SATO 2009 Serie A Awards: Coach of the Year

by The Yank on July 3, 2009

Jose Mourinho flat-out knows how to win and he helped Inter do so in 2009/2010.  It is more often then not that at season’s end Mourinho has directed his club to at a minimum winning a league title.  Mourinho has been so successful managing that he has won a championship in three different competitive leagues. 

His first title came in his homeland of Portugal with F.C. Porto.  The often outspoken coach won two straight Portuguese Liga titles in 2002/2003 and 2003/2004.  In his second successful year, Mourinho steered F.C. Porto to the most coveted trophy in Europe, the UEFA Champions League title.  The Portuguese coach would also be honored with the UEFA Manager of the Year Award for his two years with the club.

At thirty-two Marco Di Vaio of Bologna has played for eleven different clubs in three different countries during his long career.  The forward has played for Lazio (1994-95), Hellas Verona (1996), Bari (1996-97), Salernitana (1997-99), Parma (1999-2002), Juventus (2002-04), Valencia (2004-05), Monaco (2005-2007), and Genoa (2007-2008).  In 2008 the journeyman may have finally found a permanent home with his unbelievable play this year for mediocre promoted club Bologna.

SATO 2009 Serie A Awards: Most Improved Squad

by The Yank on July 1, 2009

Cagliari Calcio is usually a club on the brink of relegation.  In the last three seasons, Cagliari has barely been able to fend off opponents finishing 14th, 16th, and 14th respectively.  All three years the Rossoblu have survived demotion to Serie B by a few matches and in some cases just a few points.  This year though Cagliari transitioned from a mediocre bottom of the rankings club into a top ten finisher.  Cagliari improved a league best five spots in the rankings this year and finished the year in ninth place.

SATO 2009 Serie A Awards: Preview Edition

by The Yank on June 30, 2009

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It was another outstanding year of Serie A competition and we here at Serie A Tickets Online would like to thank you for checking in every once and a while with us on weekly updates for your Italian Football news.  And what’s a season without any awards?  It would be like a rap concert without an after-party or a carnival without any prizes. 

2009 Serie A Season Review: Bari

June 29, 2009

Team Overview: Bari enjoyed their 100th anniversary last year, but the squad’s fans have still never savored a Serie A title. The club has bounced between Serie A and Serie B for most of its existence, but they are still looking for their first trophy at the top level. They did win Serie B this year, so they must be excited to be back in the bigs.

Top Performers: Bari was so good because Mr. Paulo Vitor De Sousa Barreto (or “Barreto”, if you are in to the whole “brevity” thing) was so dominant. On the season, he collected 23 goals, 3 assists,  and the admiration of all Bari fans. Francesco Caputo also was crucial. Finally, Jean-Francois Gillet ceded only 0.85 goals per game.

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2009 Serie A Season Review: Parma

June 28, 2009

Team Overview: Parma, founded in 1913, debuted in Serie A in 1990. Although the Ducali have limited experience in the top tier, they enjoyed some excellent seasons, especially in Cup play. They have won the Coppa Italia three times in the last 15 years and hoisted the UEFA Winner’s Cup in 1993. Now, they will be in Serie A again.

Top Performers: Igor Budan notched seven goals for the team, while Andrea Gasbarroni dismantled defenses with 5 goals and 5 assists. While those stats aren’t “eye-popping”, Luca Bucci (whose name sounds like that of a mobster henchman) did have some startlingly good goalkeeping stats. He only ceded 0.93 goals per game.

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2009 Serie A Season Review: Livorno

June 27, 2009

Team Overview: Livorno, founded in 1915, was the relegated last place team in Serie A following the 2007/2008 season.  The club has had very limited success on the top tier of Italian Football.  The Amaranto’s finest year was probably all the way back in 1943, when they finished 2nd.  This year the club finished third in Serie B competition.

Top Performers: Francesco Tavano secured himself as a Livorno favorite with 10 goals and 3 assists. Alessandro Diamanti also had a decent year, but he only managed 4 goals and 2 assists. Finally, Livorno’s MVP was Amelia, who ceded only 0.79 goals per game. All in all, Livorno didn’t have any stars, but they did play like a team.

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2009 Serie A Season Review: Inter

June 26, 2009

Team Overview: Internazionale continued their dominance of Serie A in 2009. The club’s recent success is symbolic of its grand history, as it is the only team to have never been sent down. They have 17 titles now, and Juve fans must be jealous of their success. 2009 ended with Inter’s four-peat, and now they look toward 2010.

Top Performers: The MVP for Inter – and all of Serie A – was Swede Zlatan Ibrahimovic who won the Golden Boot with 25 goals. ZI, as I call him, also showed his charitable side by notching 7 assists. Mario Balotelli also had a decent year with 8 goals, and Julio Cesar was impenetrable in the net, ceding a mere 0.78 goals per game in 2009.

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AC Milan reveal huge Pato offer

June 25, 2009

patoAccording to British tabloids, AC Milan have turned down a ‘monster offer’ from an English club for Brazilian teenager Alexandre Pato.

Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani broke the news after the 19-year-old striker had been strongly linked with a move to Chelsea. Former Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti is now in charge at Chelsea — but Galliani insists Pato will stay at the San Siro and be offered a contract extension.

Pato yesterday confirmed his desire to stay at Milan, a statement which delighted Galliani, who said:

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2009 Serie A Season Review: Juventus

June 25, 2009

Team Overview: Juve may not be just the most successful club in Italian history, but the entire history of world football. After all, they have won Serie A 27 times, the Coppa Italia 9 times, and the Champions League twice. Other than their 2006/2007 suspension, they have been in the top flight every single season. But, they settled for 2nd.

Top Performers: Juve – as usual – got help on the attack from Allessandro Del Piero, the ageless wonder. Rising star Carvalho De Oliveira Amauri also had a great season with 10 goals and 4 assists. Though injuries hampered goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon all season, he still managed to post a decent 1.13 goals per game average in 2009.

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