Italy’s premier footballing competition has given us a lot. Nowadays Italy’s top flight is brandished as ‘negative’, holding some truth but not the whole truth. In recent years, a handful of Italian coaches have become prominent due to their innovative styles of football; Roberto De Zerbi, Gian Piero Gasperini and Vincenzo Italiano spring to mind.
As Pelé was laid to rest after a spell in state at his old stomping ground, Santos' Vila Belmiro, following the loss of his battle with cancer, inevitably there has been a flood of tributes emphasising his natural talent and eulogising him as one of, if not the best ever to kick a ball.
Even before riches from Saudi Arabia flooded in, there was surely a sense that a club the size of Newcastle should have won more than a glance at their trophy cabinet reveals? This, after all, the stage for Kevin Keegan's much- quoted and indeed sampled “love it'' tirade against Manchester United. No doubt an attempt to motivate his troops during the long slog of a race between the two sides for the 1995/6 Premier League title but which has gone down as a bit of a cliché, not exactly helped by the fact that their then gaffer and those roaring them on from the stands never got their wish.
And so it is that during the spectacle of a winter World Cup, hosts Qatar have made history- just not of the sort they wanted, having to leave their own party early after a return of one goal in three games. Mohammed Muntari's strike against Senegal in their second match of Group A fixtures probably the one bright spot following an opening defeat to Ecuador and signing off in similarly abject circumstances against Holland.
It’s world cup season, in the wrong season. Never mind the three week period post-champions league final of warm up games, tournament tree posters being blu-tacked onto bedroom walls, fevered speculation, overpriced FIFA World Cup video games being sold and traded in, highlight reels and Spain managers being sacked, never mind all that. This year players (well, those who play in Europe) barely just finished their post-game showers before jetplaning for the middle east.