NAPLES, Italy -- Standing outside the Stadio San Paolo produces a surreal feeling, mostly a mix of nerves and anxiety. From a visitor's perspective, Napoli's home venue can be quite intimidating.
The stadium is surrounded by perimeter gates to keep the hordes of supporters in line, and a heavy police presence stands guard for added security. Once the home of soccer legend Diego Maradona, Napoli's soccer cathedral has seen better days; the structure is in desperate need of a power wash and an upgrade of basic amenities.
Witnessing this first hand, the area surrounding the Stadio San Paolo was just as discomforting as the stadium seats turned out to be for 90 minutes. It had the feel of a closed society, linked together by their passion and love for Napoli. Club merchandise was being sold at every corner around the San Paolo, peddled by street vendors who were housed in huts littered with knock-off products; jersey-clad men and women of all ages engulfed the sidewalks, proudly displaying the azure of Naples.
But the most eye-catching part of my experience in the backyard of the Cammora was the name that was featured predominantly on the backs of supporters jersey's as I walked the grungy streets of the western suburb of Fuorigrotta.
Edinson Cavani was a given, as he's the superstar of Napoli and a crowd favourite. But for every No. 7 jersey I encountered, there was an astonishing amount of No 16s scattered through the adoring mob, the number belonging to local boy Lorenzo Insigne/
To read the rest of my article on Lorenzo Insigne, click on the link below....
http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/2012/10/26/serie_a_napoli_lorenzo_insigne/
Monday, October 29, 2012
Friday, October 19, 2012
Ter Stegen The New Kahn?
The date was Aug. 7, 2011.
The Allianz Arena in Munich was getting ready to kick off a new Bundesliga season with all the glitz and glamour that surrounds German soccer's most successful club. A sense of optimism and belief that the title would return back to the capital filtered through the 69,000 in attendance. Most of the optimism centered on Bayern Munich's purchase of goalkeeper Manuel Neuer from club rivals Schalke that summer. There was some backlash, but for the most-part, even the most hardcore Bavarians were aware that Neuer would solidify a position that's been unstable since the retirement of club legend Oliver Kahn.
The general consensus was an easy victory for the home side, especially since the visitors Borussia Monchengladbach had only avoided relegation by the thinnest of margins the year before. Unfortunately for Bayern, the end result favoured die Fohlen, and a surprising 1-0 win was achieved through a glaring gaffe by Neuer and an outstanding performance by another German goalkeeping prodigy, 19 year-old Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
To read the rest of the article on Marc-Andre ter Stegen, click on the link below....
http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/2012/10/19/ter_stegen_bundesliga/
The Allianz Arena in Munich was getting ready to kick off a new Bundesliga season with all the glitz and glamour that surrounds German soccer's most successful club. A sense of optimism and belief that the title would return back to the capital filtered through the 69,000 in attendance. Most of the optimism centered on Bayern Munich's purchase of goalkeeper Manuel Neuer from club rivals Schalke that summer. There was some backlash, but for the most-part, even the most hardcore Bavarians were aware that Neuer would solidify a position that's been unstable since the retirement of club legend Oliver Kahn.
The general consensus was an easy victory for the home side, especially since the visitors Borussia Monchengladbach had only avoided relegation by the thinnest of margins the year before. Unfortunately for Bayern, the end result favoured die Fohlen, and a surprising 1-0 win was achieved through a glaring gaffe by Neuer and an outstanding performance by another German goalkeeping prodigy, 19 year-old Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
To read the rest of the article on Marc-Andre ter Stegen, click on the link below....
http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/2012/10/19/ter_stegen_bundesliga/
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Verratti Takes Paris By Storm
The stars always shine bright in the Parisian night sky, producing a serene backdrop, blending with the flashing lights from the stands and the pristine pitch at the Parc des Princes to create a splendid picture.
It’s the home of Paris St. Germain, the new rich kids of European football. The beautiful sights and atmosphere generated by the stadium was once the venue for an underachieving group of mediocre professionals. How quickly things have changed.
New owners Qatar Investment Authority spent over $132 million last season on incoming players, but still ended up falling short of the Ligue Un title. Almost $200 million was invested this past summer by club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, backing every target sporting Director Leonardo and manager Carlo Ancelotti set their sights on. The five-year plan was in full effect to make PSG a super power, with the ability to lure the biggest names away from some of the best clubs in Europe.
Naturally, all the focus was fixated on the arrivals of Thiago Silva and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, closely followed by the biggest splash of this summer’s transfer market, roughly $58 million on Sao Paulo’s Lucas Moura.
Slipping under the radar was the signing of an Italian youth prodigy that was virtually unknown outside of his native land. A modest purchase by PSG's standards at $15.5 million, Marco Verratti is a perfect example of the type of forward thinking Al-Khelaifi talked about when discussing his five-year plan for the club.
To read the rest of this article on Marco Verratti, click on the link below...
http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/champions_league/2012/10/13/marco_verratti_psg_ligue_un/
It’s the home of Paris St. Germain, the new rich kids of European football. The beautiful sights and atmosphere generated by the stadium was once the venue for an underachieving group of mediocre professionals. How quickly things have changed.
New owners Qatar Investment Authority spent over $132 million last season on incoming players, but still ended up falling short of the Ligue Un title. Almost $200 million was invested this past summer by club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, backing every target sporting Director Leonardo and manager Carlo Ancelotti set their sights on. The five-year plan was in full effect to make PSG a super power, with the ability to lure the biggest names away from some of the best clubs in Europe.
Naturally, all the focus was fixated on the arrivals of Thiago Silva and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, closely followed by the biggest splash of this summer’s transfer market, roughly $58 million on Sao Paulo’s Lucas Moura.
Slipping under the radar was the signing of an Italian youth prodigy that was virtually unknown outside of his native land. A modest purchase by PSG's standards at $15.5 million, Marco Verratti is a perfect example of the type of forward thinking Al-Khelaifi talked about when discussing his five-year plan for the club.
To read the rest of this article on Marco Verratti, click on the link below...
http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/champions_league/2012/10/13/marco_verratti_psg_ligue_un/
Friday, October 5, 2012
Suso A Gem For Liverpool
His name is definitely easy to remember, going by Suso instead of Jesus Joaquin Fernandez Saez de la Torre.
Liverpool’s new No. 4 is just shy of his 19th birthday, and is already receiving high praise from captain Steven Gerrard and manager Brendan Rodgers, despite the season being less than two months old and barely making a handful of appearances -- a testament to the player’s strong work ethic and skill.
The club’s youth academy has not produced a decent quality squad player worthy of mention since the days of Jamie Carragher, Michael Owen and Gerrard. Liverpool has relied on transfer deals to bolster their roster, taking chances on questionable foreign projects or players past their best, instead of building from within and developing talent. Results have mirrored this dysfunctional ideology. But things have changed for the better in recent years.
To read the rest of this article click on the link below...
http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/2012/10/04/suso_liverpool_epl_bpl/
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
In Hart, City Trusts
Judging by the statistics, Wednesday's Champions League match at the Etihad Stadium should have been pretty straight forward.
Manchester City had only lost one of 34 European fixtures on home soil, and was unbeaten in their last 32 games domestically at Eastlands. It was never going to be a walk in the park, especially against a young and tightly-knit squad that has been crowned champions of the Bundesliga under manager Jurgen Klopp for the last two seasons.
However, the German side was winless on their road travels last year in the competition, losers of five straight, and their run was made even worse by their poor record on English soil, coming away with zero points in their last three visits to England.
Prior to kickoff, Roberto Mancini criticized his team for their defensive frailties, practically reciting Joe Hart's comments to reporters in a post-match interview following the loss in the competition's curtain raiser in Madrid two weeks ago.
The goalkeeper was publically called out by his manager for having a go at his teammates soon after. Good or bad, what Hart said was the truth -- City's backline was not providing enough protection and playing too deep in the box, suffocating their shot-stopper and allowing opponents the space and time needed to cause serious problems.
To read the rest of my analysis for Tuesday's Champions League match between Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund, click on the link below...
http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/champions_league/2012/10/03/uefa_champions_league_manchester_city_borussia_dortmund/
Manchester City had only lost one of 34 European fixtures on home soil, and was unbeaten in their last 32 games domestically at Eastlands. It was never going to be a walk in the park, especially against a young and tightly-knit squad that has been crowned champions of the Bundesliga under manager Jurgen Klopp for the last two seasons.
However, the German side was winless on their road travels last year in the competition, losers of five straight, and their run was made even worse by their poor record on English soil, coming away with zero points in their last three visits to England.
Prior to kickoff, Roberto Mancini criticized his team for their defensive frailties, practically reciting Joe Hart's comments to reporters in a post-match interview following the loss in the competition's curtain raiser in Madrid two weeks ago.
The goalkeeper was publically called out by his manager for having a go at his teammates soon after. Good or bad, what Hart said was the truth -- City's backline was not providing enough protection and playing too deep in the box, suffocating their shot-stopper and allowing opponents the space and time needed to cause serious problems.
To read the rest of my analysis for Tuesday's Champions League match between Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund, click on the link below...
http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/champions_league/2012/10/03/uefa_champions_league_manchester_city_borussia_dortmund/
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