From
the June 25th, 2012 edition of “La Repubblica”’s sports section after Italy’s
great win against England at the European soccer championship in
Poland-Ukraine.
Happy
end, or happy ending? Hmm…..
Monday, June 25, 2012
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Udinese...
19-06-2012
Pozzos’ note on Watford Football Club
The Pozzo family, through its communication company
(“communications office”?), would like to point out that any news or rumors
concerning the purchase of (“the”?) Watford Football Club has to be regarded as
premature, because, even if (“because even if”?) there actually is a real
interest, the dealing (“the deal”?) has not been officialized yet. Further information will be communicated by the Pozzo family as soon as they (information
though is singular as a word!) occur exclusively through their communication
company (“office”?).
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Udinese...
19-06-2012
2-0 to Ireland: Italy make it to the last eight
Ninety minutes of suffering, then the warm embrace of the group. Spain have defeated 1-0 Croatia and Italy, thanks to their 2-0 over the Republic of Ireland, rank second in the section (section? Books, records or underwear?) and have access to the final eight in Kiev due next Sunday. Cassano and Balotelli have scored one goal each: in between, some shivers and a lot of passion from the Azzurri. After the first two games Prandelli has decided to change. Barzagli on the pitch from the kick-off and room for a 4-4-2 with Buffon, Abete, Barzagli, Chiellini and Balzaretti in the defence (“on defense”?), De Rossi, Pirlo, Marchisio and Thiago Motta in the midfield (“in midfield”?) and Di Natale and Cassano in the front-line (“on the front-line”?). All this to face Giovanni Trapattoni, a man who wrote a part of Italian football history and who had promised top commitment to his supporters despite the elimination. And commitment it was for the Republic of Ireland, who pressed Italy at all times (“all the time”?). The Azzurri have appeared less precise than in the games to Spain and Croatia (“against Spain and Croatia”?), and the aggressiveness of Ireland has troubled Italy midfielders. The first occasion for Italy has come (“came”?) in the 30th minute, when Ward cleared Di Natale’s sure hit a few steps away from the goal. After another extreme save on Di Natale, the lead has been taken (“was taken”?) in the 35th minute with Cassano, able head (??) in Andrea Pirlo’s corner. Something familiar (“It was something familiar”?), as Cassano’s first goal for Italy was scored in Poland in 2003 at his debut with the Azzurri. Italy have started playing (“started playing”?) properly after the goal, taking advantage of Di Natale’s crosses, Marchisio and Thiago Motta’s plays. The first half has ended (“ended”?) with Italy leading: a less sparkling team, yet a more concrete one. As the second half has begun (“began”?), Chiellini has been forced to leave the pitch due to injury so Bonucci has taken his place. Italy has suffered the strength of the Irish so Prandelli has decided to substitute Cassano with Diamanti. The Republic of Ireland have desperately seeked (?) for the draw, giving Buffon a hard time with a long-range free-kick. Balotelli has then substituted Di Natale and it was Man City striker to give Italy the 2-0 in the 90th minute. Another bit of suffering while waiting for the final result of Spain-Croatia and the liberating embrace: final eight it is!
Monday, June 18, 2012
Udinese...
8-06-2012
ANALYSIS OF THE SEASON – NINE MIDFIELDERS HAVE SCORED
An interesting datum (??) emerges when we analyze the
goals scored this season by Udinese in all the games played. Among Serie A,
Europa League and Tim Cup, 18 goals have been scored by midfielders.
The top scorer of this special ranking is Dusan Basta, who has scored 5 goals out of 31 appearances, having scored to (“against”?) Lecce, Siena, Chievo Verona, Cesena and Bologna (away). Right behind him there (without “there”) are Mauricio Isla and Kwadwo Asamoah, who have scored three goals each. The first one has scored to (“the first one scored against”?) Inter in San Siro, Roma and Fiorentina, while Asamoah has scored all his goals at the Friuli (“stadium”?) against Cesena and Parma.
The podium ends with Giampiero Pinzi and his two goals scored to “(against”?) Lazio and Napoli. Other 5 goals have been scored by Pazienza, Fernandes and Pereyra during the championship, whereas Abdi and Armero have scored their goals in the Europa League, to (“AGAINST”!!!!) Celtic and Rennes.
The top scorer of this special ranking is Dusan Basta, who has scored 5 goals out of 31 appearances, having scored to (“against”?) Lecce, Siena, Chievo Verona, Cesena and Bologna (away). Right behind him there (without “there”) are Mauricio Isla and Kwadwo Asamoah, who have scored three goals each. The first one has scored to (“the first one scored against”?) Inter in San Siro, Roma and Fiorentina, while Asamoah has scored all his goals at the Friuli (“stadium”?) against Cesena and Parma.
The podium ends with Giampiero Pinzi and his two goals scored to “(against”?) Lazio and Napoli. Other 5 goals have been scored by Pazienza, Fernandes and Pereyra during the championship, whereas Abdi and Armero have scored their goals in the Europa League, to (“AGAINST”!!!!) Celtic and Rennes.
Saturday, June 16, 2012
14-06-2012
The “Pitbull” profile: welcome Willians!
He is called “pitbull” in Brazil, due to the agonistic meanness he shows and for how he fights to get himself the ball. Willians Domingos Fernandes, also known as Willians, is the new piece available for coach Francesco Guidolin for Udinese midfield. Willians was born in Sao Paolo on 26 January 1986 and, at 26, he can brag about a good international experience after he played (“in”?) South America main competitions with Flamengo. With them, he won the “Brasilerao” in 2009, he took part to the “Copa Libertadores” (the South American equivalent of Champions League) in 2010 and 2012 and he played the “Copa Sudamericana” in 2011. He signed for Flamengo in 2009, after two seasons, 57 appearances and 5 goals with Santo André. He made 176 appearances and scored 5 goals with Flamengo.
Running, grit and determination, plus a good feeling to scoring (“for scoring”?). Good features that will make Udinese supporters fall in love with him. “boa sorte” Willians!
Friday, June 15, 2012
Udinese...
13-06-2012
Jorgensen: “I’ve missed you my friends”
The silver arrow of Udinese left
channel (“left channel”?) is back, even if only for a quick visit to the Club
headquarters at the Friuli stadium. Martin Jorgensen, side midfielder (“external
midfielder”?) who played with Udinese from 1997 to 2004 has not forgotten his
friends and the beloved stadium: he comes back every time his duties allow him
to. In an interview given to Udinese Channel the Scandinavian boy (a bit older
for a simple “boy”!) talks about the years spent in Italy, from the third place
conquered (“he conquered”?) with Zaccheroni to his arrival in Florence in 2004.
He also talks about Udinese’s performance and Euro 2012: “Udinese have done a
good work here, thanks to coach Guidolin. Denmark? Their win over Holland has
caught everybody by surprise”.
The “Face to face” (“Face-to-face”?) special issue will be shown this evening during (“the”?) 7.30 pm edition of Udinese Channel news. Don’t miss it!
The “Face to face” (“Face-to-face”?) special issue will be shown this evening during (“the”?) 7.30 pm edition of Udinese Channel news. Don’t miss it!
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Udinese...
06-06-2012
Udinese Channel, Pozzo: “We are competing with ourselves first”
Udinese boss, Gianpaolo Pozzo, has answered the
questions asked by Gabriele Schiavi in an exclusive interview for Udinese
Channel. Transfer market and the future of Udinese have been the main subjects.
You are building the future Club, what are your tranfer (“transfer”?) market strategies?
“There are no negotiations going on at the moment, the agents will need to step in. Our Club is not a football supermarket, our players are precious and they cost. I heard rumors on Asamoah and Isla, I know Juventus are interested, but it’s too early to say. As often happens, if top clubs offer good quantity (“a good quantity”?) of money to our players, it is hard to keep them here, but it’s not said yet (literal translation from Italian!). We’re used to lose (“used to losing”?) a few pieces, but this is how football works. We’re not worried, also because there are not so many top clubs able to invest so much. Our team will not be weakened, every year we get a bad mark on the transfer market, but in the end we prove it wrong”.
What about incoming players? Will you use the surprise effect?
“Our transfer market strokes are our surprises. Ibra and Ronaldo, for instance, are not made for Udinese. We aim at young players who can grow up and who can show to have what it takes to help our team (“who can show what it takes to help our team”?). We’ve already bought a few Brazilian players. We’ll try to maintain the core of the squad because we want to pass the Champions League (“Champions’ League”?) play-off round. We also have to take into account that many of our players have bloomed (????) this past year, and they are still young. They might stay in Udine without losing their value. We aim at keeping as many players as possible to strengthen the group, but if some want to leave, we have planned the countermoves to substitute them”. Are Di Natale and Guidolin confirmed?
“Of course they are. Guidolin and Di Natale are our strong points, even if we have also other important pieces who are useful to our cause”.
What are the basis (“What is the basis”?) of the “Udinese project”? is the stadium part of it? “The basis of our project is the stadium, and I think we won’t be having too many problems to build it within 2013. At the same time we are undertaking a series of activities and initiatives to bring people to the stadium. We don’t feel the 12th man, the supporters, much due to the morphology of the facility (???), and we need to raise the number of fans and create an atmosphere useful to make players feel at home in this Club and in this city”.
What is the Club’s first target?
“To keep growing and doing better from many points of view, including the sports results both in Italy and abroad. We should be better than we were, we need to compete with ourselves without limits. We are a provincial town, but we’re working well and we can compete with important clubs. Our strengths are aimed at continuous improvement”.
You are building the future Club, what are your tranfer (“transfer”?) market strategies?
“There are no negotiations going on at the moment, the agents will need to step in. Our Club is not a football supermarket, our players are precious and they cost. I heard rumors on Asamoah and Isla, I know Juventus are interested, but it’s too early to say. As often happens, if top clubs offer good quantity (“a good quantity”?) of money to our players, it is hard to keep them here, but it’s not said yet (literal translation from Italian!). We’re used to lose (“used to losing”?) a few pieces, but this is how football works. We’re not worried, also because there are not so many top clubs able to invest so much. Our team will not be weakened, every year we get a bad mark on the transfer market, but in the end we prove it wrong”.
What about incoming players? Will you use the surprise effect?
“Our transfer market strokes are our surprises. Ibra and Ronaldo, for instance, are not made for Udinese. We aim at young players who can grow up and who can show to have what it takes to help our team (“who can show what it takes to help our team”?). We’ve already bought a few Brazilian players. We’ll try to maintain the core of the squad because we want to pass the Champions League (“Champions’ League”?) play-off round. We also have to take into account that many of our players have bloomed (????) this past year, and they are still young. They might stay in Udine without losing their value. We aim at keeping as many players as possible to strengthen the group, but if some want to leave, we have planned the countermoves to substitute them”. Are Di Natale and Guidolin confirmed?
“Of course they are. Guidolin and Di Natale are our strong points, even if we have also other important pieces who are useful to our cause”.
What are the basis (“What is the basis”?) of the “Udinese project”? is the stadium part of it? “The basis of our project is the stadium, and I think we won’t be having too many problems to build it within 2013. At the same time we are undertaking a series of activities and initiatives to bring people to the stadium. We don’t feel the 12th man, the supporters, much due to the morphology of the facility (???), and we need to raise the number of fans and create an atmosphere useful to make players feel at home in this Club and in this city”.
What is the Club’s first target?
“To keep growing and doing better from many points of view, including the sports results both in Italy and abroad. We should be better than we were, we need to compete with ourselves without limits. We are a provincial town, but we’re working well and we can compete with important clubs. Our strengths are aimed at continuous improvement”.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Udinese...
Season 2011/12, December: San Siro conquered
December begins with a new taboo: San Siro, home of
Internazionale. It’s December, 3 when Udinese make (“makes”?) a perfect match against Inter thanks to
Mauricio Isla, the match-winner, who allows (here instead they write Udinese in
the singular???) Udinese to win the first match against Inter after 7 years.
The match is thrilling and Udinese almost manage (“manages”) to score for the
second time. Julio Cesar saves the penalty shot by Di Natale while in the last
minute Gianpaolo Pazzini has the chance to even with another penalty: the
striker, in front of such a goalkeeper as Handanovic, slides and mishits the
ball. Udinese’s win consolidates them at the third place.
On the wings of enthusiasm (??), the squad wins also the local derby against Chievo, with a 2-1 win scored by Di Natale and Dusan Basta. It is the last match before the crucial match against Celtic for the pass (??) in the Europa League group.
The Scottish team comes at the Friuli on 15 December: they need a win to eliminate Udinese but Antonio Di Natale manages to get a draw that is more than enough for Udinese to turn for the round of 32 (turn where???).
2011 ends with the incredible draw at the Olimpico against Lazio, while on 21 December, facing Juventus, the squads nullify one another.
On the wings of enthusiasm (??), the squad wins also the local derby against Chievo, with a 2-1 win scored by Di Natale and Dusan Basta. It is the last match before the crucial match against Celtic for the pass (??) in the Europa League group.
The Scottish team comes at the Friuli on 15 December: they need a win to eliminate Udinese but Antonio Di Natale manages to get a draw that is more than enough for Udinese to turn for the round of 32 (turn where???).
2011 ends with the incredible draw at the Olimpico against Lazio, while on 21 December, facing Juventus, the squads nullify one another.
Monday, June 4, 2012
01-06-2012
Season 2011/12: November, Roma go KO too
The month of November, in the
championship, begins with various ups and downs: the home 2-1 win over Siena
and, the following Sunday, a black-out (??) at the Tardini (Tardini what,
stadium?) in Parma, which brings to think (??) of a squad in trouble, but the
reaction arrives shortly after against Roma. At the Friuli, the squad coached
by Francesco Guidolin takes its revenge over Roma that, in the past season, had
got a win by a narrow margin leaving a bitter taste in the players’ mouths.
Things are different this time as Udinese manage (“managed”?) to win with a striking 2-0 at the end of another great performance of Guidolin’s squad. The goals scored by Di Natale and Isla push away the bad feelings in the air (get a deodorant!) due to the bad defeat suffered in Madrid facing Atletico, which had allowed the Spanish (“Spaniards”?) to surpass Udinese at the head of the Group I.
November ends with a goalless draw in Rennes, at the end of an unlucky match. The contemporary (??) success of Atletico Madrid over Celtic puts the European destiny of Udinese into their own hands. The second last month of the year see (“sees”?) Udinese at the third place, ready to begin December with the big match in San Siro facing Inter.
Things are different this time as Udinese manage (“managed”?) to win with a striking 2-0 at the end of another great performance of Guidolin’s squad. The goals scored by Di Natale and Isla push away the bad feelings in the air (get a deodorant!) due to the bad defeat suffered in Madrid facing Atletico, which had allowed the Spanish (“Spaniards”?) to surpass Udinese at the head of the Group I.
November ends with a goalless draw in Rennes, at the end of an unlucky match. The contemporary (??) success of Atletico Madrid over Celtic puts the European destiny of Udinese into their own hands. The second last month of the year see (“sees”?) Udinese at the third place, ready to begin December with the big match in San Siro facing Inter.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Udinese...
4-05-2012
The encore is here.... the dream comes true!
It’s easier being amazing than repeating oneself.
Udinese have managed to confirm to be one of the best squads of Italy (“in
Italy”?) and have also done better than
last year, when they had ranked fourth.
Udinese will go back to the Champions League (“Champions’ League”?), determined to remain there, in the year in which the places available for Italian teams have diminished. The fourth place wouldn’t have been enough, the third place was required. Is it possible for a team that has finished the championship in one of the first three positions only once in its entire history? Is it possible to do better than a last season (“better than last season”?) which was, under a certain perspective, unrepeatable? Is it possible to be amazing despite a few illustrious departures?
It is. Udinese are the third club of the championship and we’ll be hearing the Champions League (see above) jingle again soon. The nth Friulian miracle has been made, the nth demonstration of capacity and far-sightedness, the nth masterpiece made by Francesco Guidolin, a coach who has given a Coppa Italia and a semi-final of Uefa Cup Winners’ Cup to Vicenza, a Serie A (team?) and a first time in Europe to Palermo: a coach who turns everything he touches into gold. Also in Udine. Three years, three times in Europe: sixth, fourth and now third place. Nth masterpiece of Totò Di Natale, who, despite his age, keeps scoring and is a natural leader for his team-mates. The nth masterpiece made by the squad, a mixture of people able to speak one single language. The dream is true: Europe is ready to embrace us again.
Udinese will go back to the Champions League (“Champions’ League”?), determined to remain there, in the year in which the places available for Italian teams have diminished. The fourth place wouldn’t have been enough, the third place was required. Is it possible for a team that has finished the championship in one of the first three positions only once in its entire history? Is it possible to do better than a last season (“better than last season”?) which was, under a certain perspective, unrepeatable? Is it possible to be amazing despite a few illustrious departures?
It is. Udinese are the third club of the championship and we’ll be hearing the Champions League (see above) jingle again soon. The nth Friulian miracle has been made, the nth demonstration of capacity and far-sightedness, the nth masterpiece made by Francesco Guidolin, a coach who has given a Coppa Italia and a semi-final of Uefa Cup Winners’ Cup to Vicenza, a Serie A (team?) and a first time in Europe to Palermo: a coach who turns everything he touches into gold. Also in Udine. Three years, three times in Europe: sixth, fourth and now third place. Nth masterpiece of Totò Di Natale, who, despite his age, keeps scoring and is a natural leader for his team-mates. The nth masterpiece made by the squad, a mixture of people able to speak one single language. The dream is true: Europe is ready to embrace us again.
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