Italy manager Roberto Mancini has admitted that he was pleased with his team’s performance after they picked up a slender 1-0 win over United States in an international duty. The Azzurri were recently frustrated with a goalless stalemate against Portugal and the United States game appeared to be going the same way before Matteo Politano found the breakthrough in the 94th minute.
Juventus director Pavel Nedved has revealed that the club are looking forward to offering a strong challenge for the Champions League crown, now that they have Cristiano Ronaldo in their ranks. The Portuguese superstar made the shock move to Turin from Real Madrid during the summer transfer window and Nedved is delighted to have the attacker on board to enhance their European ambitions.
Speaking to reporters, he said: “We are very happy that we could welcome to our team such a world class player like Ronaldo. As a club we have made a step forward and we want to make it count in the Champions League, which has been set as our objective in the next few years. Some might have thought it was crazy… We, Juventus, are in position where it is very difficult to buy players who are better than those in our XI.It was the right decision to get Juventus where the club belongs. We want to win the Champions League, so it was a good move.”
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Italy international Giorgio Chiellini has admitted that he is undecided over his national team future. The 33-year-old did not feature in Roberto Mancini’s first squad earlier in the year and he has now hinted that he could move on to allow the younger players to establish themselves under the new manager.
Neymar, who played with the speculation linking him with a move to Real Madrid and said that he is staying at Paris Saint-Germain. He said he is sure that Ronaldo will have a huge impact in Serie A. He said “I not just think, but believe so that Cristiano Ronaldo will change Italian football. He is a great player and it will be again the Italian football I used to during my childhood days.”
Italian World Cup winner Andrea Pirlo has revealed that he has held talks with members of the Italian FA and other clubs as he considers stepping into a coaching career. The 38-year-old hang up his boots during the back end of 2017, and he is expected to be given a formal send-off at a San Siro testimonial next month.
Gianluigi Buffon could prolong his career for a couple of seasons, according to the goalkeeper’s agent Silvano Martina. The 40-year-old was initially expected to hang up his boots at the end of the season, but following another call-up to the Italy squad, he is considering the prospect of playing on for a few more years.
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has revealed his desire to remain at Stamford Bridge for the remainder of his existing contract. The Italian’s future has been a topic of speculation in recent weeks with reports emerging that he could get the sack at the end of the campaign.
Speaking ahead of the Watford game, Conte stressed that there is no rift between him and the club’s hierarchy whilst insisting that he would like to honour the remainder of his contract which expires in 18 months’ time, he said: “From the start of this season there have been a lot of speculation and rumours around me. The only thing I can tell you now is I still have 18 months of contract with Chelsea. My intention, my will, is to respect the contract.
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Italy is in turmoil after failing to reach the World Cup finals for the first time since 1958 and now the blame game has started. The Italian football federation president Carlo Tavecchio has revealed that he has not slept since their elimination at the hands of Sweden and he blamed the debacle squarely on the shoulders of head coach Gian Piero Ventura.
Of course Ventura was the first victim of their exit when was sacked from the job two days after the game. Tavecchio was expected to follow suit but he has remained resolute and is staying in the role as things stand and he didn’t hold back when talking about that fateful night.
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Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri has claimed that he thought about quitting the Italian champions after suffering a defeat at the hands of Real Madrid in the Champions League final last season.
After having dominated Italian football over the last few years with five consecutive titles, the club managed to once again lift the Italian Serie A with a four point advantage over Roma. Yet, Allegri was unable to celebrate this title after watching his team fail at the final hurdle once again. The loss against Barcelona was rather acceptable considering that it was against one of the best teams in history, but Juventus were hoping for a much better outcome against Real Madrid. Continue reading
Italy have been given a major boost with regard to the World Cup 2018 and the future tournaments after manager Giampiero Ventura has signed a new contract with the national team.
The results shown by Italy so far in the qualification campaign are a major sign that the team will face no issues with regard to reaching Russia. The team has managed to pick up five victories and a stalemate in the six matches. They trail Spain only on goal difference. The longevity of a manager is extremely important for stability in the national team. Continue reading