Blog Entries for Marzia Harza

Featured Columnist Fiorentina: Viola Face Tricky Test at Allianz Arena Against Bayern Munich

marzia.hazra@hotmail.com — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 23:00:00 +0100

When Fiorentina was drawn in Group E alongside Liverpool, Lyon and Debrecen, few expected the Viola to progress to the knockout stages of the Champions League-let alone as group winners as they relegated Lyon to second place and sent Liverpool packing.

The mighty Juventus crashed out in the group stages while cousins AC Milan and Inter Milan secured their places in the final 16 with [...]

Featured Columnist Serie A: Can AS Roma Disturb Inter Milan's Title Aspirations?

marzia.hazra@hotmail.com — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 23:00:00 +0100

At the beginning of the season, there were few who believed that AS Roma would be able to pose any kind of threat to Inter Milan's title aspirations. Instead, teams such as Juventus and AC Milan were thought to be the reigning champion's toughest competition.

Despite getting off to a brilliant start, Juventus has disappointed greatly during the last couple of months and currently lies in seventh place. W [...]

Featured Columnist Assessing Inter Milan's Strengths and Weaknesses, as Champion League Match ...

marzia.hazra@hotmail.com — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 23:00:00 +0100

On March 16th, Inter Milan tactician José Mourinho will return to the Stamford Bridge for the second leg of the double fixture with his former club Chelsea where he spent two hugely successful seasons.

Inter patron Massimo Moratti has made no secret of his desire to lift the Champions League trophy and has splashed the cash in many failed attempts to make that a reality. The Italian champions are a [...]

Ronaldinho: The Brazilian's Dazzling Smile Returns

marzia.hazra@hotmail.com — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 23:00:00 +0100

Ronaldinho was considered to be past his prime by pundits and supporters alike when he arrived in the Italian Peninsula in the season of 2008/2009. The mediocre debut season did nothing to prove them wrong. On the contrary, it confirmed everything they had expected of the former Brazilian wonder who no longer displayed dazzling performances or smiles.

The current campaign started [...]

Juventus in Crisis: Where Did It All Go Wrong?

marzia.hazra@hotmail.com — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 23:00:00 +0100

There was once a time when Juventus was synonymous with victory and greatness, a time when all of Italy feared the Old Lady of Turin.

As one of the peninsula's most storied clubs, the pressure is always on for Juventus to perform well-and to do so in style. The days of "Lo Stilo Juve" seem to be long forgotten, considering the Bianconeri can't control the ball, let a [...]

AC Milan: Alive and Kicking Once More

marzia.hazra@hotmail.com — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:00:00 +0100

In his first press conference as AC Milan tactician, rookie coach Leonardo said that he wanted to see a Rossoneri that in its coming season would put the emphasis on playing entertaining, offensive-minded football.

We all know what happened from there.

The circumstances were anything but ideal. The close to zero activity in the player mercato combined with the lack of real tra [...]

SSC Napoli Going…Where?

marzia.hazra@hotmail.com — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Despite a promising start to the season wherein Napoli even aspired to a Champions League spot, the Partenopei went on to plummet in the league table during the second half of the season and ultimately finish at a lowly 12th place.

Prior to the ongoing campaign, owner Aurelio De Laurentiis had set his sights on a top six finish. The movie mogul wanted to see a more disciplined squad as oppose [...]

The Fall of an Empire: Can AS Roma Save Their Season?

marzia.hazra@hotmail.com — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 23:00:00 +0100

On Sept. 1, Luciano Spalletti, AS Roma coach of four years, announced that he had handed in his resignation to the board and would be leaving the club.

Roma had gotten off to their worst start since the 1950-51 season-as they ultimately dropped down to the second tier. After consecutive defeats in the two opening games, the prestigious club now lay at the bottom of the table.

Fo [...]

Zlatan Ibrahimovic: Finally En Route To The Champions League Title?

marzia.hazra@hotmail.com — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 23:00:00 +0100

For five years Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been plying his trade in Italy and Serie A. During that time, the Sweden international has blossomed into one of the most highly rated footballers in the world, along with his unique technical skills, wonderful back flicks, and the ability to singlehandedly determine the outcome of a game. Along the road he has also won an incredible five Scudetti [...]

How Kaká Was Sacrificed for the Greater Good

marzia.hazra@hotmail.com — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Around midnight the re-elected Real Madrid president Florentino Perez did what many thought was impossible.

He finalized the €65 million switch which brought Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, or Kaká as he is more commonly known, to Real Madrid by making him the second most expensive player in history.

Back in January AC Milan was ready to sell their star player to Manchester City [...]

AC Milan Headed Toward Uncertain Future

marzia.hazra@hotmail.com — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 23:00:00 +0100

The past season was an end of an era in many ways for AC Milan.

Club legend and icon Paolo Maldini played his last game for the Rossoneri after spending a quarter of a century with the team-captaining the side for more than a decade along the way.

Coach Carlo Ancelotti left the bench after eight years in the Italian fashion capital and headed for London to take charge of the Blues.

Genoa back on the European Stage after Sensational Season

marzia.hazra@hotmail.com — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 23:00:00 +0100

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 tac [...]

Yoann Gourcuff's Dilemma: AC Milan Or Girondins De Bordeaux?

marzia.hazra@hotmail.com — Mon, 25 May 2009 23:00:00 +0100

Yoann Gourcuff's sensational loan spell at Bordeaux this current season has seen the youngster blossom into one of the game's brightest prospects. The 22-year-old Frenchman has been compared to his legendary countryman Zinedine Zidane on numerous occasions and earned the nickname "Petit Zizou".

After spending a miserable season in Milan where he was never really [...]

Why Fabio Cannavaro's Return to Juventus Might Not Be All Bad

marzia.hazra@hotmail.com — Mon, 18 May 2009 23:00:00 +0100

The news of Fabio Cannavaro's very likely return to Juventus has sparked heated debate amongst the Bianconeri faithful. While he's widely regarded as a traitor for leaving the club at its darkest hour in the aftermaths of the Calciopoli scandal when players such as Alessandro Del Piero, Gianluigi Buffon, Pavel Nedved, David Trezeguet and Muari Camoranesi became heroes for remaining, many also seem [...]

Can SSC Napoli Return to Winning Ways?

marzia.hazra@hotmail.com — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 00:00:00 +0100

From Serie C1 to the European stage in four seasons-that's the impressive feat former Partenopei coach Edy Reja managed to accomplish during his time at the club.

Despite beginning the season in a fashionable way-when even the prospect of Champions League seemed highly possible-a string of disastrous results after the turn of the year has seen Napoli freefall in the table down to 12th place.< [...]

Inter Milan-Manchester United: José Mourinho's First Season a Failure

marzia.hazra@hotmail.com — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 00:00:00 +0100

When José Mourinho arrived on the Peninsula and at Inter Milan, the expectations for the self-proclaimed Special One sky rocketed.

The Champions League was the undisputed number-one priority, and the Milan club that had waited since 1965 would surely experience European glory at last.

Mourinho was to succeed where his predecessor had failed, as Roberto Mancini, despite bringing t [...]

Juventus Gracefully Bow Out of the European Stage

marzia.hazra@hotmail.com — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 00:00:00 +0100

It took Juventus two years to get back into Europe's finest tournament, but the dream came to an abrupt stop last night.

Claudio Ranieri's squad was once again ripped apart by injuries ahead of the most important game the club would play for the past two seasons.

Although Chelsea looked immensely stronger on paper, what was to unfold on the pitch would prove otherwise-that would, howeve [...]

Champions League Returns with Italian, English Clubs Clashing

marzia.hazra@hotmail.com — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Arsenal vs. AS Roma

24 Feb 2009 20:45:00 CET
Emirates Stadium-London
Referee: Claus Bo Larsen (Denmark)

Arsenal finished second in group G with 11 points and their only defeat came to group winners Porto. The Gunners went all the way to the final in 2006 where they were defeated at the hands of Barcelona. Since then, the North London club hasn't been nearly as successfu [...]

Mario Balotelli Needs To Learn That Talent Is Not Enough

marzia.hazra@hotmail.com — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Mario Balotelli is looked upon as a one of Italy's most talented players of recent times. The young hitman burst on to the scene in last season's Coppa Italia when Roberto Mancini was at the helm of the reigning champions, bagging a brace against Juventus to put Inter through to the next round of the tournament.

Since José Mourinho's arrival last summer, the Ghanaian-born forward was s [...]

Why Inter Milan Needs a Reality Check

marzia.hazra@hotmail.com — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Inter Milan shockingly lost against Atalanta on Sunday, 3-1, and not only did Cristiano Doni and Co. bring Inter down from their high chairs, they also completely humiliated the reigning champions.

Mourinho's side was indeed struggling with injuries but was still able to field a decent team, even though the Portuguese tactician did make some rather questionable choices in his lineup by handin [...]