55 h. ago Atalanta fall against Inter yet again while Inzaghi aims for the stars | Nicky Bandini

Another costly defeat means Gian Piero Gasperini’s side have not beaten the Nerazzurri from Milan since 2018There was no timidity left in the city of Bergamo, no desire to hide behind underdog status. The thousand Atalanta fans who descended on the team’s training ground on Saturday brought a banner insisting: “We Believe”. One day later, as their team prepared to kick off against Inter, another was unfurled in the north stand of Gewiss Stadium. “Needle and thread are in the drawer,” it read. “10 finals to stitch it on to our chest.”The reference of course was to the Scudetto – a badge in the colours of the Italian flag that Serie A’s winners get to wear on their kit. Atalanta have never enjoyed that honour. They have won only two pieces of major silverware in club history – the 1963 Coppa Italia and last season’s Europa League. In Serie A they have never finished higher than third, and even that is a recent development, achieved for the first time in 2019. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago Penalty drama in Madrid as Real find a way yet again – Football Weekly Extra podcast

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Nicky Bandini, Mark Langdon and Sid Lowe to chew over the Champions League actionRate, review, share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email.On the podcast today; even for Real Madrid this felt like a particularly novel way to progress in the Champions League, with Atlético’s Julián Alvarez adjudged to have double-kicked his penalty in the shootout. Cue confusion on the pitch, in the dugout, the press box and at home. But, once the dust had settled, Carlo Ancelotti’s team were through again. Continue reading...

Events

9 d. ago Motta’s painful Gasperini reunion leaves him gasping for air at Juventus | Nicky Bandini

After Motta expresses gratitude to his former manager, Atalanta’s 4-0 win may end his plans for a second seasonThiago Motta has never been shy with his gratitude towards Gian Piero Gasperini. He cites the Atalanta manager extensively in the thesis he submitted while studying for his Uefa Pro coaching licence at Coverciano, describing how the season he spent playing under Gasperini at Genoa reshaped his approach to the game.He offered thanks again on Saturday, recalling how he had arrived in Italy in a delicate moment of his career – seeking a way back from successive knee injuries at Barcelona and Atlético Madrid. “I’d just started training again and Gasperini asked me if I could play,” said Motta. “I said yes, and he said: ‘OK, I’ll bring you tomorrow and maybe you’ll play 10 minutes.’ Then he stuck me on in the first half when [Omar] Milanetto got hurt. Continue reading...

Society

2 w. ago Philip Billing goes from Bournemouth backup to Napoli hero in title clash | Nicky Bandini

Internazionale still top after draw but leveller restores belief that Antonio Conte’s side can reel in leadersBilly Gilmour or Philip Billing? That was the dilemma facing Antonio Conte for a season-defining fixture: his second-place Napoli taking on the Inter side who had just overtaken them with 12 rounds to go. Should he trust in a midfielder who had started only five Serie A games since arriving from Brighton last summer, or one who spent the first half of this season as a backup at Bournemouth?“I’ve been thinking about it all week,” Conte said with a chuckle at his pre-game press conference, “and I still have 24 more hours to decide.” Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Mbappé sparkles as Manchester City fail the Real Madrid test – Football Weekly

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Nicky Bandini and Mark Langdon look back on Manchester City’s limp Champions League exit in Madrid and the rest of the playoffsRate, review, and share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher; join the conversation on Facebook and email.On the podcast today: Kylian Mbappé hat-trick ripped apart an abject Manchester City and left Pep Guardiola reflecting on an early Champions League exit. His side went into the second leg against Real Madrid knowing that an early goal would level the tie – but instead Mbappé’s fourth-minute strike all but killed them off. Continue reading...

Sport

last month Randal Kolo Muani serves up treat for Juve to leave Serie A race wide open | Nicky Bandini

Might we eventually look back on Francisco Conceição’s winning goal as one of the pivotal moments of this season?Francisco Conceição was dead, as he recalls it, but the chance wasn’t, the cross from his teammate Andrea Cambiaso only cleared to the edge of the penalty box. Randal Kolo Muani tamed the ball and retained it as he was assailed by five Inter defenders who arrived one at a time like henchmen in a Hollywood movie: allowing him to overcome each of them in turn.He evaded Hakan Calhanoglu with a half-step backwards, leaving the Turkey captain to fall under his own momentum, held off Nicolò Barella, dragged the ball back under his boot to spin away from Henrikh Mkhitaryan, flicked it across Francesco Acerbi with the outside of his boot and then poked it with a toe beyond Carlos Augusto and into the path of Conceição. Continue reading...

Culture