Just as in the last few years, I figured I’d do one giant Pagelle for the entire season before the new season gets too hectic, as I did in 2007-2008, and 2008-2009. I’ve tried to remain objective of course- I’m no fan of Zebina or Melo, but I’m trying to rate them based on their performances, not their fighting with the fans. Besides, they ended up playing terribly anyways. In general, I follow similar numbering systems to the pagelle in Italy:

These judges gave better ratings than I did

4- Dreadful. Consistently producing horror shows and generally completely incompetent.
4.5- Poor.
5- Subpar. Never impressing, and while not terrible, never playing well either.
5.5- Mediocre. Not something a player should be pleased with.
6- Decent.
6.5- Solid. Putting in consistently good shifts, though not exemplary.
7- Excellent. Playing well typically, and capable of brilliance.
7.5- Outstanding. Consistently winning MOTM awards.
8- Phenomenal.
9- Legendary.

Injuries don’t directly factor, as that has weighed enough on their performances as is. So without further ado, the Juventus Pagelle for season 2009-2010.

The World Cup final was played on Sunday and the global viewing audience for football’s greatest prize was in excess of 1 billion. A significant number of the world’s population from rich to poor across the globe tuned in as the Netherlands and Spain fought it out for the title of world champion.

I was one of those people but unlike most of the others, I have been left seriously disillusioned by football over the past few days. I’m specifically talking about Italian football and the ramifications of the tessera del tifoso. I have followed the concept of the tessera del tifoso for several months now and I have never liked the idea at any stage. Now that it has finally been introduced, I decided to ask a Rome-based Lazio fan a few questions regarding the draconian new measure being implemented and this allowed me to gain a greater understanding of the tessera. I’d like to thank Lucky Strike for his assistance; Laziofever readers may be familiar with his excellent posts.

For those who don’t follow the off pitch stuff as closely as what takes place on it, the Italian interior minister Maroni (of the Lega Nord party) has championed the introduction of the “tessera del tifoso”, an identity card for football fans. To purchase a season ticket, one must now also sign up for a tessera. To buy tickets to away games, a tessera is a required document. For those of us who travel to Italy, away games are no longer an option. Likewise, home games considered “at risk”, which usually have been games against the likes of Napoli, will also be off limits to those without a tessera.

How does one get a tessera? Well, each club has its own version. Lazio’s is called the “millenovecento”. It is a card on the Mastercard network, produced by PostePay, a division of Poste Italiane, the largest postal service operating in Italy, which is government run and floated on the stock market. In addition to being able to purchase match tickets to any game, the holder of a tessera will be eligible for certain discounts on official merchandise and even non-football related things such as banking. To apply for the card, you need three small passport sized photographs and to complete an application form. Once submitted, the police will review the application and within 1-2 weeks the card will be issued. After this, the tessera holder is free to purchase their season ticket. The card is valid for 5 years and costs 15 euro, although free to existing season ticket holders.

The effect it will have is largely hard to determine at this stage. Certainly, the Lazio ultras will not apply for the tessera. Nor will the Catania and Napoli (see pic above) ultras. They will more than likely be joined by most of the hardcore right across the peninsula. They see it is a provocation and a restriction on their own freedom and will simply protest against it by refusing to accept it. Currently, only the ultras of the Milanese clubs have accepted the tessera, a move which has attracted much disgust from fans right across Italy. Roma too, have managed to sell 15,000 tessere. I’m not sure if these have been bought by ultras though, or just casual fans.

It goes without saying that, among football fans, the tessera is an unpopular measure. Identity cards generally don’t gather a whole lot of support from people. Protests have been held and they had a significant effect, as the introduction of the tessera was delayed by six-months. Ultimately though, it will now be a required document and the ultras of Lazio have decided to leave the stadium. They have been followed by the fans of Catania. Over the coming weeks, we will be able to gather the reactions of the different sets of fans right across Italy. Certainly, in contrast, the fans of Inter and Roma have accepted the tessera. Other Italian fans, particularly the ultras, look down on this. To them, the tessera is a tool to restrict freedom and

Looking at the reactions of Lazio ultras in particular a bit closer, we see that things are not looking good for a vibrant Curva Nord. Banda Noantri, who have led the Curva since the Siena match last season will not even buy match tickets where allowed. They see the ideals of football as corrupted, as it is no longer the game of old. In other words, they feel that commercial interests combined with restrictive control over fans in an attempt to quash the ultras culture is ruining football. They have a strong case. The tessera is clearly being promoted by commercialism, as we can see by all the “benefits” of signing up for a tessera, while the big pay-TV companies have been controlling football for well over a decade now. It is no secret that the authorities have long harboured a desire to bring about an end to the ultras movement. The former Irriducibili leaders Toffolo and Paolo Arciveri (who were imprisoned for quite some time without a trial) believe that the fans should refuse the tessera but still buy match tickets at a greater expense and attend matches where possible.

The tessera does nothing to stop any potential violence. It prevents fans from purchasing tickets in the away sector of a ground, but it doesn’t prevent anyone travelling to another city with the intention of violent conflict. The vast majority of ultras aren’t violent anyway, and the tessera will hardly discourage those who want to go and look for trouble to do so. All that is likely, is a dramatic decrease in the attendance at matches. The authorities will hope for a drastic increase in the number of casual fans who attend games, as only that would vindicate their claims that the violent ultras intimidate them from going to the football.

If history is any indication, without Curva Nord, Lazio attendances will be well under 10,000 each week. At matches seen as unimportant, such as the meaningless European tie with Levski, a partially full Curva was the entire attendance. Similarly, when the curva protested against the Lotito management against Fiorentina, only about 5000 of the “ordinary” fans turned up to watch their side play a night game against high profile opponents. Many smaller provincial sides, particularly those playing in the lower leagues would barely have 100 fans at matches if it weren’t for their ultras: loyal, parochial and passionate about their hometown. To me, the ultras are the heart and soul of Italian football. It is this heart and soul that is being eradicated by the tessera, not the violent minority.

A nice video I found showing some of Serie A’s best moments this season in 3 minutes.

Just like many university school years are coming to an end this month and sending out grades to all their students, it’s time to grade all twenty Serie A teams on their 2009/2010 season. Who passed? Who failed? Who’s going to summer school? Who’s being held back? Who’s transferring to another school (The Serie B School of Less Competitive Football)? All those questions will be answered. Report Cards after the jump.

As always we will go through everything in alphabetical order:

ATALANTA: F

The Bergamaschi get an F. It’s quite simple really, they failed in their objective of staying in Serie A and with their roster they could easily have achieved salvation. But the front office is to blame as well, hiring Angelo Gregucci at the start of the season as manager (who’s previous Serie A experience with Lecce stunk) and then firing him 4 games in and then hiring Antonio Conte and firing him after a couple of months and then bringing in Bortolo Mutti with the squad already in deep trouble. Lesson to Serie A presidents: 3 managers in one season = Bad results. The team woke up too late and couldn’t escape the drop.

BARI: A

Bari get an A for being the nicest surprise of the season. Nobody expected the Galletti to do so well, especially at the start of the campaign. First, Antonio Conte decided he didn’t want to manage the club in Serie A and rescinded his contract in June. Then Giampiero Ventura was hired, and many fans and pundits saw it as taking a step back. Then the whole Tim Barton situation where he said he was buying the club and then said “No, thanks”. But Bari proved to be a good squad, drawing Inter 1-1 at the San Siro in the first game of the season and Ventura proved to be a wily old tactician, making the squad play exciting, attractive football that wasn’t afraid to attack teams away from home, even the big clubs. Bari finished with 50 points, their highest ever total in Serie A, and the fans are looking forward to another good season. Much credit goes to sporting director Giorgio Perinetti, who put together an excellent squad in the summer. Unfortunately he left for Siena last week.

BOLOGNA: C

Bologna get a C for finishing 4th to last for the second consecutive season. Bologna remind me of Torino’s recent history. They have a terrible front office that doesn’t know how to run a football team and continue to make errors (like Torino did and still does), and they do just enough on the pitch to achieve salvation for the next season (like Torino did). But I have a good feeling that like Torino, it will come back to haunt them and they will be relegated fairly soon. Maybe even next season. If not, the year after that. Unless severe changes are made of course.

CAGLIARI: B-

From competing all season for European spots, to finishing 5th to last with 44 points. That’s why the Sardinian club gets a B-. Also for firing Massimiliano Allegri with 4 games left. Allegri had the club playing great football again just like the previous year, but for some reason they hit that black hole and couldn’t get out. The club is still amazing, because their roster is nothing to write home about yet they get results. The club will probably undergo somewhat of a revolution this summer though, because a new manager will be hired and maybe some players will be sold to make money.

CATANIA: B+

They had a bad start, handing the reigns to the unproven Gianluca Atzori and only picking up 9 points in 15 games, but for hiring a serious manager like Sinisa Mihajlovic, finishing 10 points ahead of the relegation zone, and signing Maxi Lopez in January, they get a B+. Probably if Mihajlovic had begun the campaign as manager they could have even pushed for the Europa League. Maxi Lopez proved to be one of the best January transfer window signings, scoring 11 goals in 17 appearances. If Catania can confirm Mihajlovic and Maxi Lopez and acquire a few more good players this is a side that can challenge for the Europa League.

CHIEVO: A

Now you might be saying: A?!?!? Why does Chievo get an A?!? What did they do?!?! Chievo gets an A for fulfilling it’s objective, achieving a safe salvation with no relegation battles. Sure, they didn’t play the most attractive football, but the Flying Donkeys got the job done and got some great results along the way. Mimmo Di Carlo, after his bad stint at Parma, has proven to be an excellent Serie A manager and got the best out of in my opinion the worst roster in Serie A (along with Livorno). A season like this is like winning a scudetto for the small Verona club.

FIORENTINA: D

The only thing saving La Viola from getting an F is their Champions League run, which was excellent and unexpected (and they deserved to beat Bayern Munich). However the rest of the season was a disaster. Only 13 wins in Serie A and a whopping 17 losses, which is worse than Lazio, Catania, Udinese, Cagliari, and Bologna, who all finished below them. They had to deal with Mutu’s suspension because of his weight loss pills and Prandelli constantly being linked to the Nazionale job. The squad looked unmotivated and we didn’t see the fun to watch Fiorentina we’ve seen the past few years. In my opinion it’s time to change and start a new cycle.

GENOA: C

Bad season from the Rossoblu. After an excellent year last season where they only didn’t qualify for the Champions League because of head to head record with Fiorentina, big things were expected from them this season. Maybe they couldn’t handle the weight of two competitions at the start of the season, but they just weren’t the same side. Way too inconsistent and terrible away from home. They also didn’t replace Diego Milito adequately. So they wound up a disappointing 9th place and Preziosi will have to make some better investments this summer if they want to improve.

INTER: A+

What can you say about this team that hasn’t been said already? They are 90 minutes (or maybe 120 + penalties) away from a perfect season, becoming the first Italian side to win a treble. They were always the dominant force of Serie A, it was their own fault that they almost lost the Scudetto to Roma. They made all the right moves in the summer, ridding themselves of the egotistical Ibra and bringing in players that were willing to sacrifice themselves for the team like Milito, Motta, and Eto’o. They discovered a gem in Wesley Sneijder. And they did a good job of dealing with Balotelli for the most part. Make their grade A++ if they win on Saturday.

JUVENTUS: F

Without a doubt Juventus failed this season. The clueless front office of Secco, Blanc, and Cobolli Gigli to then bringing in Bettega to try and get the fans off their backs a little was ridiculous. The flop signings of Diego and Felipe Melo, a January reinforcement of Michele Paolucci, Fabio Cannavaro and Fabio Grosso stinking up the place, Ciro Ferrara, Alberto Zaccheroni, the list can go on and on. To sum it up, they sucked, they had a team capable of finishing easily in the top 4, they finished 7th, had 15 losses, etc etc etc. Good thing that things look on the way up with Andrea Agnelli and the signing of Beppe Marotta. Gigi Delneri? That remains to be seen.

LAZIO: D

They get a D for bringing in an experienced manager like Reja to lead them to salvation and winning the Italian SuperCup, but everything else this season was a failure. After that Italian SuperCup, everything went downhill. First, they have too many players on the roster. Second, it was evident Ballardini wasn’t working out pretty early on and he should have been given the boot much earlier. They almost shot themselves in the foot keeping him as long as they did. Third, the Pandev and Ledesma situation was ridiculous and handled with the utmost stupidity. This is another club that needs changes. Keep Reja, reduce that 300 man roster down to something manageable and make smart signings. Hiring Angelo Peruzzi to be team manager wouldn’t be bad either.

LIVORNO: F

When did I know Livorno were going to be relegated? When they sold Alessandro Diamanti to West Ham this summer. Selling off your best player usually doesn’t help if you want to avoid relegation. And the problem is they didn’t even replace him, and their roster is probably the worst in Serie A (along with Chievo). First, starting out with an inexperienced manager like Gennaro Ruotolo was a mistake. Then, it was a good move to bring in Serse Cosmi, but the constant fighting between him and Aldo Spinelli was not good and just did more damage to the club. It was obvious that Spinelli didn’t want to be the head of Livorno anymore and maybe with a new buyer coming in this summer they can refresh the club.

MILAN: B

It was an up and down season for the Rossoneri. It was the first season in many years without Carlo Ancelotti and without Kaka. Nobody knew what to expect from Leonardo, and it was a terrible start. But after some time Leonardo got the kinks worked out and the squad started playing well and Leonardo gave faith to players like Borriello, Abate, and Antonini who repaid him with great performances. With Nesta, Pato, and Ronaldinho at top form the Rossoneri were a joy to watch. But when those players were missing or Ronaldinho decided he wasn’t going to play well the club staggered. This really was a great year for them to take advantage of Inter’s faults and win the Scudetto, but they didn’t take that chance. And then Berlusconi criticizing Leonardo didn’t help. Now the club has to undergo a whole new change, and more and more Milan is looking less and less like the side that dominated Europe and Italy in the 90’s and early 2000’s.

NAPOLI: B+

It was a positive season for Napoli, with 6th place and a return to Europe, but things could have gone better. Roberto Donadoni didn’t have the right personality to fit in with the fiery Aurelio De Laurentiis, and he did a good job of replacing him with Walter Mazzarri, who has proven to be a great tactician but still shows some faults that he needs to work on. For me Napoli’s squad was better then Sampdoria’s and maybe even Palermo’s and they could have easily grabbed that 4th Champions League spot. But they were horrible at keeping leads and gave away too many stupid games. It was a learning experience, and I’m sure the team will be much better next season. They really need a big time striker though next season. Because what did Palermo and Samp have that was better than Napoli? 19 goals each from Pazzini and Miccoli.

PALERMO: A

According to Walter Zenga, who started the season as Palermo boss, this squad was supposed to win the Scudetto. They didn’t, but they did pretty damn well. Zenga’s tenure wasn’t great, he didn’t have set ideas and was always changing players. Zamparini did well to hire Delio Rossi and have faith in him. The experienced Rossi brought new motivation to the Sicilian side, and along with great performances from players like Miccoli, Cavani, the newly signed Pastore, and the discovery of Sirigu in net, the Rosanero made their way up the table, achieving some great results. If Delio Rossi had started the season as manager Palermo would have easily been 3rd or 4th place. But they challenged with Samp until the last day for the last Champions League place and that exceeded expectations. Zamparini says next year’s squad will be built with Champions League qualification in mind. We’ll see.

PARMA: A

Brilliant season from the newly-promoted Gialloblu, who finished 8th place and only 3 points away from Europe. Francesco Guidolin’s side played attractive football and also got many great results. They got great performances from players like Christian Zaccardo, Jonathan Biabany, Daniele Galloppa, and the reborn Valeri Bojinov. Parma’s objective was to avoid relegation but 8th place was a great achievment. Unfortunately Guidolin decided to leave but it looks like he’s being replaced by Pasquale Marino, who is a very bright manager.

ROMA: A+

Even though they didn’t bring home their 4th Scudetto, the Giallorossi had a fantastic season that almost nobody predicted. With the club losing their first two encounters and Luciano Spalletti deciding to leave, everybody expected another mediocre season. But in came hometown hero Claudio Ranieri, who showed what a brilliant manager he is by first solidifying Roma’s defense and then allowing the squad to play good football. It wasn’t the constant champagne football we saw from Spalletti’s side, but it was effective and at times very entertaining. They went on that great streak of wins and never looked back, taking advantage of Inter’s faults and going top of the table, but unfortunately the home loss to Sampdoria comes back to haunt them. We’ll have to see what Roma does this summer to remain competitive, as next season they will be in the Champions League again.

If you told a Sampdoria fan at the start of the season that the Blucerchiati would be in the Champions League next season, they would have probably laughed in your face. But it came true. Sampdoria finished 4th and now have a chance to be in the Champions League group stage. Hats off to Beppe Marotta who put together a fantastic side and to Gigi Delneri, whose compact and organized 4-4-2 worked wonders. Samp didn’t make big signings this summer, and relied on the Cassano-Pazzini attack to work magic again. It did in the beginning and Samp were top of the table, but then naturally they started to drop a bit. Delneri had the guts to drop Cassano in favor of a more physical side and the results proved him right, but he also regenerated Cassano on his return and had him playing fantastic football in the remaining games, leading Samp to 4th. Pazzini had a wondrous year scoring 19 goals, and the January signing of Marco Storari on loan was smart. However probably the best discovery was Italy U-21 central midfielder Andrea Poli, who was easily the best youngster in Serie A this season in my book. However if Samp want to improve for next year, they need to improve their defense.

SIENA: D

Yeah they got relegated and maybe deserved an F, but the D goes to the new owner Massimo Mezzaroma who pretty much has turned things around since he came along and looks to have a bright future in store for Siena, as the hiring of Giorgio Perinetti shows. Unfortunately he arrived too late. The squad wasn’t bad, and manager Marco Giampaolo worked wonders last season. But unfortunately at the start of this season he just didn’t have the same touch, and I think a lot had to do with disagreements with the old owner, who didn’t give him what he wanted in the summer transfer market. So in came Alberto Malesani, and the man who cursed out the Greek media didn’t do a bad job. I don’t think he will be confirmed for Serie B however.

Udinese: C

Not good enough from Udinese. They should have been challenging for Europe. They had a good roster and Di Natale had the season of his life, scoring 29 of Udinese’s 54 goals. But for some reason the squad just didn’t click like it had in the past and Pasquale Marino ran out of ideas. Terrible decision to replace him with Gianni De Biase though, who has never done anything special in Serie A. The return of Marino brought a little more tranquility and the squad achieved salvation in the end. But they shouldn’t have had such a hard season. This summer they could probably cash in on World Cup players like Alexis Sanchez, Samir Handanovic, and Kwadwo Asamoah.

So the original plan was that I would spend a big chunk of time scanning every Goals of the Week post since August to select the best goals of the season. But then as I was watching some post-match interviews from Sunday on youtube, a thought came to my head: why not type “migliori gol Serie A” into the search bar and then sort by recently updated? What a genius idea that was, because instead of spending hours selecting goals myself, I came across a nice video made by someone named Klaudius85 that counted down the Top 20 goals scored this season in Serie A. And after watching it, I have to say I agree with Mr. Klaudius85. Instead of spending all that time selecting goals myself, I spent 5 minutes creating the nice graphic you see here, stealing the “Goals of the Season” part from an English Premier League DVD cover and just combining it with a quick google image search for “Lega Calcio Serie A”. So, without further adieu, the Top 20 goals of Serie A 2009/2010.

Do you feel like a nice goal is missing or deserves to be in the top 20? Share it in the comments.

And just like that, another Serie A season has come to an end. Inter have won their 5th conseuctive Scudetto and with a win on Saturday can be the first Italian team in history to win the treble. Overall, it was an excellent season. For the first time in years we finally witnessed a competitive season with twists, surprises, and teams fighting for objectives until the final minute of the last day. Even Inter fans have to admit that the title race with Roma was fun and probably made the final victory feel even greater than years past when they simply waltzed to the Scudetto. We saw a Roma side that almost achieved the impossible, nobody would have guessed before the season started that they would be challenging for the Scudetto on the last day. Much of the praise has to go to Claudio Ranieri, who really turned things around in the capital. We saw an enthralling Champions League race, and we saw Juventus have their worst season since the early 60’s. All in all it was a good year to watch calcio. Weekend wrap-up after the jump.

Inter Campione d’Italia 2009/2010-
Inter have won their 5th consecutive scudetto (4th on the pitch) and now have 18 titles, moving them into second place behind Juventus and surpassing rivals Milan who are still stuck on 17. The Nerazzurri are having a historic season and this hard-fought Scudetto win means a lot to the club.

Diego Milito-
What a story. Always considered a good striker, he came back to Italy last season and became world class. Truly one of Inter’s greatest signings, he’s been decisive all season and Inter’s top scorer in Serie A with 22 goals. His joy at the final whistle was obvious when we saw him shed tears. Scored the goal that won Inter the Scudetto.

Roma, still a success-
Second place and automatic Champions League qualification is still a great success for the Giallorossi who have to be applauded. Ranieri transformed his hometown club into a great side that can challenge anyone in Italy and Europe. Some good signings this summer and this Roma side can really make themselves heard next season.

Sampdoria win their own Scudetto-
Sampdoria’s achievement of 4th place was their own version of the Scudetto. After 18 years the Blucerchiati return to the Champions League. At the start of the season most people would have laughed if you said Sampdoria were going to the Champions League next season, but it came true. It was a great team effort and the squad played brilliantly under Gigi Delneri, who today decided to part ways with the club (99% going to Juventus). Much credit has to go to sporting director Beppe Marotta (also going to Juventus) who in 8 years took Sampdoria from Serie B all the way to the Champions League with smart signings and excellent front office work. Samp will have to work hard to replace both of them adequately.

Giampaolo Pazzini-
Wonderful season for the 25 year old striker who’s goal against Napoli gifted Sampdoria Champions League qualification. We can finally say that Pazzini has finally exploded. He was always one of those players that we thought would never live up to his potential, but now it is official: Pazzini has arrived. In 3 and a half years with Fiorentina he only scored 25 goals but since his move to Sampdoria he has scored 30 goals in 56 appearances, scoring 19 goals in Serie A this season. He is definitely Italy’s striker of the future and deserves to go to the World Cup.

Palermo-
They tried and did their job beating Atalanta 2-1, but they couldn’t get help from Napoli. There’s no doubt in my mind that if Delio Rossi had started the season as Palermo manager the Rosanero would’ve been in 4th place at the end of the season (maybe even 3rd who knows). The Walter Zenga experiment hurt them but once Rossi arrived their season was excellent, playing attractive football and getting superb performances from so many players. 5th place is still a great achievement for the Sicilians.

Extreme Makeover: Juventus Edition-
Now that the nightmare is over, it’s time to change. Beppe Marotta has been handed the reigns and will try to be the new Luciano Moggi (without the phone calls to referees) and create a squad that can challenge in Serie A and in Europe. It looks like Gigi Delneri will be handed the coaching reigns and he will bring discipline and smart, organized football to Turin. Many players will leave and the club should have an all-new look next season. We’ll see how it develops.

Parma, back to the old days-
Ok, so it wasn’t a Parma side that could challenge for the Scudetto like back in the day, but a very satisfying season for the Gialloblu, who finished in 8th place, only 3 points behind Juventus and the Europa League. It looks like Tommaso Ghirardi has finally learned how to run a Serie A club and if they can repeat this performance next season it would be a big success.

Fiorentina flop-
Fiorentina had their second-worst season since returning to Serie A in 2004. Sure they were robbed in the Champions League and the Mutu suspension hurt their attack, but the club just failed to show the same motivation and hunger they showed in season’s past. Next season La Viola won’t be in Europe and they need to put together a good squad to challenge for the European places again. With or without Cesare Prandelli is yet to be determined.

Maxi Lopez-
11 goals in 17 appearances. Not bad at all. Definitely the best signing of the January transfer window. Something tells me many clubs will come asking Catania for a price quote.

Di Natale Capocannoniere-
Antonio Di Natale is officially Serie A’s top scorer with 29 goals. That is the most number of goals scored by an individual since Luca Toni scored 31 with Fiorentina in 2005/2006. Also, Di Natale finished second in the European Golden Shoe race (par with Didier Drogba) only behind this guy Leo Messi everyone’s talking about who scored 34 goals in La Liga.

Milan, what next?-
This was a season that Milan should have taken advantage of Inter’s slip-ups and won the Scudetto. It’s as simple as that. They had a competitive roster and Ronaldinho had a great season up front finishing top of the assist charts and scoring 12 goals. Unfortunately, the injuries to two key players like Nesta and Pato and the aging roster that was exhausted by the end of the season held them back. Leonardo did a great job in his first season and the fans appreciated his work, but Berlusconi didn’t. Now the club has to move forward. First they need to hire a new manager and second make smart moves on the transfer market to refresh the roster. It will be no easy task.

Sure, no more weekly posts on Serie A like the Weekend that Was on Mondays, Goals of the Week on Tuesdays, and Tactics on Wednesdays, but the Italy Offside will still be in full force. There’s still the whole season to review, transfer rumors, and of course, the World Cup. So this blog may become a little more national team-oriented until July. Keep following the Italy Offside and a sincere thank you to everyone that has read my nonsense and drivel about Serie A all season. Without the readers this blog is nothing!

-Francesco

I got this idea from a comment by David in the Weekend that Was post. I thought it would be good to name the best players on the three teams that were relegated: Atalanta, Siena, and Livorno. Although all three teams will be plying their trade in Serie B next season, some players on their rosters probably won’t be sharing the experience. Many Serie A clubs have been rumored to be interested in some players on these clubs already as the transfer rumors begin. So here we go.

Thomas Manfredini- Manfredini is a hard-nosed, physical central defender with a big presence at the back. His strength is his overall strength, as he’s excellent at getting forward and pounding a header home or even blasting a shot or two. Unfortunately, he isn’t the best technically, and causes way too many fouls with bad judgment and anticipation skills. That leads to quite a few yellow and red cards throughout the season. However, Lecce, Genoa, and Napoli have all been rumored to be interested in the 29 year old central defender.

Tiberio Guarente- The 24 year old central midfielder has always been linked with a move away from Bergamo. Guarente is a box-to-box central midfielder who is equally good at getting back and helping the defense as well as getting forward and joining the attack. His passing ability is also very notable but his biggest strength is his rocket of a left foot, which is also very accurate at the same time. He’s good at taking set pieces. He was a member of the 2008 Italian Olympic squad. While Fiorentina has always been the club that has been rumored to have the most interest in him, recently it has been reported that Napoli want his services.

Jaime Valdes- Valdes has always been a player with excellent technical ability but never showed his true potential. However this year the 29 year old attacking midfielder finally exploded, scoring beautiful goals and helping Atalanta almost wake up and avoid relegation. His performances even kept Cristiano Doni on the bench at times and he was included in Chile’s preliminary World Cup roster. His contract with Atalanta expires this June and he definitely won’t be short of offers. This season Milan was linked to him for a while.

Simone Padoin- In my opinion, Simone Padoin is one of the most underrated players in Serie A. He caught my eye when he made some U-21 appearances a few years ago. Padoin is a hard working winger that never gets tired and is constantly moving up and down the flank (he can play both left and right, as well as central midfield) and has great crossing ability. Occasionally he scores a beautiful goal. Delneri was a big fan of his when he coached Atalanta because of his love for wingers. Padoin has been linked to Genoa, and this month he will go on Juventus’ North American tour as a guest player. If he impresses, maybe the Bianconeri will decide to keep him.

Simone Tiribocchi- The 32 year old striker had an impressive season, netting 11 goals and was Atalanta’s main attacking force. “Il Tir” is a hardworking player who does a lot of dirty work up front, but his finishing ability is excellent and has a knack for scoring great goals. He has a contract with Atalanta until 2012 and he said he wants to remain in Serie B, but if a big offer comes then who knows.

SIENA

Simone Vergassola- The 34 year old captain was the heart and soul of Siena this season. Despite the club not having a great year, Vergassola had probably the best season of his life, scoring 5 goals in 33 games and really playing well. Vergassola is another great box-to-box midfielder, but his finishing abilities aren’t so great. His defending ability is his strength and is good at distributing the ball. Kind of like a poor man’s Simone Perrotta. Vergassola will surely lead Siena in Serie B and try to help them return to paradise.

Abdelkader Ghezzal- The 25 year old Ghezzal, born in France to Algerian parents, had an excellent season. He scored 6 goals in 29 games with 4 assists, but showed his excellent potential and sublime technical ability. Ghezzal is on Algeria’s World Cup roster and maybe after a decent World Cup bigger clubs will be knocking on Siena’s door asking for his services. I think it will be difficult for him to remain in Serie B.

Massimo Maccarone- Maccarone is another player who probably had the best season of his life. The 30 year old Maccarone was probably the only reason it took so long for Siena to be relegated. He scored 12 goals in 36 appearances and showed that he can be an effective Serie A striker. Now that Siena have been relegated it is likely he will be sold, and it has been rumored that Palermo, Sampdoria, and even Milan (the club he grew up with) are ready to make an offer.

LIVORNO

Nico Pulzetti- The 26 year old midfielder impressed with Livorno when they were in Serie A in the 2007-2008 season, but he decided to remain with the club when they were relegated despite many teams being interested. Pulzetti is a central midfielder who likes to get forward and attack, and has an excellent shot, scoring beauties from outside the area. Lecce (who only need one point to secure Serie A promotion) and Chievo seem to be interested in his services, and this time Livorno will probably be looking to sell.

Rubinho- The 27 year old Brazilian keeper, who impressed so much at Genoa didn’t have his best season this year. Starting at Palermo, he was replaced as the starting keeper by the emerging Salvatore Sirigu and sat on the bench for most of the first part of the season. In January, looking for a goalkeeper, Livorno took him on loan. He immediately became the starter, and put in some impressive performances, notably against former club Palermo. He has been linked with a move to Udinese, who are looking for a replacement for Samir Handanovic who will most likely leave after the World Cup (where he will be defending Slovenia’s goal).

Cristiano Lucarelli- The 34 year old hometown hero didn’t have his best season. Making his return to Livorno after he left in 2007 for the big money of the Ukraine, Lucarelli was expected to have an excellent season. However, Livorno’s attack was the worst in Serie A and many times Lucarelli found himself watching from the bench. He did reach 10 goals on the season, but he didn’t play well and didn’t get along with president Aldo Spinelli. He’s only on loan to Livorno from Parma, and the Amaranto have no intention on making the deal permanent. With Parma not interested in holding on to him either, it looks like he will have to find a new team. As of now only two foreign clubs seem interested: Swiss club Basel and Germans Wolfsburg.