Calcio mercato: Genoa sign Veloso

Genoa have completed yet anothet coup on the transfer market after capturing the signature of Portugal international miguel Veloso from Sporting Lisbon with Spanish player Alberto Zapater going in the other direction. There is something of a Portuguese flavour deloping in Genoa with Portugal number one Eduardo also touching down in Liguria this summer. Perhaps finally, as discussed on this site sometime ago, Genoa have found the pieces that allowed them to finish fifth in the 2008/2009 season when they had Thiago Motta running midfield and the absolutely world class Diego Milito performing miracles upfront. However, Luca Toni, revitalised from his time at Roma, has already begun firing in the goals in pre season with a brace against Varese in tonights 3-1 friendly win for the Grifins. The lankey hitman had something of a tough time in his last season in the Bundesliga when effectively frozen out but he played a decent part in Roma's challenge for the Scudetto last year, epitomised by his winning goal against Inter in a 2-1 win at the Olimpico. And, with Milan not investing much this summer the possibility that they could come under a heavy challenge for a spot in the Champions League becomes possible what with Genoa, Napoli, Palermo and Fiorentina rearming this mercato.

No luck for the Irish: Shamrock 0-2 Juventus
Juventus opened their competitive account for the season in the Europa League with a 2-0 win away in Ireland last night, with Amauri hitting two. He was accompanied upfront by Diego as Sissoko, Marchisio, Lazanfame and Pepe completed the midfield. Marco Motta, Chielini, Bonucci and De Ceglie completed the back line as a young and new Juve impressed on the night,. The return leg takes place next week.

Lazio rake in 22 million for Kolarov
It seems as Alex Kolarov's move to Lazio has yielded a 22 million return for the Capital club. 19 Million in cash it would seem and the signature of Spanish player Javier Garrido. That leaves 19 million for the capital club to invest in the market if they choose to. Marc Bresciano has arrived also for Lazio on a free transfer along with striker Sergio Floccari who player a huge role in saving the club from relegation last year. Additionally confirmed in what has been a busy day for the capital club was the confirmation of the signing of Uruguay international Alvaro Gonzalez. The so called Brazilian wonder Hernanes remains the dream for the capital side. Wanted by Barcelona and Milan last summer this would be some coup for Lazio. However, tough competition in the terms of Villareal and Valencia may well stand in the way.

Serie A: The fixtures have been released....

and in week one we have some tasty encounters. The season begins on the 28th of August with an early evening game and night game, with Sunday the 29th providing the usual afternoon and evening game. Upon which day the following games will take place remains to be seen but in week one Juventus will travel to Bari and Inter will begin their season in Bologna. AC Milan and Roma both begin their seasons at home against promoted sides Lecce and Cesena respectively while Fiorentina and Napoli will face off in Florence to provide the first big game of the season. Lazio begin their season away to Sampdoria, a fixture that has not treated the Rome side well in recent years. Palermo, 5th last year in Serie A, host Cagliari while Parma, 8th last year, begin at home to newly promoted Brescia. Completing the first round Genoa play away to Udinese while Catania travel away to Chievo.

The big games and the derbies
But, its the big games that everyone will be looking out for first of all and if you don't know already then there are some crackers early on in the season. The first huge match takes place in week five when Inter head to Rome to play Roma. Week six again sees Inter involved as the European Champions host Juventus at the San Siro while Roma head to Naples for the derby del Sud. Napoli are again involved when they host Milan in week eight, always an entertaining clash.

The big games keep coming when Juventus again travel to the San Siro but this time to take on AC Milan in week nine, while week ten sees Lazio take on Roma in the Rome derby for the first of the big derby fixtures of the season. Things however go slightly mad in week 12 which included the Milan derby, the Sicilian derby and Juve v Roma, not to mention Lazio v Napoli. Juventus play Fiorentina in week 14 in what is always a hotly contested match. Week 15 sees Lazio host Inter while in week 16 the Rome club travel to Turin to play Juve.

Week 17 sees the Genoa derby take place as well as Milan v Roma and Fiorentina v Inter. Inter again are at the heart of things in week 18 when they host Napoli, and will have to travel to the San Paolo in week 37, a place where victories have been few and far between for Inter in recent years. Week 18 also sees the return of a fantastically pasionate derby in Lecce v Bari, sure to be a spectacular affair. Finally, Week 19 sees Napoli v Juve and Sampdoria v Roma.

Coppa Italia 2010/2011: The draw has been made...

and it has produced a somewhat loaded side of the draw. Napoli, Inter, Lazio, Roma, Genoa and Juve all find themselves on the same side of the draw, with a potential Rome derby taking place in the last 16 with the winner likely taking on Juve. Inter and Napoli could also face off in the quarters and that fixture is always a tasty affair. Undoubtedly some great matches are ahead on this side of the draw not least because both of last years finalists are within it.

The other side of the draw looks somewhat weaker but with Milan, Fiorentina, Palermo, Parma and Sampdoria within it the quality will still be high. Additionally, last years providers of the romance in the cup, Novara, are within this half as well. Novara, promoted to Serie B last year, took what seemed almost their entire city to the San Siro to play against the mighty Milan in the Coppa only to lose admirably 2-1 to the Seven times European Cup winners thanks to a stunning Flamini goal. The round of the last 32 kicks off in late October.

Tomorrow, reflection on the Serie A fixture draw.

Calcio Mercato: Lazio sell Kolarov

Alex Kolarov has been sold by Lazio for a reported 18.5 million Euros to English side Manchester City. The talented left back has been linked away from Lazio for some time and given that he was out of contract in the near future now was the right time to sell for the Roman club. In many respects it is not a huge loss at all. From a defence point he has been surpassed by Stefan Radu and with the change in formation under Edy Reja, who plays three at the back, Kolarov found himself on the left of midfield last season. Creative, poweful going forward and a sweat strike are his key attributes, but too often these were inconsistenly seen and he was not one of the key players that fought hard to get Lazio out of the mess they were in halfway throughout last season. The effort levels and motivation did not seem to be there, as the likes of Sergio Floccari, Nando Muslera, Stefan Radu, Willy Stendardo, Andre Dias, Stefan Lichsteiner and even Stefano Mauri raised their game to get Lazio to 'salvation'. With no European action for Lazio, and no desire to stay, now was the right time to sell.

And, with 18.5 million on the table, Lazio can now use that money to good effect to inject some real quality in the midfield one hopes. Brazilian sensation Hernanes has been linked to Lazio recently, somewhat surprisingly given that last season he was linked to practically all the huge clubs in Europe. Time will tell if these somewhat unlikely rumours come to the fore.

Pre- Season: Juve 2-1 Lyon

Juve and Lyon played out an intense, as friendly go, pre-season match in the deep South of Italy in Cosenza tonight. Lyon took the lead through an Ederson spot kick after a crunching Chielini was rightly awarded as penalty kick to the Champions League Semi finalists. However, Lyon went down to ten men later in the first half Cissokho was dismissed after a challenge on Jorge Martinez and it did not take long for the much changed Juve, with Motta, Lazanfame, Martinez, Storari on the pitch, to level the tie after a challenge on Amauri in the area was awarded as a spot kick for Juve which Del Piero duly dispatched. The second half saw the introduction of Diego and Pepe, and the two combined midway through the half for the winning goal. A scintillating Diego assist, involving a delicate chip over the Lyon defence allowed Pepe to tap home the winner in a half where Lyon, due to their numerical disadvantage, barely threatened the Juve backline. Indeed, Diego looked sharp in the time he had on the pitch, confirmed by an excellent freekick that sailed just over the woodwork from 25 yards. Food for though for Del Neri.

Genoa: Back in business

Last season was in many respects a testimony of how far Genoa have come. 9th place was viewed as somewhat of a disappointment for the Grifoni but in reality it should not be. Lets not forget that prior to their return to Serie A a few years ago this was a club that rotted in Serie B, and even C, for 12 years. The club that Englishman William Garbutt helped put on the map in the early part of last century has a rich history, althought most of that is a long long time ago. However, current President Enrico Preziosi appears to trying to bringing back a taste of the glory days. After a superb 5th place finish in the 2008/2009 season Genoa got the chance to play in Europe once more, the highlight being putting Spanish giants Valencia to the test twice, and more than holding their own despite two defeats. However, what was clear last season was that Thiago Motta and of course El Principe Diego Milito were not replaced. It was never going to be an easy task, but perhaps now somewhat Preziosi has found two players that can help do just that. Luca Toni has already arrived after a decent spell at Roma and Portugal International Migel Veloso seems set to join from Sporting Lisbon. The latter would be a major coup for Genoa as they look to challenge for a top four place along with Napoli, Palermo and Sampdoria who also will be ambitious again. And, given the quality in their squad with Alberto Zapater, Rodrigo Palacio, and Domenico Criscito taking the field next season Genoa will be tough to beat, and attractive to watch.

Calcio Mercato: Ranocchia in at Inter

Andrea Ranocchia has followed Leo Bonucci out of Bari to join one of the worlds biggest clubs in Inter Milan. Both formed a rock solid partnership in the deep South of Bari last season but both now will stare across the pitch from one another when the Derby D'Italia takes place next season. The two hugely talented defenders have earned their call to represent two of Italy's biggest clubs although Ranocchia at Inter may find himself playing second fiddle to the likes of Samuel and Lucio next season. Bonucci however will no doubt find himself in the thick of the action right from the off next season which should bode well for both Juve and Italy in the long term. Indeed, after the debacle handed to Azzurri fans from Marcello Lippi at the world cup it is encouraging to see these two Italian giants having faith in some young Italian talent.

Perhaps that is more than can be said for AC Milan. Despite signing the highly talented young Greek defender Sokratis to their back line all they have really managed to do so far is apart from this is extend the contracts of Zambrotta and Oddo while trimming their salaries. No wonder then that Silvio Berlusconi received a barrage of abuse when showing up at Milan's pre season training venue Milanello in the last week. Banners such as 'we gave you are vote, now sign the cheques' were on display as the Milanista's vented their frustrations. And rightly so as a credible Scudetto challenge has not been mounted since the 2005/2006 season, despite winning the Champions League in 2007. In many respects the big players, the difference makers if you like are there. Pato, Ronaldinho, Nesta, Silva, Pirlo all remain. But its the depth in the squad and quality down the channels that is the issue. A few genuine talents could be signed without breaking the bank. Seems like the bank is shut though, and Berlusconi has no intention of opening on time.

Pre Season: Juve up and running

Juve enjoyed a 0-0 draw at Hamburg this afternoon as they begun pre season friendlies prior to their duties in the Europa League qualifying round. New signings Jorge Martinez, Marco Motta and Davide Lazanfame all played their part in the first period with a Diego freekick the effort of note that almost broke the deadlock. David Trezeguet played upfront with Diego acting as a support striker, the rumoured position that he will occupy under Luigi Del Neri. In the second half Del Piero also tested Hamburg keeper Frank Roost from a dead ball situation but the keeper dealt with the effort. In the end both clubs were unable to take the win. Juve's next test will be against Champions League semi finalists Lyon on the 24th July.

It will be interesting to see who arrives and departs before their season starts. There is sure to be action at Juve as they won't stop until they take back the Scudetto to Turin, whether it takes them one year or ten. Del Neri stated recently four more players are required, including a winger, a left back and a forward. Diego Forlan has been heavily linked but it would be an investment for the short term rather than one for the say 5-6 seasons or so. In that regard Edin Dzeko has been linked but the price tag of 50 million seems absurb. From this point of view Forlan seems the more assured choice. He has had some splendid campaigns in La Liga for Athletico Madrid and showed he could deliver at the highest level at the world cup.

Calcio Mercato: Cavani in at Napoli for 16 million

Edison Cavani, one of the Uruguayan stars of the world cup in on the verge of a moved from Palermo to Napoli for a reported cool 16 million euros. Cavani has been one of Palermo's best players in recent season, scoring 14 times in Serie A in the 2008/2009 season and then 13 times in the 2009/2010 season. Technically gifted, Cavani has the ability additionally to come good in big games as demonstrated in Palermo's 2-0 win over Juventus in the early rounds of last season. At that moment Juve were enjoying a great start to the season but were out gunned in Sicily with Cavani scoring a stunning goal that Gigi Buffon could do nothing about.

Cavani, aged 23, was originally thought to be moving to one of the big big Italian clubs with Inter or Juve lurking. However, Napoli came in with the big bid and clearly Cavani thought a lot of it. Indeed, getting a game at Inter would have difficult for him with their gold plated forward line, while Juve perhaps are looking for a forward who is ready to lead their line towards the Scudetto now, with another Uruguayan, Diego Forlan, believed to be on their list. Instead it seems as if Cavani will be playing alongside Fabio Quagliarella and Argentine International Lavezzi next season with Marek Hamsik supplying the ammunition.

Elsewhere talented Greek defender Sokratis is on the verge of a move to AC Milan. Sokratis, from Genoa, did a superb job against Leo Messi when playing against Argentina in the world cup for most of the game shadowing him around the pitch, much like Gentile did against Maradona in 1982. It is believed a player swap deal with Genoa will secure the services of the talented defender for the Milan giants.

Business is not booming: Slow Market

The squads are beginning to get together to go off to the pre season training camps, and in reality little has happened to most of the big Italian sides to conjure up much excitement for next season for the battle hardened tifosi. Put it down mainly to the world cupJuve have, of course, had the most impact so far with Marco Motta, Leo Bonucci, Simone Pepe, the talented Jorge Martinez and back up keeper Marco Storari arriving. More is certain to come from them, with Milos Krasic, Philpe Mexes and Edin Dzeko targets for the old lady. Milan and Inter however have been quite inactive. Whilst Milan have signed goalkeepr Marco Amelia to replace Dida at San Siro, little else of note has happened. This is a dangerous sign for Milan, whose fans voted on their feet last season with 20,000 a game less attending in most cases. Kaka was never replaced, even if it was the right time to sell, and outside a still impressive starting 11 their is little depth to compete across three competitions. Berlusconi must act else it will be another title less season. Inter however have far less to worry about, but should look to strengthen their line up as every team in Europe will be gunning for them next year. Still, we await their first action of this slow mercato.

Dropping down south both Rome clubs have hardly set the world on fire either. Cash strapped Roma look set to be up for sale which may help them secure an investor, but despite this Adriano has arrived from Flamengo. The enigmatic hit man has undoubted quality, but can he keep his mind on the job in hand, that remains the question. Still, a Totti, Vucinic, Adriano front line remains an impressive one. Conversely Lazio have been trimming their ridiculously huge squad down, seemingly forgetting to actually adding in quality. Marc Bresciano has arrived and quality front man Sergio Floccari has signed, but more must arrive in the middle of the park if they are to push for a European place.

Elsewhere, Napoli and Palermo have yet to really get going, while Fiorentina have only added Gaetano D'Agostino to their midfield. Still, their squad is already very competitive and with just Serie A to focus on they will be a dangerous proposition.

Ultimately, slow mercato. But, take a look around Europe and it aint much different anywhere else.

World Cup: Holland in the final , repeat of 1974 awaits

Holland have made their first world cup final since 1978 against Argentina, in Argentina, where they lost. This will be their third final having lost also in 1974 to Germany in Munich. They will hope this time to reverse the role and pick up the glimmering cup come Sunday night and won't have to take on the host nation this time.

Holland however had to come past a tough and uncompromising Uruguay side who have entertained in this tournament, and with Walter Gargano, Nando Muslera and Martin Caceres on display Serie A was well represented. After a stunning goal from Geo Van Bronckhorst, Diego Forlan leveled the game in equally stunning fashion. However, Inter's Wesley Sneijder and then Arjen Robben gave Holland 3-1 lead, depsite strong questions of offside over Sneijder's strike. Maxi Pereira pulled one back in injury time but it was too little too late. Uruguay exited with the thoughts of what could, and maybe should, have been given Holland were wobbling after Forlan's equaliser. Holland go onto the final, ready to take on Spain or Germany Sunday night.

Calcio mercato: Juve revolution continues

Marco Motta is the new arrival at Juve at the talented right back moves across from Udinese, via Roma. Motta broke through in the 2008/2009 season but fell into obscurity in the capital. Much like Davide Santon a bright start faded somewhat but now he has the chance to assert himself in a side looking to progress with young talent in the lineup, and already is a big improvement on either Zebina or Grygera. Not a bad idea really. For starters theres no Champions League football in Turin next season so attracting the very best will be difficult. But, players like Bonucci and Motta should grow alongside Chielini and potentially Mexes next season. Defensively for Juve there is still the left back position to sort out and Juan Manuel Vargas and Lyon's Bastos are strongly linked.

The forward line will no doubt come to attention soon enough and that is where the big money will need to be spent as an ageing Del Piero and Trezeguet and poor Iaquinta and Amauri suggest. It looks like it will be some mercato in Turin. After last season it will need to be.

World Cup: Friends go head to head

Brazil v Holland pits friends against each other for a place in the world cup Semi final, a stage that players of this level dream off. A place in history is potentially at stake for both of these teams to make the final as both will fancy their chances against either Ghana or Uruguay in the semi. So, with that in mind friendship will be cast aside for one match as Hollands classic number ten Wesley Sneijder, of Inter Milan, locks horns with Lucio, Maicon, and Julio Cesar, also of Inter Milan. Sneijder has had the defensive protection of this wall of a defence for a whole year in Milan but now must come up against them to reach the next round. Arjen Robben however will be able to tell Sneijder all about playing against them, as his fruitless and thankless task in the Champions League final proved. However these two dutch superstars will have to contend with more than just the Inter Milan contingent. Juve's Felipe Melo has been beyond rock solid in the centre of midfield in this tournament and will look to continue to renforce the wall of granite that is the Brazil defence in this match to allow the likes of Maicon, Alves and Robinho to bomb forward and feed Fabiano, whilst Roma's Juan continues to keep Milan Thiago Silva out of the starting eleven.

It promises to be an excellent game and the biggest test for either side so far, and for one of them more than likely a place in the final awaits. Despite winning all their games so far Holland will have to take their play up a notch against Brazil and have Sneijder and Robben firing on all cylinders. They have been doing so all season long and there world class talents will be needed Friday afternoon.

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