+Claudio Ranieri - The Italian Job

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CLAUDIO RANIERI

THE ITALIAN JOB
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+Full Name: Claudio Ranieri
+Date of Birth: October 20, 1951 (Aged 57)
+Place of Birth: Rome, Italy
+Clubs Managed: Campania Puteolona ; Cagliari ; Napoli ; Fiorentina ; Valencia ; Athletico Madrid ; Chelsea ; Valencia ; Parma ; Juventus -
+Playing Position: Defender
+Playing Clubs: Roma; Catanzano; Catania; Palermo.
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PLAYING CAREER



Claudio Ranieri is a name recognized in the managerial side of football, however, the Italian also had a playing career. Starting football life off in his hometown Rome, with AS Roma, however he only managed six appearences in two seasons for the club. Ranieri played anywhere in the defensive line, and became a key part in the Catanzaro squad, from 1974-1982, managing over 200 appearences and 8 goals. In this run with the Italians, he helped them to two promotions, however that means a relegation. Ranieri liked lower league clubs, as he spent two years with Palermo and Catania, with over 130 appearences if added up.
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MANAGERIAL CAREER

Over the past decade, Claudio Ranieri has built up a burgeoning reputation as one of the continent's most astute coaches, having plied his trade in two of Europe's most demanding Leagues.

In his homeland, the Italian began his managerial career with Campania before guiding Cagliari from the Third Division into the top flight between 1989 and 1991. His next move was to Napoli, where he was unable to bring success, but did work with a talented young Italian played named Gianfranco Zola.

Ranieri was then appointed as Fiorentina's manager, and again led the club into Serie A in 1994, tasting double cup glory with the Viola the following year.

Ranieri then moved to Spain with Valencia, and as well as adding the 1999 Spanish Cup to his honours list, he was credited with laying the foundations for the side that reached the 2000 Champions League final.

Ranieri had left Valencia before seeing his seeds come to fruition and took on the onerous task of managing Atletico Madrid in the summer of 1999. Despite signing Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink for £12million from Leeds United - the Dutchman went on to be the league's top scorer - in March, Ranieri departed from the Vicente Calderon stadium with the club staring relegation from the Primera Liga in the face, a fate that evetually befell them.

In September 2000, Ranieri was viewed as the ideal replacement for compatriot Gianluca Vialli, as Chelsea sought to end their championship drought stretching back to 1955.

Speaking little English when he arrived, Ranieri struggled to instill any consistency into a team that was renowned for blowing hot and cold but his experience helped him to build a team capable of challenging for a place in Europe.

With new strikers Eidur Gujohnsen and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink - reunited with his former boss - to spearhead Chelsea's attack, and Chris Sutton's departure to Celtic, Ranieri managed to guide The Blues into 6th place in the league in his first season at the helm, qualifying them once again for the UEFA Cup.

With mastering the English language added to his list of achievements, Ranieri invested heavily prior to the beginning of the 2001-02 season, bringing Frank Lampard, Emannuel Petit, William Gallas and Boudewijn Zended to Stamford Bridge in place of the departing Frank Leboeuf, Bernard Lambourde, John Harley, Dennis Wise and Gustavo Poyet.

Again Chelsea could not find the consistency to challenge for the league title and finished in 6th place for the second successive season. They also reached the FA Cup final at the Millenniuum Stadium but were beaten 2-0 by Arsenal, who completed the league and cup double for the second time under Arsene Wenger.

With transfer funds somewhat limited, the Italian off-loaded the promising Sam Dalla Bona and brought in young players Enrique De Lucas and Filipe Oliveira to strengthen the squad. He also put his faith in some of Chelsea's other promising youngsters, such as Carlton Cole, Joe Keenan and Robert Huth, in the hope that they would begin to assert their claims for a place in the starting line-up in the 2002-03 season.

Having disappointed in Europe once again, losing to little-known Norwegian side Viking Stavangar, their league form was impressive with Italian keeper Carlo Cudicini and his magical compatriot Gianfranco Zola in excellent form, and Chelsea finally looked as though they could mount a serious challenge for the Premiership title in Ranieri's third season at the Bridge.

Although they were unable to break the stranglehold of the top two, The Blues did manage to earn a lucrative place in the Champions League, or at least the qualifying round, with a final day victory over their rivals for fourth spot, Liverpool.

Despite going behind, Ranieri's side rallied to win the match 2-1 and could look forward to an exciting season in 2003-04 having booked their passport to Europe's most prestigious competition.
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CLUBS ON THIS MM - Juventus (2008-2011)
Internazionale (2011-Present)
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JUVENTUS

JUVENTUS FC - BRIEF HISTORY
The Origin
Juventus Football Club was established on November 1, 1897 by a group of students from the grammar school of Massimo D'Azeglio Lyceum in Turin. After some discussion they decided to call the new club Sport Club Juventus (Juventus is Latin for youth).

The first ever president was Eugenio Canfari. In 1899 the name of the club was altered to Football Club Juventus.

The Early Years
Juventus made their debut in the Italian Football Championship in 1900. Their first match in the Championship was against FBC Totinese at Piazza D'Armi on May 11, 1900; they lost the match 1-0. Their first strip was pink shirts but in 1903 Juventus adopted the, now famous, black and white stripes as a kit was sent over to them from Nottingham which was actually a Notts County strip.

Two years later in 1905 they won their first ever Italian Championship. However shortly afterwards a dispute arose in the club and Torino were established by several breakaway members of Juventus.

Juventus and Torino played their first ever derby on January 13, 1907 and the rivalry between the two clubs has intensified over the years.

The Agnelli Era
And then along came the Agnelli family, Owners of the FIAT company, they gained control of the club in 1923 and invested heavily in the club. Eduardo Agnelli became the guardian figure of Juventus who won their second Italian championship in the 1925-1926 season.

Juventus went from strength to strength and between 1930-1931 and 1934-1935 won five consecutive Italian league championships with players such as Luigi Bertolini and Giovanni Ferrari.

The Post World War II Period
After World War II, Eduardo Agnelli's son Gianni was made the honorary president of the club. Juventus won the Italian championship in 1950 and 1952 and again won the Serie A in 1958 and 1960, this time with the likes of legends such as Omar Sivori, John Charles and Giampiero Boniperti.

In 1960 Juventus won the Coppa Italia, thereby making that season their first ever double winning season. In 1961 Juventus won the Serie A title for the tenth time in their history and therefore became the first club in Italian football history to win Serie A for the tenth time.

The Consolidation
In the 1970s Juventus dominated Italian football as they went on winning domestic championships under coach Giovanni Trapattoni. They had the likes of Gaetano Scirea, Roberto Bettega, Fabio Capello and Jose Altafini in their ranks as well as the very popular Franco Causio.

In the 1976-1977 season, Juventus won the UEFA Cup, beating Athletico Bilbao in the final. Juventus continued dominating Italian football in the early 1980s too.

In 1982 they won the Scudetto for the 20th time in their history and then won the European Cup in 1985 by beating English powerhouse Liverpool 1-0 in the final, though this win was overshadowed by the tragic Heysel Stadium disaster in which 39 Juventus fans lost their lives. English teams were subsequently banned from all UEFA competitions for five years.

The Lippi Era
After a period of indifference, Juventus rose again, this time under coach Marcelo Lippi. He won the Serie A title in his first season at Juventus and his squad at the time comprised of players such as Ciro Ferrara, Roberto Baggio, Gianluca Vialli and Alessandro Del Piero.

Juventus won the UEFA Champions League in the 1995-1996 season for the second time in their history. They reached the final of the European Cup again in 1997 and 1998 but could not emerge victorious on those occasions. Their squad at the time had the likes of Filippo Inzaghi, Edgar Davids and Zinedine Zidane.

Marcelo Lippi then departed in 1999 but re-entered the Juventus frame in 2001 and revived the glory years of Juventus. Assembling players such as Gianluigi Buffon, Marcelo Salas and Pavel Nedved, Juventus won the Scudetto in 2002 and 2003 and also reached the final of the UEFA Champions League in 2003, only to lose to Italian rivals AC Milan.

The Calciopoli Scandal
Under Fabio Capello, Juventus won the scudetto in 2005 and 2006 but then the Calciopoli scandal reared its ugly head. The club's general manager Luciano Moggi was accused of influencing referees and Juventus were relegated to the Italian Serie B for the 2006-2007 season and were also stripped of the titles they had won in 2005 and 2006.

The Resurrection
Juventus won the Serie B title in 2006-2007 in storming fashion under coach Didier Deschamps. 'Tinkerman' Claudio Ranieri was then drafted into the coaching job and he led Juventus to a third place finish in the Serie A in the 2007-2008 season.

Juventus are competing for the Scudetto in the 2008-2009 season and are also featuring in the UEFA Champions League after a gap of two years. La Vecchia Signora (The Old Lady) is back!

ENDING SQUAD
--Goalkeepers--
Gianluigi Buffon - 97 - 32
Joe Hart - 80 - 22

--Defenders--
Anthony Vanden Borre - 75 - 23
Andrea Rossi - 75 - 24
Jerome Boateng - 75 - 21
Ezequiel Garay - 90 - 23
Giorgio Chiellini - 95 - 25
Cristian Molinaro - 81 - 26
John Arne Riise - 83 - 29
Mamadou Sakho - 72 - 20
Sebastian Prodl - 78 - 22

--Midfielders--
Byung Do De Palmas - 83 - 22
Iniesta - 90 - 25
Cristiano Zanetti - 87 - 32
Diego - 89 - 25
Juan Roman Riquelme - 91 - 31
Mauro German Camoranesi - 89 - 33
Christian Poulsen - 86 - 30
David Beckham - 84 - 34
Xabi Alonso - 85 - 28
Jack Rodwell - 75 - 19
Albin Ekdal - 68 - 20
Claudio Marchisio - 75 - 24
Yoann Gourcuff - 77 - 23

--Attackers--
Luis Fabiano - 89 - 30
Davide Lanzafame - 82 - 24
Luca Toni - 90 - 32
David Trezeguet - 91 - 32
Alberto Paloschi - 76 - 20
Sebastian Giovinco - 82 - 23
Alessandro Del Piero - 90 - 35
Angel Di Maria - 79 - 22
Jonathan Pitroipa - 78 - 23

KEY PLAYERS
Goal Machine - David Trezeguet

Since the management of Claudio Ranieri kicked off two years ago, David Trezeguet at first couldn't find his form. But he has now, and it's been worth the wait.

THIS SEASON: 2009/2010 - The french goal machine has netted a staggering 33 goals (as of 14.03.2010), in 40 appearences for the club. This proves why he is one of the best strikers on this globe today.

OVERALL - 91
AGE - 32
NATIONALITY - France
FOOT - Right
POSITION - ST/CF

Brick Wall - Giorgio Chiellini

Before Ranieri took over, this guy was just left on the bench. But Ranieri found talent in him and he has cemented his position. The amount of tackle that have saved Juventus.

THIS SEASON: 2009/2010 - Gio Chiellini has appeared 37 times out of a possible 42 this season, only missing out when Ranieri has played the youngsters.

OVERALL - 95
AGE - 25
NATIONALITY - Italy
FOOT - Left
POSITION - CB/LB

The Joker - Andres Iniesta

He has only been here since January, but has already made a huge impact with such skill and speed. Teasing defenders with his great power on the ball.

THIS SEASON: 2009/2010 - In the 14 games he's played since the transfer in January, Inesta has cemented his first team spot and you can see why. Also, he has scored 6 and assisted 8.

OVERALL - 90
AGE - 25
NATIONALITY - Spain
FOOT - Right
POSITION - CM/RM/LM

Shot Stopper - Gianluigi Buffon

'Gigi' is a Juventus legend, and you can see why. The Italian world cup winner saves nearly everything that is thrown at him, and he makes other keepers look rubbish.

THIS SEASON: 42 games under his belt. Over 25 clean sheets and millions of saves. This guy is by far the best keeper in the world today.

OVERALL - 97 ()
AGE - 32
NATIONALITY - Italy
FOOT - Right
POSITION - GK

The Feeder - Cristian Molinaro

The assister was the hardest to choose, but to recent dates Cristian Molinaro just shaded Cristiano Zanetti. He curls the ball round the defence and has created many Trezeguet goals.

THIS SEASON: 2009/2010 - In 37 appearences, the Italian has set up 14 goals, just shading Zanetti who created 13.

OVERALL - 81
AGE - 26
NATIONALITY - Italy
FOOT - Left
POSITION - LB

SEASON ONE [2008/09]
Under management of Claudio Ranieri, the 2008/09 campaign was very successful for Juventus. Managing a staggering 81 points captured the title, with 6 points clear of Inter Milan and Roma both on 75 points in second and third.

Claudio had made some massive additions to the squad including Ezequiel Garay and David Beckham. And his first game in charge saw a cup final win. The suppacoppa nazionale final versus Inter. The winning goal came from Cristian Molinaro, from the spot-kick, in the dying minutes of the second period of extra time.

The season started off with no real pattern in the form, new signing Juan Roman Riquelme saw 10 goals in 14 games, quite a good statistic for a midfielder.

Juventus saw a mighty loss when both Alessandro Del Piero and David Trezeguet were both ruled out for over two months due to injury, suffered in that same match versus Sampdoria. Vincenzo Iaquinta and Amauri stepped in and filled in a superb job. Amauri managed 6 goals in his 8 matches on the row.

However, with a fully fit squad, Juventus bounced back and performed an immense winning streak. David Trezeguet took until March to hit full form, but it was worth the wait. Throughout the season, Cristiano Zanetti became a key part of the squad, and assisted a lot of goals. He was then joined by Xabi Alonso in the middle and they paired up well to link an unstopable midfield with Riquelme and Camoranesi also featuring.

Juventus stayed top of the table for as less as three weeks, and a dodgey spell caused this. But, Ranieri made changes to his team, signing Willy Sagnol on loan made a good impact, and he changed his formation to 3-5-2 which resulted in a very successful side.

With two games to play, Inter had the shy advantage at the top, with a three point lead over Juventus, Roma sitting just behind them. Inter played their last game of the season, so did Roma. Inter were just in the lead over Juventus by one point.

And the man to win the title, Sebastian Giovinco, did it in fashion. Juventus had to win, but it looked like a draw as Atalanta held them level for 87 minutes. But when a Del Piero corner was headed away, it fell to Giovinco who volleyed home the most important goal of the season, and what a goal it was. CHAMPIONS!

SEASON TWO [2009/10]
Following a very successful title winning season last year, Claudio Ranieri was certain for another great campaign. He used the transfer window yet again, making big name transfers.

Along these transfers was Luca Toni, the Italian attacker from Bayern Munich. He joined for a fee of £24,000,000 on a one year contract. Luca was the only signing that was worthy of a first team spot, but he also welcomed John Arne Riise and Angel Di Maria. Not too much on them at the moment, but we can tell you that Di Maria is definitely one to watch out for in years to come.

He also used the window to sell players as well, Vincenzo Iaquinta and Zdenek Grygera both departed the Delle Alpi for a combined fee of over £30,000,000. Also, Jose Antonio Reyes made the big money transfer to Bolton, £9,000,000 in that.

Enough for transfers, as not too much seemed to happen in that window. The Old Lady kicked off their 2009/2010 campaign by adding to the trophy cabinet. The Suppacoppa Nazionale was Juventus' for the second year on the trot as David Trezeguet and Cristian Molinaro secured a 2-1 win over Inter Milan. Adriano replied late for the runners up, with a great strike out of nowhere.

The league got underway with the same fixture, Inter v Juve, and also the same score, and technically the same timings of goals. Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Quaresma with two great goals gave Inter the win. Buffon had made a mistake costing Inter's second, but all keepers **** up now and again. Cristiano Zanetti cancelled out Inter's two goal deficit late on, just like Adriano in the cup.

We thought that this was a one-off loss, but no, Juventus ended September sitting only just in the top half after managing just six points in six matches. This is when players such as Riise, Poulsen and Nedved were all dropped from the squad. Some unknown names filled in, Byung Do De Palmas: Who? Some people said, but now they know who he is, the pure Englishman.

Last seasons Del Piero/Trezeguet partnership never seemed to work at all, as Del Piero never scored along side the Frenchman. This season, Toni replaced Alessandro up top and couldn't find form at first. However, David Trezeguet could, Very well. However, he admitted he wouldn't score half the goals he had without the great assists from the likes of Molinaro and Zanetti.

Sooner rather than later, Juventus picked up their form, still Luca Toni couldn’t. The name of Byung Do De Palmas became bigger and bigger around the globe, along with Cristian Molinaro seeming to become better every game.

This year marked the return of the European cup for Juventus. They did excellent in the group stages, winning 4 of 6 matches, finishing top of their group. Something embarrassing was witnessed in one of these games, as The Old Lady teared apart PSV Einhoven. David Trezeguet scored twice in a 5-0 thrashing of the dutch champions, which really showed the gulf between Serie A football and Dutch Eredivise. Other teams fell to the hands of Juventus such as Olympiacos and Villareal, both of those teams however held the Zebras to a draw second time round though.

Juventus had just found full form, and then they were shocked by a major blow. Claudio Ranieri was rushed to hospital during training from the Delle Alpi when he was found un-conscious on the floor of his office. The press didn’t think much of the incident to start with, but it heated up over the weeks.

The Police raided the Stadio Delle Alpi days after, and took three players in for questioning, all suspects of a believed emotional blackmail attempt which caused the poor manager to suffer a heart-attack. Ranieri’s condition got better, and he released that the player who committed it was Italian, and a defender.

This narrowed down the chase to Giorgio Chiellini, Cristian Molinaro and Nicola Legrottaglie. The court day finally arrived. Each player released statements with three reasons each why they should be pled innocent. We asked the fans who they thought was guilty, and the odds on favourite were Cristian Molinaro.

However, we were all shocked when the press revealed the dark horse to be guilty. Nicola Legrottaglie. Ranieri had confirmed that Juventus will not press charges; instead, the defenders contract was terminated. And he now plays for rivals Milan on as little as £10,000 per week, more than half less than what he was being paid at Juventus.

Ranieri stated: “I cannot believe what he had done, yes I wasn’t playing him regulary, but this isn’t how you pay your boss back. Completely, shocked, never expected this from him.” Ranieri looked certain to send him down, until: “however, we have decided not to press charges on Nicola. This does not mean that you can get away with this, no because UEFA have announced that the next time it happens, the player will receive a 5 Month sentence.”

Juventus went a month without Ranieri, but they had hired Marco Tardelli, the former legend of the club, on a temporary basis. He had made changes to the team, dropping De Palmas and Nedved. At this moment in time, Chiellini, Legrottaglie and Molinaro were all unable to play due to the Ranieri saga.

Their replacements did a super job (Boateng, Giovinco, Riise, Prodl) but the team wasn’t up to Ranieri’s standards. The Old Lady managed 10 points in that month, five matches that was. David Trezeguet was to top form still, and seemed to score for fun.

Claudio Ranieri returned with just two weeks ‘til January, and he revealed that he would love to sign Andres Iniesta. It was a superb comeback match for him, a 3-0 win over Torino, with a David Trezeguet brace along with a superb strike from Riquelme.

January finally arrived; Juventus did a superb job in the window signing some big names which proved to be key parts of their squad. First up was Andres Iniesta. Ranieri stated this: “He is the signing of the century for me, what a player he is, still 25! Got everything you need in a world class midfielder.”

The deal was worth £20,000,000 and Mohammed Sissoko going Barcelona’s way. If you combined the fee to Momo Sissoko’s market value, this deal would break Juventus’ transfer record.

However, the record broke yet again. Diego Ribas of Werder Bremen accepted the massive £30,000,000 move to Juventus. He settled into a nice attacking-midfield position and can play on the wing.

Ranieri said: “Diego is great, young, and very quick and has skill.” That was a confident statement, then former Werder Bremen player, now at Juve, Sebastian Prodl added: “Like Ranieri said he’s great, I think that he could score over 10 goals this season and create even more.”

Juventus also snapped up the young duo in Alberto Paloschi and Mahamadou Sakho. Ranieri stated: “These both are under 20, with bags of potential.” First to Sakho, who joins from Paris Saint-Germain in France for a fee of £564,000. “He has bags of potential. Can play anywhere across the defensive line and at the age of 19, has loads of time to improve on an already good talent.”

To Paloschi now, the ex-Milan reject joins Juventus from Parma after just a year there. “Like Sakho, this guy has bags of potential. An attacker, we haven’t got much youth coming through in that position, so with Alberto, I think we can cast our eyes on the future. Also, Jake Livermore, the Crewe prospect signed for £180,000.

That was all to cover on the ‘In’ side of it, now to ‘Outs’. Quite a few, Mohammed Sissoko, as we know about, went to Barcelona in exchange for Andres Iniesta, and £20 M pounds going Barcelona’s way. The biggest sale, money wise of the window was Amauri.

The Brazillian hitman was only making the bench for Juventus, and he deserved a lot better than that. He completed the £28,000,000 move to Palermo, his former club. Amauri: “Juventus is a great football team, but I want first team football, and the move back to Palermo has made me very happy.”

David Beckham was sure to depart in the window, however never made the move. The team that were after him, ManchesterCity, completed a swap deal with Juventus then. The Old Ladies backup keeper Juan Pablo Carrizo joined ManCity while Joe Hart made the move to Italian giants Juventus.

Alessandro Del Piero had been tipped to Inter, however Ranieri said: “He is not available at any price. He’s been here for over 15 years why should that change now?”

Enough for transfers, as in ‘Ins’ and ‘Outs’, lets focus on the impact the new arrivals made. All debuted against Chievo Verona, which always seem to be Juventus’ bogey team. That soon changed as the new signings all played their part in a comfortable 3-0 win, with David Trezeguet (2) and Cristian Molinaro bagging the goals in that match.

Just two weeks later, the champions produced a stunner. 5-0 win over Inter Milan, yes you read right: Five Nil. The major impact in that game was Alberto Paloschi, who scored three of the best: A Hat-trick. This wasn’t Juventus’ first 5+ win, as earlier in the season, they thrashed Empoli by 8 goals to 0. Yes Eight.

Inter Milan were Juventus’ opponent’s three games on the trot. The cup tie was next up, it needed a replay to sort out, but Juventus advanced in the Coppa Nazionale through a Juan Roman Riquelme penalty in the second leg.

Up next for Juventus was the champion’s league last 16, a toughy against Werder Bremen. The first leg in Germany ended at 0-0, and neither team had any advantages heading into the second leg. After two wins for Juve, the Stadio Delle Alpi clash arrived; it was 0-0 for nearly all the match. We thought we were heading into extra-time, but no guess who? You got it, David Trezeguet. A solo run from his own half saw him take on Naldo, and had a 1v1 position (No Mertesacker due to early red card). The French-Man could have shot, but no he played it back to Juan Roman Riquelme who stole the quarter final for Juventus with a nice tap in.

This was followed by a great run in the league; David Trezeguet had found more than 30 goals by the middle of March. He said: “It means a lot to score this many, but I have to thank one or two people. Cristian Molinaro and Cristiano Zanetti who have played a part in a strong percentage of my goals.”

The wins just kept on coming, one of those in the Coppa Nazionale semi-final against Palermo. The win was in style as well; Trezeguet, Riquelme and Zanetti scored to see off Palermo. Ranieri at this point said: “This is great for us, we could be heading to another cup, it was only three, and I say only, means we could have had loads more.”

Amauri was in this losing Palermo side, and he scored to reduce the deficit. He showed respect to his former club and didn’t celebrate his goal. The Juventus fans weren’t clapping though, but they showed respect and gave Amauri a standing ovation when he was subbed off late on.

After a few good results, Juventus then had a crucial European Cup quarter final against Inter Milan. However, the signs didn’t look good, as Inter headed into the second leg with a 2-0 advantage away from home; With goals from Ibrahimovic and Mancini.

The Old Lady was determined to give all they could to get through to the semi’s, however, there great display was not enough. Two goals in quick succession from Diego and Iniesta levelled up the scores for Juventus. They were by far the better side in this match, David Trezeguet and Juan Roman Riquelme both had glorious chances which went begging.

It looked like extra time was upon us; however, Inter had different plans. Late but great; as the saying goes. Who other than Zlatan Ibrahimovic to score against Juventus in the dying seconds to knock out ‘The Zebras’ in a dramatic second leg.

Ranieri at this moment in time said: “I’m gutted. I think we were the superior side in both legs.” However, goals win matches, and he added: “however, we can now focus on the league, and we are still in for the double.”

The Mourinho/Ranieri rivalry had heated up big time now as Mourinho slid on his knees right in front of the Juventus subs bench. Inter went on to win the cup, beating Bordeaux followed by Chelsea in the final.

Mourinho: “Juve, what’s the score? Juve, Juve, what’s the score!”

However, the double it was for Juventus, Fiorentina was next up in a huge cup final. Both teams had chances to win it, but throughout the match Juventus out-classed their opposition.

It was Zanetti who scored the winning goal for ‘The Zebras’ as he tapped in a rebound which saw more silverware in the trophy cabinet.

With that trophy won, Juventus had just the league to concentrate on and headed into June three points behind Inter. The current leaders seemed to let slip at the final hurdle. Losing two of four games.

Juventus on the other hand, left it late, but they did it. A great run of matches saw wins over the likes of Milan and Udinese. The last day wasn’t quite as dramatic as last years Giovinco winner, however, it was a great title win.

Juventus needed a point to win the title. It looked like that was going to happen, until Garay conceded a last minute penalty. Inter were probably watching this, Miccoli could win the title for Inter here. Buffon had other plans, as he tipped the penalty round the back, forcing the referee’s whistle. Buffon ran the length of the pitch to celebrate with the Juventus fans and fellow team-mates.

What a season this has been, and you can hope for more next season.

Ranieri’s Season Round – Up: “Point-Wise, this season wasn’t as good as last, however I believe it was better. Pat on the back to all my players and I can easily say we deserve the Serie A title for the second year on the trot.”

[AK0N]

INTERNAZIONALE




FULL NAME : Football Club Internazionale Milano
FOUNDED : 9th March 1908
NICK-NAMES : Nerazzurri (The Black-Blues)
La Beneamata (The Cherished)
Il Biscione (The Big Grass Snake)
STADIUM : Stadio Giusippe Meazza (San Siro)
CAPACITY : 80,074
PRESIDENT : Massimo Moratti
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WHO MAKES THE TEAM
--SQUAD [NAME - OVERALL - AGE]--
--Julio Cesar--
--Maicon--Cordoba--Chivu--Maxwell--
--Muntari--Cambiasso--Stankovic--
--Quaresma--Ibrahimovic--Mancini--

--GOALKEEPERS--
Francesco Toldo - 75 - 39
Paolo Orlandoni - 59 - 39
Júlio César - 91 - 31

--DEFENDERS--
Javier Zanetti - 83 - 38
Maicon - 86 - 30
Arbeloa - 80 - 28
Iván Córdoba - 84 - 35
Walter Adrián Samuel - 84 - 33
Alex - 84 - 29
Nicolás Burdisso - 82 - 30
Nelson Rivas - 81 - 28
Andrea Mei - 60 - 22
Cristian Chivu - 89 - 30
Júlio César Guterstam - 64 - 23
Maxwell - 84 - 29

--MIDFIELDERS--
Patrick Vieira - 81 - 35
Esteban Cambiasso - 88 - 31
Francesco Bolzoni - 65 - 22
Dejan Stankovic - 83 - 32
Sulley Muntari - 84 - 26
Luca Castiglia - 65 - 22
Roberto De Zerbi - 70 - 32

--ATTACKERS--
Christian Timm - 75 - 32
Figo - 76 - 38
Quaresma - 90 - 27
Julio Cruz - 81 - 36
Hernán Crespo - 80 - 36
Zlatan Ibrahimovic - 93 - 29
Jason Roberts - 77 - 33
Adriano - 84 - 29
Guiza - 85 - 31
Mario Barwuah - 81 - 21
Keirrison - 79 - 22
Mancini - 86 - 31

--PLAYER ROLES--
Captain - Esteban Cambiasso
Right Corner - Cristian Chivu
Left Corner - Quaresma
Direct FK - Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Direct FK Long - Cristian Chivu
Penalties - Zlatan Ibrahimovic

--TACTICS--
Build Up = Speed - Fast ; Passing - Mixed; Positioning - Organised
Chance Creation = Passing - Risky ; Crossing - Lots ; Shooting - Normal ; Positioning - Free Form
Defence = Pressure - High ; Aggression - Double ; Team Width - Normal ; Line - Offside Trap

OFFICE
--PLAYER CONTRACTS [Name - Time With Team]--
--10 Months--
[* = Likely To Sign New ; # = Likely To Leave Club]

Luca Castiglia - 2 Years *
Francesco Bolzoni - 4 Years *
Mario Barwuah - 3 Years *
Alex - 2 Years *
Maicon - 5 Years *
Gúiza - 1 Year *
Júlio César - 6 Years *
Zlatan Ibrahimovic - 5 Years *
Walter Adrian Samuel - 6 Years *
Quaresma - 3 Years *
Ivan Cordoba - 11 Years *
Cristian Chivu - 4 Years *
Francesco Toldo - 10 Years #
Mancini - 3 Years *

--22 Months-- [# = Likely To Leave]
Roberto De Zerbi - 1 Year #
Jason Roberts - 1 Year #
Paolo Orlandoni - 6 Years #
Hernan Crespo - 5 Years #
Julio Cruz - 8 Years

--34 Months-- [ # - Likely To Leave]
Javier Zanetti - 16 Years
Julio Guterstam - 1 Year #
Andrea Mei - 6 Years
Nelson Rivas - 4 Years #

--46 Months--
Nicolas Burdisso - 7 Years
Esteban Cambiasso - 7 Years
Maxwell - 5 Years
Christian Timm - 1 Year
Dejan Stankovic - 7 Years
Figo - 6 Years
Patrick Vieria - 5 Years

--58 Months--
Keirrision - 2 Years
Arbeloa - 1 Year
Sulley Muntari - 3 Years
Adriano - 10 Years

STAFF
Attacking Coach - Level 6/10
Midfield Coach - Level 6/10
Defensive Coach - Level 6/10
Goalkeeping Coach - Level 5/10
Fitness Coach - Level 5/10
Head Scout - Level 6/10
Negotiator - Level 10/10
Stadium Manager - Level 10/10

SPONSOR [GIPTEA] - DETAILS AND OBJECTIVES
"The Finest Quality tea shipped directly from the far East. Made with leaves picked from Thailand's highest mountain, Doi Inthanon, Gip Tea will guarentree a diffrent and heightended exotic experience.

Match Funding - €1,482,840
Loyalty Qualifier [Get To The Final Of A Domestic Cup] - €1,972,500
Bonus Requirements = Become The League Champ - €989,500; Win A Domestic Cup - €4,031,000
Season Objective - Win The League

[AK0N]

Reserved

[AK0N]

[Reserved]

[ManchesterRed]

Good OP, whens the rest gonna be up?

[Harald]

I thought that T-Shirt inspired you.

[AK0N]

Originally Posted by Harald

I thought that T-Shirt inspired you.

I'll try and do two juggle between them

[AK0N]

FIRST GAME = Juve V Inter (Supercoppa Nazionale)
--------------------Buffon-------------------
Grygera---Legrottaglie-------Chiellini---Molinaro
Camoranesi--Tiago---------Zanetti-----Nedved
------Del Piero--------------Trezeguet--------

Predictions Please

[Footie-Hitman10]

1-1 Del Piero, Ibrahimovich

[ParkLane]

2-1 Win.

[AK0N]

DEL PIERO SCORES EXTRA TIME WINNER!

When two of the best teams in the world meet, the outcome is impossible to predict. However, both teams had massive intentions when Inter met Juventus in the Suppacoppa Nazionale. The teams set their eyes on the trophy as they walked out.

However the first half was pretty dull and boring. Hardly any chances from both teams. The keepers doing their job well when needed. The first half was mainly a midfield battle.

Juventus got better as the game progressed. A dull start however in the dying minutes of the first half, Trezeguet and Nedved had chances to score but Julio Cesar made the saves.

The half time ended at 0-0.

Ranieri must have said something at half time. Because Juve looked ten times better than the side in the first half. Their moves looked more creative and they looked the most likely to score.

However, Juventus received a huge blow when a miss-timed Luis Figo slide tripped Pavel Nedved. The physio said he cannot carry on and he was replaced by Marchionni. We hope the injury is nothing major.

The game was end to end. No chances really though. And when the referee blew it meant extra time!

Extra Time was more entertaining though. Buffon making a top class save of Zlatan Ibrahimovic to keep it level. When Trezeguet found Zanetti 1v1 he looked certain to score however Cesar charged out and saved the attempted chip!

Extra Time Second Period Juve brought on Amauri to play more attacking.

The second period Inter started to tire. And when Camoranesi found Del Piero he fired it round Cesar! GOOOALLLL! 1-0 Juve!

Juventus were in the lead with 10 minutes to hang on. They switched to a defensive 5-4-1 bringing Poulsen on for David Trezeguet. They hung on as the ref blew for full time in extra time!!!!!!! Juve had won the cup!!

JUVENTUS 1-0 INTER MILAN
Del Piero 109'----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Footie-Hitman10]

Wasnt far

[AK0N]

Originally Posted by Footie-Hitman10

1-1 Del Piero, Ibrahimovich

Originally Posted by ParkLane

2-1 Win.

Almost

Next game v Roma predictions please!

Transfer update coming up!

[Footie-Hitman10]

2-1 Roma Sorry, Trezeget, Totti 2

[AK0N]

BECKS AND GARAY SIGN FOR JUVE!!

Breaking news coming from the Juventus training ground is that they have completed the signings of David Beckham and Ezequiel Garay!...

David BECKHAM

Full Name = David Robert Joseph Beckham
Overall = 81
Age = 33
Position = Right-Midfield
Key Attributes = Curve (96) ; FK Accuracy (96) ; Crossing (95) ; Long Pass (95) ; Vision (93)
Former Clubs = Manchester United, Preston (loan), Real Madrid, Los Angeles Galaxy.
--------------------------
Signed From = LA Galaxy
Transfer Fee = £7,500,000
Wage = £54,000
Years on Contract = 1 Years
Goal Bonus = 0%

Ezequiel GARAY

It's been in the making for weeks, but now a deal has been accepted for Ezequiel Garay to Juventus.
Overall = 82
Age = 21
Position = CB
Key Attributes = Marking ( 88 ; Penalties (89) ; FK Accuracy (85) ; Stand Tackle (87) ; Strength (85)
--------------------------
Signed From = Racing Club
Transfer Fee = £4,500,000
Wage = £19,500
Years on Contract = 2 Years
Goal Bonus = 0%

[AK0N]

Team V Roma
----------------------Buffon---------------------
---Grygera---Legrottaglie----Chiellini----Molinaro--
---------------------Poulsen---------------------
----Beckham----------------------Camoranesi----
---------------------Zanetti---------------------
----------Del Piero------------Trezeguet----------

[IRE-ENG-OX4]

Every one is being rated 1*

[IRE-ENG-OX4]

Got you up to 3*

[AK0N]

It's sad init!

[rrrobyn]

Beckham Two good signings there

[Vasic]

Good start.

[AK0N]

Thanks Done Roma match but I can't be bothered typing a massive report right now! So you got plenty of time for more comments and predictions!

[Chelsea11]

nice start, but you could've gone with some more realistic signings if that's what you're aiming for

[AK0N]

Originally Posted by Chelsea11

nice start, but you could've gone with some more realistic signings if that's what you're aiming for

I don't see anything unrealistic about them...After all Juve are a 5* team and not many signings are unrealistic for 5* teams.

Who would you have signed?