⚽️🇮🇹 Weston McKennie's starring role at Juve
⚽️🇮🇹 Weston McKennie's starring role at Juve
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⭐️ Another superstar performance from Juventus’ Weston McKennie
Juventus climbed within two points of the summit of Serie A last weekend, with a 1-0 win over relegation-troubled Fiorentina. The Old Lady’s best performer, per WhoScored, was USMNT star Weston McKennie.
FIORENTINA-JUVENTUS 0-1 | HIGHLIGHTS | Miretti seals 4th win for the Bianconeri | Serie A 2023/24
🇺🇸 McKennie was moved from central midfield to right wingback, due to the absence of his injured compatriot Tim Weah.
👏 The former FC Dallas homegrown player won eight of his 15 duels, made three interceptions, produced eight clearances, and completed 25 passes — one of which created a key scoring chance late in the game.
😯 Juve produced their fourth straight Serie A win in a manner that will be familiar for those who know the style of coach Massimiliano Allegri: they had just four shots to Fiorentina’s 25, and less than 32% possession.
➡️ Up next for the Bianconeri (“White and Blacks”): Juve host 17th-place Cagliari on Saturday (12pm ET on Paramount+), which could send them to the top of the table over the international break, if Inter Milan lost at home to Frosinone (Sunday, 2.45pm ET on Paramount+).
🦅 Sarri declares loyalty to Lazio ahead of Rome Derby
One of European football’s biggest rivalries resumes on Sunday in the form of the Derby della Capitale - the huge derby match between Stadio Olimpico co-tenants Roma and Lazio (12pm ET on Paramount+). Ahead of the game, Lazio coach Maurizio Sarri has declared his loyalty to the Laziale.
🗣️ Speaking ahead of Lazio’s impressive 1-0 Champions League win over high-flying Feyenoord, Sarri dispelled any rumors that he would be leaving the club: “I'm fine and I want to end my career here. A mixed start doesn't make me change my mind."
📉 After finishing second in Serie A in his sophomore season as Lazio coach in 2022-23, Sarri’s Lazio have had a less auspicious start this season: they currently sit in 11th place with a 5-5-1 record.
🏆 Sarri has had no fewer than 20 coaching jobs in Italian soccer and won the Scudetto with Juventus in 2019-20. His intention to finish his career at the Olimpico will surely be appreciated by the Lazio faithful.
🥊 Speaking after Lazio’s Champions League victory, Sarri inferred his team would be less rested for the derby, due to the relative intensities of their respective midweek European fixtures…
… Roma fans may point out that they will play on Thursday, away in Prague, two days after Lazio.
🤓 Did you know? Lazio have won the last two editions of the Derby della Capitale, both by a 1-0 scoreline, and have won three of the last six meetings. However, Roma come into the game in better form, having collected all three points in four of their last five Serie A outings.
😵💫 Jose Mourinho creates “positive chaos” in comeback win
Roma were 1-0 down after 90 minutes of their home match with Lecce last weekend, but turned around an incredible comeback with goals from Sardar Azmoun and Romelu Lukaku. Coach Jose Mourinho credited the turnaround on his creation of “positive chaos.”
🗣️ “I made changes as the coach and tried to create a little positive chaos, but the truth is that Lecce could easily have scored more goals and won too,” said Mou. “It was a crazy game.”
😮 The self-anointed “Special One” knows a thing or two about late comebacks: his Serie A teams have scored 26 goals beyond the 90th minute, conceding only three in the same period (per Football Italia).
📖 Dybala ‘books’ his spot back in Roma lineup
Roma will be boosted in the derby by the return of star forward Paulo Dybala, who, against expectation, played the full 90 against Lecce.
📕 Dybala also managed to get in some light reading before the game, as he participated in a league-wide initiative that saw each player give a book to the child mascot accompanying them onto the field…
📞 Reading aside, Dybala recently opened up on the bond he shares with Mourinho. He says he spoke with the Portuguese coach before his own mother in the aftermath of his 2022 World Cup win: “When the match with France ended, I was supposed to go to the dressing room to do the anti-doping test. So I go to the locker room, I pick up the phone to talk to my family and I see 5 missed calls from Mou. I think I called him before I called my mother.”
⚽️ The Rome Derby: “One of the most intense matches in all of football”
All eyes will be on the Stadio Olimpico this Sunday, and members of the broadcast team who will be delivering you the action on CBS/Paramount+ have told us what they are looking forward to seeing…
Poppy Miller:
🗣️ “In my time covering the league, I've gotten to know how the Rome Derby is one of the most intense matches in all of football. The two fanbases consider this match a must-win at all costs and make their passion known before, during, and even after the final whistle. One thing I love to see are the choreographies the curvas display prior to the match. They never disappoint and always put on an especially eye-catching show.”
Matteo Bonetti:
🗣️ “Only one point separates Lazio and Roma in the table — eternal rivals who see this game as the most important of the Serie A season. For the home side, the Biancocelesti just won their UCL game with Ciro Immobile back healthy and having scored his 200th goal for his club, an incredible achievement that will see him etched in history. On the other side, Romelu Lukaku and Paulo Dybala are starting alongside each other and have struck up a terrific partnership. Lukaku is averaging nearly a goal a game since joining the Giallorossi, while Dybala has provided his usual world-class technique and skill.”
Mike Grella:
🗣️“I’m looking forward to seeing how Lukaku, a player accustomed to big matches, adapts to the intensity of the Rome Derby. He, along with Dybala, are the two best players on the field — and maybe in Serie A in their positions when they play together. They have 16 team trophies between the two of them and over 40 individual awards at the highest levels of football.”
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🏴 Bologna’s Scottish sensation
Bologna are chasing European soccer next season and have extended their unbeaten run to 10 with a 1-0 home win over Lazio last Friday.
⚽️ The winning goal, which raised Bologna to 6th in the table, came from the outstretched cleat of Lewis Ferguson. The Scottish midfielder now has three goals on the season, bringing his total tally with the club at 10 — a number that puts him in esteemed Scottish company, alongside the legendary Denis Law.
📈 The buzz is building around Bologna, who are, according to The Guardian’s Serie A correspondent Nicky Bandini, “starting to look like a side with a very bright future ahead.”
🙌 Udinese coach dedicates shock win to “people of Udine”
Udinese were winless in 14 Serie A games before pulling off a surprise 1-0 win over Milan at the San Siro on Saturday.
MILAN-UDINESE 0-1 | HIGHLIGHTS | Pereyra shocks the Rossoneri | Serie A 2023/24
🗣️ Gabriele Cioffi, who was recently instated as Udinese coach for the second time, was keen to dedicate the victory to the Friulian fans: “I think we showed great courage, pride and showed some good football. We needed a night like this and I promised to dedicate it to the people of Udine.”
➡️ Up next for Udinese: Cioffi’s side host Atalanta on Sunday(9am ET on Paramount+), where the head-to-head form suggests a vital point is on the cards: they have tied three of their last four meetings.
👏 Fiorentina captain helps with flood relief efforts
Storm Ciaran has devastated the Tuscany area, leaving at least seven dead, and casting doubt over whether Fiorentina’s aforementioned match with Juventus would be played last weekend.
Fiorentina captain Cristiano Biraghi spent his rest day from training helping out with the relief efforts, shovelling mud and clearing debris on the streets of Campi Bisenzio.
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🎵 Dua Lipa shows her Sicilian colors
Popstar Dua Lipa had fans of Serie B side Palermo levitating this week, when she was snapped wearing their iconic pink home jersey.
🩷 It’s an appropriate hue for a musician who recently scored a big hit on the Barbie soundtrack, and a fantastic celebration of Italian culture, which we also champion with our Made In Italy initiative.
🧐 Did you know? Palermo is majority owned by City Football Group, which also counts Manchester City, New York City FC and current La Liga leaders Girona among its teams.
💬 Calcio Conversations
When a team is in crisis, Italians will often say they are going “in ritiro.”
🫣 Why? It means “to go into retreat,” and will typically refer to the scenario where players stay in a training center together, without going home, to focus on their game, in the hope of turning things around.
🎸 Social posts of the week: Rockstars embrace Milan’s teams
Green Day played an intimate show in Milan on Tuesday evening, and Billie Joe Armstrong showed where his Milanese soccer loyalties lay…
Billie Joe wasn’t the only rockstar in Milan this week, as Noel Gallagher preceded his show in the city with a visit to the San Siro, to witness AC Milan’s impressive Champions League win over PSG…
Elsewhere in the Lombardy region, Atalanta’s Charles De Ketelaere also embraced his musical side, with his passionate rendition of a Rihanna classic…
📺 This weekend on CBS Sports and Paramount+
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Friday
Sassuolo v Salernitana (12.30pm ET)
Genoa v Hellas Verona (2.45pm ET)
Saturday
Lecce v AC Milan (9am ET)
Juventus v Cagliari (12pm ET)
Monza v Torino (2.45pm ET)
Sunday
Napoli v Empoli (6.30am ET)
Fiorentina v Bologna (9am ET)
Udinese v Atalanta (9am ET)
Lazio v Roma (12pm ET)
Inter Milan v Frosinone (2.45pm ET)
Grazie e arrivederci!
We hope you enjoyed this edition of Calcio Weekly, and we want to take the opportunity to congratulate reader Andrew V., who wins last week’s Inter Milan shirt giveaway for telling us about his favorite Inter star, Marco Materazzi.
“He stayed with the team for a decade and was a force in the back, helping lead Inter to multiple Serie A and Coppa Italia titles,” says Andrew. “Not to mention his contributions to Italy’s 2006 World Cup success!”
We hope you enjoyed this edition of Calcio Weekly.
Feel free to share it with your friends and send us any feedback at calcioweekly@legaseriea.it.
Ciao ciao!