Why I don't watch the Premiership

The short answer: I’m Italian.

The long(er) answer: Here in Canada, basic cable subscribers like me get two Premiership games a week. The first is shown on Saturday morning on Rogers Sportsnet. The second game is shown Sunday morning on The Score.

Us basic cable types rarely get a chance to see any of the big teams. Last week, for example, neither network aired the Manchester United vs. Chelsea showdown. And I really am not interested in watching Fulham every week. Who gives a shit about Fulham? Fulham fans, probably, which only hammers my point home further. (Not that I have any idea what Fulham fans are all about, mind you. I already told you: I DON'T WATCH THE PREMIERSHIP.)

On the other hand, I get three quality Serie A matches a week from TLN, a shoestring Toronto-based network that, based on the commercials aired at half-time, shows nothing but soccer, The Sopranos and The Godfather Parts I, II & III. (Did you know the third one sucks? It really, really does. The part when Sophia Coppola dies is hilarious.) All three TLN games are shown Sunday. Only one of them is live (usually the 2:30 p.m. “prime time” match). The first match, typically aired at 9 a.m., is usually a replay of a Saturday game and the 11 a.m. match is usually a replay of something that was played at 9. Confused yet? If you are, you're stupid.

On TLN, I get to see the big clubs—Juve, Inter, Roma, Milan—week in and week out. (Some fans of lesser sides might complain that the Regginas and Livornos don’t get enough air time, but really, who the fuck likes Reggina or Livorno anyway? They're like the Fulhams of Italian soccer, but with more attractive female supporters.)

I wonder how long this whole TLN thing will last. It seems only a matter of time before some specialty channel buys all the rights to Serie A games and guys like me are left in the dark. I guess I’ll just have to shill out more cash if I want to keep following this game. And I suppose that if I do end up paying for the specialty channels, I may give English soccer a try. But, as a matter of principal, I won't enjoy it.

Cesare Prandelli: The Purple Prince of Fiorentina

Depending on your fashion tastes, Fiorentina coach Cesare Prandelli is either the best or worst dressed man currently bossing a bench in Serie A. The Viola’s “Mister” seems to prefer purple tracksuits to the business suits his peers opt for, though he’s seemingly not opposed to donning a leather jacket over top to classy up the look.


Recently, he attempted to inspire his young players by wearing what appears to be a purple gortex jacket. Check it out:


Whatever you may think of the garb, you cannot deny the managerial skills. In 2006, the sexcellently-dressed Prandelli won the Golden Bench award for taking a team which had struggled to avoid relegation the previous season to a fourth-place Champions League spot. Calciopoli stripped the side of the opportunity to play in Europe and strapped it with a 15-point deduction at home for the 2006/2007 season. The Purple Prince, however, guided his boys to a fifth-place finish despite the deficit. They’re currently alive and well in the UEFA Cup this season and posing a serious threat to win the whole thing.

Prandelli has a knack for the timely substitution, an intuitive coaching ability that’s part genius and part dumb luck. His sideline manner is calm for the most part, and he seems to have a strong command of his troops.

Fiorentina are once again challenging hard for Champions League spot this season, and today’s win over Juventus took them a step closer. The fact that the team won without star striker Adrian Mutu makes the victory all the more impressive. While the side is undeniably inexperienced, it is also full of raw talent and enthusiasm. Is Prandelli the man who will lead these youngsters and the Fiorentina fans back to the glories of the early 1960s? If his loud outfits are anything to go by, the answer is a resounding, purple yes.

Fiorentina break 30 year winless draught

That's right. Fiorentina has just sunk Juventus away in Turin for the first time in 30 years. The three points are a massive boost for Fiorentina's hopes to secure the fourth and final Champions League spot ahead of A.C. Milan.

With the injury of Adrian Mutu that will sideline him for the next four months, Fiorentina's hopes for maintaining the fourth-place spot in Serie A slipped significantly. Much of Fiorentina's success has been directly attributed to the in-form Mutu, who's scored 14 impressive goals, third overall in Serie. Aside from hisscoring proficiency, Fiorentina 's team play has greatly been influenced by the Romanian. Mutu's injury could end their Champions League hopes.

Cesare Prandelli, Fiorentina's head coach, will now have to depend on his young and inexperienced players. But before we get to them, there are high calibre players and stars within the roster. Riccardo Montolivo, for one, has been regaining steam after a lacklustre start to 2008. The playmaker is again displaying the form that has gained him national team call-ups under Italy's Roberto Donadoni. Sebastien Frey, Fiorentina's French goalkeeper, has gained recognition as the second best goalkeeper in Serie A, second to Juventus' Gianluigi Buffon. Furthermore, Cristian Vieri is also on the payroll, providing a wealth of experience, though his overall form has been consistently criticized by the fans and media. Also not to be forgotten, Tomas Ujfalusi, Martin Jorgenson, Fabio Liverani, and Franco Semioli.

Although the team has its strengths, Adrian Mutu has been an irreplaceable figure for the team. His injury will now force the youngsters within the ranks to prove their worth to the team and fans. The three primary youth players for Fiorentina that all eyes will be fixed on are Papa Waigo, Pablo Osvaldo, and Giampaolo Pazzini. Of the three mentioned, Pazzini has been the only player to get national recognition. Pazzini has displayed his abilities on numerous occasions and has worked nicely in Prandelli's three attacker formation. Prandelli showed his faith in the youngster giving him the start against Juventus. Pazzini played well and worked hard for his side. Yet the equalizer was scored by the substitute Waigo, while the game winner was netted in injury time by the also substituted Osvaldo.

Prandelli's substitutes proved to be crucial in deciding the outcome of the match and boosted the confidence of the team and supporters, proving there still can be success without Mutu as long as the team can rely upon themselves to rise the occasion. It will be important for Prandelli to find consistent goal scorers from within his ranks to finish off the season with fourth place secured ahead of A.C. Milan. It will not be easy as A.C. Milan will be working in overdrive to challenge for that spot. With both A.C. Milan and Fiorentina in important secondary competitions, the Champions League and UEFA Cup respectively. Will Fiorentina prove that they have the drive and depth to hold A.C. Milan at bay? Or will they succumb to fatigue near the final stretch?

We will have to wait and see. In the meantime, we can still be entertained by a surprisingly resilient Fiorentina.

David Suazo – La Pantera

The 28 year old Honduran striker was one of Inter’s many purchases before the end of the August transfer period for 2007. And by all accounts, he has proved to be one of the better investments by Inter president Massimo Morratti.

The genuine motive behind Inter’s surprise move for a fifth high ranking striker is a bit blurred. No one is doubting Suazo’s impact in Serie A, yet the controversy surrounding his signing plays well into the mindgames and politics between the Inter and Milan clubs. There was a tug-of-war going on for Suazo between the two Milan clubs. Inter being the first to claim his services, then Milan, and eventually Suazo was unveiled in the Inter jersey after heavy media coverage. With the departure of Andriy Shevchenko to Chelsea and Alberto Gilardino not being able to deliver on a consistent basis, Milan’s only established goal scorer was in the form of Pippo Inzaghi. But at 34 years of age, Inzaghi cannot be charged with a full campaign consisting of Serie A, Champions League, Coppa Italia, and the Club World Cup. Using Kaka as an out and out striker did have some success, but few people will disagree that Kaka is best utilized running at defenders from a deeper position. Milan needed David Suazo much more than Inter did. And with a minimal 10 million Euro price tag, Suazo’s transfer can easily be seen as the most important internal transfer in Serie A.

In Cagliari, Suazo had two seasons in Serie B due to relegation but continued to produce the goals. Promotion back to Serie A also saw the arrival of Gianfranco Zola. Truly a great player with a world class reputation. Make no mistake about it; having a great player such as Zola within your team ranks can greatly improve player development. Zola himself was privileged enough to play alongside Diego Maradonna at Napoli when he first began his career in Serie A and to this very day admits he learned everything from the Argentine. The learning circle continues as Suazo scored 43 goals in Cagliari within Serie A, with a large chunk of goals coming from the creative genius of Zola. Suazo is not only a certified finisher of exceptional quality but he has also been educated in Italian soccer with a prestigious teacher in Zola.

Currently, the 2007/2008 season has seen Inter score 48 goals. Unfortunately for Suazo, the combination of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Julio Cruz have accounted for 24 of the 48 (Ibrahimovic claiming 14 and Cruz with 10) and has limited his playing time. Suazo has still made the most of his opportunities in both Serie A and the Champions league, netting goals in both competitions. On Saturday, Suazo scored a brace to beat Livorno 2-0 as Crespo and himself partnered up to rest Ibrahimovic and Cruz ahead of the Champions League tie against Liverpool. Inter’s ability to field two proven and effective pairs of strikers are the reason they are in first place in Serie A with 59 points (9 ahead of second place Roma, and 21 points ahead of fourth place Milan) and why they are favoured to take this year’s Champions League title. The arsenal of offence available for Coach Roberto Mancini is allowing him to keep his strikers rested, healthy, and hungry. With a world class midfield, strong and fearless defenders, and the goaltender that is Julio Cesar, Inter are finally becoming the team they’ve always wanted to be.

Antonio 'Peter Pan' Cassano

I have heard a lot about Antonio Cassano’s brilliant play for Sampdoria this season. I’ve read a lot about it, too. I have seen the choppy, blurry YouTube highlights of his many goals, his many near goals, and his many set-ups. But due to my reliance on TLN for Italian soccer coverage, I had not seen Cassano play an entire game until this morning, when I watched Samp take on their derby rivals Genoa.

The jewel of Old Bari was by far the best player on the pitch in the Blucerchiati’s 1-0 win, delivering several magnificent through balls, including one that followed a wicked spin deke in midfield. He set up the game-winning goal by dribbling around two defenders and curling a perfect back-post cross to goalscorer Christian Maggio. When the ref blew the final whistle to end the match, Cassano, who was substituted in the final minutes, dumped a bottle of water onto the head of Samp manager and Dustin Hoffman lookalike Walter Mazzarri to celebrate.

Cassano is occasionally known by the nickname Peter Pan, due to his seeming inability to grow up. (A nickname less commonly used in the media but probably more commonly used among fans is “Whiny Bitch.”) Though his immaculate skills shone in today’s Derby della Lanterna, the immaturity and petulance that makes him one of the most despised players in the game today was also on full display. He yapped at the official incessantly, drawing a yellow card for arguing in the 26th minute. On several occasions, he went to ground without provocation, clutching his face like he’d taken a punch from Joe Frazier.

Despite all this, Cassano seems to have found a home with his new club (although it should be remembered he’s still on load from Real Madrid). The club, including Mazzarri, seems willing to put up with Peter Pan’s antics so long as he leads them to victory, and hopefully, a UEFA Cup spot. Cassano, for his part, is at his best when he doesn’t have to share the spotlight. Unfortunately, like a child, sometimes he doesn’t seem to care whether the attention he gets is good or bad.

Match Highlights: