54 h. ago ‘The real Inter’ prepare for Champions League showdown with Barcelona | Nicky Bandini

Simone Inzaghi dreamed of a quadruple but European success is now the Nerazzurri’s best chance of silverwareThe Inter team that lined up to face Verona on Saturday was so heavily rotated it even included a back-up manager. OK, their first-choice boss Simone Inzaghi was technically suspended, but seeing his assistant Massimiliano Farris trot out for the pre-game interview only reinforced a feeling that we were not about to watch the real thing.For months, Inter had tried to compete at full focus on every front, Inzaghi speaking of the ambition to win a quadruple. Then they lost three games in a week, falling behind Napoli at the top of Serie A and suffering elimination from the Coppa Italia by neighbours Milan. Suddenly their most ambitious target, the Champions League, looked like it might be their most realistic shot at claiming any silverware. Continue reading...

Sport

9 d. ago Scott McTominay bathes in the adoration as Napoli leap clear in title race | Nicky Bandini

Midfielder keeps collecting nicknames – and goals – as he drives his side towards a title that would be his ownScott McTominay could have said anything and a whole city still would have loved him: the man who fired Napoli clear at the top of Serie A with four rounds of games left to go. His first-half strikes delivered a 2-0 win over Torino on Sunday. He had scored the only goal as Napoli won away to Monza in their previous fixture, and two out of three in a rout of Empoli before that.Carrying his team towards the finish line, in other words, though McTominay has been decisive from the start. He scored within 28 seconds of coming off the bench for his home debut in September and his goals have broken seven 0-0 deadlocks since then. No player in Serie A has done this more. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Serie A title playoff a tantalising prospect as weary Inter stumble | Nicky Bandini

Champions looked leggy in defeat at Bologna but fatigue could lead to a rare and dramatic finale with Napoli“The season does not end here,” repeated Simone Inzaghi at full time: to Sky Sport, to Dazn, to anyone who would listen. An undeniable truth, seeing as there are still five rounds to go, yet the more he said it the more you started to wonder who he was trying to convince. Himself? His players? Beppe Bergomi back in the studio?Why should he even be troubled by this idea? His team were still top of the table. A 1-0 loss to Bologna meant Inter finished the weekend level on points with Napoli, but officially they remained ahead courtesy of Serie A’s second tie-breaker. Both head-to-head meetings ended in 1-1 draws, but the Nerazzurri’s goal difference is far superior. Continue reading...

Culture

2 w. ago Awesome Arsenal silence Madrid and set up PSG semi: Football Weekly Extra

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Nicky Bandini and Philippe Auclair as Arsenal win 2-1 in Madrid to knock the holders out of the Champions LeagueRate, review, share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email.On the podcast today: a brilliant performance from Arsenal at the Bernabéu, winning 2-1 in Madrid and 5-1 across the tie, they were close to perfection with Declan Rice probably the standout performer in a team of standout performers. Continue reading...

Sport

3 w. ago Ranieri ends undefeated in Rome derbies thanks to Soulé’s stunner | Nicky Bandini

‘As a fan it’s beautiful to finish undefeated,’ said retiring Roma head coach after 1-1 draw with city rivals LazioPerhaps we ought not to believe Claudio Ranieri when he tells us that this the last time. He announced his retirement from club management last May, delivering what seemed like a perfect storybook ending, saving Cagliari from relegation. The club where he made his name three decades earlier, raising them from Serie C to the top-flight. An island, Sardinia, where the locals think him as one of their own.Yet Ranieri’s first love has always been the city he grew up in and the team he supported, Roma. He had managed them twice before, but when they called for a third time in November he found himself unable to say no. The club was a mess, having already fired Daniele De Rossi and Ivan Juric 12 games into this Serie A season. They had won only three of those. Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago Declan Rice stars on a famous night for Arsenal – Football Weekly

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Nicky Bandini and Nick Ames as Declan Rice scores two incredible free kicks to help Arsenal beat Real Madrid 3-0 in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-finalRate, review, share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email.On the podcast today;:Declan Rice scores a free kick for the ages and then somehow follows it up with a second free kick for the ages just 12 minutes later. Arsenal put on a brilliant second-half performance to blow away Real Madrid at the Emirates. Continue reading...

Sport

last month Igor Tudor injects fury into Juventus to rev up race for Champions League | Nicky Bandini

New manager has transformed mood and on Sunday halted the seven-match winning streak of Claudio Ranieri’s RomaIgor Tudor was on the pitch, stepping out of his technical area and on to the playing field as he gestured frantically at his defenders, jabbing a pointed finger so close to Stephan El Shaarawy that it appeared he might tap the Roma forward on the shoulder. It has been a little over 20 years since Tudor played his last game for Juventus, but all that time away does not appear to have lessened his passion.The Bianconeri had needed this, needed something, an injection of purpose, of fury, of life. All their energies seemed to have expired under Thiago Motta, four defeats in six games telling only a part of the story. Anyone could lose a match to Atalanta, but 4-0? At home? And to follow that up with a 3-0 thrashing by one of your club’s favourite victims, Fiorentina? Continue reading...

Sport