Tag Archives: Mario Mandzukic

Milan return to winning ways ahead of crucial stretch

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Milan entered its game against Bologna off the back of two consecutive defeats, most recently losing to fierce rivals Inter in the Coppa Italia. With the Nerazzurri breathing down their necks, Stefano Pioli’s men needed a result on Saturday – and did just that. The Italian giants emerged comfortable 2-1 winners over Bologna, maintaining their narrow lead atop the table for another weekend.

The win could not have come at a better time for the Rossoneri ahead of a crucial stretch in the season. With morale low after a humbling defeat against Atalanta, as well as a disappointing exit in the Coppa Italia, Milan was in dire need of a result this weekend. Stefano Pioli’s side has a favourable run of games coming up before their schedule gets difficult.

Up next for Milan are two relegation candidates in Spezia and Crotone. Much like it was the case in the first half of the season, the Rossoneri cannot afford anything less than six points from these two games – especially as Inter and Juventus have difficult schedules of their own coming up. Inter takes on Fiorentina and Lazio over the next two matchdays, while Juventus locks horns with Roma and Napoli. In many ways, the upcoming weeks can help Milan extend their lead at the top before the next instalment of the Derby della Madonnina set for February 21.

As of right now, Milan holds a two-point lead over Inter with 18 games to go. With yet another derby on the cards, the Rossoneri will be hoping to cut Inter’s momentum short with a crucial three points. Milan’s games against Spezia and Crotone are good opportunities to blend in the side’s new signings, as well as build up their own confidence.

Milan is also in action in the Europa League Round of 32 against Red Star Belgrade later this month, taking on the Serbian outfit on February 18.  Factor in the Rossoneri’s winnable league affairs, as well as this two-legged tie with Red Star, and they can enter the derby extremely high on confidence.

Fikayo Tomori has looked good in his first two appearances in black-and-red and will have ample opportunity to stake his claim for more regular minutes. The Englishman offers some much-needed depth at the back and could use the next run of games to adapt to Serie A. Fellow January arrival – Mario Mandzukic - has featured sparingly since making the move, but as an intriguing second half of the season approaches, expect the Croatian hitman to play a more significant role. Manduzkic has regularly proven to be up to the challenge in big games and makes for an interesting partner to Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

They may have been reluctant to say it in the early goings of the season, but one thing has been made clear since the turn of the new year: Milan is a legit title contender. The Rossoneri have largely downplayed this type of talk in an effort to take the pressure off themselves but can simply no longer avoid the contender tag.

Inter and Juventus are in it with a shot themselves but have been nowhere near as consistent as Milan this season. Barring their defeats to Juventus and Atalanta, Milan has impressed and taken care of business against the league’s mid-table sides. Stefano Pioli’s men will need much of the same heading into February – which is undoubtedly the side’s most important run of games.

Milan’s clash with Inter can potentially define the title race and could just swing the momentum in their favour. Talk about winning a Scudetto has largely been silenced in Casa Milan, but with only 18 games remaining – Milan is in the driver’s seat heading into a crucial month.

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Confident Milan gunning for title with busy transfer window

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Milan enters its clash against Atalanta with the possibility of being crowned campioni d’inverno - the winter champions. The team that finishes in first place after the first half of the season typically goes onto win the ultimate crown in Italy.  Milan has shown its willingness to push on this transfer window, securing Fikayo Tomori, Mario Mandzukic, and Soualiho Meite. The Rossoneri’s proactive dealings demonstrate they believe in themselves and their ability to push on for the Scudetto.

Since Ivan Gazidis took over, Milan forged ahead with an ambitious youth project, looking to rejuvenate the side with young prospects on the cusp of greatness. Ismael Bennacer is but one of these players, taking the next step in his career and becoming one of Italian football’s midfield dynamos.

Rafael Leao is another intriguing talent and has since added end product to his game, delivering the goods when called upon. Led by the indomitable Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Milan’s young guns have surprised the rest of Italy, losing just once this season. The Italian giants have recognized the title is there for the taking and have reacted accordingly this January.

Mario Mandzukic offers some much-needed depth in the final third and will make for an excellent vice-Ibra. The Croatian has shown he is capable of starting on the left-wing and roaming into the box dangerously. Whether Pioli deploys him as a more traditional number nine remains to be seen, but Mandzukic’s skillset makes for an interesting pairing with Ibrahimovic.

Beyond guaranteeing goals, Mandzukic’s arrival is a clear signal of intent from Milan. The former Juventus hitman adds some veteran leadership in what is a relatively inexperienced locker room. A proven winner, Milan will be hoping Mandzukic leads by example and spurs the side onto new heights.

On the opposite side of the pitch, the Rossoneri bolstered their defensive ranks with Chelsea’s Fikayo Tomori. The Englishman arrives on a loan deal with an option to buy, offering Mian depth at the back. Simon Kjaer and Alessio Romagnoli are Milan’s undisputed center-back pairing, but Tomori will make for a quality option off the bench.

The 23-year-old kicked off his Chelsea career by bursting onto the scene but has since seen his minutes halved due to the arrival of Thiago Silva. A move to Milan may be exactly what Tomori needs to play regular football and deliver on his incredible potential. Should the Chelsea loanee struggle, Milan will simply not trigger its option to purchase him. In many ways, this deal is yet another win-win for Maldini and co.

Stefano Pioli’s side also wasted no time improving on its midfield depth, securing Meite from Torino. The 26-year-old arrives on a low-risk deal, with Milan holding the option to make his move permanent for a modest fee. Much like Tomori, this six-month loan spell will be Meite’s trial at the club.

Milan’s midfield has been ravaged by injuries and suspensions in recent weeks, forcing Pioli to deploy Davide Calabria in the double pivot. While the fullback has done an adequate job filling in, a player like Meite ensures the Italian giants are not short on options in the middle of the park. Bennacer and Kessie may be Pioli’s first-choice pairing, but Meite could still carve out important minutes for himself – especially as the side competes on three fronts.

Milan has extremely proactive this January transfer window, arming its side with quality depth ahead of the final run-in. The crafty formulas of their deals ensure they have close to no financial obligations should either Meite or Tomori struggle to adapt. Mandzukic, on the other hand, can prove to be the difference-maker in the title race, boasting a plethora of experience. As the second half of the season approaches, one thing is clear: Milan believes in themselves and they are going for it.

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Juventus sell Mandzukic to Al Duhail

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After being frozen out since the summer, Mario Mandzukic has greenlit the move away from Juventus and officially joined Qatari team Al Duhail, where he will reunite with former teammate Medhi Benatia. He has not practiced with the rest of the group since August, when a proposed move to Manchester United fell through and the management decided to rely on Gonzalo Higuain over him with Maurizio Sarri at the helm. The Bianconeri will reportedly receive a €5.5M compensation from the sale and clear the books from a significant salary, as he was set to be under contract till 2022 following an extension penned in March. Continue reading →

What should Manchester United be searching for in January?

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With just under a month to go until the transfer window opens up for its mid-season appearance, Manchester United will be active in bringing in new faces to Old Trafford.

The season has, so far, not gone to plan, as they currently languish in 11th place, a point behind Crystal Palace and eight from fourth-place Chelsea. Hopes and aspirations of a Champions League position come May 2020 now appear far away with the season ticking on.

A priority position to strengthen for Ole Gunnar Solskjær will be his midfield, which looks feeble and weak when coming up against teams that have quick transitions. The absence of Paul Pogba since the end of September has not eased matters, but even so, the failure to replace both Marouane Fellaini and Ander Herrera has been detrimental.

Ideally, the Red Devils want and need a player like Leicester City’s James Maddison. But for all intents and purposes, the Foxes are not going to be easy negotiators, especially halfway through the season when they are in second and the possibility of top-tier European football is more than realistic.

All season, Man United have lacked a midfielder that can pick defences and thread cute passes in between the lines. Fred and Andreas Pereira having taken up the more advanced roles in midfield, but neither have had the success on a regular basis that is needed to threaten teams week in, week out.

There are a lack of world-class midfielders that would want to come to Old Trafford for anything but a pay cheque, and so the market that is accessible for the Red Devils becomes increasingly small.

Emre Can is a name that has been touted around the Premier League once more ahead of January due to his lack of minutes under Maurizio Sarri at Juventus, but there will, rightly, be some reservations over the German international’s potential arrival, mainly due to being a stop-gap filler as well as a player who has been registered with Liverpool.

It is known that Solskjær wants an experienced centre forward that can hold play up and be versatile in his positioning on the pitch. The Red Devils tried to secure a late deal for Juventus’ Mario Mandzukic but ran out of time in the end. Their interest remains in the Croatian, even if, like his team-mate Can, his minutes have been shelved.

Mandzukic would offer a more rounded approach to the club than Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial, as well as giving them invaluable advice on and off the pitch. Mandzukic is an extremely hard-working individual that has thrived off the bigger moments: such as his performance for his country against England in the World Cup semi-final.

The centre forward has 18 months left on his contract, but the Bianconeri will do business on him for around £10 million. He might be 33-years-old, but the wealth of experience and positional flexibility he could bring would be a welcome sight.

A lot can change in football in the second half of the season, but one thing is for certain and that is Manchester United need reinforcements.

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Award night results and Paratici’s words

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Today was awards’ night both both on the European stage and in Italy: Cristiano Ronaldo came in third as far as the Balloon d’Or was concerned, while Matthijs De Ligt was 15th and won the Kopa trophy as best U-21. Domestically, Cristiano Ronaldo was elected the Serie A’s MVP for last season and, like Miralem Pjanic, Giorgio Chiellini and Joao Cancelo was voted into the team of the year.

Juventus’ chief football officer Fabio Paratici weighed in on the current affairs during the soiree: “In previous seasons, we have been even in fourth position at this point of the year and then we managed to come back. We are only in December, we are doing well and collected a lot of points, while Inter have done super well.” Continue reading →

Sarri addresses the left back crisis in pre-SPAL presser

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Coach Maurizio Sarri gave some hints about the lineup and updated on the status of Cristiano Ronaldo and Mario Mandzukic in the presser before the SPAL game.

On the hole at left back: “I saw that the executive Federico Cherubini is left-footed, I will try him there too. I do not consider the three-man defence an option if not for small chunks of games because we would end up defending with five and therefore track back too much. It also does not eliminate the fact that we have to put somebody on the left flank, we have some problems on the wings right now. We tried a solution yesterday, we will go through another one today and we will see.” Continue reading →

Sarri addresses UCL list cuts and more in pre-Fiorentina presser

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Coach Maurizio Sarri rejoiced returning on the bench after battling pneumonia and dished out honest assessments about few players in the pre-game conference ahead of the game against Fiorentina.

“For a coach, being on the bench and participating to the practices it is everything. It is not easy to step aside, I thank our doctors that took care of me for 20 days and made me realize it was better to take a short pause in that moment rather than risking being out for longer at a later date. It was heavy but I accepted since the staff was working swimmingly.” Continue reading →

Juventus submit UEFA list, Can’s reaction and more

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Juventus communicated their UEFA list yesterday and since there is only one club-trained player in the roster this year, somebody had to be excluded and the choices fell on Mario Mandzukic, who is the third choice as centre-forward, and Emre Can who, despite playing a good chunk of the Napoli game, must have fallen behind all the other midfielders in the projected depth chart. Joining them are long-term injured players Mattia Perin, Marko Pjaca and Giorgio Chiellini. Continue reading →

Operation Departures: Paratici’s Dilemma

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After securing the signing of Matthijs de Ligt, many lauded Juventus’ mercato and showered their sporting director, Fabio Paratici, with praise. After all, they had just signed one of Europe’s elite young defenders, fighting off Barcelona and a host of other clubs in the process.

However, in recent weeks, in an effort to balance the books, Juventus have looked to offload their high-prized assets on the cheap. First, Moise Kean left for Everton with no buy-back clause inserted in the deal. Then, Joao Cancelo was off to Manchester City for 30 million euros and Danilo, after just a season in Turin. Now, the bianconeri’s top brass are actively listening to offers for their jewel, Paulo Dybala. 

With Financial Fair Play restrictions in place, clubs, at the very least, must show they are spending as much as they’re making; generally speaking. Following the signature of Cristiano Ronaldo and de Ligt, sales were always going to be necessary.

Factor in that Juventus haven’t progressed deep into the Champions League since making the final in 2017 missing out on crucial revenue, it’s clear players were going to be sold. Let’s not forget, the Turin-based giants also reported a significant financial operating loss in their last fiscal year. Fabio Paratici is the man largely responsible with dealing with this, largely through high-profile sales. 

While, in an ideal world, Paratici would find buyers for Gonzalo Higuain, Mario Mandzukic, Sami Khedira and Blaise Matuidi among others, reality is a different beast altogether. Currently, all of these players are on the wrong side of 30 and are on massive wages in comparison to their output.

Many of them have got a host of offers, but have regularly refused to leave the club. And why should they? Most, if not all, of the offers received for the bianconeri’s wantaways include lower salaries at less prestigious clubs. This has forced Paratici’s hand in his first mercato at the helm and has dictated which players he can and cannot sell. Simply put, there’s a bigger buying market for Dybala than there is for Higuain, for example.

Juventus boss Maurizio Sarri recently alluded to this in a press conference.

“As I said before, I can talk to Dybala all I like, but the market goes in a certain direction and my opinion counts for zero. We have to cut six players, that’s all there is to it,” said the former Napoli boss, as reported by Football Italia.

When thinking about Sarriball, you would expect Dybala to be one of the first names of the team-sheet. After a season in Massimiliano Allegri’s rigid setup, the Argentine could explode in a false-nine role. In Sarri’s first press conference at the club, the veteran tactician mentioned La Joya alongside Douglas Costa and Cristiano Ronaldo as players he was hoping to count on.

If Juventus are forced to sell Dybala this summer to balance the books, they will undoubtedly regret their decisions to hand Mandzukic and Khedira extensions while failing to definitively offload Higuain. Quite frankly, neither of these three players fit into Sarri’s tactics as well as Dybala does.

Sarri elaborated on this situation further and lashed out against Juventus’ current state.

“It puts me in a difficult position. The last 20 days of the market will be difficult for us, it’s an embarrassing situation, because we risk having to leave out players of a very high level,” said Sarri.

It has also affected his pre-season preparation. Given the uncertainty surrounding the transfer window, Sarri has largely rotated between Higuain, Mandzukic and Dybala. Rather than sticking with one preferred front-line and implementing his mechanisms with them, Sarri has been forced to adapt. As a result, it may be long before we see Sarriball fully introduced in Turin.

With just over two weeks left to the mercato, it will be interesting to see who Juventus decide to move. Reports suggest Higuain will join Roma while Mandzukic favours a Bundesliga move. However, as we’ve seen, there are no guarantees and we can just as easily see, fan favourite, Dybala on his way out. Whether you like it or not, buckle your seat-belts Juventus fans, you’re in for a bumpy end to the summer transfer window.

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Paratici keeps it close to the vest on the transfer market

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Juventus main official Fabio Paratici talked to Sky Sport after the usual intra-squad friendly at Villar Perosa: “There are a lot of talks in these days of negotiations, but then not a lot of business really gets made. We are serene and confident. It is a great day to be here with our people, this is the Juventus equivalent of Christmas.”

On some players potentially on their way out: “The Champions League list has precise parameters and neither the coach or I can change that. We have just one local player this year compared to the previous ones, so we will have to let somebody go to have a 22-man squad. Marko Pjaca and Mattia Perin are unlikely to leave because of their long-term injuries, while Luca Pellegrini is headed to Cagliari.” Continue reading →