If you played any sport while you were young, you most likely heard the speech that you need to practice hard in order to play well when it counts.
Well, apparently Udinese’s captain Danilo Larangeira took that message a little bit too seriously.The central defender has reportedly injured three of his teammates during a practice session.
Serie A had an exciting time this past weekend. Fiorentina managed to flip from atrocious attrition into smooth ruthlessness. Teacher’s pets Sassuolo dirtied their report card yet again by letting another two goal lead slip. Joe Hart’s Torino™ (and Andrea Belotti in particular) continue to raise expectations purely so they can shoot them down a week later.
Juventus managed to extend their lead to seven points. but lost another striker in the process, Gonzalo Higuain now out and set to miss important games. But, truth be told, everyone’s attention was always in Milan.
With 167 caps, Gianluigi Buffon has matched Spain’s Iker Casillas as Europe’s most capped international player of all time. This marks a major milestone for the Italian legend, but it isn’t necessarily unexpected.
Buffon, affectionately nicknamed Gigi, began his professional career with Parma in 1995 at the tender age of 17 and almost immediately became a household name. He was called up to the national team in 1997 and went to his first of many World Cups just a year later, in 1998 at the age of 20.
Inter sacked Frank de Boer on Tuesday morning. He had been the manager for 85 days, right up until the moment a conference call confirmed that his services would no longer be required.
It is obvious to note that De Boer’s tenure was doomed from the start. Even putting aside the notion that Dutch coaches are somehow the ideological opposite to their Italian counterparts, the way he swept into the club so late in the transfer window was an early indication that everything was not quite right.
It’s almost as if Milan's young talent, 18year-old Manuel Locatelli and 17-year-old Donnarumma are constantly trying to one up each other.
In Milan’s stunning win over Juventus last week, Locatelli scored a goal of the season contender to put the Rossoneri in front and to deliver Milan a victory over Juventus for the first time since November of 2012.
Written a few days ago, this article would've been very different. In the cold light of Monday morning, many people were welcoming the revived glories of AC Milan. A young, exciting squad packed with home grown Italian talent, led by one of Serie A’s most promising and intriguing managers, had taken on the champions of the last five years and won. 'Milan beat Juventus — they’re back!' came the shouts. A new era was upon us.
Loaning players is a practice as common in soccer today as Jose Mourinho blaming the refs for losing a game.
Powerhouses all over the world make use of this practice to give their young players a chance to play regular soccer somewhere else if they currently don’t have space on the first team. Sometimes, even established players are sent out on loan for various reasons.
Regardless of why they are away, here are a few players who have been making the most of their opportunities to play regular soccer.
Joe Hart | Torino
M’Baye Niang’s young career has been plagued by controversies and inconsistent play, but his goal on Sunday not only proved his doubters wrong, it also showed a new maturity from the French international. Watch as he celebrates his goal with a memorable gesture to Riccardo Montolivo, Milan’s captain who is out for the season after suffering an ACL injury:
The rabona method of kicking the ball hardly ever results in anything other than a change of possession. While many ridiculously talented players have successfully performed a rabona in competition, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Arjen Robben, it’s extremely rare that the method leads to anything apart from a largely ineffective attempt at crossing the ball.
More than being an effective striking method, it’s generally utilized as a demonstration of personal ability and tekkers.