⚽️🇮🇹 Pulisic brings silverware to Milan!
In this week’s Italian soccer digest, we're also looking ahead to the Turin Derby, we're giving Claudio Ranieri his flowers, and much more!
🇺🇸 Christian Pulisic inspires Milan’s incredible EA SPORTS FC Supercup win
On Monday, Milan won its eighth Supercoppa Italiana title in spectacular fashion, with a 3-2 win over fierce rivals Inter that featured a standout performance from USMNT star Christian Pulisic.
👏 Pulisic scored Milan’s equalizer to make it 2-2 in the 80th minute, and delivered a sublime through-ball in the buildup to Tammy Abraham’s 93rd-minute winner.
🏆 The 2024 EA SPORTS FC Supercup, staged in Riyadh, represents Pulisic’s first trophy in Italy and Milan’s first silverware since lifting the scudetto in 2022.
🇺🇸 Milan’s EA SPORTS FC Supercup semifinal against Juventus on Friday was also an American affair: Pulisic converted the 70th-minute equalizer from the spot, while his countryman Yunus Musah’s cross was deflected into the net for the winner.
🤌 After the Final, Pulisic gave a post-match interview in perfect Italian.
😮 The match was also a triumph for new Rossoneri coach Sérgio Conceição, who took only two games to win his first trophy. Unsurprisingly, that’s record timing for trophy delivery at Milan.
🗣️ "At halftime, the coach has to change certain things. That's why they pay me," said Conceição after the match, in recognition of the changes made as Inter scored on either side of the break.
🚬 The coach celebrated with a cigar, a hallmark of his trophy wins with his previous club Porto.
🏀 Rafael Leão, who assisted the winner in the Final, paid tribute to Kobe Bryant on Instagram, by posting a picture of the NBA legend with a “calm under pressure” slogan.
🍿 Who will triumph in the Turin Derby?
After their trip to Saudi Arabia, Juventus returns to Serie A action on Saturday with a slightly shorter away trip: they travel around six miles north to face city rivals Torino in the latest edition of the Derby della Mole (12pm ET, CBS Sports and FOX Deportes).
👉 The most recent Turin Derby, in November, saw Juve pick up a 2-0 win with goals from Kenan Yıldız and USMNT star Tim Weah.
🥊 Torino, which sits in eleventh in the standings, is looking for its first win over Juve since April 2015, representing a run of 21 games without a win against their neighbors in all competitions.
💪 Thiago Motta’s Juventus, which remains Serie A’s only undefeated side this season, are the favorites.
👀 However, former defender Pasquale Bruno, who played for both teams, is feeling bullish about the Toro’s chances: “Juve have a thousand problems, so it’s a golden chance for Torino to win.”
🤕 Juve is facing the prospect of having several absentees for the big game: Juan Cabal, Bremer, and Arkadiusz Milik may be joined on the treatment table by Francisco Conceição and Dušan Vlahović, while Manuel Locatelli is suspended.
😲 Why is it called the Derby della Mole? It’s a reference to the most iconic monument in the city of Turin, the towering Mole Antonelliana. Named after its architect, Alessandro Antonelli, the 550-foot building was completed in 1889, 26 years after construction began, and currently houses the National Museum of Cinema. If you think you recognize it, that might be because it features on the €2 coin in Italy.
🗓️ Juventus follows the Derby della Mole with a trip to Atalanta on Tuesday (2.45pm ET, CBS Sports) as part of a busy schedule for Serie A that will see a midweek round of fixtures next week. In fact, from tomorrow, there are Serie A games every day until Tuesday, January 21st, with the sole exception of next Thursday!
🤯 Claudio Ranieri’s amazing Derby della Capitale record
Roma earned a 2-0 win over Lazio in Sunday’s Rome Derby, with goals from lifelong Giallorossi fan Lorenzo Pellegrini and Alexis Saelemaekers. The win was masterminded by coach Claudio Ranieri, who holds a very impressive record in the Derby della Capitale…
😲 In three spells as Roma manager, Ranieri has won all five Rome derbies he has coached. No one has done better in the fixture!
🐺 Ranieri, 73, was born in central Rome, in the shadows of the Circus Maximus, and began his playing career with Roma. He retired at the end of last season after saving Cagliari from the drop, but couldn’t resist the call to come home when it came in November.
📈 Ranieri has led the team to five wins in its last seven outings, arresting a slump that now sees Roma in tenth position after 19 rounds.
👏 Amazingly, Ranieri’s unimpeachable derby record isn’t limited to Rome: he has also won the three other major Italian derbies in Milan, Turin, and Genoa as coach of Inter, Juventus, and Sampdoria, respectively.
🤯 Outside of Italy, Ranieri is best known for leading Leicester City to the 2015-16 Premier League title, often cited as the greatest achievement in sports history.
👀 Things are heating up in the bottom half of the table
Just three points separate the 12th through 18th positions in Serie A right now, with several teams in the bottom half facing off this weekend.
👉 Lecce, who sits in the relegation zone by virtue of goal difference, travels to 12th place Empoli on Saturday (9am ET, CBS Sports). They could be level on points by Saturday evening.
👉 Genoa and Parma both have the potential to move away from danger - and into the top half - when they face off on Sunday (6.30am ET, CBS Sports).
👉 Venezia, meanwhile, could leave the relegation zone with a win on Sunday, but it will be a tricky task given that they host reigning champions Inter (9am ET, CBS Sports).
👉 Monza, who lost a crucial relegation battle with Cagliari on Sunday, will look to secure their second win of the season this coming Monday when Fiorentina visits the U-Power Stadium (2.45pm ET, CBS Sports).
❤️ Napoli in mourning after returning to top of the table
Napoli returned to the summit of Serie A with Saturday’s 3-0 win at Fiorentina, in a result that was overshadowed by the tragic passing of a young fan who had been close with the players and coach Antonio Conte.
👉 A thirteen-year-old fan named Daniele was ill with leukemia and passed shortly before the game. The tragic news clearly had an affect on coach Conte, who was unable to attend the post-match press conference upon hearing the news.
🗣️ Conte’s assistant, Cristian Stellini, took his place and tearfully spoke with the media: "We're happy with the victory, but we've received a bad blow by losing a person close to all of Napoli. A little child who left us this afternoon. He was ill. We tried to give him moments of joy; he gave us so much strength and energy. The coach didn't feel like coming at this difficult time. Our thoughts go to him and his family, as well as to all the children who suffer from these terrible diseases."
👉 Conte posted an emotional tribute on Instagram, while club President and owner Aurelio De Laurentiis posted about the “strength, courage, and joy” that he had brought the club.
🗣️ Defender Leonardo Spinazzola also paid tribute to Daniele: "On behalf of the team we want to send a big hug to Daniele's family. From today, he will watch over us from up there. We will miss him a lot. He has taught us so much."
⚽️ Despite the sad circumstances, Napoli went top of the table at the halfway stage, with David Neres scoring a goal for the ages.
💬 Calcio Conversations
Serie A is world-renowned not only for the action on the pitch, but the spectacle in the stands. That’s thanks to the jaw-dropping work of supporters who create enormous coreografie before significant matches.
🤷♂️ Enormous what? Known as a coreografia or scenografia, it is an artistic display inside the stadium by fans, who often hold up individual colored pieces of card to create a larger picture. Fans can get very creative with ways of doing it, using not only cards, but enormous banners and even cellphone lights too!
🧐 Wait, isn’t that called a tifo? Not in Italy! This is a strange one, as tifo is the Italian word for ‘cheer’ - which is why tifoso is the word for a supporter. But the word is never used to describe a coreografia or scenografia in Italy.
☺️ Social Post of the Week: Young fan soaks up the atmosphere at Salernitana!
Salernitana dropped from Serie A last season, but a fantastic atmosphere still prevails at the Stadio Arechi. This adorable young fan might not be tall enough to see the field, but he’s having the time of his life on the curva!
👏 Edoardo Bove returns to Fiorentina training… as a referee
Midfielder Edoardo Bove collapsed on the field during Fiorentina’s meeting with Inter in December, but recovered from the medical emergency after being fitted with an implanted defibrillator. The 22-year-old is not permitted to play in Italy while he has the device fitted, but is still very much involved with the Viola squad.
👍 On Wednesday, Fiorentina posted a video of Bove returning to training in the capacity of a referee during a scrimmage match.
👉 Shortly before the holidays, Bove - who is on loan from Roma - made his return to the bench at the Stadio Artemio Franchi. The club required special dispensation from Serie A to have Bove sit on the bench and join his teammates in the locker room.
📺 This weekend on CBS Sports, Paramount+, FOX Deportes, and SiriusXM
Friday, January 10th
Lazio v Como (2.45pm ET)
Saturday, January 11th
Empoli v Lecce (9am ET)
Udinese v Atalanta (9am ET)
Torino v Juventus (12pm ET, also on FOX Deportes)
Milan v Cagliari (2.45pm ET, also on SiriusXM FC and FOX Deportes)
Sunday, January 12th
Genoa v Parma (6.30am ET)
Venezia v Inter (9am ET)
Bologna v Roma (12pm ET, also on FOX Deportes)
Napoli v Verona (2.45pm ET, also on SiriusXM FC and FOX Deportes)
Monday, January 13th
Monza v Fiorentina (2.45pm ET)
🇨🇦 Watch ALL Serie A games live on Fubo and select games with Italian-language commentary on TLN 🇨🇦
🇺🇸 Watch select games with Spanish-language commentary on FOX Deportes and English-language commentary on SiriusXM 🇺🇸
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