⚽️🇮🇹 How much silverware will Inter lift this season?
👋 Ciao a tutti!
Welcome to Calcio Weekly, your comprehensive weekly digest of Italian soccer.
This week, we’re looking back on Inter’s Supercoppa Italiana victory, we’re checking in with Christian Pulisic on his Milanese adventure, and we’re paying tribute to Italy’s all-time national team top goalscorer.
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👑 Inter remain kings of the Supercoppa Italiana
Inter lifted the Supercoppa Italiana on Monday, marking the third consecutive season in which they have won the competition.
NAPOLI-INTER 0-1 | HIGHLIGHTS | Lautaro wins trophy at the death! | EA SPORTS FC Supercup 2023/24
🫡 Captain Lautaro Martinez sealed the win over reigning Serie A champions Napoli with a 91st-minute strike. “He is a real captain, a great man and footballer,” said coach Simone Inzaghi in tribute to Serie A’s current top scorer.
🇸🇦 Inter reached the final after a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Lazio in the semifinal of the competition. The Supercoppa Italiana, which was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is traditionally played between the previous season’s league and Coppa Italia winners, but was expanded to include the runners-up of both competitions for the first time this year.
👏 The win was a particularly special triumph for Inzaghi, whose Supercoppa coaching record is unmatched…
📢 The win also inspired Federico Dimarco to embrace his inner Ultra…
⏭️ Up next for Inter: The Nerazzurri face a tough challenge upon their return to Italy shores with a visit to fourth-place Fiorentina on Saturday (2.45pm ET on Paramount+). Inter can regain top spot if Juventus fail to beat Empoli.
🗣️ Serie A CEO discusses plans to combat racism
Milan’s 3-2 win at Udinese on Saturday was marred by racial abuse directed at goalkeeper Mike Maignan, which saw the game temporarily suspended as the Rossoneri left the field.
⚽️ Following the incident, Udinese have been ordered to play a game behind closed doors, while Italian police confirmed four Udinese fans have been banned from attending the club’s games for life, and banned from attending all Italian stadiums for five years.
🗣️ Speaking with daily newspaper Corriere della Sera, Serie A CEO Luigi De Siervo discussed the plans to use of facial recognition software to identify those responsible for racist or violent behavior:
"The plan is to equip the stadiums of all Serie A teams with surveillance systems that scan the faces of those entering the stadium, linking them to the personal data on named tickets. This way, we can immediately identify the identity of fans engaged in acts of racial discrimination."
👏 Support for Maignan came in from all around Serie A and the international game, including a message of support from Kylian Mbappe.
❤️ Tributes pour in for Serie A legend Gigi Riva
Gigi Riva, widely regarded as one of the greatest strikers of all time, passed away at age 79 oday…
🏆 Riva spent the bulk of his career with Cagliari, whom he led to their only Serie A title in 1969-70. He was honorary club president at the time of his passing. “Thank you for reminding us every day how beautiful it is to be Sardinian,” read a social media message from the club.
🇮🇹 With 35 goals in 42 official international appearances, Riva remains Italy’s all-time top scorer. The Guardian notes that he has more than double the goal tally of any current active Italy international.
Gigi Riva: The Roar of Thunder | Throwback | Serie A TIM
Tributes have come in for Riva from across the game, with Italy’s World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro fighting back tears while paying his respects.
🐺 Daniele De Rossi kicks off Roma return with a win
Daniele De Rossi, who played 616 games in a Roma shirt, returned to the Stadio Olimpico as interim coach for the Giallorossi on Saturday, overseeing a 2-1 win against Hellas Verona.
⚽️ Romelu Lukaku and Lorenzo Pellegrini scored Roma’s goals, with both assists coming from De Rossi’s former teammate Stephan El Shaarawy.
🗣️“We talk often about points to be earned or qualification for this or that tournament, but the most important of objectives is simply to reunite the team, fans and club to become a single entity,” said De Rossi in an Instagram post after the win. “Because for so many of us, there is only one thing that unites us: Roma.”
❤️ There was no shortage of love shown for former manager Jose Mourinho, whose efforts were recognised by multiple banners and fan chants at the Olimpico.
⏭️ Up next for Roma: De Rossi’s side have an opportunity to climb into the top four, if other results go their way, when they visit Salernitana on Monday (2.45pm ET on Paramount+). Salernitana is bottom of the league and winless in their last four outings.
🇺🇸 Christian Pulisic discusses life in Milan
With six goals, five assists and a December Player of the Month award under his belt, Christian Pulisic’s debut Serie A season is shaping up very nicely. The American discussed his time in Milan in a recent sit-down interview with the league…
From a Basement in Pennsylvania to the European Stages | A Chat with Pulisic | Serie A 2023/24
🗣️ “I’ve settled in here, I think Milan is a great city,” said the 25-year-old USMNT star. “I’m doing my best trying to learn the language, and getting used to the culture. The food has been great. Everything about Italy is super nice. It’s definitely an improvement in the weather, compared to where I’ve been before.”
🤗 Pulisic also discussed his formative years in the beautiful game, which involved firing shots at his dad in the basement of their Pennsylvania home.
🥇 Serie A ranked as best league in the world
According to rankings compiled by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) for the calendar year of 2023, Serie A is the top league in the world.
🤓 The English Premier League ranks second, with Spain’s La Liga in third.
😮 This is the 12th time Serie A has topped IFFHS’ rankings since they started compiling them in 1991.
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🇮🇹 Valentin Gendrey takes a tour of Lecce
The latest edition of our Champions of Made in Italy series brings us to the stunning southern city of Lecce, where French defender Valentin Gendrey explores the incredible architecture, key landmarks and panoramic vistas….
VALENTIN GENDREY takes you through the streets of LECCE | Champions of #MadeInItaly
🚀 ICYMI: Żurkowski’s hat-trick highlight
Empoli’s survival hopes were boosted by a 3-0 win over Monza on Sunday, with all three goals coming from Szymon Żurkowski. The pick of the Polish midfielder’s strikes was this long-range volley…
💬 Calcio Conversations
The Scudetto race is heating up—but why do Italians use this name for the Serie A title?
🤷♂️ What does it mean? The word itself is Italian for “little shield” and refers to the shield-shaped tricolor badge that the champions wear on the front of their shirt the year after winning the title. The honor is Napoli’s this year, following their superb 2022-23 triumph… but who will get to stitch the ‘little shield’ on their jersey next season?
😂 Social Post of the Week: Weston McKennie’s organizational skills under question
When Juventus’ squad were asked to nominate the most disorganized player among their ranks, one name appeared to come up more than others...
📺 This weekend on CBS Sports and Paramount+
Friday January 26th
Cagliari v Torino (2.45pm ET)
Saturday January 27th
Atalanta v Udinese (9am ET)
Juventus v Empoli (12pm ET)
AC Milan v Bologna (2.45pm ET)
Sunday January 28th
Genoa v Lecce (6.30am ET)
Verona v Frosinone (9am ET)
Monza v Sassuolo (9am ET)
Lazio v Napoli (12pm ET)
Fiorentina v Inter (2.45pm ET)
Monday January 29th
Salernitana v Roma (2.45pm ET)
🇨🇦 Reading this in Canada? Watch ALL Serie A games LIVE on Fubo - and try it for free! 🇨🇦
Grazie e arrivederci!
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