Genoa

Score one for the hecklers. We've always known that the players were listening.

Well, actually, let me back up a moment.

Score one for the crazies. We've always known they'd scare some poor players into submission at some point.

From the Associated Press:

Genoa players stripped off their shirts in a gesture of apology to angry, flare-throwing fans on Sunday as their protests forced a 45-minute suspension of the team's 4-1 loss to Siena in Serie A…

Fans threw flares onto the pitch and climbed atop barriers as they were faced by stewards in riot gear at the Luigi Ferraris stadium, forcing families with small children to flee.

Also, Genoa forward Bosko Jankovic was forced to leave his seat on the bench after an argument with fans.

The lesson? Don't mess with Genoa fans. They're crazy.

For those uninitiated in the ways of football hooliganism, these crazy Genoese fans are commonly known as Ultras. Numerous clubs across the globe have them—hardcore fans who wreak havoc on a game-by-game basis, acting like insane-asylum inmates and intimidating just about everybody.

In this case, everybody included the players, who apparently cowered in fear at the sight of a few flares.

Genoa president Enrico Preziosi, however, wasn't too impressed. "It's upsetting that 60 or 100 people have the impunity to do and say what they feel like without being stopped and sent home," Preziosi said. "It's not possible that they take over the stadium and impose their laws."

Genoa's Ultras might not have such a stage for long. After Sunday's loss, Genoa—who have the worst defensive record in Serie A—now sit one point above the relegation zone with five matches left.

At the moment, it is hard to find any reason for optimism when talking about Milan.

The team's performances are going from bad to worse, there is uncertainty as to who will be the coach next year, there seems to be little hope that any big signings will be made this summer (which the club badly needs) and lastly, there does not seem to be a plan in place to help Milan climb back to the top again.

The present moment is a hopeless one for the Rossoneri.

Right now, the club just seems directionless and the future seems somewhat uncertain.

Reflecting on Milan's trip to Genoa over the weekend, there are five conclusions that can be drawn about Milan's season.

The first conclusion is that Milan will never win anything with Marco Borriello as the number one striker.

Borriello has enjoyed some good moments this season and has scored some good goals, in addition to accumulating a respectable tally. But he still is not good enough. He lacks quality.

At the highest levels of football, chances are sometimes few and far between. For success to be achieved, you need a striker who can finish off the odd chance. This is the difference between winning and losing.

Against Genoa, Borriello’s guilt-edged miss in the second half proved decisive. The problem is that this is not the first time Borriello has missed such a easy chance. Milan needs a quality striker, end of story. Borriello would be great as a back up or at a smaller club.

The second conclusion is that come this summer, Huntelaar should be sold to the highest bidder. The Dutchman is still wanted by many of Europe's top clubs, including a number of English clubs. Sell him to an English club for some good money and reinvest the funds into the squad.

The reason why Huntelaar should be sold is simple: he has not proven himself at Milan. Although he is a highly talented striker, his lack of playing time over the last two seasons may have had a detrimental effect on him; both in a psychological sense and a footballing sense. Huntelaar really is in danger of not fulfilling his potential and to keep him and hope he does fulfill his potential is a bet Milan cannot afford. 

The third conclusion that can be drawn from Milan’s limp display against Genoa is that Marcello Lippi is on another planet if he thinks Gattuso is still good enough for Italy let alone picking him for the World Cup. On current form, Gattuso would struggle to make the starting lineup at Chievo and probably would not even start for Palermo.

We have not seen the Gattuso of old once this season; perhaps this is a sign that he is finished. The Gattuso we have seen this season has been atrociously poor and it is absolutely baffling how he is most likely still going to South Africa.

Not only must Lippi be on another planet if he thinks Gattuso is good enough for Italy, Leo must be floating around in space somewhere if he thinks Gattuso is still worth starting. He is not, even with Ambrosini unavailable.

Bring in a youth player. At least a youth player will have the legs to run all day and the hunger that is so clearly missing in Gattuso’s game.

Gattuso, the footballer, is no more. He is now a fishmonger.

The fourth conclusion that can be made from this match is that Mathieu Flamini is also not good enough. His tackling is reckless and ill-timed and he is lucky that he has not received more than two red cards this season.

Flamini is a one hit wonder. He had one great season at Arsenal, but we will probably never see that Flamini again.

Considering the serious lack of depth Milan has in midfield, it is debatable whether Milan would be better off without him.

The fifth and final conclusion that can be drawn is that Leo is partly to blame for Milan’s late season collapse. Yes, the Milan squad is lacking in depth and quality and yes, Leo has done a great job with the resources provided. Milan will finish third after all.

However, Leo’s reluctance to integrate youth players into the team has been his one major failing this season.

In recent weeks, Leo should have promoted and given some chances to Milan’s youth players. Given the poor form of many of the older players, along with the numerous injuries and suspensions to other members of the first team, there were countless opportunities for Leo to bring in youth.

Unfortunately, Leo stuck with the old guard and has paid the price. Milan’s form has been abysmal in recent weeks and results have been poor. Third place may still be secured, but a team like Milan should still be doing much better no matter the circumstances.

Lazio 1* - Osasuna 1 (Pens. 5-4) (Friendly, August 13, 2009) Juanfran put the Spanish side in front with a fine solo goal down the right hand side. Mauro Zarate equalised from close range for Lazio.

Villareal 1 - Genoa 2 (Friendly, August 13, 2009) After a busy summer of transfer activity, Genoa look in good shape ahead of the new campaign. Giusepe Sculli headed Genoa in front, Hernan Creso doubled the lead whilst Robert Pires equalised from the penalty spot.

Cadiz 1 - Deportivo La Coruna 3 (Friendly, August 13, 2009)

Castellon 0 - Atltetico Madrid 1 (Friendly, August 13, 2009)

***

Laval 3 - Strasbourg 2 (Ligue 2, August 13, 2009) A ding-dong match saw the home side take the lead three times. First through Marcolino only for Gueye to equalise. Levrat fired home Laval’s second before Fauverge claimed another for the away side, Hamouma scored the winner with 14 minutes to go.

***

Beira Mar 0 - Sp. Covilha 1 (Liga Vitalis, August 13, 2009) Ribeiro scored the only goal of the game with four minutes remaining.

***

Vitoria 2 - Coritiba 0 (Copa Sudamericana, August 13, 2009) Silva claimed a deflected free-kick two minutes into the second half, Jackson completed the win  eighteen minutes from time.

Liverpool FC 0 - Cienciano 0 (Copa Sudamericana, August 13, 2009)

Having been referenced as part of the unwanted nine, Royston Drenthe appears to have been chucked out with the bath-water at the Bernabeu as Real look to shift the dead-wood from their playing staff as they welcome the latest collection of galacticos to Madrid.

The past two years have been difficult for the Dutchman with the Edgar Davids locks. Drenthe rose to prominence after impressing at the Under-21 European Championships back in 2007, scooping the player of the tournament award, and Madrid moved quickly to ensure that they signed him from Feyenoord for €14 million, ahead of the likes of Chelsea and Barcelona.

But since arriving at Los Blancos Drenthe has failed to establish himself as a starter on the left-hand side, finding himself playing second-fiddle to Marcelo for a spot at left-back while rarely being able to hold down a place of the left-side of midfield. In total Drenthe has made just under 50 appearances for Madrid in which he contributed a measly three goals.

While in Spain, Drenthe has grown a distasteful reputation and finding his behaviour splashed across the backpages. The Dutchman was repeatedly reported as having a bad attitude to finding himself on the bench, with Drenthe said to have stormed out of training in protest on at least one occasion, while only several weeks ago he was criticised for his behaviour during the match with Villarreal at the end of the season. (See here.)

Yet it is all too easy to pigeonhole Drenthe as yet another moody Dutchman. With a silky left-peg, bags of pace, a low centre of gravity and a full arsenal of tricks, Drenthe has the potential to be great. Best suited as the link between midfield and attack Drenthe unquestionably has the ability and talent to play at the highest levels.

On the downside, Drenthe has to work on his goal scoring and shooting. Too often the Dutchman fluffs opportunities in front of goal, and this is one area of his game which definitely requires hard work and improvement.

Arguably though, Drenthe’s biggest problem is his maturity. Aside from his off-the-field antics, on the pitch many have labelled Drenthe as mimicking a headless chicken over the past two seasons at Real, regularly seen running down blind-alleys rather than showing the composure and guile to retain possession for his team. But, at just 22-years-old the attacker has time on his side, and prospective employers would be foolish to write off Drenthe at this early stage.

According to reports coming out of Italy, Genoa and Fiorentina have both declared an interest in signing the player from Madrid, with suggestions being that the Dutchman will originally move on loan for an initial season.

While, over in Blightly, Martin O’Neill is also said to have expressed an interest in Drenthe, The Star printing “Aston Villa boss O’Neill is weighing up a £4m offer for the former Feyenoord left-back as a replacement for Nicky Shorey.” No-doubt Drenthe would also offer cover and an alternative for Ashley Young, with the England wide-man very much in demand from a host of teams circling around like vultures.

Video evidence of Royston Drenthe can be seen here, while a slightly more negative video can be seen here.

A match-fixing scandal ahead of the 2005-2006 season while Genoa was still in Serie B sent them tumbling down to Serie C1. The club had to start on the bottom in their quest for success and that season a playoff against Monza sent the Grifone back up to Serie B.

Ahead of the 2006-2007 season club president Enrico Preziosi brought in Gian Piero Gasperini. Under the guidance of the newly appointed tactician the Peninsula’s oldest club managed to secure promotion back to Italy’s top flight on the last day of the season. Twelve years of waiting had finally come to an end.

In their first season back in Serie A the Rossoblu finished on a respectable 10th place. During the summer that followed Preziosi was careful to make some wisely considered additions while offloading those that didn’t fit into the club’s long-term plans.

Two of the players that arrived during the 2008 summer mercato that would come to leave the biggest impact in the coming season were Zaragoza’s Diego Milito and Barcelona’s Thiago Motta.

Milito refused several lucrative offers from top club suitors in order to rejoin his former club. The Argentinean has been firing on all cylinders and is ahead of the final game of the season only one goal shy of Serie A top scorers Marco Di Vaio and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

The former Zaragoza man was the difference in both of the Derby Della Lanterna encounters with Sampdoria but it was the latter which was one of the season’s most memorable games for Milito as he went on to score a unforgettable hat trick to beat the Blucerchiati by 3-1.

Genoa probably made the bargain of the season when they landed Motta on a free transfer from the Blaugrana. The injury-prone midfielder has been a revelation this season as he’s dictated games in order to allow the Rossublu to showcase some truly brilliant football. A couple of weeks ago Motta’s brace against Juventus secured another unforgettable victory in the club’s record breaking season.

The aim at the beginning of the season was to take the step back on to the European stage by finishing on a UEFA Cup spot. The team has recorded admirable victories against top sides such as AC Milan, Juventus, and AS Roma and it’s safe to say that they exceeded all expectations when for a while it even seemed highly likely that they would snatch the fourth and final Champions League spot.

In the end, Fiorentina proved too strong and with only one round remaining of the season Genoa is sure to finish the season on fifth place—ahead of last season’s runner-up AS Roma.

Unfortunately for the Rossoblu they will have to embark on their European adventure without two of the team’s most prominent players as both Milito and Motta are set to join Inter Milan at the end of the season while Inter prodigy Robert Aquafresca is heading the other way along with a sum of unknown money.

Although it may seem ridiculous to let go of the club’s two most important players Genoa has made quite the bargain in young Aquafresca. Besides, the club doesn’t have the financial resources to keep their star players as Milito alone earns more than double the amount of money as the next player.

Preziosi has wasted no time in replacing his departing players and has told the media that Atalanta forward Sergio Floccari has penned a deal with the Grifone with Inter duo Hernan Crespo and Ricardo Quaresma looking to do the same.

Gasperini wants to build for the future and with both Milito and Motta edging closer to 30 this was the prime time to let go of the players and still receive a good amount of money. The future looks promising for the high-flying Genoa that boasts several bright prospects. In addition to the recent signings the club has also secured the services of the successful tactician who has penned a fresh three-year extension with the Grifone.

This season Genoa has proven that they can fight with the top sides and do so admirably well. With a handful of new faces and the same ingredients for success there’s no telling how far Gasperini’s men can go as they once again grace the European scene after 17 years of absence.

Accusations and counter-accusations have been flying almost as rapidly as the fists were, after Torino and Genoa came to blows at full-time on Sunday at the Stadio Olimpico.

The pitch battle came about after Diego Milito handed the Rossoblu a dramatic 3-2 win at the death, a result that pushes Torino deep into the relegation mire.

Giancarlo Camolese’s bulls now face doomed Lecce next Sunday knowing Bologna have the edge over them in the final round of the season. Even if Torino win, their survival is now out of their own hands.

Many have predicted that Genoa, who had already qualified for the Europa League, would simply roll over against Torino and allow their opponents to pick up three vital points in their battle against the drop. But, in very un-Italian fashion, Genoa fought until the final whistle, much to the hosts’ disappointment.

When quizzed on whose fault the brawl was, Torino coach Giancarlo Camolese pointed his finger at “an important Genoa player, Thiago Motta, who at the end went in front of our bench and told us to be quiet. My men reacted to provocation from the Genoa squad. These are situations we would not like to see, as even if a team does have 30 points more than their opponents, they cannot afford gestures like that. It is difficult to keep calm after all the tension of the week built up.”

But Genoa manager Gian Piero Gasperini refused to accept such blame, countering with his own charge that Torino were simply bitter that Genoa did not roll over.

Gasperini : “I ask myself why people are amazed that we tried to win a match. Evidently we have all become accustomed to these soft performances in the final weeks of the season, but it doesn’t have to be like that. We still had an objective, as we could’ve stayed in the race for fourth if Fiorentina hadn’t equalised at Lecce in stoppages. On the one hand we can understand Torino’s disappointment and anger, but on the other they cannot blame my players for their situation. This isn’t the game where they lost their place in Serie A. Relegation is part of the sport. If they’re going to react like this then maybe we should remove relegations and just keep the same old teams, see how everyone likes that!”

The brawl between Torino and Genoa can be seen here.

Argentina is the focus of this second report on the challengers for the prestigious Jules Rimet trophy at next year's FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

HISTORY

Winners in 1978 and '86, the Albicelestes have a proud World Cup history and won just over half of their 65 matches in the finals tournament. They have a history that is marked by triumph and controversy, flashes of brilliance and insolence, and pride and disgrace in equal measure. 

Notable incidents in the past have included legendary winger and current coach Diego Maradona's infamous 'Hand Of God' goal and sublime dribble and finish in their 2-1 quarter-final triumph over England in '86 and an ugly brawl at the end of their surprise quarter-final defeat to the Germans in 2006.  

SHAPING UP FOR 2010

With just 16 points from 10 games so far in qualifying, they lag SEVEN points behind Paraguay in the CONMEBOL qualification group and are not yet assured a place in next summer's tournament.

The defeats to Venezuela and Colombia were embarrassing for a nation with an unbelievable wealth of talent at its disposal and an impressive football heritage and hard-nosed captain Javier Mascherano and straight-talking coach Maradona will not put with mediocrity for long.

STRENGTHS

The squad has an enviable blend of youth and experience and has a good balance of offensive and defensive players. Superstars such as Lionel Messi, Javier Zanetti, and Javier Mascherano will be vital to the team's success. It is also a squad with real depth, highlighted by the fact that star Genoa striker Diego Milito is fourth choice. 

WEAKNESSES 

Coach Maradona has almost no experience of coaching football at any level and will have prove himself and impose his character on his team.

The Pumas have been poor so far in qualifying and the players will have to gel on a more regular basis and develop a greater understanding of each other's games if they are to go all the way.

COACH

The appointment of Diego Maradona as national coach over other more qualified candidates was met with surprise by some and vehement opposition by others. Yet, following a friendly victory over Scotland at Hampden Park and an impressive 2-0 defeat of France, it's a case of "so far, so good" for Argentina under Maradona's leadership. 

KEY PLAYER 

Lionel Messi needs little introduction, especially as he is considered by many to be the greatest footballer on the planet currently. With an incredible 50 goals in 103 appearances for Catalan giants Barcelona and 11 goals in international football already, the diminutive wizard is still just 21 years old.

Will he be able to live up to the hype when push comes to shove?

ODDS

5-1

Inter responded well to their thrashing at the hands of Sampdoria, as they won comfortably against Genoa at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris.

Goals in both halves from Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Mario Balotelli respectively gave Inter yet another controversy marred victory over a Genoa side, who were unbeaten at home up until this point.

However, the victory came at a heavy price for Inter, who lost two of their central defenders within the first half hour as both Materazzi and Burdisso were taken off due to injury.

First Half:

The game began in frantic pace, as Zlatan Ibrahimovic struck in the second minute for Inter, lobbing the ball beautifully over Genoa goalkeeper Rubinho.

At the other end of the pitch, Materazzi limped off with an injury barely 15 minutes into the game, making way for Columbian international Ivan Cordoba.

Julio Cesar showed why he is amongst the best keepers in the world when he denied Thiago Motta's powerful header from point blank range resulting from a Biava free-kick.

Half an hour into the game, Sulley Muntari replaced Burdisso, who picked up an injury following a challenge on Milito.

Inter took their single goal lead into the second half after Julio Cesar denied both Motta and Milito just before the half time whistle.

Second Half:

Genoa, who were yet to lose at the Ferraris stadium, started the second half full of determination and pressed forward. However, it was Inter who scored again, this time through Balotelli with Ibrahimovic being the play-maker.

Controversy erupted again, as so often with Inter this season, when Balotelli's goal stood despite appearing that the ball had not fully crossed the goal line, but the linesman thought otherwise.

Genoa tried to fight back with Olivera and Padallino doing some good work after coming on as substitutes, but Genoa failed to find the back of the net handing Inter a confidence boosting victory ahead of their trip to Manchester United.

In view of the upcoming fixture with Manchester United, the defensive worries are mounting up for Inter, with Materazzi and Burdisso joining the treatment table along with Samuel and Chivu.

The good news for Inter however, is that Walter Samuel and Christian Chivu are both expected to be fit to make the trip to Old Trafford. Given the way Inter were outplayed in the first leg of their tie against Manchester, it is imperative that both of them recover on time and are fit enough to play on Wednesday.