Conte vs Zeman Round 2

After we move past the debate on the formation; 3-5-2 (Conte) vs 4-3-3 (Zeman) that I blogged and debated in my last post, this battle becomes a little more personal.

This really is a feud between Zdnek Zeman and Juventus, but since Antonio Conte, who spent 13 of his 19 years as a player at Juventus, is now the head coach of Juventus and last season led the Zebras back to its winning ways, he is the person who represents the Bianconeri at the moment, therefore is the object of Zeman's verbal attacks.

Antonio was the Captain of Juventus in the early 2000s

Zdnek Zeman in recent years has been a lot more vocal about his displeasures with the Bianconeri organization, like when he recently said that Juve should really only celebrate 22 or 23 scudetti because 5 or 6 of them were stolen. He also spoke on Conte's current 10-month touchline ban, "I can sleep well at night, Juve can't", Zeman addded that Conte got off easy because he believes Conte should not even be allowed to train the team.

top: Zeman you say that Juve should not claim to have won more than 20 scudetti?
bottom: Please tell me all about your scudetti!

Conte who was in the midst of his appeal process to the controversial ban, reacted to Zeman's comments with a "we will respond on the field", but a few days after Juventus' supercup win Conte added that current Juve BENCH Boss and rookie Head Coach Massimo Carrera has already won more than Zeman ever has in his career only after one game.

Marotta always has his coaches back.

Juventus General Manager Beppe Marotta really took the fight back to Zeman. He first said that since Zeman himself had admitted to not reading all the details on the Conte-FIGC battle, he should not even concern or comment on things he does not know. Beppe then asked what Zeman knew or was hiding since he was the coach of the team the FIGC penalized the most; Lecce. Marotta specifically called into question a controversial game from 2005 between Lecce and Parma that ended 3-3, in which Zeman was on the Lecce bench as head coach, but left for no apparent reason in the 80th minute.

The feud ironically began in 98, when Juventus was in the mid stage of its late 90s dynasty that involved 4 consecutive Champions League finals appearances, & many Italian titles and Zdenek Zeman was for the first time the Head Coach of Roma. Juventus was linked to a doctor who had been indicted by the International Sports Commitee, although nothing was ever proven. Zeman from the beginning voiced his opinion that all the Juventus players at the time (including soccer Legends like Zidane, Inzaghi, Vieri, Vialli, Conte and Del Piero) were on drugs because they were not that good of a team.....let that sink in for a little. 

Del Piero, Peruzzi, Deschamps, Zidane, Inzaghi...surely without drugs they could never have won anything in their careers
(said in my sarcastic voice)

He later would make many accusations towards Juventus implying that they were corrupt and were the reason he never coached a "big club" .......not because his 4-3-3 tactic is very stale. He also claimed to feel vindicated when Juventus was sent down to Serie B during the Calciopoli scandal......makes me wonder if Zeman suffers from a god-complex.

Zeman should really quit that bad habit at his age...

Former Juventus Legend and 1982 Azzuri Hero Paolo Rossi said it best, Zeman talks too much, and always has. 
Zeman has never ever won a top flight trophy, and this season is more than likely his last chance to do so. Every excuse he has ever used to why he has never been able to do so in his over 20 years of coaching in Italy is irrelevant. Roma spent a lot of money this summer and has a team that many experts considered the only competition to Juventus for the scudetto. Its now or never for the Czech. Meanwhile Antonio Conte has already won the scudetto and is predicted to win a few more titles with Juve in the next few years.

Round 1 in my opinion was won by Conte, seeing that many teams are beginning to prefer the 3-5-2 to Zeman's 4-3-3 because it defends better. Also using the 3-5-2 Juventus has remain undefeated in 45 league competition games, while Roma using Zeman's 4-3-3 has already suffered defeat in the new season.

Round 2 will be disputed today at 245 as the two teams meet for the first time this season. All the talk means nothing, both Juventus and Roma will really want to win todays game. Although Conte will not be on the bench, we know he will be in the stands. If Zeman can finally beat his self proclaimed nemesis on the field then it will create a very interesting title run for the remainder of the season. If Conte's men get the better of the Volpe, Zeman may be inquiring about an early retirement.

Conte vs Zeman Round 1

Antonio Conte vs Zednek Zeman 

also known as 

3-5-2 vs 4-3-3

Looking over the probable line-ups for the upcoming season I'm seeing a common theme. With the exception being Atalanta, with a simple 4-4-2 and Torino with an exciting 4-2-4 formation that got them back into the Serie A, every other team is either using a 3-5-2 or a 4-3-3, with some teams having slightly modified it with either a 3-5-1-1 (Napoli, Bologna, & Udinese) or a 4-3-1-2 like Milan & Chievo or finally a 4-3-2-1 like Inter.

Some say 'Parody is Flattery', but I think Conte and Zeman would both feel less than flattered by this. Either way the influence of these two men and their formations will be very evident this season.

Those of you who followed the Azzurri's run in the Euro Cup should know that this was a struggle for Head Coach Cesare Prandelli, who used the 3-5-2 for the first game against Spain, when Italy drew 1-1, but then used a modified 4-3-3 for the remainder of the tourney. Some (mainly myself) have argued how in the Final game he should of reverted back to the 3-5-2, and how it would of been a much closer game. But thats in the past, and after many cold showers it is to be forgotten.

i'm sure a lot of people wanted to be the Batman to my Robin 

in the weeks after the final

  Zdenek Zeman may be best known for using the 4-3-3, but when you actually see a Zeman squad using it effectively how he preaches it, it looks a lot more like a 2-5-3, which creates a lot of goals. Pescara scored the most goals in the Serie B last season, and with all the fire-power Roma have at their disposal I suspect they should be considered favourites to score the most goals in the Serie A this season.

Roma in a pre-season friendly already effectively using the 4-3-3 

(looks like just 2 at the back though) 

Zeman is not the only one who has used the 4-3-3 in the Serie A before. Massimo Allegri (Milans current Head Coach) used that same formation in the 2010/11 SERIE A season and won more than just Most Goals by a club that season, as Milan were crowned Scudetto Champions, which can be credited to the 4-3-3 formation that allowed them to score so many goals.

Antonio Conte last season preferred a more pass-heavy formation in the 3-5-2. (It will definetly still be used by new Juve bench boss Massimo Carrera while Conte serves his 10-month touchline ban). This formation keeps 3 central defenders back at all times, and is not as susceptible to a counter attack as the 4-3-3. The formation finally got its recognition by the Italian Soccer community only after Juventus finished the 2011/12 season as UNDEFEATED Scudetto Champions. 

During last season, Mr.Conte was constantly called out by 'analysts' and 'experts' about how it does not produce enough goals. Antonio answered this at the end of the season  himself: "While the 3-5-2 may not score a lot of goals, it rarely gives them up" and that is all that matters.

This season there will be a lot of talk on what formation will be better to use Zeman's 4-3-3 or Conte's 3-5-2. My vote will always be with my coach, but the main thing is that they both create very exciting, attractive Calcio, and while you try to decide which side you are on, I'll be enjoying all the action from the most competitive soccer league on the planet.

Lorenzo Insigne....Believe the Hype

In the hours proceeding this blog posting, Napoli will have completed their biggest off-season maneuver... (in my opinion) ..giving Lorenzo Insigne a 1-year contract extension, which will run until 2017 (with an obvious pay increase for the kid).

[can Lavezzi lift this?]

You may be wondering why would Napoli be giving a 21-year old who has only ever played 1 minute of competitive calcio in the Serie A a contract extension?

Is it because in Napoli's last two friendly games he has tore it up with a goal and an assist against Bayern Munich or his assist and conistent pressure in Napoli's other friendly win over Bayern Leverkusen 2-1?

Is it because of how good "Lorenzinho" (as dubbed by the Napoli faithful) looked in his last two seasons playing under now Roma head coach Zednek Zemans 4-3-3?

- in the 2010/11 season Insigne was loaned to Foggia (who was coached by Zeman at the time) and scored 19 goals in 33 appearances.

- the following season Insigne was once again loaned out from Napoli to a Zeman coached Pescara team. Alongside fellow Italian youth prospects Marco Verratti and Ciro Immobile; Lorenzinho scored 18 goals in 37 appearances to help Pescara to promotion from Serie B to Serie A.

Although these could be factors in the re-signing. It mostly has to do with the fact that Napoli has just sold Lavezzi, and since Napoli head coach uses the 4-3-3, Insigne is the perfect candidate to replace Lavezzi on the left to pair up with Cavani and Hamsik. 

I watched quite a bit of Pescara matches this past season to catch a glimpse of what I hoped would be a future Juventus signing in Marco Verratti (sigh) and Juventus owned striker Ciro Immobile. But it was Lorenzinho who caught my eye, and had me watching more Serie B soccer than I ever have.

His constant sprint with and without the ball on offense are very entertaining to watch. Having only recently joined the Italy Under-21 program, the hype around the young talent is quickly forming and with good reason.

A lot of credit must be given to Napoli chairman Aurelio De Laurentis for not only producing the greatest Italian comedy but for also locking down a player who let alone was born and raised in the streets of Napoli, but was brought up in the teams very own youth soccer system. And nothing upsets ultras more than letting your own youth prospects go.....just ask Massimo Moratti.

Poised to play a prominent role in the Napoli starting lineup this season, I believe he will help Napoli achieve a top 4 finish this season.

With players like Lorenzo Insigne and Matteo Destro going to better football clubs it will only help Italy's potential stars, to become superstars.

"Friendlies in America"

when you read the title of the post i want you to sing it like James Brown....because thats how I'm saying it!


Friendlies in (North) America. Now maybe some of you are like me and fell victim to these cash grabs, hopefully not. They try to lure you in with posters such as this one

[Suarez is at the Olympics!]

making you the fan believe that your favourite stars will actually show up to an EXHIBITION in Toronto, days after a much deserved vacation. If they do end up playing, they dont go hard (who can blame them) and its never longer than a half (why risk an injury).


Now I won't argue that exhibitions are much needed to any team sport in warm up for the upcoming season. But my main gripe is the timing for these games and ticket prices.


Two seasons ago Juventus and Fiorentina travelled to Toronto on May 25th to do battle in the Skydome (yes it will always be called that to me). But the problem was it wasn't much of a battle. Both teams had just finished long disappointing seasons one week prior. 
Any really talented player from either side was with their national side prepping for the 2010 World Cup. Unless your last name is Jovetic and your country will never qualify so you have to tear up a fake Juve defence. Juve played 6 local players they had signed on 10 day contracts and played most of their youth players because of the shortage of first teamers. 


Yet ticket prices were cheapest 60$ and most 200$.....for a FRIENDLY!!!!


[side note] it was on this day that i declared to twitter and all Juve fans in attendance that Amauri had to go, and Jovetic has to come in, and i still stand by that.


The following year Juventus came back (2011), to play Sporting of portugal. Ticket sales were disappointing, nearly selling half the stadium with only 10,028 ticket sales. After the previous years showing on Juventus' part I dont understand how anyone in marketing thought that fans in Toronto would be willing to dish that same cash again.

[my condolences to anyone who had to sit through that rainstorm last summer]

Oh but I was wrong as this season Juventus attempted to come back (ticket prices were the same as the previous 2 exhibitions; cheapest 60$, most 200$) but pre sales were soo low that the team decided a trip to China would be more profitable. Now this is in no part due to Juve not having a strong fan base in Canada, it is due to the expensive price for tickets to watch a fake Juventus.

[would of been a great roadie with the boys]

We need more meaningful games to come here to justify those prices. They are the same prices as Miami Heat playoff tickets! And your not even getting stars to entertain us (in the 2010 friendly in Toronto, Del Piero did not take the field even after many chants from the 21,000+ crowd), but kids trying to find their place on the field.


I have absolutely no problem at all with the MLS all-star game. It has been surprisingly entertaining the last few years, and I think its a great idea to have the MLS all-stars face the reigning European Champions every summer. You could tell last night the MLS players were trying, and Chelsea wasnt walking around neither.


I remember fantasizing as a kid of the Champions League finals being hosted in the Skydome (and Juve winning it of course). Yes, I know how ridiculous that sounds...to have a European Cup final not in Europe. Which is why I was a child at the time. But where I am going with this is that why can't Toronto host the FIFA Club World Cup?


The Italian Super Cup has been hosted in somewhere other than Italy 5 times in the last 10 years. I am sure that if this years Italian Super Cup between Napoli and Juve were held in Toronto or Montreal it would have been a sellout. Instead they are off to China at the Beijing National Stadium in.....wait for it.....Beijing! 


This same stadium has hosted the competition in 2009 and 2011. Last season it was full sellout of 80, 000! This is expected to be the same. So who can blame the teams or League for going for the money, thats the name of the game.


Marketers beware if you plan on bringing Juventus back and expect us to pay those high prices, know that if the buyer doesn't recieve what they expected, not playing the stars you advertised to us or these non competitive matches, it won't sell. Simply because.....

We Want Something Real.

The Curious Case of Udinese Calcio

One of the main storylines over the last couple of years in the Italian Serie A, has been Udinese Calcio. Led by Antonio Di Natale this club has found a way to push themselves into Champions League Qualification the last two years running. Ordinarily they are a midtable side who struggles to qualify for Europa league.

Antonio Di Natale (Udinese Captain)

The Friulani have been one of the few sides in Italy that have recorded profits in these trying economic times, because they are able to develop so much talent. In 09-10 they finished 15th way below where they should be, but Antonio Di Natale was the lone bright spot scoring 29 goals to lead the league. This was a sign of things to come in the coming years.

The summer of 2010 brought a huge amount of turnover, and saw many players leave the Stadio Friuli. Simone Pepe, Marco Motta, and Gaetano D'Agostino were all shown the door among others, but the team was able to finish fourth ahead of teams with much larger budgets like Roma, Lazio and Juventus. Simone Pepe and Marco Motta were sold to Juventus. But it was signings from previous seasons that filled the void of departed stars.

Simone Pepe

The summer of 2011 was no different. Instead of adding talent to the squad like most teams do in the wake of competing in the Champions League. Udinese continued to go about their usual business. Identifying players that could be replaced and selling them for a profit. A key player in the 2010-11 surprise season was Alexis Sanchez. The Chilean was bought by Udine in the summer of 2006 for just under 3m pounds. 2010-11 was his breakout year, scoring 12 goals and adding 6 assists catching the eyes of many big clubs he would be sold for 26m Euros that summer to Barcelona. Gokham Inler was also a part of the departed leaving for Napoli at a price around 13m Euros along with standout defender Cristian Zapata at 14m Euros to Villarreal. Udinese turned quite the profit that summer. However, they did not re-invest the money into any big name signings. Paolo Vitor Barreto was the biggest purchase at 3.5m Euro. They ended up losing their Champions League qualifier 2-1 to Arsenal on aggregate.

Alexis Sanchez with Gokhan Inler

However they were able to recover for the start of the Serie A season. Udinese's outstanding record at home (13-4-2) was the main catalyst in their second consecutive Champions League qualification. Antonio Di Natale had another fantastic season scoring 23 goals to go along with 7 assists.

So with the Champions League looming for Udine in the summer of 2012, the purge has arrived once again.

In the summer of 2007 an unknown Chilean was signed to a five year contract by the Friulani. Mauricio Isla came over to Italy for 462 000 pounds. He took the place of Simone Pepe on the right side of midfield in a 3-5-2 formation for the 2010-11 season. He's been sold to Juventus for just over 8m pounds.

Mauricio Isla

In 2008 Kwadwo Asamoah was brought in on a loan deal from a Swiss club. He would sign permanently the following summer for 880 000 pounds. The defensive midfielder has played a key role for Udinese in their past two seasons both resulting in top four finishes. Also sold to Juventus, for just under 8m pounds.

Kwadwo Asamoah

Samir Handanovic is a goalkeeper that Udinese got on free transfer! He had been with the club since 2004 until Inter needed a replacement for Julio Cesar this summer. They worked out a fee of 11m Euro for the Slovenian shotstopper.

Samir Handanovic

So who have Udinese brought into replace? Well to be honest a bunch of players I have not heard much about, typical Udinese. Three Brazilians look to be the ones that will fill the void in the midfield. I can try to speculate who will be their new star this year, but the truth is I have no idea. All we know is someone on the team will get it done. Antonio Di Natale seems to be the only player that can avoid being sold away from the Stadio Friuli and it remains to be seen how much longer the 34-year-old can keep it up.

Maicousel

(One of three Brazilians brought in this summer by Udinese)

To be honest it is a nice story, and it is great to see the incredible profits they've made through transfers. Buying players for next to nothing and selling them at huge prices. But it's also quite frustrating as a calcio fan. I want to see Italian clubs perform well beyond the league. I feel as though when you qualify for a Champions League match you need to invest some money in making the most of it, to represent your country on the Continental stage the best way possible. If Italy is to gain back their 4th Champions League place Udinese have to perform well in the competition, and with the sales from the last two seasons I don't see how that is possible.

It's hard to see them continuing this run in the Serie A also. Inter figures to be better than they were last season, Milan will not drop off as much as people think after the sales of Ibrahimovic and Silva, Roma has made significant improvements to their squad as well as Napoli, and Lazio still figure to be in the mix as well. Unless some 'ready-now' talent is brought into the Stadio Friuli they're run of top four finishes in the league will come to an end this year.

Giampaolo Pozzo (Udinese Owner)

It's unfortunate but it is clear that Udinese owner Giampaolo Pozzo sees his club as a business that needs to turn a profit, rather than a team he wants to see perform at the highest level possible. At some point one would think that their luck will run out. That eventually they will guess wrong on one of these unknown commodities that get purchased for next to nothing. The youth system is something that other clubs wish they had and it is a great tool to make substantial profits in the transfer market, but I think it is about time Udinese use some of the profits they've made over the years to make a real push at the Serie A title and who knows maybe a little run through the Champions League.

Who Is Mattia Destro?

Unless your a long time Football Manager player like myself and this blogs founder Dan Riccio than I really couldn't expect you to answer the title question. This blog post is not a "where will Italys hottest property end up" , because by the time YOU are reading this he could be at a press conference at the Stadio Olimpico being presented to the Roma faithful or in Paris doing keep ups in front of the Eiffel tower.

Hey french ppl look how high i can bounce it!

But who exactly is the young Man that is commanding so much attention from Italy's top clubs? Mattia Destro is a 2nd generation footballer. His father; Flavio Destro played for Ascoli in the 80s. After retiring with the Woodpeckers he became a coach, which would explain why Mattia started his youth career with the Ascoli club, also his city of birth. When his dad was promoted to the Italy's youth team as a coach, his son made the move to Inter's youth system at the age of 14. This is where he struck up a partnership with Italy's NEW golden son Mario Balotelli. Destro's knack for goal in his teens was overshadowed by SWAGotelli's but in 2008 when Mario had solidified him self as a member of Inter's senior team with strong performances off the bench, it was Mattia's time to get attention.

Mattia's fathers playing card

if he becomes half the player this video game predicts he will then....

Playing for Italy's Under 19 team between 2009 & 2010 without Balotelli is when Mattia got to show off his goalscoring skills, by scoring a remarkable 16 goals in 14 appearances for the little Azzurri. Its amazing to think that at this time is when Inter sent him and a few briefcases of cash to Genoa in exchange for Andrea Ranocchia. Yes Inter gave up on another one of their youth prospects, add him to the long list that now includes Pirlo, Santon, Bonnuci, and Balotelli to name a few. 

With his tall stature and strong physique Mattia is a threat to score in front of goal in any game and he showed this in his first two seasons playing in the Serie A. In his first season with Genoa he appeared 16 times, but only started 3 and got 2 goals. His 2nd season with Siena was a lot more successful only starting 15 times and being subbed in another 15 he scored an impressive 12 goals!

state chitu'

When you consider the fact that he is only 20 years old and played for two weaker sides against arguably the best defences in club soccer. Averaging almost 1 goal per every 2 games he plays is a great sign that he will be a goalscoring threat in the Serie A for years to come. 

as a Juve loyalist i gotta hope not to ever see this

Who ever wins the "Destro Sweepstakes" in Italy right now, will reap the benefits. If Roma do get him, as being predicted out of Italy at this very moment, they will definitely fight for a top 3 finish and be considered Scudetto contenders. Mattia Destro has the talent to score 15 goals per season, and the potential to win goal scoring titles. Also he's Italian and having to hear the last few years "Italy has no good upcoming prospects" its hard to root against him or Marco "the traitor' Verratti whether they play for the Zebras or not. I want to see a strong Italy in the future, Brazil 2014 might be to early but Euro 2016 is a realistic possibility. 


Watching him this last season he reminded me a lot of a young Pippo Inzaghi in his ability to always be ahead of the defenders, but he also showed signs of Christian Vieri with his canon of a shot. All good things for the youngster.


So Who is Mattia Destro? Italy's hope at being more than just Balotelli.