Many Milan fans are very excited that Galliani and Berluscni have finally heard their pleas and cries and signed players who could win them trophies. There is no doubt that the Rossoneri are looking very strong on all fronts this season, however, before writing off other teams, it is important to note that Inter Milan, Juventus, AS Roma and the chasing pack of Napoli, Palermo, Sampdoria Fiorentina, Genoa and Lazio won’t yield the title to Milan or any other team for that matter without a fight.
From the category archives:
Palermo
The Italian Serie A season gets underway this weekend after a 3 month break with some very mouth watering fixtures key among them being the Udinese v Genoa, Fiorentina v Napoli and Sampdoria v Lazio matches.
This will however not be like any other previous season as the strategic buying that most clubs employed means that the league will be more competitive than previously thought. A good example would have to be Juventus.
While Inter still remain as favourites to repeat their epic treble, the Bianconeri cannot be ruled out especially after acquiring some very talented players. Milos Krasic, Simone Pepe and Leonardo Bonucci are just a few of these players.
Palermo players Simon Kjaer and Edinson Cavani are set to join EPL outfit Tottenham Hotspurs after Palermo President Maurizio Zamparini accepted a combined bid worth 28 million Pounds.
It seems like Cavani may not see his dream of playing for treble holders Inter Milan come to pass. Having stated earlier that he would love to stay in Italy and play for the Nerazzurri, Cavani will be heartbroken to learn of his fate.
Cavani is currently on international duty with the Uruguayan national team in South Africa. According to Zamparini, the ‘deal was too good to refuse’. Palermo had a decent Serie A campaign in 2009/2010 to end the season in 5th place.
We wrote yesterday that Palermo To Lose Crucial Stars and Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani took it a step further today telling reporters that he does not want to move from Palermo to the Premier League, but instead wants to move to Inter Milan.
“As a player I have two dreams: to do well at the World Cup and to wear the shirt of Inter Milan. It would be nice to stay in Italy fighting for the Scudetto and the Champions League with the Nerazzurri.”
Cavani has been impressive in the World Cup so far and he says that he would love to play for Rafa:
Danish defender Simon Kjaer and his fellow club mate Edinson Cavani are set to leave Palermo this summer. Palermo had an impressive 2009/2010 Serie A campaign where they missed out on a Champions League spot to rivals Sampdoria.
Drawing interest form a number of top European clubs, Palermo chief Maurizio Zamparini has finally conceded that the pair will no longer be part of their plans in the new season.
Zamparini went further to say that Palermo will milk their sales for all their worth.
“There have been a couple of imporant offers for Kjaer and we are discussing them. I will speak to the player. Kjaer’s value is between €15 and 20 million,”
It looks like Palermo’s failure in getting the final Champions League spot last season in serie A has open the transfer gate for their talented players as after loosing Fabio Simplicio, the Rossanero fans must be ready to part ways with Simon Kjaer and Edison Cavani. This unpleasant news is not just some random rumors as it was stated by the club’s president Maurizio Zamparini, who believes that the two youngsters won’t be at the club next summer.
Both players who are involved in the World Cup this season representing their respective countries, have been courted with many big clubs and with the fact Palermo wont be playing in the big European competition next season, opens up the chance for those players to leave. According to what Zamparini said, it looks like he would prefer to sell his two gems outside of Italy as until today he only confirmed the offers that comes from abroad. Moreover, the president also stated that the reason behind the two players’ selling is not the same, as Kjaer has too many offers while Cavani doesn’t want to stay at the club.
AC Milan still hold onto 3rd place in the Serie A despite losing 1-0 to fierce rivals Genoa at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris yesterday. The Rossoneri were lucky that their nearest challenger Sampdoria played out a 1-1 draw with Palermo at the Renzo Barbera stadium to keep them 3 points clear in 3rd place with 1 game left to end the season.
Looking at Milan’s remaining fixtures, i had started to fear the worst for the Diavolo. Prior to their victory over Fiorentina at the San Siro yesterday, Milan had lost their last 2 matches to Sampdoria and Palermo effectively ending any dreams they had of lifting the scudetto this season.
With Fiorentina, Genoa and Juventus still left to play, i am sure i was not the only worried about the Rossoneri finishing the season in 3rd place. However, Last night’s victory eased my nerves ahead of crucial fixtures against Genoa and Juventus.
The official headline is that Inter’s return trip to Sicily ended in a 1-1 draw as Palermo successfully defended their long unbeaten home run.
The real headline is that Inter’s nine point lead over AC Milan has vanished. A Milan win at home to Napoli on Sunday will put them top of the table. If that happens Inter will no longer be in control of its destination. If Milan wins all its remaining games Inter cannot stop them from winning the title. Inter’s dismal run of form in the Serie A continues.
Nickname(s): The Pink-Blacks (not very macho)
All-Time Ranking: 20th
2007/2008 Finish: 11th
2008/2009 Position (as of 04/07): 8th
Coach: Davide Bellardini
Key Players: Fabio Liverani, Fabio Simplicio, Edison Cavani
History:
Palermo is one of Serie A’s rising squads and has nearly qualified for the Champions League the last few seasons. In spite of their recent success, they have historically been a weaker squad and they spent much of their existence in Italy’s lower divisions. In fact, the team has thus far never won a single significant trophy in its 109 year history.
