Clarence Seedorf, Kaka and Alessandro Nesta are all smiles for the camera as they pose in their new Rossoneri kit.

The first choice shirt has 5 red bands and 4 black ones in the front, wider compared to last season, which also continue on the thighs; the sleeves are black with 3 red stripes. On the back there is the writing ROSSONERI, in black, on a red background.  Milan will also be sporting an all white away jersey with a white on white cross situated over the left hand front of the jersey.  AC Milan continue in their partnership with Germany’s Adidas.

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No Frank Lampard but Inter do have their new kit and doesn’t Javier Zanetti look stunning in his blue with white SWOOSH socks. Captain Zanetti contributed to a mini exhibition, providing ten shirts from his private collection, one for each year from 1998 at this morning’s presentation. 

Right off it looks like the biggest change is the away jersey which will be solid white. Absent is that wonderful red cross so many in England mistook for the cross of St. George.

I’ve noticed Matrix is front and centre during the photo op and other than Amantino Mancini one wonders if Mourinho will inject more new blood into the very talented lineup. 

If additional trades are to happen surely it will be very soon so stay tuned Inter faithful.

Finally, good to see Adriano back hopefully he can turn his career around this season I’m of the opinion if Mourinho can’t get the best out of him no one can.

Inter and Nike celebrated their ten-year partnership at today’s presentation.

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The home shirt is of course their historical black and white strip but with slightly bigger bands than last season.  Detailing such as player name, number, and the nike logo are all in yellow.  The shorts are white with yellow profiles, with the SWOOSH and the number in black on the left side and the Juventus logo on the right. Socks are black with a white rim and have the Nike logo and the name Juventus on them.

The away shirt is the completely new yellow strip, detailing will be white for the player name, number and the nike logo.  Matching shorts are black with gold-coloured laces and profiles, while the Nike logo and numbers are in white. Socks are gold with a black and white rim,  featuring the SWOOSH and club name.  

The main body of the shirts is made with Nike Sphere technical fabric, which is extremely light and allows the skin to breathe, reducing contact and allowing sweat to evaporate quickly.

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Inter.it - Inter’s new coach José Mourinho was unveiled to the press on Tuesday in a press conference at the training ground. This is what he had to say:

Mr Mourinho, you described yourself as ’special’ when you became coach of Chelsea in 2004, and they called you ‘The Special One’.

What do you want to be called now? “Mourinho. I have arrived at a special club, and when a club is like this the coach becomes an extra person. I’m not forgetting that I’m a great coach, but I don’t want to be special. José Mourinho hasn’t changed. He’s the same person with the same ambition, the same motivations, and with a great passion for football. He has always wanted to coach in Italy, possibly at a great club. Inter have given me the opportunity to work in a great footballing nation like Italy. This is a very important challenge for me and I have to thank the managers present here, in particular Marco Branca, for choosing me. It will be fun for you too.”

What did president Moratti ask of you at the start of your new adventure with the Nerazzurri? “The president asked me to be José Mourinho, which means working with great passion, with great empathy with all the fans, the players and the club. We must begin a new cycle. A cycle with a great coach in Roberto Mancini has just ended, but we turn the page now. It’s a new life for the club and all of Inter. I have great respect for the work done by a great coach like Mancini, but I am José Mourinho. I have different methods and a different philosophy. I work with passion and motivation. I have always had strong relationships with the players and I’m sure that after a few weeks we will be able to talk about a strong relationship with my new players. I believe that sporting results are the logical consequence of who works well. I am sure I will work very well. I’m expecting positive results and entertaining football.

I am highly motivated, I’m happy to be in Italy and at a great club like Inter. Like I said, Mourinho is the coach of a special club.”

Do you think it will be necessary to change many elements of the current Inter squad? From what I have read in the press all over the world - not just in Italy and Portugal - it seems as if I have come to coach a team with a squad of 70 players. This isn’t good. I want to work in a team of 20-21 players plus the goalkeepers. I think that every player in the world wants to play for Inter, and that every president wants to sell players to Inter. I like the players in my squad and I don’t need to make radical changes. For myself and the management, the team just needs due or three players to improve and be even more competitive. I want the chance to change things a bit because I don’t know any coach who has the same ideas as another. But I didn’t like what I read about me not liking some of the players in the squad, and that I want to buy all the best players in Europe. This is not true. I have a clear message that I want to transmit to my players. From now on I want to talk about them as my players. I want to tell all of them that I like the squad and I have faith in them. I have seen a lot of Inter’s matches during the season and I appreciated the team’s mentality. It’s hard for me to wait until mid-July to start.”

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read more on this breaking story here - Telegraph sports

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First, this derby proved to be the 2nd one-sided derby we’ve seen after the 6-0 humiliation in 2000/01 serie A season, surely both matches was won by the red & black AC Milan. Second, this derby was so important for both Inter and AC Milan, as the two sides wanted to win this match for not making their Serie A campaign a huge disappointment (I will return to discuss this point later).  Last but not least, Inter is dominating serie A for the 2nd season and destined to win their 3rd title in a row; moreover, an Inter win last sunday was going to break Berlusconi’s heart as Milan has not lost 3 consecutive derbies against Inter in Beslusconi’s era. And eventually, and unfortunately for many people, AC Milan just like Italy voters, didn’t want to disappoint Berlusconi. Forza Italia.

Destiny is Milanese. Milanese here refers to the whole city of Milano interests. How? An Inter win would have killed AC Milan hopes of a Champions League spot next season; however, if Inter lost this derby they will still retain the title as the Nerazzuri will still have their destiny in their own hands, and it only needs a miracle for this not to happen ( also AS Roma is not Juventus, so miracles are far from happening. Ask Moggi if you don’t believe). So, this derby win for Milan will give them the 4th place in the table, but will not affect Inter hopes of winning silverware this season too, as winning at home against Siena next round and in front of more than 80,000 Interiste in the Meazza, will not be a huge task. Also, Inter fans will like it more against a Black & White stripes (refering to Siena’s kits)  for the 2nd consecutive season, as Juventues and Udinese (Black & White stripes also) are the only teams Inter couldn’t defeat this campaign. So God’s will didn’t want to make half of the Milano city miserable and the other half full of joy. This is fair. And DESTINY is MILANESE.

Digging deeply into the match now, lets discuss the lineups of the teams.

Ancelotti fielded the strongest team, as he made it clear he wants the 3 points at all costs. Although looking at Milan’s startup would make us think this is a defensive Milan, as Pirlo, Gattuso and Ambrosini are all defensive midfielders with a little of creativity in Pirlo legs. Also fielding Kaka as 2 nd striker alongside  Pippo and not as a playmaker behind 2 strikers proves to be a defensive approach from Carletto. But hey, Kaka and Inzaghi scored 14 goals in the last 4 games for Milan. So, yes AC Milan wanted to win at all costs. What Mancini did?

Everyone who looked at Inter’s starting 11 for the derby, just looked and said Why? Yes, Mancini always surprises us with his formations, but this one was like Inter was telling Milan: “Come rape me please”. A defensive couple (Matrix and Rivas) who didn’t play together one whole match this season, with both having a poor campaign too was really a dangerous thing to do. In front of the this weak defensive wall, Mancini fielded 3 defensive midfielders alongside each other (Vieira, Cambiasso, Zanetti) with a defensive midfielder in front of them (Maniche). The 4 players are aggressive, strong and ill-talented. This was not enough for Mr. Mancio, as Crespo and Cruz were his strikers for the show. So this was the picture: A defensive wall of plastic, a midfield square that cant cant pass the ball beyond its vertices, and an offensive partnership that was meant to be isolated. So as a result, Inter lost the match before it starts.

To the match details: The 1st half was somehow even, as AC Milan was trying to impose their game, creating 2 or 3 opportunities in front of goal, thanks to Julio Cesar it ended 0-0. We all thought Mancini knew it, and he will try to alter this handicapped team with one substitution or two. No, Mancini wanted unusually to stick to his decision. In the 2nd half, Milan just did what they were supposed to do: 10 mins in the 2nd half, Milan 2 Inter 0. For sure, we also want to give credit to Milan, they really proved they wanted to win it. Here, Mancini ate his words again: 2 substitutions in 10 mins, Balotelli for Maniche, and Maxwell for Rivas. Mancini wanted to tell us, “this was supposed to be my starting lineup, but Grandma dreamt Maniche will score”. OK Mancini you broke our hearts. Inter then started to dominate, with Suazo taking the place of poor Crespo, Inter pushed on the Milan’s defensive wall, gaining couple of near free kicks, and scoring in one of them. But Milan stood and kept their lead.

This was the weirdest games of all. Inter, or Mancini’s Inter, didn’t want to win. This turned to be a fact after Mancini’s post conference: “Today we lost, but nothing has changed… I always thought it would be next Sunday against Siena.” I would fire him for just saying those last words. Please Mancini, on the scale of humans, be a good coach and then start building a Prophet career.

All things said now, this serie A season is almost over: Inter will win the title. Roma, Juve and Milan will play in the Champions League. Fiorentina will give it another shot in the UEFA Cup next season. And I believe only one coach of the above mentioned teams will go home: Roberto Mancini. It is clear like a summer’s sun now, and by looking at Moratti’s face after the loss, Mourinho is coming. This will be a happy ending for all people who wants a man of his word at Inter’s Bench.
 

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Basically this is how it will play out, the top two teams from Serie B are automatically promoted. If the difference between third and fourth place is less than ten points, the next four teams play off with the winner gaining the third promotion spot, otherwise the third placed team is promoted. More…

The following table lists the current standings for the top six in Serie B and if nothing changes from now until end of season, we will see a play off for that third place promotion.

The Top Three

With five match days remaining leaders Chievo face off in four of those against clubs from the bottom half of the table. Leading all comers Chievo are in the favored position of having the most favorable schedule for promotion success.

In second place are Albinoleffe having come literally from nowhere in the last decade but before talking on that miracle lets discuss third place Lecce.

Lecce haven’t lost a match in their last 12, only 4-points off leaders Chievo and Serie B glory. The southerners, relegation victims two years ago, were joined in their decent from Serie A by Tresvio and the mighty Juventus caught in the Calciopoli scandal. Lecce has waged a dogged campaign, losing only once at home on October 20th against fifth place Brescia. The club have three home matches remaining and maintaining that fortress record surely will position them for promotion. I do get the feeling Lecce travels downward are a mere blip on calcio radar but protecting their one point lead over Bologna does them little good for automatic promotion. Lecce must overtake new boys Albinoleffe who they play on May 10 if they hope to avoid a play off and they must throw everything into that match.

Onto the David and Goliath story, the star of the show, Albinoleffe. The club barely a decade old, was formed from the merger of former Serie C2 teams Albinese Calcio and S.C. Leffe. After being promoted to Italian Serie C1, in 2003 AlbinoLeffe, under coach Elio Gustinetti, gained a surprising triumph in the division play-off final, beating Pisa, giving them the right to play in Serie B. For two seasons the club treaded water in B, and then lost their favorite son Gustinetti who went in search of new pastures. Vincenzo Esposito stepped into his shoes, but after a disastrous start was replaced by Emiliano Mondonico, who staved off relegation that year before engineering last season’s impressive 10th-place finish. [1]

(video, one highlight of the 2006-2007 season was of course the 1 - 1 home draw against Juventus when Albinoleffe took an early lead over the giants with Joelson converting the penalty awarded after Gigi Buffon tripped striker Ruben Garlini in the box.)

Mondonico’s success however was quickly forgotten with the return of Gustinetti to lead the club yet again with “fluid, effervescent, two-touch” football observed by Corriere dello Sport writer Fabio Monti. Albinoleffe on the cusp of their greatest triumph, promotion to Serie A, have several difficult matches remaining. Mentioned already is the May 10th winner take all match against Lecce, but they also face visitors Rimini Calcio, a team they’ve not been able to beat in their last five meetings and finally they play away to eleventh place Ascoli. Ascoli have also been difficult for Albinoleffe to overcome, with the little guys winning only once in the last five head-to-head.

References

[1] The Guardian - Can Albinoleffe write the greatest fairytail of all ?

[2] Corriere dello Sport - Il calcio più bello? In provincia di Bergamo

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Who am I ?

Answer, Alessandro Del Piero, definitely the Ironman of Italian football. Del Piero netted a hat trick against hosts Atalanta on Sunday and the addition to the Juventus striker’s tally has moved him to third on the season’s top goalscorer table.

Of course it only confirms what I’ve been saying for weeks, Del Piero is the most in form goalscorer in Serie A and possibly all Europe. The prolific Del Piero with 17 league goals is having his best season in a decade and with four games to go could break his best ever season of 21 goals set in the 1997-98 season.

Serie A Top goalscorers

Alessandro Del Piero - Soccer Super Stars
References
[1] Channel 4 - France Football’s top earners in the world, 8 April 2008

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