⚽️🇮🇹 Napoli's new coach & Osimhen's career decision
👋 Ciao a tutti!
Welcome back to Calcio Weekly, your comprehensive weekly digest of Italian soccer.
We’re in the midst of an international break — where Italy has a make-or-break clash with Ukraine in their Euro 2024 qualification campaign, and the United States face a pair or crucial CONCACAF Nations League matches — but there’s no shortage of Serie A news to catch up on!
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🙌 Allegri pours more praise on McKennie
USMNT star Weston McKennie is fast becoming a favorite of Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri, who admitted he has the ability to be “devastating” for The Old Lady.
🗣️ “Wes is having a good season, I think he is maturing too after the experience on loan,” said Allegri. “I spoke to him too, he has physical strength that helps cover for a few technical errors, but when running into space, he can be devastating. I told him at the start of the season that this was a very important year for him, he would be a wing-back and so he had to run back and forth. He put himself at our disposal.”
⏱️ McKennie has featured in all 12 of Juventus’ league games this season, totaling 888 minutes.
➡️ Up next for Juve: When Serie A returns next weekend, Juventus face one of the biggest games of the season: the Derby D’Italia with Inter Milan (Sunday November 26th, 2.45pm ET on Paramount+). Keep reading to our Calcio Conversations section for an explanation of the history of this rivalry…
🔄 Napoli replaces Rudi Garcia with former coach Walter Mazzarri
Serie A saw its fourth managerial casualty of the season this week, when Rudi Garcia departed Napoli, following a home loss to Empoli. The reigning champions have replaced him with Walter Mazzarri.
👏 Mazzarri is more than familiar with the Stadio Diego Maradona, where he previously coached Napoli between 2009 and 2013. His attack-minded side qualified for the Champions League for the first time in its history, won the Coppa Italia, and earned a second-place league finish — the club’s best league performance in 20 years, at that time. The fans in Naples will surely be hoping for a revival of the spirit that surrounded his revered side…
😩 Upon arriving at Napoli’s Castel Volturno training facility, Mazzarri said: “I am tired, I haven’t slept for two days.”
😱 The 62-year-old will certainly have his work cut out for him when play resumes after the international break. After an away trip to Atalanta (Saturday November 25th, 2.45pm ET on Paramount+), Napoli will face Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Juventus. That’s quite a baptism of fire for his second stint in Naples!
🔥 Dimarco discusses his wonder goal!
During Inter Milan’s 2-0 win over Frosinone last weekend, Federico Dimarco scored a Puskas Award contender; a 61-yard strike from the most unlikely of angles…
Dimarco scores a screamer from the halfway line | Every Angle | Inter-Frosinone | Serie A 2023/24
🗣️ The Inter wingback has opened up about the thought process behind the strike, and his relief that it found its intended target: “At the start, I saw Denzel [Dumfries], then I saw the goalkeeper off the line. At the end, thank God it went in, otherwise I would’ve got more insults than I could even imagine. It is certainly one of my best goals.”
🫠 Dimarco’s manager Simone Inzaghi suggested that this isn’t the first time the left wingback has attempted such an audacious effort: “It was a stunning goal from Dimarco, and it’s something we’ve got used to seeing from him in training.”
The 26-year-old has two goals and four assists in Serie A this season, having also scored the winner in Roma’s visit to the San Siro in October.
🩵 Osimhen chose to stay in Serie A ‘for his career’
After a historic Serie A win with Napoli last season, rumors circulated about striker Victor Osimhen’s future. The Nigerian has now revealed he chose to stay in Naples, rather than take up a lucrative contract in Saudi Arabia, for the good of his career.
🇸🇦 Osimhen, currently sidelined with a hamstring injury, was linked with Saudi Arabian Pro League side Al-Hilal, who have already added Neymar and Ruben Neves to their squad. "The more I said no to them, the more they increased it,” said the 24-year-old, referring to the attractive terms of the deal.
💶 The forward, who fired Napoli to glory with 31 goals in all competitions last season, noted that it made sense for him to stay in Serie A: “I had to make the decision what is good for my career, as much as we play football for the money."
⚽️ Derby D’Italia insight
When Serie A action returns after the international break, all eyes will be on the Allianz Stadium, where Juventus host Inter Milan. CBS/Paramount+ analyst Marco Messina shares his thoughts on the matchup…
🗣️ “These teams have such different styles. Inter can play beautifully and are able to win games in different ways, but Juventus might not be able to change their plan, if the game doesn’t go their way. I think Juve will wait for their opportunity, with Inter being the ones who have to possess the ball and go forward. Juventus are great at not conceding, but I don’t think they’ve gone up against an attack like Inter’s yet. The Nerazzurri are such a well-oiled machine, with game-changers all over the field, and I think it will be them who will have more of the ball.”
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🤳 Monza midfielder learns of Italy call up via social media
Andrea Colpani is one of the most talked-about up-and-coming players in the league, with six goals and an assist so far this season. The 24-year-old has earned his first Italy senior team call up — and learned about the news in an unusual way.
🗣️ “It’s crazy to come here and play with the senior national team, with the champions who are part of it, it’s extraordinary,” said Colpani. “I found out about it from social media.”
🏟️ After getting that pleasant surprise from his feed, the highly-rated midfielder spoke of the excitement of representing his country at the Stadio Olimpico: “Wearing the Azzurri shirt in one of the most beautiful stadiums in Italy with 75,000 people… I already have goosebumps…”
🇮🇹 Italy is guaranteed a place in the Euro 2024 playoffs, but can earn automatic qualification to next summer’s tournament in Germany with a home win over North Macedonia on Friday, and victory in a decisive bout with Ukraine in Leverkusen on Monday.
🫨 This! Is! Lazio!
Last weekend’s Rome derby was attended by Gerard Butler, who was presented with a special ‘300’ shirt by hosts Lazio….
The Scottish actor also had the pleasure of meeting Olimpia, the eagle who ritualistically flies around the Stadio Olimpico before each Lazio home game…
The match ended in a goalless draw, but was proceeded by a stunning tifo, courtesy of the Lazio faithful in the Curva Nord…
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🎾 Djokovic serves up a Juve friendship
Novak Djokovic is in Turin this week defending his ATP Finals title. The Men’s tennis World No.1 took prepared for his time on the court with a trip to the Allianz Arena, where he met up with fellow Serbians Filip Kostić and Dušan Vlah
🦓 Unfortunately, Stefanos Tsitsipas was forced to withdraw from the tournament through injury, but not before receiving some new threads from the Bianconeri (“White and Blacks”)…
The ATP’s decision to host their Finals in Italy is testament to Italy’s sporting heritage, and gives tennis fans the chance to celebrate Italian culture, much like we do with our Made In Italy initiative.
💬 Calcio Conversations
The rivalry game between Internazionale and Juventus is known on the peninsula as the “Derby d’Italia” or “Derby of Italy.”
🇮🇹 Why? Well, the current league table, which sees Inter and Juve as the top two teams, helps to explain: they have dueled for the Scudetto frequently over the years and are two of the most successful and best supported clubs in the country.
The term is said to have first been coined by influential journalist Gianni Brera in 1967, when Juve pipped Helenio Herrera’s “Grande Inter” to the title by one point to deny the Nerazzurri a third consecutive title.
🔴🔵 Social post of the week: Is Green Day red or blue?
In last week’s Calcio Weekly, we featured a social post in which Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong held up an Inter jersey, in an apparent indication of his Milanese loyalties.
However, AC Milan have taken the incident to VAR…
📺 Next weekend on CBS Sports and Paramount+
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Here’s the slate of Serie A games that will follow this weekend’s international break…
Saturday November 25th
Salernitana v Lazio (9am ET)
Atalanta v Napoli (12pm ET)
Milan v Fiorentina (2.45pm ET)
Sunday November 26th
Cagliari v Monza (6.30am ET)
Frosinone v Genoa (9am ET)
Empoli v Sassuolo (9am ET)
Roma v Udinese (12pm ET)
Juventus v Inter Milan (2.45pm ET)
Monday November 27th
Verona v Lecce (12.30pm ET)
Bolgona v Torino (2.45pm ET)
Grazie e arrivederci!
We hope you enjoyed this edition of Calcio Weekly.
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