could have led to something.



Still, Inter led deservedly at the break and it felt as though Motta’s hesitation in making changes prior to the 69th minute may have played some part in ensuring Inter made it 13/13 and the away end’s request that everyone should: “Salutate la capolista.” In other words, say hello to the leaders. 

> **That mortadella, stracciatella and pistacchio sandwich from Mo Mortadella Lab will live with me for some time, even if I meant to order something else.** 

Inter, scorned by the disastrous at Renato dall’Ara that cost them the 2022 scudetto, and perhaps also bitter at the missed opportunity in last season’s Champions League final, have regrouped and built a side under Inzaghi that looks as impressive as Mourinho’s treble winners of 2010.



Serie A appears to be sewn up, but Bologna knocked them out of the cup in December and they could be out of the Champions League by the time you read this. Or they may not be, and the fruits of their labour to this point means that they can take the foot off the pedal domestically in pursuit of Euro glory. Not that they will be allowed to by Inzaghi, who looks set to add his name to Nerazzurri history before this season ends.



As for Bologna, they controlled the game in the second half, even if they failed to create enough clear-cut opportunities; but they managed to give Inter a game. European football is in their future, and it should be the upper echelons if they continue in this vein.



A day out in one of Italy’s remarkable cities; with meat and cheese, beer, sightseeing and a brief ‘encounter’ with the national team’s manager near a yellow Lamborghini that none of us won. That mortadella, stracciatella and pistachio sandwich from Mo Mortadella Lab will live with me for some time, even if I meant to order something else. Like Spalletti, who came to see Calafiori and Orsolini but received an Acerbi-Bastoni special, you’re rarely disappointed in Bologna.

Bologna-Inter:  Spalletti and a Lamborghini

Carlo Rivetti is living every football fan’s dream. Across almost three decades as owner/creative director/spiritual leader of Stone Island, he amassed a clean fortune when he sold 70% of the company to Moncler in 2020 for around £770m ($980m).

What one does with such an amount of money must be a great conundrum to have, unless you are a lifelong football fan, and your local team is in poor health. Three years after Modena declared bankruptcy and reformed in Serie D, Rivetti bought the club just as they failed in the Serie C playoffs in May 2021.

Stone Island is synonymous with football but perhaps not for the reasons it would like. Rivetti has decided to forge a different footballing path for himself and, in turn, for Modena as a ‘brand’. 

> **For us, flying is not a dream but a necessity.**

The city of Modena punches above its weight on most fronts. It finds itself in Italy’s ‘Motor Valley’, where Ferrari, Lamborghini, Ducati and Maserati were born and still operate, the latter of which is headquartered in Modena itself. Aceto Balsamico di Modena PGI produce 100 million litres of balsamic vinegar each year and one of the world’s greatest chefs, Massimo Bottura, creates culinary masterpieces in the city at his restaurant, Osteria Francescana. 

> **The new crest featured a singing canary, a nod to the club’s nickname ‘i Canarini' (The Canaries), and created a new typeface for all club communications, named Modena Sans.** 

When it comes to football, it suffers much like most Italian provincial cities. Two decades outside of Serie A, a bankruptcy in 2018 and facilities that could do with some TLC; and that’s where Rivetti comes in.

“For us, flying is not a dream but a necessity,” Rivetti told Gazzetta dello Sport in May 2022, having celebrated the first anniversary of his ownership with promotion to Serie B. Having spent the final month of the season refusing to shave his beard and demanding to drink in the same Piazza Grande bar before each match, he proved he was a fan; something that hasn’t always come naturally to football club owners, but he has also demonstrated considerable business nous. 

CRSL were hired to re-brand the club, giving it a new, modern feel. The new crest featured a singing canary, a nod to the club’s nickname ‘i Canarini' (The Canaries), and created a new typeface for all club communications, named Modena Sans. 

> **While it may seem like a nepotism fuelled disaster waiting to happen, it tracks with the youth-oriented approach that Modena have taken since 2021.**

Trendy stuff, the sort of thing you associate with premium brands, rather than second tier Italian football clubs. The Stone Island Effect. Modena’s statement announcing Rivetti’s purchase of the club confirmed that this is a “personal project, not a manufacturing manoeuvre”, which is bad news if you were hoping for a Modena jersey that would allow you to Get The Badge In. That’s a Stone Island reference for those who are not perennially online.

Modena’s new identity translated into a 10th place finish under Attilio Tesser last season, at which point Rivetti opted to go in a different direction. Paolo Bianco, the ex-Catania and Sassuolo defender fresh from several years working with De Zerbi and Allegri but, perhaps crucially, not yet a head coach.

Rivetti admitted to hiring Bianco “on the fly”, the result of a few meetings with someone that he noted is friends with his son. While it may seem like a nepotism fuelled disaster waiting to happen, it tracks with the youth-oriented approach that Modena have taken since 2021.

> **The wheels of bureaucracy turn very slowly, which has impinged upon Modena’s future planning.**

Invest in the youth facilities, sign young players for the first team and chase that semi-attainable dream of sustainability. Modern football requires clubs like Modena to choose; survive through the mercy of a multi-millionaire with an open cheque book that could close any time or take the Atalanta route and build your own conveyor belt of talented teenagers to be sold on for profit. 

Rivetti, obviously, would rather his Modena grow to become the latter, but he must flash a little of the former to achieve that. Along with the youth facilities, they have secured a further six-year lease of Alberto Braglia, the stadium, from the local authority, which comes with its own complexities. 

Rivetti has bemoaned the much-documented bureaucracy that Italy’s public sector has almost crippled progress in football clubs that do not own their own stadium, i.e. the vast majority. 

The wheels of bureaucracy turn very slowly, which has impinged upon Modena’s future planning. Minimal progress with the stadium and training facilities, but that is just a fact of calcio life, rather than a case specific to Modena.

However, it would be ignorant to state that Rivetti’s impact at the club has been anything but positive. After all, they played only two of the last sixty years in Serie A and treated Serie C as a second home for almost half of that period. 

> **It might not be this season, but his ambition is infectious, and his vision is long term, and he has money.** 

This year, with an improved chemical concoction of youth and experience, Modena are pushing for the playoffs. Only one win in thirteen league games seems worrying, but this is Serie B, Italy’s madhouse league. Only nine points separated playoffs and relegation last season, and it should be even closer this year. A draw is accepted currency, and a win is a luxury.

For Rivetti, this club is a project. Last May, after missing the playoffs, he spoke of a “project phase” for Modena at an end of season dinner with fans, during which the club would build foundations to set them up for long term success. “I don't want to be like Cremonese, who went to Serie A and then came back down," he said.

While Cremonese may have returned to Serie B, they did get that much coveted promotion, and look like going back up again if they can keep up results like they had at Modena the past weekend, where a 95th minute goal from Matteo Bianchetti gave them a crucial 1-0 win. Six wins and three draws since Christmas, while Modena’s only win came in a derby against Parma. 

Rivetti had a point about Cremonese and the fact that promotion fails to solve everything in the way some might imagine. Just ask Benevento, Crotone, Pescara, Carpi, and so on, but you have to get there somehow. It might not be this season, but his ambition is infectious, and his vision is long term, and he has money. That seems like a winning combination, a slow and steady one that Modena will hope sets them up for real success.

Carlo Rivetti: Modena, Stone Island and Serie A

The Derby d’Italia does not need the promise of silverware to be relevant, even though its status is borne out of success, not geography. Still, a first Inter-Juve title tilt for more than two decades added a layer of intrigue to Sunday night’s clash in Milan.

This is not the Milan derby, where the intensity manifests itself on the pitch more often than not. In the Inzaghi-Allegri era, only two of their nine derbies involved more than two goals. The clash in style lends itself to that, with Inter’s verticality the unstoppable force meeting Juventus’ immovable object.

Aesthetics are for the facade of the Duomo, not title fights. Max Allegri cares not for the empty praise of man, but for the eternal glory of silverware; hence his modern revival of catenaccio. Juventus’ stern defence had conceded only seven goals since a 4-2 loss against Sassuolo in September, allowing them to churn out 1-0 wins like their owners do with the Fiat 500.

The build-up to this derby brought out all the great clichés, none more prevalent than describing the game as a six-pointer. To be fair, it was. A win for Inter put them four points clear with a game in hand, a win for Juventus enough to send them top, even if only until Inter caught up.

> **Vlahovic received McKennie's pass like a dog trapping a balloon.**

Both teams’ game plans were obvious. Get the first goal, then worry about the rest. Juventus could take the lead and bolt the door shut. Should Inter score first, they would almost certainly force Allegri to order his boys out of their turtle shell.

The game ebbed and flowed throughout its first half hour, with Inter dominant while Juventus lay in wait, desperate to catch their opponent cold on the counter.

Minutes after Dusan Vlahovic received Weston McKennie’s pass into the Inter half like a dog trapping a balloon, an attempted overhead kick from Benjamin Pavard ended with the ball bundled into Juventus’ goal. Minutes before half-time, Inter were ahead and their rivals’ gameplan was out the window.

Federico Gatti’s own goal was not an individual error but the result of Inter’s bold and brave approach. Only a team allowed reasonable creative freedom could conjure a move that culminated in a centre-back performing an overhead air-kick. 

Were a Juventus defender to wander up field and try that, the TV viewer would almost certainly spot Allegri in the corner, flailing with anger from the touchline. Whilst it is deeply uncool to look down upon the defensive football that revitalised this Juventus team, it is worth pointing out its fatal flaw; a well-considered attacking move.

With the names Thuram, Chiesa and Weah called out by the commentators, you could have been forgiven for harking back to Serie A’s golden age, but the financial reality of modern football means collective strength takes prominence over star power in 2024. 

> **Juventus’ counter-attacks looked dangerous until the camera panned to the Inter half, where multiple nerazzurri jerseys lay in wait.**

For Juventus, that has meant re-inventing McKennie as a wing-back and turning Danilo into one of Europe’s most underrated centre-backs, all in aid of the cause. Federico Chiesa has flirted with the idea of being the team’s fantasista, the creative genius, but is yet to fully deliver. Regardless, his team cannot afford to rely on the brain of one player to make things happen, let alone one with lingering injury problems.

As the game raged on, Inter’s collective power showed. Rarely did they look stretched by Juventus’ counter-attacks, which looked dangerous until the camera panned to the Inter half, where multiple nerazzurri jerseys lay in wait.

Even as Juventus pushed for an equaliser throughout the second-half while managing the rare feat of dominating possession, it was the leaders who had the greater chances. An elite save from Wojciech Szczęsny denied Marko Arnautovic’s attempt to double the lead in the 87th minute, while a few Juventus crosses were a mere toe poke from a certain goal. Fine margins; the difference in a title race. 

With Inter holding on to win, they are now firmly in the driving seat. It is February and they have lost once all season, to Sassuolo in September, and have conceded only ten goals. While four points is by no means insurmountable, it does seem unlikely that Inter fail to win it from here.

They are the best team in Italy, and not far off it in Europe either. Questions over their attacking depth remain, but this is a team coached by a man who has mastered the art of rotation, and has demonstrated aptitude in managing big games. Perhaps the Derby d’Italia title race ended just as quickly as it began, but knowing Serie A, one cannot rule out a twist ahead.

On the night, Juventus blinked first and Inter asked questions of Allegri’s system that it could not answer. As for the scudetto, who blinks next will go a long way to determining whether Inter get that second star. It is Inter’s title to win, but also to lose.