Federico Bernardeschi: Time for redemption?

With Juventus struggling in the final third, Federico Bernardeschi may just be presented with an opportunity to redeem himself. After an indifferent finish to last season, Bernardeschi faded and failed to establish himself as a set-starter. When Maurizio Sarri was hired, however, many expected the former Fiorentina man to take the next step in his career, something that until now has not happened.

In 17 Serie A appearances this season, Bernardeschi is yet to register an assist or score a goal. That’s over seven hundred minutes of football with nothing to show for. Despite this, the 26-year-old could yet turn it around. After failing to implement the 4-3-3 successfully at the start of the season, Sarri turned to a more narrow 4-3-1-2 and deployed Bernardeschi as the side’s trequartista. 

While he may seem suited to the role given his technique, Bernardeschi needs space to operate and is far more effective from a wide position. When he plays for Italy there, the Juventus man looks more threatening and creates many chances.

As a result, the Juventus winger has looked out of place in the hole and offers close to nothing in the final third. Fast forward to match-day 26 and Sarri is now turning back to the 4-3-3, presenting Bernardeschi with a unique opportunity for redemption.

In Juventus’ last three games, Cuadrado has been deployed on the right alongside Dybala and Ronaldo. The Colombian international has injected some much-needed pace and unpredictability in the final third, but one problem remains. With Cuadrado in the front-three, Juventus’ right-back options leave a lot to be desired. As a result, I wouldn’t be surprised if Sarri starts Bernardeschi in the front-three with Cuadrado returning in defence.

In the past, Bernardeschi demonstrated he can play with Ronaldo and showed early signs of a budding partnership. Factor in Dybala’s mobility and ability to interchange at will, and Bernardeschi could thrive on the right-hand side of a front-three. Since returning from injury, the 26-year-old has made cameo appearances and is slowly finding his rhythm again.

Douglas Costa is another player that could feature alongside Ronaldo and Dybala, however, the Brazilian struggles to stay fit. As a result, expect Bernardeschi to get more minutes than his counterpart. If the former Fiorentina man seizes his opportunities, he may just finish the season as Juve’s starting right-winger.

Right now, the side desperately needs a spark in attack and could use Bernardeschi back at his best. When the 26-year-old was at Fiorentina, he was a constant counter-attacking threat and had a keen eye for goal. Until now, the Juventus faithful haven’t seen this side of him. As the season wears on and with crucial games upon us, expect Sarri to try and revitalize Bernardeschi and give him a new lease on life. While he may be on his way out this summer as it’s been widely reported, this end of season run-in presents Bernardeschi with an opportunity for redemption. It’s up to him if he takes it.

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Europa League Race: Contenders, Pretenders and Dark-Horses

As the season draws to a close, the race for European places intensifies. If the season were to end today, Juventus, Inter, Lazio, and Atalanta would represent Italy in the Champions League while Roma and Napoli would have to content themselves with Europa League football.

Currently, the table could not be tighter as just four points separate sixth-place from eleventh. Let’s now take a look at the main contenders, pretenders and dark-horses for the Europa League.

Contenders: 

Roma and Atalanta: As it stands right now, one of Atalanta and Roma are pretty much guaranteed to occupy one of Italy’s two Europa League spots. Gasperini’s men are six-points ahead of the giallorossi in the fourth and final Champions League place and will be eager to maintain their advantage to qualify for Europe’s elite competition. Given Roma’s recent form, they may slide further down the table, but it’s difficult to see them finish outside the top six. As a result, expect Roma to make the Europa league leaving one last spot for the rest of the pack.

Napoli and Milan: After rough starts to the season, Napoli and Milan sacked their managers and almost immediately witnessed an upturn in their fortunes. Napoli have now won four of their last five and seem primed for a strong finish while Milan are finally playing with an identity. With Roma almost surely occupying the first Europa League spot, Napoli and Milan will likely duke it out for the remaining place. Napoli, however, will need to be better against sides under them as they have demonstrated complacency in those clashes. Milan, on the other hand, have taken care of Italy’s provinciali, but struggle against Italy’s elite.

Pretenders: 

Parma and Cagliari: Both sides got off to the season in fine form, but have recently struggled for results. Rolando Maran’s Cagliari haven’t won any of their last five clashes while Parma have proven to be far too inconsistent. In addition to their goal-scoring woes, Parma lack creative depth across the midfield, which will come back to haunt them in their hunt for European football. Cagliari, by contrast, benefitted by some incredible finishing earlier in the year; exploits that cannot be sustained throughout a full season. Expect both sides to slide further down the table as the season wears on.

Dark-Horses: 

Bologna-Hellas Verona: These two are here for vastly different reasons. On one hand, Hellas Verona have one of the league’s best defences propelling them into the race for European football while Bologna have scored freely all season and have shown no signs of slowing down. While Mihajlovic’s men have struggled in their last two games, they possess more quality in the final third than their counterparts and could go toe-to-toe with anyone in Italy. The same applies to Verona, who recently overcame Juventus in a game where they largely dominated. Milan and Napoli may be favourites for the last European spot, but Verona and Bologna will make it interesting over the next 12 match-days.

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Serie A Round 26 Fantacalcio Player Trends: Stock Up

Serie A round 25 was trimmed down and cut short of a full slate of matches with the recent coronavirus crisis hitting various parts of Italy, so there wasn’t much to recap from last weekend apart from a few fixtures.

Lorenzo Insigne and Fabian Ruiz goals were enough to give Napoli the tight 1-2 win away vs. Brescia, while Juventus pulled out the same result in their 1-2 victory away to SPAL thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo‘s 11th straight match finding the back of the net.

Milan left the Stadio Artemio Franchi with a sour taste in their mouths as officiating controversy forced them to settle on a 1-1 draw against 10-man Fiorentina. As for the two Roman sides Roma and Lazio, both picked up victories with main hitmen Edin Dzeko and Ciro Immobile grabbing goals for themselves.

Let’s take a look at who you should be watching this weekend for your fantacalcio rosters. Continue reading

Gennaro Gattuso showing signs of growth at Napoli

From coaching under immense financial hardship at Crete and leading Pisa to Serie B promotion to taking up one of football’s most difficult bench jobs at former club Milan and missing out on a UEFA Champions League spot by one point, Gennaro Gattuso has experienced more than the average boss at just 42. His coaching career to date has been a roller-coaster, the kind where you have everyone sending mixed signals on how frightening it can be and how you contemplate stepping out of line to sit it out. But for the fierce Calabrese general, he has never been the one to turn back and run away from his battles. Instead, he has always stared his fears square in the eyes, no matter the circumstances.

When Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis came calling for the Italian to replace Carlo Ancelotti last December, a man he holds in high regard, another new challenge awaited him at the Casa Volturno training ground. Aware of what he was stepping into upon putting pen to paper and accepting the job of bringing balance at the San Paolo, Gattuso knew if he was to succeed in this new role, his group were going to have to fight, sacrifice and spit blood to revitalize the Partenopei.

Initially, Gattuso seemed in over his head, failing to disguise his flaws and those of the current squad this season, losing 4 of 5 in the league and falling into the bottom half of the table. However, he has completely reversed this downward spiral, winning 7 of 10 in all competitions, including wins over Juventus, Lazio and Inter – the latter two which have them one result away from clinching a Coppa Italia berth.

Throughout this stretch, Gattuso has been able to elevate those who were otherwise fumbling and struggling for form under Ancelotti, including Spanish international Fabian Ruiz.

The 23-year old broke out in a big way in his first season at the club, eventually earning regular runs in the starting XI after moving from strength to strength and having a tremendous impact. Yet, too often he was used in areas under Ancelotti where his best talents failed to shine through. Recently though, he has found the magic wand of a left foot he wields and the vision to split lines which has put him back on track as one of Italy’s brightest midfield players, something which will certainly sound the alarms for clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona who have been linked extensively with a summer move for the ex-Real Betis man.

Newcomer Diego Demme, who has seemingly taken Allan’s starting spot after the Brazilian came under criticism of Gattuso after his training approach failed to meet expectations, is also providing the kind of balance in the midfield that frees up Ruiz and Piotr Zielinski to have a real say in attacking areas.

But Gattuso’s impact has sparked more than just a few, with his presence having a trickle down effect on the entire squad who are not only putting in solid collective efforts, but also buying into the way their new boss wishes to perform with the ‘grinta’ for which he personified throughout his own career. Now that he has his squad fighting and willing to get their hands dirty, Gattuso has shown improvement in the tactical aspects of his job, just as we saw in the 1-1 draw with Barcelona.

His 4-1-4-1 operated by design, allowing Napoli to play with numbers behind the ball as Barcelona expectedly held the upper-hand in possession and strike the Catalans on the rare counter-attack just as Dries Mertens did. Many will argue Napoli hunkered down and absorbed too much, and preferred to have been the aggressor as Barcelona’s been susceptible to getting split open on many occasions this season. Nonetheless, it was a solid tactical display from a manager whose main critics have always lamented his limitations and it is a result that suggests he can do more than motivate.

Gattuso has never been one for excuses. He has always honestly addressed the media and never deflects blame onto his players. There is accountability, ownership of any wayward results and off-kilter performances. He demands professionalism, and equal commitment to the cause. As a result of this, he has won over the Napoli fans and is beginning to get the best out of an underachieving squad who are now working to correct the wrongs of the earlier season to get back where they need to be amongst the Serie A elites.

Is he tactically limited? Perhaps. Does he have the CV of a top coach or one that proves he can hold down a job? No. Does his football style look pedestrian at times? Certainly. But is he evolving as a manager in this game? We think so.

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Denis Vavro earns his chance to end difficult debut season at Lazio on a high

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It wasn’t the day anyone expected Denis Vavro to make his first Serie A start for Lazio; not least the man himself.

Last Sunday’s lunchtime kick-off away to Genoa always threatened to be a difficult task for the Biancoceleste given the improved form of the Rossoblu, who have a well-earned status as a bogey team for the capital club.

But the challenge facing Simone Inzaghi’s side appeared all the more daunting when the news arrived in the hour before kick-off that Francesco Acerbi had pulled out through injury in the warm-up, after originally being named in the starting XI. Continue reading

El Clasico is now a meeting between two flawed sides

It’s a fixture that has defined an entire era of European football. Of course, El Clasico, the meeting between Spain’s two biggest and most illustrious clubs has long been a fixture to watch out for, but the rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo made it a much-watch event for all football fans around the world.

Even with Ronaldo now gone, it remains the biggest fixture in the sport. But unlike in recent years this is now a meeting between two greatly flawed sides. That will be apparent this Sunday when Real Madrid welcome Barcelona to the Santiago Bernabeu for the second Clasico of the season.

These are two teams fighting for the Spanish title at the top of La Liga. Ordinarily, this would be a sign of strength, but this season has seen both Barca and Real Madrid suffer great inconsistencies. Until two weeks ago the latter looked to be in control of the race, holding a three-point advantage at the top of the table. One draw and one defeat later, now it’s Barcelona who hold a two-point lead heading into this weekend’s clash.

“It’s not just any other game,” Sergio Ramos explained in a recent interview. “Despite there just being three points at stake, as there is in every game, El Clasico is a game unlike any other. Beating Barcelona would bring us great joy.

“What’s more, it usually has a really positive impact on the group in terms of morale. Both teams know that and it’s something that we have to deal with as best we can to turn it into an incentive that drives you on to victory. Right from the start of the week, the whole experience is different. It brings a lot of media attention, but that’s also what makes this game so great, La Liga, the players… The feeling you get is one that comes from inside, it’s really hard to explain.”

Both teams appear to be in the midst of a generation transition, but the prize on offer remains the same as always. Sunday’s Clasico will have a real bearing on where the Spanish Liga title ends up this season. A Barcelona win, despite all their problems, would put them five points clear at the top. A Real Madrid win would put them back in control. There is a lot on the line, but this is a match defined not by its strength, as has previously been the case, but its weakness.

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Serie A Injury and Suspension Report – Round 26

Atalanta: Rafael Toloi will miss the next game due to a hamstring strain, while Berat Djimsiti with a bruised quad.

Bologna: Ibrahima Mbaye is suspended. The infirmary is emptying out since Nicola Sansone, Gary Medel and Federico Santander are poised to be available following thigh strains, Roberto Soriano after a bruise, leaving only Mitchell Dijks (foot), Ladislav Krejci (knee) and Mattias Svanberg (thigh) on the shelf. Continue reading

Serie A Predictions – Round 26

Lazio-Bologna: three wins in a row for the Biancocelesti, while the Felsinei slowed down in the last two weeks, with a heavy loss and a draw at home. The Rossoblù’s prowess on the road (four wins in the last five matches) could make this a trap game, but it would be silly to pick against Lazio until they actually fall: home win.

Udinese-Fiorentina: the Zebrette are coming off three draws and three losses, while La Viola salvaged a gritty point versus Milan and had routed Sampdoria before that. A draw would not be surprising at all, but the guests are in a more convincing form: road win. Continue reading

Is it time to assess Sergio Ramos’ Real Madrid future?

He is Real Madrid’s spiritual leader and one of the most decorated players in the club’s long and storied history, but Sergio Ramos has his flaws. Many of them. Of course, they have always been masked by what he brought to the team on the pitch. Now, though, Ramos’ contribution isn’t so positive.

The red card he was shown in the Champions League round of 16 first leg defeat to Manchester City means nobody has been sent off more times in the competition than Ramos. The defender has also previously been shown red against Galatasaray, Ajax and Olympiacos, but this could prove to be his most costly dismissal yet.

Ramos’ absence means Eder Militao will likely play alongside Raphael Varane for the second leg at the Etihad Stadium. Militao has provided Real Madrid with some depth over the course of the season, but the summer signing has still shown vulnerabilities. Man City will look to exploit that to get the job done and progress to the Champions League quarter finals.

On the flip side, Ramos isn’t the force he once was. Real Madrid might not miss him as much as they would have in seasons gone by. Against City on Wednesday night, he was something of a liability. It has been that way for much of the season, with Varane usurping Ramos as Zinedine Zidane’s defensive bedrock.

Wednesday night’s red card was the 26th of Ramos’ career to date as a Real Madrid player. He has never managed to leave that part of his game behind, but while his other qualities used to make up for this that might not no longer be the case. The end is surely approaching for the 33-year-old at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Ramos has a contract with Real Madrid until the summer of 2021. Talks have recently taken place, but no breakthrough has been made yet. If Real Madrid are to claim a transfer fee for their captain this summer presents them with the last opportunity to do so. “The relationship with the club is magnificent in every way,” Ramos explained recently

“So there is no rush on any side – mine or club. I’ve never made extra demands, I understand club’s policy with players of certain age. If club wants me to say, I’ll stay, no need to worry.” What if Real Madrid don’t want Ramos to stay, though? His future in the Spanish capital isn’t for certain.

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Serie A Probable Lineups – Round 26

Lazio-Bologna

Lazio: 3-5-2 Strakosha; Patric, Felipe, Radu; Lazzari, Milinkovic-Savic, Leiva, Alberto, Jony; Immobile, Correa.

Potential lineup changes: Bastos for Patric, Vavro for Felipe, Caicedo for Correa.

Probable: Milinkovic-Savic (thigh), Jony (ankle), Caicedo (ankle).

Doubtful: Marusic (thigh).

Ruled Out: Lulic (ankle), Acerbi (calf).

 

Bologna: 4-2-3-1 Skorupski; Tomiyasu, Danilo, Bani, Denswil; Poli, Schouten; Orsolini, Dominguez, Barrow; Palacio. Continue reading