Italy Boss Giampiero Ventura Signs New Contract until 2020

Italy have been given a major boost with regard to the World Cup 2018 and the future tournaments after manager Giampiero Ventura has signed a new contract with the national team.

He will now be in charge of the team until 2020 when the European Championship is held. The 69-year-old came as the new national team coach for Italy when Antonio Conte decided to step down in the summer of 2016. Since taking over, he has been able to keep Italy on the fringes of qualification to the World Cup 2018. Even though Italy may be second in the World Cup qualifiers and the position may result in a possible play-offs for the team, it is widely known to being placed in the group -containing former world champions Spain.

The results shown by Italy so far in the qualification campaign are a major sign that the team will face no issues with regard to reaching Russia. The team has managed to pick up five victories and a stalemate in the six matches. They trail Spain only on goal difference. The longevity of a manager is extremely important for stability in the national team. Continue reading

MY RETURN WOULD BE EXPLOSIVE – BALOTELLI

The striker, who is currently plying his trade at Nice says that an explosive return to the Italian national team is all he has in mind.

This was his view in an interview, where he also threw jabs at his former clubs, AC Milan and Liverpool.

The last game Balotelli featured in for Italy was in 2014 in their defeat by Uruguay, the grand final match in the 2014 World Cup games at Brazil.

So far, Balotelli has enjoyed a lightning start with Nice, which has seen him score five goals in six league appearances, thereby pushing them to the top of the table above PSG and Monaco.

Despite this, the 26 year old was not invited to make up Italy’s squad in preparation for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers, first with Spain at home and next, away in Macedonia. The future isn’t looking bleak for him as a return to the Ventura’s led Italian squad isn’t so far away.

“It was right not to select me because I didn’t deserve it,” Balotelli told Sky Sport Italia. “It’s better for Ventura to not select me this time around because when I return, I want to be at my best.”

He joined AC Milan after an end to his three year spell at Manchester City, before heading on to Liverpool on 2014.
After a torrid end to a controversial three-year spell at Manchester City, Balotelli joined AC Milan in January 2013 before moving to Liverpool in 2014. His stay at Anfield wasn’t long before he returned to AC Milan on loan last season. He was unfortunately hit by a groin injury. Continue reading

Mario Balotelli is not in England anymore

Mario Balotelli is not in England anymore, but, Jamie Carragher still can’t help taking a swipe at the Italian.

Carragher recently made fun of Balotelli’s move to the French Premier Division by a post on internet in which he conveyed his good wishes to the striker for the Golden ball award in future.

It fumed Balotelli like anything and he smashed back at Carragher terming him the best hater he had ever had.

Balotelli’s new employer Nice jumped in between the battle to have its say too on that website telling Carragher that he seemed to be obsessed with Balotelli and asking him if he was interested in buying a shirt of the player.

Carragher, thereafter, didn’t reply to any of those two posts he was tagged in.

Carragher has been vocal against Balotelli for a while and had absolutely ripped him apart on a show on the British television three months back.
He was quoted saying, “Balotelli’s acts outside the ground always remain in the headlines and everybody thinks that is the main problem with him, but, no, I don’t agree, I am sorry. I am actually not sure if there is enough ability in the guy. Tell me how many good matches has he had?” Continue reading

Juventus manager Replaced soon after Italy Loss

Italy may have lost a world-class coach in the form of Antonio Conte after just two years, but they wasted no time in bringing a replacement for the former Juventus manager.

It was especially the need of the hour with the World Cup qualification approaching. After losing to Germany on penalties in the Euro 2016 semifinals, Conte’s time with the national team came to an end. It has been a relatively successful period after having witnessed Italy perform poorly in recent major tournaments. Conte had showed his expertise at international level as well, but it was up to Italian FA to find a worthy successor.

They have gone for the highly experienced Giampiero Ventura in the hope of retaining the conference and moral within the team. Since a number of top coaches like Carlo Ancelotti are tied with club duties, Italy went for Ventura who is currently available after having left Torino towards the end of last season. Torino turned out to be one of the longest jobs for Ventura, as he had not spent more than a couple of years at a club before being on the move. Since starting out as a manager in the 1981 season with Ruentes Rapallo, he has been in charge of numerous clubs like Cagliari, Sampdoria, Udinese, Napoli, and Torino.
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Italy sent Signal after winning Group Match

When Italy toppled England in their first group match in the World Cup in Brazil last year, they sent a signal to the rest of the World. They made the statement that they were well and truly in the fight. They were there to become the Champions again.

Nine months down the road, here we are feeling pity over the situation of Italian Football.

How unpredictable can the Sports be at times?

The England win that the Azzurri achieved to get started in Brazil, that was followed by a couple of defeats and let alone winning the competition, they had been knocked out before the knockouts.

Something had to give and that happened to be the resignation of Cesare Prandelli.

Prandelli, while leaving, blamed the clubs in the Italian top tier for not working in tandem with the national team management and not cooperating enough. But, at that point of time, it was seen just as a mere excuse from the outgoing manager to hide his failure.

However, the new man Antonio Conte seems to have started feeling the same now. He has had to deal with the reluctance of the clubs to let the players go on national duty that often.

The players get released if a FIFA game is there in the schedule, but, apart from that, there is no allowance from the clubs, not even for short camps and that is becoming a reason of frustration for Conte now. Continue reading