Finish the season with honour’ AC Milan boss Leonardo has proclaimed, but the Serie A season cannot finish soon enough for the Rossoneri as the 3-1 defeat inflicted by Palermo brought home some stark realisations for AC Milan and their supporters.
The third place side travelled to Sicily to face Delio Rossi’s Palermo team who are in the fight for fourth place and in some scintillating form, whilst also showing magnificent team spirit the weekend previous by coming back from two goals down against Cagliari.
As the Aquile go from strength to the Diavolo seem to have run out of steam during the final furlong. Leonardo’s team selection on Saturday again brought home the distinct lack of depth and quality in the Milan set-up. There were four full-backs in the first eleven, Marek Jankulovski, Massimo Oddo, Luca Antonini and Gianluca Zambrotta. Two of which were played out of position – Oddo at centre back and Jankulovski in midfield.
Defensively Milan are awash with old, unreliable players, Giuseppe Favalli being a case in point and miss the injured Alessandro Nesta more than a fat cop misses a donut. Delving further into the squad, four of the six outfield players on the substitutes bench were from the primavera side, thus supplementing the argument for more squad depth.
Not that I want to demean any of the youngsters as they are a quality bunch of players shown by the fact they have reached the Coppa Italia Final and are second in the Primavera Championship, but I would expect these young players to be blooded in slowly and having to earn their place in one of the most prestigious in the peninsula.
But having made the point about investment needed in the club time and time again, it looks as if Milan will be having a quiet summer as vice-president of the club Adriano Galliani has said, “I wanted to reinforce the structure of the youth sector to get it back to a very high level. We can confirm that a new era began for the Rossoneri's academy in the summer of 2009. We'll keep investing a lot in the youth sector.”
So it looks likely a complete first team squad overhaul that is well overdue will be put off for another season, this backed up by Galliani’s statement after the AC Milan annual general meeting where he said, "We will not be selling any stars. Certainly not Pato, certainly not Thiago Silva, Certainly not Ronaldinho, Huntelaar and Borriello.”
He continued, "Silvio Berlusconi loves Milan, but he will not spend €810m in five years like Inter did."
No ins and no outs according to Galliani, the same man who proclaimed Kaka would not be sold last summer.
Having said that some minor points of speculation regarding the Milan strikers has been doing the rounds recently. First Pato is rumoured to be leaving for either Real Madrid or Chelsea and Huntelaar, who has constantly been liked with the Premier League since his arrival at the San Siro, is once again being linked with a move away, this time to Manchester United in part-exchange for Dimitar Berbatov.
If Milan let Pato go, it would be a clear signal from the hierarchy Milan are now a selling club as the €50 million he would bring in, would not be spent on reinforcing the team, more likely used to balance the books at Via Turati.
Finally we come to the future of Leonardo. Unhappy at the numerous jibes from Silvio Berlusconi about his tactics, the Brazilian looks increasingly likely to be out of the Milan hot seat this summer.
Unhappy with lack of funds to strengthen, coupled with his family being in Brazil, the end of the road seems neigh.
Some tifosi cannot wait for the summer but it may prove to be another summer of disappointment for the long-suffering Rossoneri fans.
Sunday, 25 April 2010
Saturday, 24 April 2010
Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur: Preview
The twists and turns of the Premier League continue and thanks to the ‘Ginger Ninja’ Paul Scholes Manchester United are still in the title hunt, but credit must also go to this weeks visitors Tottenham Hotspur, who travel to Old Trafford as conquerors of Chelsea, thus reigniting the title race.
This game is of monumental importance to both clubs, United have to win to keep pace with Chelsea and Spurs need to win to make sure Manchester City don’t overtake them in the race for fourth. It promises to be an effervescent affair.
This game is of monumental importance to both clubs, United have to win to keep pace with Chelsea and Spurs need to win to make sure Manchester City don’t overtake them in the race for fourth. It promises to be an effervescent affair.
Serie A Week 35 Preview: Roma Look to Extend Lead at the Top of Serie A
Serie A is certainly hotting up and Gironata 35 is here!
AS Roma will be buoyed by Derby victory and safe passage through to the Coppa Italia final after a 2-1 aggregate win over Udinese. Not many of the first team regulars started the midweek match as the tinkerman; Claudio Ranieri worked his magic in anticipation of Sampdoria’s visit to the Olimpico on Sunday evening.
Unbeaten in 23 league matches, Roma will face the toughest of their remaining four games. Will Ranieri leave out Francesco Totti? With Claudio you never know, it may prove to be another masterstroke reminiscent of his substitutions during the derby.
The Blucerchiati are in great form after victories over Genoa and AC Milan respectively, which propelled them to fourth position in the league table. To add spice to the match, former Romanista, Antonio Cassano will be hoping to dent Roma’s Scudetto challenge while further enhancing his own team’s claim for a Champions League berth.
Challenging Samp for fourth spot are Palermo, the Sicilians have laid claim to the coveted position since late February, but had to relinquish control last weekend, so the visit of Milan will likely prove a stern test for the Rosanero. Milan though are in terrible form, and have only won once in the last five. Notably, Palermo have only lost once at home to Milan in six years.
Change is on the horizon for Milan, third place is all but secure and there are rumours of unhappiness with players and manager. Leonardo is apparently sick and tired of Owner, Silvio Berlusconi’s constant tactical jibes, plus Ronaldinho has been asked to take a pay cut; all is not well with the Rossoneri.
Couple this with a defensive crisis which could mean Massimo Oddo playing in central defence, there is little reason for the Diavolo to be optimistic.
Meanwhile, Inter play host to Atalanta on Saturday evening. The Nerazzurri will no doubt have half an eye on the Champions League second leg and could well be feeling the after effects of Tuesdays match considering the effort they had to put in against Barcelona. Atalanta on the other hand will be fighting for their lives as relegation looms large.
The shadow of Balotelli will be cast over Inter, as Super Mario had another tantrum on Tuesday resulting in exclusion from this match squad. His future uncertain, his talent undoubted, but harnessing this appears difficult. Jose Mourinho may look to rest a few of his players as well, which will certainly favour Atalanta, who themselves are playing wonderfully.
Defeats to Juventus and Roma were harsh, but the Orobici have remained defiant and are one of the form teams in Serie A, so expect a tough game for Inter, who may well drop more points as they continue to prioritise Europe.
Other fixtures:
Bologna - Parma
Fiorentina - Chievo
Genoa - Lazio
Juventus - Bari
Livorno - Catania
Napoli - Cagliari
Udinese - Siena
AS Roma will be buoyed by Derby victory and safe passage through to the Coppa Italia final after a 2-1 aggregate win over Udinese. Not many of the first team regulars started the midweek match as the tinkerman; Claudio Ranieri worked his magic in anticipation of Sampdoria’s visit to the Olimpico on Sunday evening.
Unbeaten in 23 league matches, Roma will face the toughest of their remaining four games. Will Ranieri leave out Francesco Totti? With Claudio you never know, it may prove to be another masterstroke reminiscent of his substitutions during the derby.
The Blucerchiati are in great form after victories over Genoa and AC Milan respectively, which propelled them to fourth position in the league table. To add spice to the match, former Romanista, Antonio Cassano will be hoping to dent Roma’s Scudetto challenge while further enhancing his own team’s claim for a Champions League berth.
Challenging Samp for fourth spot are Palermo, the Sicilians have laid claim to the coveted position since late February, but had to relinquish control last weekend, so the visit of Milan will likely prove a stern test for the Rosanero. Milan though are in terrible form, and have only won once in the last five. Notably, Palermo have only lost once at home to Milan in six years.
Change is on the horizon for Milan, third place is all but secure and there are rumours of unhappiness with players and manager. Leonardo is apparently sick and tired of Owner, Silvio Berlusconi’s constant tactical jibes, plus Ronaldinho has been asked to take a pay cut; all is not well with the Rossoneri.
Couple this with a defensive crisis which could mean Massimo Oddo playing in central defence, there is little reason for the Diavolo to be optimistic.
Meanwhile, Inter play host to Atalanta on Saturday evening. The Nerazzurri will no doubt have half an eye on the Champions League second leg and could well be feeling the after effects of Tuesdays match considering the effort they had to put in against Barcelona. Atalanta on the other hand will be fighting for their lives as relegation looms large.
The shadow of Balotelli will be cast over Inter, as Super Mario had another tantrum on Tuesday resulting in exclusion from this match squad. His future uncertain, his talent undoubted, but harnessing this appears difficult. Jose Mourinho may look to rest a few of his players as well, which will certainly favour Atalanta, who themselves are playing wonderfully.
Defeats to Juventus and Roma were harsh, but the Orobici have remained defiant and are one of the form teams in Serie A, so expect a tough game for Inter, who may well drop more points as they continue to prioritise Europe.
Other fixtures:
Bologna - Parma
Fiorentina - Chievo
Genoa - Lazio
Juventus - Bari
Livorno - Catania
Napoli - Cagliari
Udinese - Siena
Saturday, 17 April 2010
Manchester City vs Manchester United: Preview
Prior to the Blackburn match last weekend few of us would have thought things could have gotten any worse, but they did. A disappointing draw at Ewood Park matched by a lacklustre performance, the title now seems like a distant, fading dream.
Next up are our neighbours from across town, Manchester City who are in their own battle, that for fourth place. We managed a 4-3 victory in the reverse fixture at Old Trafford, but Eastlands will be a tough place to go, especially considering the form Roberto Mancini has his charges in.
Next up are our neighbours from across town, Manchester City who are in their own battle, that for fourth place. We managed a 4-3 victory in the reverse fixture at Old Trafford, but Eastlands will be a tough place to go, especially considering the form Roberto Mancini has his charges in.
Monday, 12 April 2010
Sampdoria Pip Genoa in the Derby della Lanterna
As week 33 in Serie A drew to a close we were treated to a magnificent Derby della Lanterna between Genoa and Sampdoria. Both teams have European ambitions, the Rossoblu are looking to gain Europa League qualification, while the Blucerchiati are in the running to claim a Champions League spot. The game at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris kicked off just over fifteen minutes late due to traffic delaying the arrival of both side, but it was certainly a match worth waiting for.
Sampdoria took the earlier initiative and were in complete control from the off, and had early chances through a Daniele Gastaldello header and a Stefano Guberti volley from the edge of the 18-yard box which forced Genoa’s stand in goalkeeper, Alessio Scarpi into a magnificent save.
The deadlock was broken soon after and to be fair it had been on the cards as Samp were putting sustained pressure on the Genoa defence, and it was Antonio Cassano who got the goal as he nodded in a Stefano Lucchini cross-box header.
Tensions threatened to spillover as a number of reckless challenges began to fly in.
Genoa did score though as Giuseppe Sculli fired in a thunderous volley but he was correctly deemed offside.
Following the half-time interval, it was Genoa who were taking control of the tie, wave after wave of Grifone attacks were thwarted by a stubborn Sampdoria defence with Marco Storari making a number of saves.
In the final minute of the match Genoa had the chance to rescue a point as Salvatore Bocchetti rose unchallenged in the Samp penalty area, but could only put his header wide.
Sampdoria coach Gigi Del Neri was in buoyant mood following the final whistle: “It was a great victory in front of a wonderful crowd,” stated Del Neri.
“We learned from the mistakes of the past and didn’t allow Genoa any space to hurt us.” He continued
“Now we want to keep hold of fourth place. We are the favourites for that Champions League spot and I hope we can maintain it until the end of the season.”
But the Genoa boss Gian Piero Gasperini was not so complimentary:“Genoa overall had a good game, perhaps they were even the better side compared to Sampdoria, who made the most of the goal and built their performance on that.
“To be perfectly honest, I am struggling to remember any other scoring opportunities Samp had.” He continued.
“We did our best and were the only ones to create chances, especially in the second half. An equaliser could’ve transformed the game, but at the end of the day the result does not reflect the whole match.”
Genoa now lie tenth, six points behind Juventus in the race for a Europa League spot, so it will take a minor miracle for the Rossoblu to reach Europe once more and facing some tough teams in the coming weeks, a top half finish may be the best Gasperini can hope for.
Sampdoria on the other hand are still in the hunt for fourth spot, level on point with Palermo the current occupiers of fourth place, but Samp do have a difficult run-in. AC Milan and AS Roma are next up for Del Neri, then a potential Champions League decider in week 37 with Palermo.
Sampdoria took the earlier initiative and were in complete control from the off, and had early chances through a Daniele Gastaldello header and a Stefano Guberti volley from the edge of the 18-yard box which forced Genoa’s stand in goalkeeper, Alessio Scarpi into a magnificent save.
The deadlock was broken soon after and to be fair it had been on the cards as Samp were putting sustained pressure on the Genoa defence, and it was Antonio Cassano who got the goal as he nodded in a Stefano Lucchini cross-box header.
Tensions threatened to spillover as a number of reckless challenges began to fly in.
Genoa did score though as Giuseppe Sculli fired in a thunderous volley but he was correctly deemed offside.
Following the half-time interval, it was Genoa who were taking control of the tie, wave after wave of Grifone attacks were thwarted by a stubborn Sampdoria defence with Marco Storari making a number of saves.
In the final minute of the match Genoa had the chance to rescue a point as Salvatore Bocchetti rose unchallenged in the Samp penalty area, but could only put his header wide.
Sampdoria coach Gigi Del Neri was in buoyant mood following the final whistle: “It was a great victory in front of a wonderful crowd,” stated Del Neri.
“We learned from the mistakes of the past and didn’t allow Genoa any space to hurt us.” He continued
“Now we want to keep hold of fourth place. We are the favourites for that Champions League spot and I hope we can maintain it until the end of the season.”
But the Genoa boss Gian Piero Gasperini was not so complimentary:“Genoa overall had a good game, perhaps they were even the better side compared to Sampdoria, who made the most of the goal and built their performance on that.
“To be perfectly honest, I am struggling to remember any other scoring opportunities Samp had.” He continued.
“We did our best and were the only ones to create chances, especially in the second half. An equaliser could’ve transformed the game, but at the end of the day the result does not reflect the whole match.”
Genoa now lie tenth, six points behind Juventus in the race for a Europa League spot, so it will take a minor miracle for the Rossoblu to reach Europe once more and facing some tough teams in the coming weeks, a top half finish may be the best Gasperini can hope for.
Sampdoria on the other hand are still in the hunt for fourth spot, level on point with Palermo the current occupiers of fourth place, but Samp do have a difficult run-in. AC Milan and AS Roma are next up for Del Neri, then a potential Champions League decider in week 37 with Palermo.
Saturday, 10 April 2010
Blackburn Rovers vs Manchester United: Preview
The last week has been a tough one for many of us Manchester United fans, but look no further as we have a Premier League fixture against Blackburn Rovers to contend with. A visit to Ewood Park is probably not the easiest of tasks considering the last seven days. Sir Alex Ferguson will surely be hoping there are none of these typical Germans in Sam Allardyce’s line up come Sunday.
We have had a terrible time of it recently, first the defeat to Chelsea, a miraculous recovery from Wayne Rooney and then a controversial sending off which led to Bayern Munich snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. Surely the lads will be 100 per cent focussed on overtaking league leaders Chelsea.
We have had a terrible time of it recently, first the defeat to Chelsea, a miraculous recovery from Wayne Rooney and then a controversial sending off which led to Bayern Munich snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. Surely the lads will be 100 per cent focussed on overtaking league leaders Chelsea.
Wednesday, 7 April 2010
Manchester United vs Bayern Munich: Preview
The second-leg of the Champions League quarter-final is almost upon us, and their will be much anticipation over an encounter that could in theory make or break out season. Manchester United welcome Bayern Munich to Old Trafford hoping that the 2-1 first leg defeat can be overturned, and the ‘spirit of 1999’ rekindled.
It promises to be very tough indeed, both teams are dangerous on the attack but also partook in top-of-the-table clashes over the weekend. United lost their encounter with title rivals Chelsea, but Bayern were victorious over Schalke and even played a large part of the game with ten men. So United will be aware of the threat they pose especially with the attacking talent they have.
It promises to be very tough indeed, both teams are dangerous on the attack but also partook in top-of-the-table clashes over the weekend. United lost their encounter with title rivals Chelsea, but Bayern were victorious over Schalke and even played a large part of the game with ten men. So United will be aware of the threat they pose especially with the attacking talent they have.
Tuesday, 6 April 2010
CSKA Moscow vs Inter Milan: Champions League 2nd Leg Preview
The Champions League rolls around once more and Inter travel to Moscow for the quarter-final second leg against CSKA. The Italian champions hold a 1-0 lead going into the game at the Luzhniki Stadium.
In the first leg Inter could have scored a couple more, especially in the second half when they were particularly wasteful in front of goal. Though, it must be remembered CSKA were extremely dangerous for the first 45 minutes especially through dynamic winger Milos Krasic, while centre midfielder Evgeni Aldonin was also a dominating force in the middle of the park. A tough game lies ahead for the Nerazzurri.
Going into the match Inter welcome back ‘Super’ Mario Balotelli who was also included and scored in the weekend’s 3-0 victory over Bologna. The 19 year-old striker had been in a well-publicised spat with the club and Jose Mourinho, but he has since apologised so should find a place on the bench in Moscow.
There have been concerns over Wesley Sneijder fitness as he injured a foot in training on Tuesday, though Jose Mourinho has confirmed he will play.
There have been concerns over the synthetic pitch at the Luzhniki, but Mourinho has been quick to extinguish any talk of it having a negative effect on the game, "We know how we want to play there, aware of the difficulties regarding the opposition and the artificial pitch, which will be a first for everyone," said Mourinho.
Inter, incidentally have scored in every away game, bar one, in the Champions League this season.
They will go into the game with Maicon and Lucio restored to the defence along with captain Javier Zanetti; all three missed the weekend’s match through suspension.
CSKA on the other hand are playing in their first ever Champions League quarter-final, though they will be confident they can overturn the 1 goal deficit. Though they will have to do it without the aforementioned Krasic and Aldonin, who are both suspended for the match after picking up bookings in the first leg.
Young starlet Alan Dzagoev is likely to be drafted into the first eleven and it could be his chance to shine on a global stage; he already scored one in the 3-3 draw with Manchester United earlier in the campaign.
The Russian side haven’t played since the match in the San Siro so should be fresh and well aware of the task at hand.
Jose Mourinho’s men will be under no illusions of the task that faces them, avoid defeat and the semi-final is there. They managed to win away when they schooled a Chelsea side at Stamford Bridge, thus a victory in Russia should not be a problem.
Mourinho’s number one objective is European glory and failure is not an option, Inter will thus keep it tight at the back and look to exploit a CSKA side who must score to have any chance of progressing further in the competition.
In the first leg Inter could have scored a couple more, especially in the second half when they were particularly wasteful in front of goal. Though, it must be remembered CSKA were extremely dangerous for the first 45 minutes especially through dynamic winger Milos Krasic, while centre midfielder Evgeni Aldonin was also a dominating force in the middle of the park. A tough game lies ahead for the Nerazzurri.
Going into the match Inter welcome back ‘Super’ Mario Balotelli who was also included and scored in the weekend’s 3-0 victory over Bologna. The 19 year-old striker had been in a well-publicised spat with the club and Jose Mourinho, but he has since apologised so should find a place on the bench in Moscow.
There have been concerns over Wesley Sneijder fitness as he injured a foot in training on Tuesday, though Jose Mourinho has confirmed he will play.
There have been concerns over the synthetic pitch at the Luzhniki, but Mourinho has been quick to extinguish any talk of it having a negative effect on the game, "We know how we want to play there, aware of the difficulties regarding the opposition and the artificial pitch, which will be a first for everyone," said Mourinho.
Inter, incidentally have scored in every away game, bar one, in the Champions League this season.
They will go into the game with Maicon and Lucio restored to the defence along with captain Javier Zanetti; all three missed the weekend’s match through suspension.
CSKA on the other hand are playing in their first ever Champions League quarter-final, though they will be confident they can overturn the 1 goal deficit. Though they will have to do it without the aforementioned Krasic and Aldonin, who are both suspended for the match after picking up bookings in the first leg.
Young starlet Alan Dzagoev is likely to be drafted into the first eleven and it could be his chance to shine on a global stage; he already scored one in the 3-3 draw with Manchester United earlier in the campaign.
The Russian side haven’t played since the match in the San Siro so should be fresh and well aware of the task at hand.
Jose Mourinho’s men will be under no illusions of the task that faces them, avoid defeat and the semi-final is there. They managed to win away when they schooled a Chelsea side at Stamford Bridge, thus a victory in Russia should not be a problem.
Mourinho’s number one objective is European glory and failure is not an option, Inter will thus keep it tight at the back and look to exploit a CSKA side who must score to have any chance of progressing further in the competition.
Monday, 5 April 2010
Legend of Calcio: Zvonimir Boban
Football and politics are two entwined entities and often throughout history have influenced each other. But one man encompasses this relationship more than most, his name is Zvonimir Boban.
Born in the small town of Imotski, very near the Bosnian border, in the nationalist south of Croatia. He grew up in communist Yugoslavia, but as he neared adulthood Yugoslavia was crumbling. With communism heading for the exit door, nationalism was to rear its head, with Boban a very receptive consumer.
He probably would not have guessed the impact and place he would gain in Croat folklore for one particular incident which took place on 13th May, 1990.
At the time he was playing for Dinamo Zagreb, in the Croatian capital against Red Star Belgrade, the dominant side from the Serbian capital. The match had degenerated into hooliganism and fans had made their way onto the pitch, tensions were also high between the two ethnic groups and this manifested itself in the football hooligan culture.
Boban spotted a police officer beating a Dinamo fan, he then ran over and karate kicked the official in the face. The Red Star fans began tearing down the Maksimir Stadium while the Yugoslav police did nothing, except watch the carnage unfold. Boban can be seen pacing back and forth on the athletics track, visibly angry, muttering to himself, "Where is the police? Where is the bloody police?"
That kick was, for many Croats, the symbol of the uprising against the 70-year Serb domination in Yugoslavia. Many feel that with that kick their nation was born. The war of independence began a year later.
Boban was suspended by the Yugoslav FA for six months and criminal charges were brought against him, and as a result missed the 1990 World Cup Finals in Italy.
His playing career was a little less eventful than events playing out in his homeland, but it was a magnificent career. Beginning in Zagreb where he played a total of 109 games for Dinamo, making his debut as a 16 year old and made captain of the club at only 19. He also played a big part in Yugoslavia's win in the 1987 World Youth Championships.
Following the aforementioned incident with the Yugoslav police officer, he made a move to Italy and joined AC Milan at the specific request of manager Fabio Capello. Signed in and £8 million deal he was immediately loaned to Bari, which allowed Boban time to settle in the peninsula and get himself up to speed with the Italian game. Bari were fighting relegation and the talented Croat could not stop the Galletti from dropping to Serie B. However, despite this, Boban demonstrated his qualities, excellent technical skill, vision and ability to play the killer pass.
On his return to Milanello, he was made an integral part of the Rossoneri side. Given his debut in a 6-2 victory over Ternana he quickly established himself in the AC Milan midfield, a midfield that contained Ruud Gullit, Roberto Donadoni and Demetrio Albertini. In particular, his partnership with Albertini would hold Milan in good stead for years to come and provide the platform for continued success for AC Milan.
Milan won the Champions League in 1994 and Boban was the star of that side which swept away all challengers before coming up against Johan Cruyff’s Barcelona dream team, a match in which AC Milan were underdogs and expected to be swept aside themselves. But this was not to be, Boban gave a master class in midfield wizardry, very much involved in the first goal as Milan went on to win 4-0. Milan’s performance is regarded as one of the finest European Cup performances in the history of the competition and Boban was a vital part in it.
More success was in the pipeline for Boban and the Rossoneri, another Scudetto in 1996 and one in 1999, his last. It was this triumph in 1999 which could be thought of as sweetest for Boban as Milan at this point were on the wane and Alberto Zaccheroni had been brought in from Udinese. Milan started the campaign in disastrous fashion and were way behind title favourites and big spenders Lazio, but Milan held firm and refused to give up as they won the championship on the last day of the season as the beat Perugia 2-1.
Boban was vital to this success, he showed incredible craft and vision, he took on more responsibility as he was an elder member of the side, and he scored a number of important goals, whilst assisting in even more as he operated behind the formidable strike force of George Weah and Oliver Bierhoff. He had everything you could want in a midfield playmaker, a true trequartista.
In 2001, Rui Costa was brought to Milan from Fiorentina and Boban found himself on the fringes of the first team, a loan move was agreed to Celta Vigo in Spain but after starting only four matches he announced his retirement from the game in October 2001. Zvonimir Boban played 251 games, scored 30 goals for AC Milan and is one of the best foreign imports ever to have plied their trade in Serie A.
In nine seasons at the San Siro he won four Scudetti, the European Cup, three Supercoppa Italiana and the European Super Cup. But he also had a distinguished international career with his beloved Croatia. Initially playing for Yugoslavia, he won seven caps before Croatia gained independence. A further 51 caps were acquired as a Croatian; he played in the 1998 World Cup and captained the side to an outstanding third place finish.
Since his retirement from the game Boban has gone on to complete a history degree at the University of Zagreb, submitting his thesis on "Christianity in the Roman Empire". Always regarded as an articulate man, he reads widely and impressed many with his eloquence and knowledge of world literature, history and political affairs. Upon completing his degree he is quoted as saying: "Only after four years of study have I understood how little it is that I know. Learning new stuff serves one solely to understand the insignificance of one's knowledge."
He also started a career in sports journalism, writing for Croatian sports newspaper Sportske novosti, as well as being a commentator for the Sky Italia and columnist for La Gazzetta dello Sport. He also owns a bar in Zagreb, imaginatively titled ‘Boban’.
Zvonimir Boban’s first love will always be his country, in the documentary The Last Yugoslavian Football Team, he states. "Croatia is the reason I live. I love my country as I love myself. I would die for Croatia."
Born in the small town of Imotski, very near the Bosnian border, in the nationalist south of Croatia. He grew up in communist Yugoslavia, but as he neared adulthood Yugoslavia was crumbling. With communism heading for the exit door, nationalism was to rear its head, with Boban a very receptive consumer.
He probably would not have guessed the impact and place he would gain in Croat folklore for one particular incident which took place on 13th May, 1990.
At the time he was playing for Dinamo Zagreb, in the Croatian capital against Red Star Belgrade, the dominant side from the Serbian capital. The match had degenerated into hooliganism and fans had made their way onto the pitch, tensions were also high between the two ethnic groups and this manifested itself in the football hooligan culture.
Boban spotted a police officer beating a Dinamo fan, he then ran over and karate kicked the official in the face. The Red Star fans began tearing down the Maksimir Stadium while the Yugoslav police did nothing, except watch the carnage unfold. Boban can be seen pacing back and forth on the athletics track, visibly angry, muttering to himself, "Where is the police? Where is the bloody police?"
That kick was, for many Croats, the symbol of the uprising against the 70-year Serb domination in Yugoslavia. Many feel that with that kick their nation was born. The war of independence began a year later.
Boban was suspended by the Yugoslav FA for six months and criminal charges were brought against him, and as a result missed the 1990 World Cup Finals in Italy.
His playing career was a little less eventful than events playing out in his homeland, but it was a magnificent career. Beginning in Zagreb where he played a total of 109 games for Dinamo, making his debut as a 16 year old and made captain of the club at only 19. He also played a big part in Yugoslavia's win in the 1987 World Youth Championships.
Following the aforementioned incident with the Yugoslav police officer, he made a move to Italy and joined AC Milan at the specific request of manager Fabio Capello. Signed in and £8 million deal he was immediately loaned to Bari, which allowed Boban time to settle in the peninsula and get himself up to speed with the Italian game. Bari were fighting relegation and the talented Croat could not stop the Galletti from dropping to Serie B. However, despite this, Boban demonstrated his qualities, excellent technical skill, vision and ability to play the killer pass.
On his return to Milanello, he was made an integral part of the Rossoneri side. Given his debut in a 6-2 victory over Ternana he quickly established himself in the AC Milan midfield, a midfield that contained Ruud Gullit, Roberto Donadoni and Demetrio Albertini. In particular, his partnership with Albertini would hold Milan in good stead for years to come and provide the platform for continued success for AC Milan.
Milan won the Champions League in 1994 and Boban was the star of that side which swept away all challengers before coming up against Johan Cruyff’s Barcelona dream team, a match in which AC Milan were underdogs and expected to be swept aside themselves. But this was not to be, Boban gave a master class in midfield wizardry, very much involved in the first goal as Milan went on to win 4-0. Milan’s performance is regarded as one of the finest European Cup performances in the history of the competition and Boban was a vital part in it.
More success was in the pipeline for Boban and the Rossoneri, another Scudetto in 1996 and one in 1999, his last. It was this triumph in 1999 which could be thought of as sweetest for Boban as Milan at this point were on the wane and Alberto Zaccheroni had been brought in from Udinese. Milan started the campaign in disastrous fashion and were way behind title favourites and big spenders Lazio, but Milan held firm and refused to give up as they won the championship on the last day of the season as the beat Perugia 2-1.
Boban was vital to this success, he showed incredible craft and vision, he took on more responsibility as he was an elder member of the side, and he scored a number of important goals, whilst assisting in even more as he operated behind the formidable strike force of George Weah and Oliver Bierhoff. He had everything you could want in a midfield playmaker, a true trequartista.
In 2001, Rui Costa was brought to Milan from Fiorentina and Boban found himself on the fringes of the first team, a loan move was agreed to Celta Vigo in Spain but after starting only four matches he announced his retirement from the game in October 2001. Zvonimir Boban played 251 games, scored 30 goals for AC Milan and is one of the best foreign imports ever to have plied their trade in Serie A.
In nine seasons at the San Siro he won four Scudetti, the European Cup, three Supercoppa Italiana and the European Super Cup. But he also had a distinguished international career with his beloved Croatia. Initially playing for Yugoslavia, he won seven caps before Croatia gained independence. A further 51 caps were acquired as a Croatian; he played in the 1998 World Cup and captained the side to an outstanding third place finish.
Since his retirement from the game Boban has gone on to complete a history degree at the University of Zagreb, submitting his thesis on "Christianity in the Roman Empire". Always regarded as an articulate man, he reads widely and impressed many with his eloquence and knowledge of world literature, history and political affairs. Upon completing his degree he is quoted as saying: "Only after four years of study have I understood how little it is that I know. Learning new stuff serves one solely to understand the insignificance of one's knowledge."
He also started a career in sports journalism, writing for Croatian sports newspaper Sportske novosti, as well as being a commentator for the Sky Italia and columnist for La Gazzetta dello Sport. He also owns a bar in Zagreb, imaginatively titled ‘Boban’.
Zvonimir Boban’s first love will always be his country, in the documentary The Last Yugoslavian Football Team, he states. "Croatia is the reason I live. I love my country as I love myself. I would die for Croatia."
Friday, 2 April 2010
Manchester United vs Chelsea: Preview
Its crunch time in the Premier League with Chelsea coming to Old Trafford to face a Manchester United side somewhat shell-shocked from a last minute defeat against Bayern Munich, a fact the Blues will be well aware of and will of course look to exploit, not to mention the injury to a certain striker.
A tough match will ensue as the top two in the Premier League go head to head on Saturday afternoon. Manchester United will look to their defensive record at home, conceding only 9 goals in the league, but this will no doubt be tested by Chelsea who coincidentally have the most potent attack, scoring 82 goals in the 32 league games played so far.
A tough match will ensue as the top two in the Premier League go head to head on Saturday afternoon. Manchester United will look to their defensive record at home, conceding only 9 goals in the league, but this will no doubt be tested by Chelsea who coincidentally have the most potent attack, scoring 82 goals in the 32 league games played so far.
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