As shocking as it may seem, new Brazil coach Mano Menezes excluded Inter Milan players Julio Cesar and Douglas Maicon from his 24 man squad that will face the USA next month. The 48 year old only retained 4 players from Dunga’s world cup squad with Robinho being the most notable of them all.

It is very clear that Mano’s main aim is to mould a strong squad for the 2014 World Cup, and although he left out such talented players, i think it was a good decision that he made his intentions very clear.

As much as people would have loved for Ronaldinho, Adriano, Kaka, Maicon and Cesar to feature in the squad, it probably would not have been the best choice for the Selecao.

All these players are above the age of 30 or at least heading in that direction. Being a country blessed with immense talent, it would not have been fair to upcoming stars like Neymar and Ganso who are itching to play for the senior team.

In the spirit of fair play, Menezes did the right thing. Sending this message out bright and early will also prepare the country mentally not to harbour any unrealistic hopes of expecting to see the ‘stars’.

That said, its a shame to see these players bow out ungracefully especially Kaka. Kaka’s transfer to Spanish giants Real Madrid proved to be the worst decision he ever made as he has struggled to replicate his Milan form with Los Blancos.  A bout of injuries and inconsistency has resigned the former World Player of the Year to just a pale shadow of himself. An unimpressive world cup 2010 campaign did not make things any better.

Things will not be any easier for Kaka next season as early indications on Mourinho’s strategy might see the 28 year old struggle for playing time. This had led the Brazilian international to be linked with a number of clubs include Chelsea.

As Kaka struggles to redeem himself, the same cannot be said of the Brazilian squad. If anything, they look very impressive. We will only have to wait and see how they perform.

Photo credit: from ahmed khatam – interisti

Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Juventus captain and club icon Alessandro Del Piero inspired the Bianconeri to a 2-1 friendly win over French champions Lyon on Saturday. The Turin outfit went down early in the first half when Giorgio Chiellini unfair play in the 6 yard box resulted in a penalty for Lyon.

Ederson successfully converted to put the visitors in the lead. In similar fashion, on the 26th minute, Juventus were handed a penalty after a Amauri was brought down in the penalty area. Del Piero stepped up to score his 199th goal for the Bianconeri.

Contrary to what many people thought, Juve’s forward line of Diego, Del Piero and Simone Pepe linked up exceptionally well. If this is a foretaste of what we can expect from Juventus in the new season, then i can hardly wait for the games to kick-off.

Apparently, Inter and Roma have worthy competition for the scudetto next season. Until Milan moves to acquire some new players, then they do no stand any chance of posing a real threat for the title.

Juve’s win albeit be in a friendly is significant nonetheless. Coming off a bad 09/2010 campaign that saw the finish the league in 7th place, the Bianconeri failed to secure qualification for Europe’s elite club competition- the UEFA Champions League.

Saturday’s win also helped to prepare them for next week’s third round Europa League third qualifying round against Irish side Shamrock Rovers. Like i mentioned earlier last week, Juventus might just be the surprise of the season.

With such a convincing win over one of Europe’s big club’s, Juventus no doubt sent out a strong message to all their opposition in the Serie A in the new season.

Photo credit: from salvatoregiambelluca

No clubs in the world would wanna lose their assets easily especially when they can get a lot from them, this method seems to be an appropriate picture of what Inter Milan are trying to get from the interest some clubs have on their players. Last season treble winners are currently playing hard ball with both Real Madrid and Manchester City which are interested in acquiring the Nerazzuri talents, the first are interested in Douglas Maicon while the latter have their eyes set for Mario Balotelli.

Uniquely reports stated that the deal for those players are already at an advanced stages with the fact everything seems certain and set to go, however lately things went to a stall due to some economical budgets. Both Madrid and City are finding Inter as a tough negotiator as the Nerazzuri doesn’t seem to budge from their price tag which are being consider too high for the two big budget clubs, however the negotiations are reportedly still alive as the Italian giant doesn’t really mind in letting Maicon and Balotelli go.

Regarding the Brazilian right back’s deal, reports claim that Madrid still refuse to pay the 30 million Euro Inter wants and have already send a take it or leave it offer worth 22 million Euro to the treble winner club, which is still being considered. Not only that, the Spanish giant also having an issue with Maicon’s wage request which is also being considered to high for the Galacticos that doesn’t think the 29-years-old 7 Million a year request is acceptable.

Meanwhile, regarding Balotelli’s transfer saga, things does look a bit clearer as Manchester City seems to be the most likely destination for the highly rated young striker although just as Maicon, both teams still don’t have an agreement on the transfer fee. The media claim that City have already made a 25 Million Euro offer to Inter but the Nerazzuri seems to want more money for their precious Italian under-21 star, who is highly rated despite his bad attitude.

This playing the hard ball thing have caused an issue as both City and Madrid reportedly are a bit upset with Inter Milan’s attitude in trying to get too much money for their players, especially knowing the financial power those two teams have. The premier league team’s manager, Roberto Mancini, was the one who shouted his frustration to the press with how Inter seems eager to get as much as they can from his club.

“The problem is that when clubs know that it is Manchester City they are dealing with the prices going up. We have bought three good players already. But now Inter, for example, are asking a lot of money for Mario Balotelli and we want to wait.” Mancini said to the press.

However, nothing is concrete as just yet as both Madrid and City doesn’t seem to give up yet in their course to acquire their targets and opted to wait and keep negotiating with Inter. In the end we will soon find out how long will the Nerazzuri’s tough act last, would they opted to keep their players or finally soften up and somehow work out an agreement to release both Maicon and Balotelli.

photo credit: batrax

Its looking very certain that Inter Milan starlet Mario Balotelli will be playing his football in the EPL next season with his 35 million Pounds transfer to Manchester City almost finalised.

With quick feet and and a temper to match,  Balotelli’s personality will not be dearly missed however, i cannot say the same for his talent. Although his relationship with former Coach Jose Mourinho and the Italian media was strained, Super Mario was a key part of the Nerazzurri’s treble win last season.

Its now only a matter of time before the 19 year old puts pen to paper to officially begin a new chapter in his life. Manchester City are looking very strong and there is no doubt that they will mount a strong challenge for the Premiership title.

With Yaya Toure joining an already star studded squad, there is no telling what the Eastlands faithful are in for once the season gets underway. Inter on the other hand will have the comfort of having an additional 40 million Pounds to spend on some of their prime targets.

However, in my opinion, Balotelli’s transfer is of greater benefit to Manchester City. Ever since Rafa Benitez too over as coach, Inter Milan have always been linked with a Javier Mascherano move. Now, if Mascherano is supposed to be Balotelli’s replacement, then the Nerazzurii might have just made the biggest blunder with their transfers.

I have never really liked Mascherano . To me, he is one of the most overrated players . Moreover, he is more of a defensive player while Balotelli is a natural attacker. The comparisons get even bigger if you consider their ability to change the face of a game when their sides are really up against it.

There is no doubt that Rafael Benitez will have a hard time trying to defend Inter’s three titles against some very rejuvenated teams both domestically and in Europe.

With Maicon’s fate still hanging in the balance, Inter could lose their domination in the Serie A should they fail to make some wise buyings in this transfer season.

Photo credit: from sithuseo

AS Roma midfielder Simone Perotta claims that the Giallorosso are second only to Inter in the league. Well, with all that is happening in the transfer market, that could be true. Apart from major Signings Adriano and Fabio Simplicio, Roma has largely remained in tact with most of their players who featured in their campaign last season staying with the club.

As you would probably guess, one of the major keys to achieving success is remaining consistent and maintaining the status quo (that is if it is working) Roma have done just that. The Giallorosso are the only top four team to have not changed their coach. Inter, Milan and Juventus will all start the season with  new coaches.

A new coach means change in tactics and coaching style. This eventually means that the players will need time to adapt to the new strategies used by the coach. This can prove to be costly especially in the early days of the new season. We all know what a good start can do to a team’s confidence and campaign.

So in that respect, i agree with Perrotta’s assertion. Speaking to Romanews, a confident Perrotta talked about the Giallorosso’s scudetto ambitions.

“The group is united and we are very relaxed at this early stage of pre-season,” Perrotta declared toRomanews.eu.

“The objective now is to continue improving. After pushing Inter to the wire last term we must try not to gift the opposition a head start next season.

“Inter are still one step above us, but after the Nerazzurri we are right up there.”

With Milan looking less and less serious about bolstering their squad for the new season, Inter and Roma are still the favourites for the scudetto. However, the Bianconeri under Luigi Del Neri can not be underestimated.

Photo credit: from .SVT.

The rumors regarding Inter Milan’s young striker, Mario Balotelli, keeps on flooding as the Italian media suggested that the 20-years-old player would most likely move to other clubs next summer. Despite the denial made by Inter’s director, Marco Branca, the press are pretty much certain that it would be hard for the treble winning club to keep the troubled player because of his attitude last season.

The latest reports coming from the papers reveals that Inter are already lining up some names to replace Balotelli, some of the players that reportedly will be targeted by Rafael Benitez are, Dirk Kuyy and Giuseppe Rossi. As many football fans may know, Benitez admires the quality of Kuyt, who was one of his favorite players at Liverpool, and looks keen on getting his services at Inter alongside Javier Mascherano.

Meanwhile, as for the possibilities of signing Rossi, the media seems to connect the scenario with the player’s previous statement about his hope of returning to Serie A. However, should the Nerazzuri are interested in signing the young Italian international, they would probably need to compete with the likes of Juventus and Ac Milan, the two clubs that the 23-years-old supposedly prefer.

Judging by Inter’s record in buying players, I would highly doubt that they are looking for Rossi to replace Balo as the the Nerazzuri hardly buys talented Italian players this days, not saying that they wouldn’t but the fact suggested otherwise. So should Balotelli really leaves, there would be a bigger chance for Kuyt to come instead of the former Manchester United youngster, after all it it’s better to purchase a player that the coach wants rather than getting someone that the management think would be suitable for team.

However, the real issue is would Balotelli really leaves? Personally I think that it would be a very possible thing as after what happened last season it looks like things has gone bad for the young striker to continue playing at Inter. There’s a possibilities that everything might change this season, but with the fact the Nerazzurri might need to balance their expenses, should the right offer comes I’m sure Moratti won’t hesitate in selling.

photo credit: alemaxale

It looks like As Roma’s plan in strengthening their squad next season has hit a stumbling block after their plan in purchasing Nicolas Burdisso’s  from Inter Milan isn’t heading for the right direction. Reports from Italy suggested that both teams still fail in agreeing the fee for the Argentinian as Inter won’t seem to budge from their 10 million Euro price tag while the Giallorossi only wants to give 6 million for the versatile defender.

This hold up isn’t something that the Roma’s coach, Claudio Ranieri, would’ve like as he is very keen in getting Burdisso’s service again for the coming season and wants the Argentinian international to stay longer at the club. However, despite the ongoing negotiation that has been started as soon as the 29-years-old returns from his loan spell, things just not getting any good for the Giallorossi especially the fact that they don’t really have lots of money for transfer.

As a bid to sign Burdisso, Roma reportedly will try to sell some of their players such as Cicinho, Doni, Mexes and Baptista, however until today there hasn’t been any concrete deal regarding those players. Should the capital club fail to sell the players they have listed, it would be difficult for them to acquire Burdisso or any other players on the market as most of them will be out of the Giallorossi’s reach.

So far Roma have already added some reinforcement for next season, which are Adriano Leite and Fabricio Simplicio who were brought on free transfer to the capital club. However, the club surely needs more reinforcement if they still want to have a shot at competing for any title next season and Burdisso is among the target that Ranierri believes important for helping the team achieving their goals next season.

Now Roma’s hope in acquiring Burdisso would probably lies on the player’s personal wish as the Giallorossi would probably hope that the Argentinian international would push Inter to finally sell him as he’s not really needed by the club. The versatile defender is still having a vacation after his involvement in the Argentina 2010 World Cup team, he is expected to return from his leisure time on July 29 and by that time Ill Lupi hope he already set to join the team’s training camp.

photo credit: batrax

Maicon’s sure transfer to Spanish giants Real Madrid seems to have hit a snag-one i must say, makes me feel very relieved. Here’s why. The Brazilian defender had a great run towards the end of last season (who can forget the fantastic goal he scored against Juventus) where he was sort of Inter’s 4th  striker as his constant runs up field terrorised many defenders.

It was this ability that caught Mourinho’s eye and made him consider taking Maicon along with him to Madrid. There was only one hurdle that prevented this deal from going down sooner-the World Cup.

Maicon was a member of Brazil’s World Cup squad that participated in the South Africa tournament and as such, he devoted his full focus to the selecao. Had it not been for the World Cup, and may be we would have been talking about a different story.

Anyway back to the reasons why i think Maicon’s transfer deal collapse is a blessing in disguise. First, Italian football is in a resurgent state and to help it improve even further, they need all their stars Maicon and Ronaldinho included.

With Inter winning a historic treble including Europe’s coveted Champions League title, focus is now back on the Serie A and what it has to offer. With big stars like Fabiano, Tevez, Adriano and the like considering Italy as a career destination, the Serie A is definitely growing in leaps and bounds.

Moreover, after a brilliant display from Sergio Ramos, the Spanish and Real Madrid regular left back, los blancos have in him one of the game’s finest. Currently only comparable to Maicon. Thus having two players who are exceptionally talented playing the same position is bound to cause friction and unhealthy competition.

This should be reason enough for Maicon to re-consider giving Inter a second chance. In my opinion, he is better off playing regular football with treble winners Inter than fighting for a position with a club that finished to second in La Liga.

According to Real’s transfer consultant Ernesto Bronzetti, Mourinho seems to have been impressed with Serigo’s World Cup performances.

“Mourinho is convinced to leave Sergio Ramos on the right and now he wants a central defender or midfielder like Gerrard,” Bronzetti told GR Parlamento.

“Real did not make an offer for Maicon, there was a request of €35 million [from Inter].”

So Inter fans can rest assured knowing that Maicon will continue being a part of their rock-hard defense that also includes: fellow compatriots, Lucio and Julio Cesar as the last line of defense.

Photo credit: from ahmed khatam – interisti

With 145 goals scored, and more than 5760 minutes of football played across 10 different venues, the world’s biggest sporting spectacle came to an end last night at Jo’burgs Soccer city Stadium with the crowning of a new champion.

Spain beat the Netherlands by a single Andres Iniesta goal deep in the second half of extra time to hand his side their maiden World Cup victory. As celebrations continues the world over, attention is gradually shifting towards the new European season scheduled to start in a couple of weeks.

In that respect, i would like to keep you up to date with some very important dates that every die hard Serie A fan should mark on their calendars.

The FIGC (Italian FA) announced earlier last month that the 2010/2011 Serie A season will begin on the weekend of August 28th and 29th and end on Sunday May 22nd 2011.

In addition to that, there will be 4 mid week rounds scheduled for 10th November, 2nd February and 2nd March. Next season’s winter break will run for 3 weeks from December 19th to January 6th.

A week before the league officially begins, that is on August 21st, AS Roma and treble winners Inter Milan will lock horns in the SuperCoppa Italiana 2010 or the Italian Super Cup 2010. The match will be played in Inter’s famous San Siro stadium.

This match will precede the Uefa Super Cup fixture between Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid that will be played on Friday August 27th at the Stade Louis-II in Monaco. This another very important date to mark.

Now to some other pre-season fixtures that are equally exciting. Inter’s arch rivals AC Milan travel to London to take on EPL outfit Arsenal on July 31st in the Emirates Cup. Just in case you do not know, Milan’s longstanding shirt sponsorship deal with European betting site bwin ended last season and as you would guess, the Rossoneri will now have the Gulf Based airline Emirates very famous brand name Fly Emirates printed on their shirts. This match will be played in Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium. The following day, Milan play Olympique Lyon at the same venue.

While Arsenal and Milan will be battling it out in the Emirates 60,000 seater capacity stadium,  some thousands of miles away, Inter Milan will play another EPL club-Manchester City in Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium.

The Nerazzurri will wrap up their North American tour with a game against the LA Galaxy at the Home Depot Center in Carson on August 7th.

These are definitely some fixtures to get you excited about the new season which i know will be very competitive.

Photo credit: from norvegia2005sara

Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti has been suspended for three months by the Italian Football Federation, and fined 45,000 euros, due to irregularities in the transfer of Diego Milito and Thiago Motta from Genoa last summer.

The suspension means that Moratti will not be able to be involved in footballing matters during this summer’s transfer period, but I cannot see how that is possible as Moratti owns Inter and has to have some say in whether Inter buy or sell players.

The problems with the Milito and Motta deals seems to be that Moratti dealt with Genoa owner and president Enrico Preziosi who has been banned from footballing activities for five years.

“I have a lot of respect for the judges, but a lot less for the federation,” said Moratti. “(Former Inter boss Jose) Mourinho was right when he said that this year would be hard and they would make us pay. He left for this reason. Unfortunately I can’t do that because I don’t have his freedom. I don’t feel guilty at all. They didn’t listen to our defence and justifications.”

This is a crazy suspension and very petty from the Italian Football Federation.