⚽️🇮🇹 Who will triumph in the Serie A title race?
In this week’s Italian soccer digest, we're looking at Parma's new coach, we're giving Claudio Ranieri deserved praise, and much more!
🔥 The race for the scudetto heats up
After 25 rounds, just two points separate league leaders Napoli and defending champions Inter. It’s all to play for!
🔝 Napoli missed the chance to go four points clear on Saturday with their 2-2 draw at Lazio - the third consecutive tie for Antonio Conte’s side.
👉 Inter had the opportunity to leapfrog the Neapolitans to the top spot on Sunday, but their 1-0 loss at Derby d’Italia rivals Juventus kept them in second place.
💪 Atalanta’s tie with Cagliari on Saturday kept them in third spot. Gian Piero Gasperini’s team is higher in the table than they were at any point during last season, in which they secured historic success as Coppa Italia finalists and Europa League champions.
👏 Juve’s Derby d’Italia win, meanwhile, pushed them up into fourth spot, overtaking Lazio on goal differential.
😲 Randal Kolo Muani, who has been a sensational addition to the Bianconeri since his winter window arrival from PSG, provided a stylish game-winning assist over Inter. The 26-year-old is the latest in a rich history of high-performing Frenchmen in Turin…
🇺🇸 USMNT star Weston McKennie wore the captain’s armband in the win over Inter, further cementing his indispensable role with Thiago Motta’s side.
Up next in the scudetto race 👉 On Sunday, leaders Napoli visit Como (6.30am ET, CBS Sports), while Inter entertains Genoa on Saturday (2.45pm ET, CBS Sports and FOX Deportes).
🇺🇸 How Christian Pulisic found his best form in Milan
USMNT star Christian Pulisic spoke with SI Soccer this week about his highly successful time in Milan and the path that has brought him to the best form of his career.
🗣️ “Now with Milan, It’s been the perfect step for me [because] the club put a lot of trust in me right from the start, and I had a really good start,” he said. “I think it’s taught me a lot more [about] consistency and playing at the highest level.”
👏 The feature notes that no one has recorded more assists in Serie A than Pulisic since his arrival in the summer of 2023. The 26-year-old has registered nine assists in the league and Champions League this season alone.
🗣️ Pulisic was also the subject of an interview with GOAL this week, where he noted that he loves bringing friends and family to Italy to enjoy the culture of calcio: "I love to show [friends and family] around here, bring them to the games here. The San Siro? It's just amazing."
🫡 Want more Captain America? The third episode of the Pulisic docuseries is now streaming on Paramount+.
🙌 The Ranieri Revolution in Rome continues!
Fun fact: no team in Europe’s top five leagues has earned more points in its last five games than Roma.
👉 As our friends at IFTV point out, following a 1-0 win over Parma on Sunday, the Giallorossi has also accrued the second-most points in the league over the last 10 matches.
💫 The key ingredient in this success? Coach Claudio Ranieri. The much-loved 73-year-old is Roma’s third coach of the season and has steadied the ship and consolidated the club’s status in the top half of the table since arriving in November.
👏 Ranieri 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.
🤯 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.
👀 Roma could be in European action as you read this newsletter…
🇪🇺 Roma seeks to join Lazio, Inter, and Fiorentina in European knockout stages
With the knockout round playoffs in UEFA’s European competitions finishing up today, we’ll learn which Italian sides are progressing. At least one Italian side is assured in the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League.
😲 Inter has already progressed to the Champions League Round of 16 and will face either Feyenoord or PSV Eindhoven. The draw takes place on Friday morning.
Atalanta’s European adventure ended on Tuesday with a 5-2 aggregate defeat at the hands of Club Brugge.
Milan held Dutch side Feyenoord to a 1-1 draw at San Siro, in which Santiago Giménez needed less than a minute to get on the scoresheet, but exited by virtue of a 2-1 loss on aggregate.
Juventus were also eliminated from the Champions League, after taking PSV Eindhoven to extra time. USMNT star Tim Weah scored an excellent consolation.
Roma, meanwhile, can book a spot in the Europa League Round of 16 with a win over Porto at the Stadio Olimpico. The game kicked off shortly before this newsletter landed in your inbox! (Watch on CBS Sports)
If they progress, Roma will face either Athletic Bilbao or city rivals Lazio, subject to Friday’s draw.
Fiorentina already qualified automatically for the knockout stages of the Europa Conference League and will also learn their next opponent in Friday’s draw.
🆕 Christian Chivu appointed as Parma coach
Former Serie A defender Christian Chivu was handed his first senior head coach role on Tuesday, with his appointment at Parma.
👏 I Crociati brought in Chivu following the dismissal of Fabio Pecchia on Monday.
Parma’s aforementioned home defeat to Roma on Sunday marked their fourth consecutive defeat, leaving them one point clear of safety in 18th spot.
Chivu played for Roma and Inter, and was a treble winner with the latter as part of Jose Mourinho’s iconic team of 2009-10.
Although this is his first senior coaching role, the Romanian has been coaching with Inter’s youth team setup since 2018.
Up next for Parma 👉 Chivu’s first game in charge will be an Emilia-Romagna derby, as Parma hosts Bologna on Saturday (9am ET, CBS Sports). Three of their last five Serie A meetings have ended honors even.
💬 Calcio Conversations
As noted, Parma has been in the headlines this week after making a coaching change, so we thought it was time to look at the club from Emilia-Romagna for our latest nickname explainer.
🤷♂️ What is Parma known as? Parma has several nicknames, including the Gialloblu (yellow and blues) after their iconic shirts and colors of the city and the Ducali after the historic Duchy of Parma dating back to 1545. However, you might have noticed we also referred to them as I Crociati earlier in the newsletter.
🧐 What does that mean? Translating to ‘The Crusaders’, the origins of this popular nickname are harder to trace. Several theories have been suggested linking back to the city’s history, while others say it references the black cross on the club’s shirts (Crociati can also mean ‘crossed’).
🗣️ Francesco Zampano brings invaluable experience to Venezia
With over 400 games under his belt, Venezia fullback Francesco Zampano has more calcio experience than most.
🗣️ Speaking with Serie A, Zampano discusses growing up playing with his twin brother, his defensive versatility, the coaches who have inspired him, and much more.
Zampano has played in the Italian top flight with Verona, Pescara, Frosinone, and now Venezia. He is comfortable on the left or the right.
Up next for Venezia 👉 Zampano’s side will look to correct a nine-match winless streak when they host Lazio on Saturday (9am ET, CBS Sports).
🎬 Serie A documentary collaboration nominated for prestigious film award
The documentary film Seydou – Il sogno non ha colore (“Seydou - The Dream Has No Color”) has been nominated in the sports category at the Nastri d'Argento awards, the prestigious long-running Italian film awards.
👉 The film, which debuted at the most recent Venice Film Festival, features actor and soccer fanatic Seydou Sarr, who explores themes of inclusion and respect that reflect Serie A’s “Keep Racism Out” awareness campaign.
🎥 The documentary was produced by Wonder Project with Rai Cinema in collaboration with Lega Serie A. You can watch it here.
🗣️ “Being among the finalists at the Nastri d'Argento with a film like Seydou – Il sogno non ha colore is a strong and significant signal. It confirms how sport and football can be extraordinary vehicles for telling stories of redemption and inclusion. Lega Serie A has always been at the forefront of the fight against racism, and Seydou Sarr's journey is an example of how football can offer opportunities and break down barriers,” said Luigi De Siervo, CEO of Lega Serie A.
👕 Milan unveils gorgeous new fourth kits
Milan has teamed up with PUMA and Off-White™ to produce a beautiful pair of new fourth kits.
💭 The theme of the drop is “Dreamland,” with the number 63 etched inside the collar. That’s a reference to the year the Rossoneri first won the European Cup and the year that Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech.
😈 The crest is also emblazoned with the word “Diavoli” (“Devils”) in reference to the club’s nickname.
💵 Get ‘em here!
📺 This weekend on CBS Sports, Paramount+, FOX Deportes, and SiriusXM
Friday, February 21st
Lecce v Udinese (2.45pm ET)
Saturday, February 22nd
Parma v Bologna (9am ET)
Venezia v Lazio (9am ET)
Torino v Milan (12pm ET, also on FOX Deportes)
Inter v Genoa (2.45pm ET, also on FOX Deportes)
Sunday, February 23rd
Como v Napoli (6.30am ET)
Verona v Fiorentina (9am ET)
Empoli v Atalanta (12pm ET, also on FOX Deportes)
Cagliari v Juventus (2.45pm ET, also on SiriusXM FC)
Monday, February 24th
Roma v Monza (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 🇺🇸
👏 Thank you for supporting Calcio Weekly!
If you like this newsletter, you may also enjoy the great work of our friends at Total Italian Football, who bring you daily calcio content, podcasts from Serie A stadiums, Women’s Serie A coverage, and much more.
We’d also like to spotlight Destination Calcio, an essential hub for English-language Serie A news and exclusives, which is now streaming live Serie B games, too.
Please share Calcio Weekly with your friends - and send us any feedback at calcioweekly@legaseriea.it.
Ciao ciao!
Outstanding piece and so glad I found your account — Milan supporter here!