Penalty Kick 10 Most Historic

1) Antonin Panenka - Czechoslovakia - West Germany - 1976 You have to see for yourself, and comment on it. People judge the goal was incredible, brilliant and sensational. 2) Johan Cruyff - Ajax - Helmond Sports - 1982 Johan Cruyff's goals reportedly element experiment, which then replicated leh Pires and Henry a few years ago. 3) Zinedine Zidane - France - Italy - 2006 Gianluigi Buffon swindled by the French maestro. Penalty goal was very classy, with menchip and put the ball in slow tempo. Goal is already making Italy's goalkeeper die step. 4) Fan Nekat Russia - FC Saturn - Spartak Moscow - 2009 Funny, a fan entered the field and took the penalty which should have kicked her, and GOL. 5) Diego Maradona - Argentina - Italy - World Cup 1990 Before the game between the two teams, Maradona melaukan provocation by asking fans of Naples in Naples for more support than the Italians in Argentina World Cup. That did not happen, and Maradona makes things worse for Italy on penalty kicks. 6) Robert Pires & Thierry Henry - Arsenal - Man City - 2006 Trying to imitate the style Johan Cruyff, namely the 'connect' blah Pires penalty for continued Henry. Reportedly, Danny Mills was furious with the penalty action. 7) Eric Cantona - Manchester United - Arsenal - 1993 David Seaman was tricked and humiliated Cantona in this game, when the two teams met in the event charity shield. 8) Pavol Durica OG - Hungary - Debrecni - 2008 This somewhat bizarre goal. In Hungary the Hungarian Cup got a penalty sanctions. Goalkeepers have actually acting nice to save a ball that kicked an opposing player, but still conceded a spectacularly after Pavol Durica kick into his own net. It seems that Hungary defender to sweep the ball away from goal, but his intention was accomplished and even hurt his own team. Some time later, his contract terminated by the club. 9) Stuart Pearce - England - Spain - European Championship 1996 He advanced to the executor after the shadow of failure to take a penalty in the Italy 1990 World Cup was obviously made an impression on his mind. In the momentum he's managed to maximize the opportunities they had, and did celebrate like a shaman who was cast out evil spirits that made him fail to execute the penalty of six years earlier. Pearce continued successful penalty in the semi-finals, when England face Germany. 10) Diana Ross - United States 1994 - Opening Session Yup, the pop star divanya United States that participate in the show showing his ability kicked penalties. Want to know the process? See for yourself.

Jorge Valdano: Kaka Is Like Michael Jordan

Jorge Valdano has heaped praise on Kaka for his thirst to continue winning trophies and keep on succeeding and has compared him to basketball legend Michael Jordan. The Real Madrid general manager has been impressed by the Brazilian after his big money move to Los Merengues from AC Milan, and thinks that his mental attitude is perfect. Kaka has already won the Serie A title, the Champions League, the European Super Cup and World Club Cup, but is hungry to repeat that success with Real Madrid. "He has a natural hunger and that makes him different. Just like Michael Jordan. When he won his sixth ring, he was still hungry," Valdano was reported as saying by AS. "These two are people who have built a sense of competitiveness and it allows them to stay at the highest level longer than normal." Real Madrid return to league action on Saturday as they become Espanyol's first opponents in La Primera at their new purpose-built stadium in Cornella-El Prat

Real Madrid Chosen For Century Club

Real Madrid has been chosen as the best club in the 20th century universal, referring to the International Federation of research results Football History and Statistics (IFFHS). Real Madrid has the acquisition of points that are far better than Juventus, Barcelona, AC Milan and Bayern Munich are filling five major headings. "In recent years, prompted IFFHS clubs, sports journalists and fans to name the club this century by continent, but with a realistic basis, without the numbers that are not realistic and specific interests," the statement published IFFHS. "Ranking published so far based on the acquisition of titles won, or placement, or ranking in the standings in all competitions. Because of the new World Club Ranking entered into force in January 1991, this can not be used to determine the best club of the century." "IFFHS decide the best club in the continent is based pafa followed the game in continental club competition team concerned." Below are the top 10 best clubs Century 20: 1. Real Madrid 563.50 2. Juventus 466.00 3. FC Barcelona 458.00 4. AC Milan 399.75 5. Bayern Munich 399.00 6. Inter Milan 362.00 7. Ajax 332.75 8. Liverpool 300.25 9. Sporting Lisbon 299.00 10. Anderlecht 231.00

Soccer, a Weapon of Peace

If the weapons and the bureaucracy can not reconcile those who disagree, football can be a possible solution to create an alternative world without conflict. There is a dark history that recorded from a sport called football. Note that bleak graven in the year 1969. That time is the start of open war between Honduras and El Salvador. Because is a football rivalry that disusupi by the impersonate political nationalism. At that time both countries are in a group at the World Cup qualifying in 1970. The story will be simple if it is not that sensitive issues be heated middle between coal country in the field. Honduras at that time insisted countermarch El Salvador immigrants in large numbers. President Lopez Arellano regime blame El Salvador 300,000 immigrants as a burden and economic disturber of his country. Home and away play-in between the two values together. However, the match in El Salvador in the pen incident occurred. Suporter Honduras disandera by suporter host in the stadium, which forced the government of El Salvador Honduras attack to free citizens. War can not be avoided open. After this El Salvador and Honduras with a bomb attack a military installation and the International Airport Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras. On 27 June 1969, both countries decided the official diplomatic relations. War that lasted six days this takes about 2000 inhabitants killed. This event became known as "futebol war," war is happening because of football. The incidence is also then became the worst record in the history of football. Fortunately, after the bloody incident, there is no longer a bad team to add notes. It seems, all parties realize football is not a tool to be split, rather, is a material to achieve peace. Many examples that can be displayed on the football can be a means of achieving peace, but the most obvious is when the Iraqi sweep Cup Asia 2007. Iraq is a country that was great and again the conflict. Between tribes enmity and war more rather than the highlighted the achievements of Iraq tim. That is one proof of football can be a tool unifier difference towards peace. Rather as a tool to make the split. It is important, do not have the political unification with the football. Sports spy this tool should not even break the union. Peace Cup moment in 2009, is also not directly follow that mission. 12 teams are involved in it also has a duty to spread peace via soccer, the rivalry is attractive and uphold the values Fairplay. Similar demands for the support. No longer have blamed each other, let alone joke smelly rasis. The only form of positive support and uphold the value sportivitas. Can? I sure can.

Whether the league champion to be more competition at most ?

Anyone who says they saw all four Champions League quarter-final first legs panning out as they did is a liar. Anyone who denies the past two days have been a celebration and resurrection of adventurous, entertaining and exceptional football is insane. But then that's the thing: there are so few bitter Bayern, Liverpool or Man United fans. They may rue the inevitable and indisputable mistakes made by their clubs, but there have been far less excuses and complaining than usual, because the football really did do all the talking. Who said football needs controversy to be exciting? In two breathtaking nights, four captivating games have been played out between eight fearless and talented teams. The atypically tentative and uninspired round of 16 is history. Inter and Real Madrid are two clubs in particular that, whether they admit it or not, now believe themselves to be cursed in Europe. And it shows. These are great clubs that ultimately failed to live up to their billing. Add to this Juventus and Atletico Madrid sides still not suitably rehabilitated to trade blows with the best of the best and Roma, a side like Lyon, now on the way down after having hit their peak, and it's not hard to see why they ended up as near-misses. And to finish off the complement of those eliminated, there are Panathinaikos and Sporting CP, whose only knockout potential was the physical and literal process of being knocked out in the first place. It's now clear that the right teams went through from the second round to serve up the best games in the quarter-finals. We perhaps didn't know it then, but we know it now. Who is honestly wishing that Roma, Inter, Juventus or Real Madrid were here, other than fans of those clubs or countries? No one. The competition has progressed perfectly without them. Villarreal out-passing Arsenal with their trickery and technique was truly captivating and both the game's goals were out of this world. Porto's young guns tearing through the reigning champions stunned the masses and will have put all of Europe's elite on alert ahead of the summer transfer window. The return of Drogba and Essien, as well as the delayed emergence of Ivanovic and undisputed arrival of Hiddink was almost dumbfounding. Liverpool rarely look so helpless. Barcelona kept alive their magic, blitzing a Bayern side that were just starting to be taken seriously. Two weeks ago, this entire showpiece had been written off as a dirge - a Premier League procession - and who knows, maybe that's what it needed to be sparked back into life. The rest of Europe (barring Barcelona) had been counted out of contention, just as England (barring Man United) always had been in years gone by. The mass media has perpetuated the belief that the 'big four' will dominate for years to come off the back of a couple of years in which they have been the dominant presence in the quarters and semis. When the Italians and Spanish enjoyed this success, there was never such widespread prophecy of a decade-long dynasty or anything of the sort being on the horizon for them, so why for England? Maybe the belief that the Premier League has relative recession immunity is what makes this era so much more scrutinised than others from years gone by. Several figureheads from around Europe have at times expressed a sense of powerlessness with regards to stopping the Premier League dominance. That pathetic, defeatist attitude thankfully wasn't adopted by the likes of Porto and Villarreal and will hopefully serve as an example to one and all, next season and beyond. The same four English teams' repeated qualification for the competition has enabled them to practice to the point of perfection and the energetic, pressing game of the English game has provided a culture shock of sorts to several European heavyweights, but it is merely a matter of time until they acclimatise to the wind of change sweeping over UEFA's showpiece event. What captured the imagination of many fans was the defiance of the underdogs: Porto, Villarreal and even Chelsea. None were expected to win, but all not only got somewhat surprising results, but outplayed their opponents. The favourites were favourites no more - and that's what makes Barcelona such a genuine threat: they were the only big guns who lived up to their billing. Three Premier League teams could yet go through; Bayern could yet even beat Barcelona. A few of us remember Barca throwing away their Copa del Rey semi-final against Getafe despite a monumental first leg lead, most of us remember what Deportivo did to Milan a few years ago and absolutely everybody remembers what Liverpool managed - again against Milan - in Istanbul four years ago. Anything can happen, but it probably won't. This wasn't defying the odds just for defiance's sake. This was the beautiful game blossoming in its evolution. Barcelona still drop the odd lead, but Pep Guardiola is not Frank Rijkaard. Liverpool are still the architects of the impossible, but Hiddink never loses by three goals - at least not against teams on a similar skill level - and especially when knowing exactly what's required from the game in order to win the tie. Meanwhile, Porto have never lost to English opposition at the Dragao and already showed they can subdue all kinds of firepower at home, but United rarely disappoint when all is to play for, while Villarreal remain the most likely candidates for heroic failure, just as they did when the draw was made. All roads leading to Rome sure has come in handy, as we now find ourselves taking a couple of spectacular detours along the way, knowing and hoping this tournament reaches the destination it deserves.

World Cup 2010: The Threat Of Crime & Terrorism, It’s All Under Control

The World Cup is a truly global event and, because of the nature of the competition, organisers need to consider any potential threat that the host country will face during the month long football extravaganza. Some people may not even consider the subjects of crime and terrorism, however, the host country needs to plan for any possibility, with safety and security key to the smooth running of the World Cup. Next year is a very important year for South Africa and its people, as the football World Cup brings fans of the beautiful game from all over the world to the tip of Africa in what will be the first ever tournament held on the continent. The IPL (Indian Premier League) cricket competition was recently moved to South Africa from India due to government fears that the country could not provide adequate security for fans after a number of terrorist attacks in the country claimed lives and destroyed the reputation of relatively peaceful Indian cities. The IPL takes place later this month and South Africa was chosen to host it with less than a month to go before it was scheduled to start. This is further proof of the world’s faith in South Africa as a nation capable of hosting a sterling event and taking good care of those that choose to travel to the Rainbow Nation. One thing is undeniable, however, and in modern times terrorism is a curse that is present throughout the world. The staging of the World Cup brings with it a certain focus and media rich environment that could create a potential target for terrorists aiming to capture the attention of the world with an act of cowardly violence. The man whose job it is to neutralise these types of threats is director David Garnett - 2010 Senior Operations Coordinator - and he is mustering all his forces to combat both terrorists and criminals. Speaking about crime, Garnett said, "[The] government has admitted that crime is a problem in South Africa, but I can give you the assurance that there are thousands upon thousands of dedicated members of the South African Police Services who are really working day and night in order to address the scourge of crime. We have had enormous successes." Over the past few months the main concern of the world press has been the completion of the stadia, something that is moving along smoothly and without many obstacles. But what people have not noticed is the truly enormous security effort behind the scenes to ensure the safety of the players, fans and officials that come to the country. For the last 18 months 14 different government departments have been conducting joint operations in different host cities around the country. A massive 41,000 additional policemen will be deployed before the tournament, with the police's budget alone amounting to R1.3 billion. A grand plan is coming together to secure the routes, accommodation and tourist attractions. South Africa will be super safe by 2010. Backing up the average cops on the street is the police task force, who have spent months in training ahead of 2010. Garnet said, “Special forces are going to be utilised according to their roles and responsibilities. Those details I'm not going to make public for obvious reasons because they remain the sharp edge of our policing." He is also planning to supplement South African forces with foreign police. "We are in the process of inviting the police agencies from the countries who are attending the event to provide us with 16 to 20 police officers who will then be deployed in South Africa,” he said. “They will then accompany their team and will be deployed in tourist areas where the team and their spectators are going to be at the specific matches.” And where an incident occurs Special Courts will be set up to deal with any crime immediately. Garnet explained, "We do this to stop the delay that there would be if that person were to leave South Africa." Garnet continued, "The police are about 175,000 people [strong] at present and we are calling up some 41,000 - so there are many police officers left who will be conducting their normal crime prevention, law enforcement and investigation duties. We do not leave the rest of South Africa without any policing - that would be ludicrous." In terms of the recent wave of terrorism, the air force is prepared to deal with any airborne threats that may present themselves. Brigadier General Les Lombard, in charge of Planning & Execution of Airspace Security said, "Well from the ground we can have an aircraft in the air within a minute. We believe it is a fairly low risk threat at this stage, but all risks we are catering for and exercising against any type of threat." After 18 months of World Cup specific training regarding any threats during the competition, the police, emergency services and the air force gave the media a glimpse of their training. In a mock exercise, hijackers stormed in and captured members of the media. Three state of the art Hawk fighter jets were immediately commandeered to force the rogue plane down and, for the sake of the exercise, it landed. The hijackers were apprehended and hostages freed by a tactical task force. Meanwhile, a robot diffused a bomb on the tarmac. It was an example of what could happen in an emergency, and the training involved with the various situations portrayed in the exercise was impressive. Lombard explains, "The worst case scenario would be that there would be intervention on the aircraft which could lead to the aircraft being shot down, but for that we would need presidential approval." The fact that such situations have been taken into consideration is another reason why the World Cup is bound to be a success in South Africa. So much planning has gone into every detail of the competition. For the duration of the World Cup all aircraft flying within 50 nautical miles of a stadium will be deemed to be in military airspace. Working closely with civil aviation, even the air crews will need to be pre-approved. Garnet added, "Obviously terrorism remains one of our main focus areas from a safety and security perspective. But I can tell you that we put in contingency plans to deal with any event in South Africa. We have dealt with major events in the past. We've had over 140 major events in the country since 1994 so I am confident from an international perspective that South Africa is quite safe." Local Organising Committee CEO Danny Jordaan is confident of a safe World Cup. “We have had a 100 per cent safety record for every single match over the last 15 years in this country and, as we sit today, we are confident that we will have a safe event,” he said. There is no doubt that South Africa is focussing on the safety and security of those fans that will travel to the country during the Confederations Cup and World Cup. It certainly seems as though the country will be very safe and secure during the tournaments, leaving a legacy for those that remain after the final whistle has been blown.

Can The Home Nations Ever Qualify Together Again?

At the moment it seems highly unlikely that England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland will play together at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. But it wasn't always this way, for fifty years ago the four home nations did just that. Still, it wasn't an easy road to get there, nor a fast one. The British countries haughtily withdrew from FIFA in the early part of the century and thus did not even attempt qualification for the first three tournaments. By the time of the World Cup's resumption in 1950, though, they were back in the fold. England qualified for the first tournament by winning the British Home Championship ahead of Scotland; the Scots, also invited to compete, turned down the chance to do so due to their not being champions of the home nations. The then-combined Ireland team, run under the auspices of the IFA, and Wales finished far behind.1954 saw the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland - the IFA team - field separate teams for the first time in qualification, but the situation remained the same with England and Scotland taking the two qualification berths. This time, though, the Scots agreed to take part in the final tournament (yet, in what was to become a recurring theme, they fell at the first hurdle once in Switzerland.) Then came the historic year of 1958, and qualification for all four home nations. The Home Nations Championship by this time did not serve as passage to the final tournament, so England squared off with the Republic of Ireland and Denmark to qualify; the Scots ousted Spain and Switzerland; Northern Ireland edged Italy and Portugal, and Wales, although runners-up to Czechslovakia in their qualification section, got into the tournament via the most obscure of back doors. Israel were compelled to take part in a play-off to qualify, but Sudan, the African representatives drawn against them, refused to participate. An extra European team was hurriedly sought; Belgium said no, so Wales, as third choice, faced Israel, and beat them twice by two goals to nil to qualify. The tournament proper was one of mixed success. Wales and Northern Ireland advanced to the next stage; England, facing Brazil and the USSR in what was a tough group, fell out at the first round, while Scotland picked up the wooden spoon by managing just a single point in a group containing France, Yugoslavia, and Paraguay. Since that tournament there has been not a single World Cup in which all four of the UK countries appeared. Sure, England were to reach the quarter-finals in 1962 before winning the whole thing; Scotland's team of 1978 left the country with high expectations and then came home after the first round; Northern Ireland stunned the world in Spain in 1982; but overall there have been several cases of non-qualification - not least that of Wales, who haven't managed to reach the finals at all since their lucky entry in 1958. Indeed, 1994 saw precisely zero of the home nations take part. USA '94 had Scotland finish way off the pace behind Italy, Switzerland, and third place Portugal; Northern Ireland couldn't manage to match the feats of the Republic or Spain, who qualified from Group 3; Wales were three points off success behind Romania and Belgium; and England's inability to beat the Netherlands saw them finish behind both the Dutch and Norway. As for the present day, England are looking to return to major tournament play after missing out on Euro 2008, and they seem to be on track to do so: four wins from four thus far tells its own story. The 'Norn Iron' outfit, too, sees Northern Ireland sit proudly in second place of Group 3, although most of their competitors have a game in hand. Wales have lost out narrowly to both Germany and Russia, severely denting their already-slim hopes of qualification, and Scotland, who haven't been at a World Cup since France '98, look like missing out again after dropping points to Macedonia and Norway. Nothing short of a win against the Netherlands this weekend will do, and that looks like a forlorn hope. So, will we ever see all four at the World Cup again? Who knows. Then again, this whole question may be irrelevant. There are moves afoot to resurrect the United Kingdom team to compete at the London Olympics in 2012, with some fearing that any attempt at doing so will spell the end for the individual national sides...

Italian Football Is Not In Crisis

It was inevitable, and understandable. Serie A is pummelled 3-0 by the Premier League, and immediately Italian football is described as being on its knees. “Again Calcio is in crisis,” cried La Repubblica. “Italy - an Empire that once ruled the continent. English football utterly dominant,” boasted The Telegraph. “The league has fallen so much that a number of locals claim Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the best player in the world. He probably just about deserves a place in the top 20,” sneered The Daily Mail. Powerful stuff but, for the second season running, it has been a disastrous year in Europe for Serie A. Last term, Milan and Inter were both eliminated in the last 16 by Arsenal and Liverpool respectively, while only Roma made it to the quarter-finals, where they were comfortably seen off by eventual champions Manchester United. This time around, Juventus, Inter and Roma were all dumped by English opposition, meaning there is not a single Italian team in the draw for the last eight. So is Serie A really in crisis? In order to answer this question, we need to analyse the reasons why Italy were on the receiving end of a 3-0 defeat. English Superior In Defence For many years, Italian clubs, just like the national team, built their strength on indestructible defences. Just think back to the Inter of Facchetti, Burgnich and Picchi, the Juventus of Scirea, Gentile and Cabrini, and the Milan of Baresi, Maldini, Costacurta and Tassotti – these were legendary backlines that were almost impossible to break down. Perhaps partly due to the fact that Italy are not producing the abundance of stoppers they once were, the defences of Inter, Juventus, Roma, and Milan for that matter, are far from water-tight. Indeed, with the exception of Arsenal, who are an organisational wreck at times, the English Big Four have far superior defences. Man Utd and Liverpool did not concede a goal in four games against the Italian and Spanish champions, which speaks volumes. Squad Depth Arsenal could afford to lose their two star players, Cesc Fabregas and Emmanuel Adebayor, and still unleash a first team brimming with quality and technical ability. Chelsea were missing the world class Ricardo Carvalho, but were able to replace him with Brazilian international Alex. Man Utd have so many attacking options that Sir Alex Ferguson had the confidence to start Wayne Rooney on the bench at San Siro, and not use Carlos Tevez in either leg. The Italian clubs, however, were struggling to get a team together as soon as a few players cried off injured. Roma were forced to field three players who were no more than 50 per cent fit, as well as move a left back, John Arne Riise, into the centre of defence. Juventus had to scrap their usual 4-4-2 formation and go 4-3-3 as they didn’t have enough midfielders. Even Inter, who have a huge squad by Italian standards, were considering using Esteban Cambiasso at centre-back at Old Trafford because they had no faith in Nelson Rivas. Injuries Nevertheless, we could spin this argument around and say that Roma and Juventus were ravaged by injuries during these ties. The Giallorossi were missing six first team players last night, fielded a 50 per cent fit Totti and Pizarro, lost Juan and Taddei to injury during the match, and moved Riise into the centre of defence after half-an-hour. Juventus had their entire first-choice midfield out against Chelsea in Turin after losing Nedved early on, and could not even count on first team replacements Cristiano Zanetti and Paolo De Ceglie. As mentioned above, this forced them to play a 4-3-3. Inter can have no complaints in this department. As it worked out, they were only handicapped in the centre of defence. Bad Luck Last year, Italy lost to England because they were inferior on the pitch. This year, bad luck played a huge role in the 0-3 reverse. As I argued in my debate yesterday, if you analyse both games from Juventus-Chelsea, then it was the Bianconeri who probably deserved to go through. Roma were simply perfect last night, despite their own horrific injury situation. Ahead at 1-0, they were denied a blatant penalty, while Julio Baptista missed two easy chances, including a sitter from six yards with 10 minutes to go that would have put them through. Only the lottery of a penalty shootout denied them. Inter were deservedly eliminated, as they were second best at San Siro. However, they had their moments last night, and dominated spells of the first half. Ibrahimovic missed a host of chances, as did Dejan Stankovic, and the Nerazzurri hit the woodwork twice. If Lady Luck had been shining on Italian teams, they could have won two of these ties very easily. Referees This brings us nicely to the referees. There can be no denying that once again the key decisions in these last 16 ties went the way of the English clubs. Juventus were dominating against Chelsea when Chiellini was red carded on 70 minutes, despite clearly winning the ball in a challenge on Didier Drogba. Roma were leading 1-0 when Marco Motta was pulled down by Gael Clichy, inside the area, right on the stroke of half-time. Ninety-nine referees out of 100 would have pointed to the spot, such was the scenario, but not Manuel Enrique. While on a Spanish subject, Real Madrid were humiliated 4-0 at Anfield, but Fernando Torres’ opener proceeded a blatant foul on Pepe, and Steven Gerrard’s penalty that made it two was awarded for a non-existent handball by Gabriel Heinze. The referee from this game? The same Frank De Bleeckere who controversially sent off Inter’s Marco Materazzi at this stage of the competition last term. Calciopoli Italian football, and all its needless politics, can only blame itself for this. Calciopoli badly damaged Serie A’s image, Juventus were set back five years, Milan also moved the wrong way, while financially the league and clubs suffered. Europe’s top players thought twice before moving to a league supposedly ridden by corruption, while the media machine in England milked the controversy to champion the Premier League and discredit Serie A at every opportunity. It is a long road to regain credibility. Financial Power Of English Teams Italian clubs just do not have the monetary muscle of the English clubs, who can offer higher transfer fees and wages for players. There is already so much money in the Premier League from television and marketing before we even talk about the rich foreign owners who are plasticizing the English game. The worldwide economic crisis may have some affect, but I strongly endorse Michel Platini’s plans to prevent clubs from “cheating” by spending money they do not make as businesses. The '6+5' proposition would also help to even up the playing field for the rest of Europe, who clearly cannot compete financially with England. English Psychological Edge Having gone through such a bad run of form – just one win in the last 12 knockout games against English opposition – it is clear that mentally Italy are suffering. The tie was there to be won for Roma against Arsenal, but they lacked that bit of belief to finish off the job. Even when they went ahead in the penalty shootout, Mirko Vucinic could not hold his nerve and sustain the lead. After a while, a psychological barrier starts to form, much like Inter’s constant European failures, and this is something that needs to broken. Final Word Italian football most certainly is not in crisis, and the league has come on leaps and bounds from last season. The Premier League Top 4 is stronger on paper than its Italian equivalents, but it most certainly did not deserve to win 3-0. Unlike last year, when England were streets ahead, injuries and bad luck were the key factors in the final scoreline this campaign, and as Francesco Totti said last night: “It just wasn’t meant to be.” Juventus have the spine of a potentially dominant team and, if they can only make two or three top class signings, they are perhaps Italy’s best hope over the coming years. Inter are still a powerful machine, but need to add a bit of creative unpredictability to their squad. Milan have some rebuilding to do, but they still possess genuine world class players in Kaka and Pato, and their European pedigree is never in doubt. Perhaps a problem in Serie A is that its quality is spread too thinly. You could pick out two or three players from every top half team who would be good enough for Inter, Milan or Juventus. In the Premier League, you would be lucky to find five players in the whole championship capable of making the Man Utd, Liverpool, Arsenal, or Chelsea substitutes bench. There is likely to be a lot of disappointment around the peninsula following this week’s results, but there are some positives to take. Marcello Lippi should be pleased with the performances of a host of promising youngsters. Marco Motta was one of the players of the last 16 at right back, Inter played with two 18-year-old Italians in Davide Santon and Mario Balotelli, while Claudio Marchisio and, in particular, Sebastian Giovinco, impressed for Juventus. These players, despite their tender years, all proved themselves to be good enough for this level of football. The English teams, overloaded with foreigners, cannot point to any young English players (barring Theo Walcott) who are coming through and shining at this level. Congratulations to the Premier League, but Serie A is not in crisis.