Latest posts by Alasdair Mackenzie
Where have the great Italian defenders gone? It’s a question you often hear. You can understand why – it wasn’t long ago that giants roamed these lands, from Paolo Maldini to Alessandro Nesta, Fabio Cannavaro to Giorgio Chiellini. The soft power of a long and glorious history of Italian defending was apparent from the way
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Alasdair Mackenzie reporting from Allianz Arena, Munich Inter’s quest to become European champions for a fourth time came to a harrowing end in Munich as they were dismantled 5-0 a by brilliant Paris Saint-Germain. Luis Enrique’s side became the first French team to clinch a Treble of Ligue 1, Coupe de France and Champions League.
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Six games kicked off simultaneously on Sunday, none of which were dead rubbers. With European spots to be decided and five teams at risk of ending the night in the final two relegation spots, there was a dizzying array of permutations in play.
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After 37 rounds packed with stress, sweat and celebrations, this humdinger of a Serie A season delivered the finale we had all hoped for. Going into the final weekend of the season, everything is still up for grabs. Napoli and Inter face a nerve-shredding climax to their year-long Scudetto tussle on Friday night. Juventus, Roma
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After waiting more than half a century, Bologna finally got their hands on silverware once again by beating AC Milan in the Coppa Italia final at a packed-out Stadio Olimpico.
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It’s that time of the year again. In Rome, it’s not just the brightly blooming flowers and ever-warming rays that suggest summer is on the way – but the arrival of the world’s leading tennis stars for the Italian Open. They stare down at you from billboards across the city, while a temporary clay court
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As Roma closed in on a crucial 1-0 win over Fiorentina on Sunday, a sell-out Stadio Olimpico crowd bellowed out a united chorus: “Ole, ole, ole, ole, Svilar, Svilar.” It is unlikely to be the last time the goalkeeper’s name rings around the Eternal City’s famous old ground. Since Paulo Dybala picked up a season-ending
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This time there was no goalkeeping howler to pinpoint, no Ionut Radu to scapegoat. Unlike three years ago, a damaging defeat in Bologna is unlikely to be viewed as the single moment that cost Inter the Scudetto. But it did highlight a weakness that could be looked back on as decisive should they fail in
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Chievo’s miracle rise out of obscurity, Atalanta’s transformation from yo-yo club to Scudetto contenders. Bologna’s ascent from mid-table to the Champions League. A quarter of a century might separate the first of these iconic calcio underdog stories from the most recent, but they share a common denominator: Giovanni Sartori. In an age when sporting directors are
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