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Why victory for Milan on Sunday would be a strong statement for the fight against racism
One of the biggest let downs of modern day football is the constant abuse players receive from a section of the crowd solely based on their skin colour. A wide variety of racial slurs have been experienced by players in many leagues in Europe. Try they might, but the local governing bodies have so far been unable to cut this weed out of the root. As a trend that surely forces football to take one step backwards after going so far, racism continues to haunt Italian football which is a shame for a country that in past, boasted so many players of African origin who made a name for themselves at their respective clubs.
Juventus vs Milan: Will the Rossoneri feel the void of suspended Mario Balotelli?
They say that one player does not define a team’s success and neither a solitary performer lays foundations of a team in transitions. However, there are times when a single player can make a huge impact to what a club can achieve. The case is more or less the same when it comes to AC Milan who have come to put their trust in troubled Italy international, Mario Balotelli. Since the departure of Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Paris Saint-Germain, no player has made such an impact on the Rossoneri as the young striker has.
Malta vs Italy Preview
Things did not look too good for Italy on Thursday as they trailed Brazil, but two strikes from Mario Balotelli and Daniele De Rossi in a matter of minutes leveled the Azzurri. Their match on Tuesday may not turn out to be as difficult as their last, but Malta will certainly not hand the Italians the three points.
The National Stadium in Malta is expecting 17,000 fans to pack the stands, giving the home side a boost of confidence. Winless in all their meetings against Italy, Malta has only managed to score one goal against the Italians, while conceding 15.
Italy's Cesare Prandelli will welcome back Claudio Marchisio after the midfielder was sidelined against Brazil due to the flu. That may or may not force AC Milan's Ricardo Montolivo to the bench, but either way, the Italian's will have a good option with either one.
Balotelli, Higuain and other players who shined in the international week
Mario Balotelli
Since his return to Italy, the controversial yet extremely talented striker has been a revelation for AC Milan. And, the striker justified his selection in Cesare Prandelli’s side by scoring one goal for the national side as Italy drew 2-2 against Brazil.
Friendly: watch Italy vs Brazil live as bad boys Balotelli and Neymar clash
Miami Beach, Florida (March 20, 2013) – The eyes of the world will be at the Stade de Geneve in Switzerland when five-time World Cup champions Brazil and Euro 2012 runners-up Italy will engage in a friendly on Thursday, March 21, 2013. Several countries from Africa, Asia and Europe have been listed in the live stream and TV schedule database of LiveSoccerTV.com (@LiveSoccerTV) for this headline match.
Nothing can spice up this international friendly match between Italy and Brazil more than the impact of two of world football’s most controversial players – Mario Balotelli of Milan and Neymar of Santos. These two strikers are much talked about in the headlines for everything they do – on the pitch, off the pitch and in press rooms.
International Friendly: Italy vs Brazil a clash of young blood
Although Brazil, who will be hosting next year’s Fifa World cup, have automatic qualification, coach Felipe Scolari will still be giving a lot of respect to this encounter as he looks to gel a young squad champions like those of yesteryears.On the other side, Italian coach Cesare Prandelli has been secretive about revealing his tactics to the press, in order to avoid giving any sort of advantage to his next opponents. Whatever the preparations are, we can expect a cracker at Geneva as two teams with histories decorated with achievements, and squads fuelled by young blood, take on each other.
Would Barcelona have beaten Milan if cup-tied Balotelli had played?
Super Mario however has been critical of the claim that he alone would have guaranteed AC Milan a qualification to the next round, speaking to Sky Sports the Italian admired the Spanish giants and said:"They are a strong team and they are great champions - nothing changes when anyone plays against them.
"Maybe with me we would have lost 8-0. We just had bad luck."
Milan vs Barcelona: the Rossoneri should park the bus to stop Messi and co.
Mario Balotelli’s inability to feature in the 2012/13 UEFA Champions League as a cup-tied player means that Milan will be missing a key element in their puzzle against Barcelona. The Italians certainly cannot afford to push forward too much. When asked how the Rossoneri could overcome a Barcelona squad powered by the presence of Lionel Messi, Panchina d’Oro winner Antonio Conte of Juventus told reporters on Tuesday:“How do you stop Messi? With a gun!”
This humorous answer might be similar to ‘parking the bus’ or ‘man-marking’ La Pulga. In fact, Milan are arguably no match for Barcelona on paper – player for player. Only tactics, and perhaps luck as Fabio Capello declared, could put the Rossoneri on top of the Blaugrana in this Last 16 tie.
Champions League: Milan vs Barcelona will miss the ‘Super Mario Balotelli’ factor
Ex-Manchester City virus Mario Balotelli has been sensational since his transfer to Milan. However, he will not play any part in his side’s Champions League campaign this year which include Wednesday’s titanic battle against Lionel Messi’s Barcelona. This is an opportunity that a confident player like Mario Balotelli would have relished. The Italian has claimed several times in the past that only Messi has proven to be a better footballer than him. Clashing face to face with the four-time Ballon d’Or winner in the UEFA Champions League would have offered pundits and fans a lot to discuss and watch.
However, due to his involvement in the group stages of this season’s competition as a Manchester City player, Mario Balotelli cannot represent Milan. The striker is cup-tied – much to the disappointment of the Rossoneri whose chances of defeating Barcelona are already not very big on paper.
Serie A: Can fourth-placed Milan torment Juventus with the Balotelli factor?
He has not been at the club for long, but he has already made his presence felt. In his debut for the Rossoneri side against Udinese, he scored two goals including a last minute penalty to secure a crucial win for his side.Milan have been greatly missing a player in the mould of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, ever since he left for Paris Saint Germain in the summer transfer window. Though the goals have been coming through the brilliance of El Shaarawy, Milan missed the physical presence and the dribbling abilities of Ibra. In Balotelli, Milan once again have a player who can fire them to the top of the table.
Netherlands vs. Italy: Will reborn Mario Balotelli squeeze the Oranje?
Balotelli was a joyful sight on his AC Milan debut. He struck twice to see Milan overcome Udinese. The three points which came about due to the 2-1 victory helped propel Milan to fourth place in Serie A. Balotelli is already having a huge impact in his time at Milan due to the minimization of off-the-pitch distractions. In England, he had to deal with the press at all times.Balotelli struggled due to the aforementioned issues regularly in England. He was kept out of the team due to problems which were not necessarily related to his performances on the pitch. Balotelli had problems with his manager Roberto Mancini. He is definitely not the easiest player to manage; however, the constant hassling in Manchester did not help him at all.
Transfer News: Five stellar signings of January 2013
Rumors were coming out of no where, with fans searching aimlessly to see if what they were reading was actually true. From the world of Twitter, Facebook and the internet in general, we may all have seen some of the most absurd rumors.
Well, now that the dust has settled and everyone has put their checkbooks away, we can now take a look at five transfers that were impressive in their own way.
Transfer Deadline: Five players likely to make a last-minute move
Deadline day has to be one of the most interesting days in the world of football. Whether it is the August transfer deadline or January, football fans look forward to seeing if their favorite club will bring in any new faces.
For some, it is a day to celebrate some new signings, while for others, it is a day to ask questions of their clubs management.
Thursday will bring us some very interesting final hours in the transfer window, with many clubs waiting for the last minute to make some improved bids.
Transfer news: Manchester City target Edison Cavani wants Balotelli partnership
Reports from England suggest that Manchester City seriously want to get rid of Mario Balotelli due to the player’s disciplinary record at the club. This week, agent Mino Raiola told Sky Sports 24 that “there is a 0,0001% possibility of Balotelli returning to Italy.”
However, Edison Cavani is hoping the father of new-born baby Pia Fico will land at Napoli as the January transfer window remains open.
“Nobody has the right to judge someone else. We all make mistakes. He's a great player in my opinion and I would love to play alongside him,” Cavani told the press before adding:
“Balotelli is a champion and has already shown what he can do. He has the quality to make people very happy.”
Mancini and Balotelli involved in training ground bust-up
The Italian international reportedly made a bad tackle on City winger Scott Sinclair during training, and this was said to infuriate Mancini.
An onlooker told Manchester evening news that Mario gesticulated at Mancini, and the manager ran towards him and tried to throw him on the floor.
"Mancini ran at him - he was furious," said the onlooker.
"He grabbed hold of him and appeared to try and throw him on the floor.
"It looked like Mario was too strong and he couldn't get him down.
"Then all the coaches ran in to separate them but Mancini was having none of it.
"He kept trying to break free and have a go at him again."
How will Manchester City react to the absence of Kun Aguero?
Fortunately for Aguero, City fans and Manchester City themselves, Aguero’s injury appears to be less worrying than originally expected. After looking at multiple angles of the play, many feared he had serious ligament damage which could have caused him to miss upwards of three or four months.Aguero quickly put City fans at ease after taking to his Twitter account to tell everyone that he was doing better than expected.
Real Madrid, Man City and Barcelona dominate 32-man UEFA’s Best Player shortlist
Real Madrid dominate with a total of seven players. Goalkeeper Iker Casillas, winger Cristiano Ronaldo defender Sergio Ramos and midfielder Mesut Özil are four of those names favourite to make it in the three-man shortlist next month.
Meanwhile, current titleholder Lionel Messi leads polls ahead of nominated Barcelona team mates Cesc Fabregas, Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez. However, any of these three Spanish midfielders could make the cut for the prestigious award following their UEFA Euro 2012 triumph earlier in July.
Iniesta, Pirlo, Torres & potential heroes of the Spain vs Italy Euro 2012 final
We look at five star names that could steal the show in the ultimate game of the tournament.
Andres Iniesta – Spain midfielder
The Barcelona star is Spain’s most adventurous midfielder. He was Portugal’s biggest threat in the semi-finals with his piercing runs, his through balls and his accurate passing. He nearly broke the deadlock before the game went into penalties.
Andres Iniesta has no problem soaking the pressure in big matches. In the 2010 FIFA World Cup final, the midfielder scored the only goal of the game against the Netherlands. Spain eventually lifted the trophy in South Africa. They are one step away from clinching their third major trophy in four years. Andres Iniesta could once again be the man to net the crucial kick.
Euro 2012: How Prandelli, Balotelli, Buffon & Pirlo suddenly reshaped Italy
They say courage and success is not about wishing for the storm to cease, but knowing how to dance in the rain. Italy are now one game away from lifting their first major trophy in six years.
How did the squad manage to overcome the country’s match fixing and betting scandals? How did coach Cesare Prandelli turn Italy’s fortunes around within two years?
The Azzurri’s disastrous 2010 FIFA World Cup campaign is well in the past. Now, they are eying the prospect of lifting the UEFA Euro 2012 trophy at the expense of current European and world champions Spain.
Mario Balotelli fires Italy into the final of Euro 2012 at the expense of Germany
Mario Balotelli scored twice to give Italy a surprise 2-1 victory over Germany and passage into the final of Euro 2012, where they will meet reigning European and world champions Spain.Italy, who came into the contest as the underdogs, despite eliminating England in the quarter-finals, put on an exceptional showing in all aspects and were well worth their convincing victory over the ineffective Germans.
Balotelli, whose only goal of the competition had come against the Republic of Ireland, put Italy ahead in the 20th minute when he connected to a pinpoint cross from strike-partner Antonio Cassano with an unstoppable header.
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