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Argentina have won the World Cup twice – in 1978 and 1986 – but at Qatar 2022 The Albiceleste wrote its name in the history books quite differently.

According to sports data group Gracenote, Argentina’s 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia in their Group C fixture is the biggest upset in World Cup history.

Led by Lionel Messi, ranked third in the world, unbeaten for three years and among the favorites to win the 2022 tournament, many expected Argentina to sweep Saudi Arabia with 48 places separating the two teams in the world rankings.

All the pre-match talk focused on Messi, one of the greatest players in the world who is probably playing his last World Cup.

The Argentina captain netted an early penalty to put his side ahead, but two second-half goals from Saleh Al-Shehri and Salem Al Dawsari turned the game upside down.

Al Dawsari’s incredible distance winner – and ensuing acrobatic celebration – will become one of the highlights of this – or any – World Cup, and no doubt, in time, a “I was there” moment for fans.

According to Gracenote, the most surprising previous victory in the World Cup was the victory of the United States against England in 1950, in which the American team had a 9.5% chance of victory.

But Saudi Arabia’s chances of winning on Tuesday were estimated at 8.7%, meaning the Green Falcons take first place.

Gracenote said it uses the “company’s proprietary football ranking system to identify the most shocking upsets in the 92 years of the World Cup”.

But what were the other big surprises of the World Cup?

Diego Maradona conquered the world at the 1986 World Cup, delivering a succession of spectacular individual performances as Argentina won their second title.

Four years later, the tournament was hosted by Italy and Maradona entered the World Cup after guiding Italian club Napoli to an iconic Serie A title.

Argentina’s opponents in the Italia 90 opener were a Cameroonian side who had been knocked out of that year’s Africa Cup of Nations in the group stage and had recently recalled Roger Milla, so 38 years old, who had not played for the Indomitable. Lions for three years.

Cameroon didn’t let Maradona play, fouling him almost every time the Argentine magician touched the ball – so much so that the African side finished the match with nine players.

However, a header from Francois Omam-Biyik in the second half was enough to give Cameroon a famous win.

France won the World Cup on home soil in 1998, beating Brazil 3-0 in the final, then won Euro 2000 two years later and were strong favorites to retain their world title in South Korea and Japan .

France’s first match was against a Senegal side making their World Cup debut.

The former French colony was clearly up for the game. With iconic players such as El Hadji Diouf, Khalilou Fadiga and current Teranga Lions head coach Aliou Cisse, Senegal went for the throat of their beloved opponent.

Diouf put in a spectacular performance, but it was the unsung Papa Bouba Diop who scored the game’s only goal to secure a stunning win for Senegal.

Things went from bad to worse for France as the defending champion failed to reach the round of 16, finishing last in their group.

Another African nation making their debut, Algeria, faced West Germany in a group that would change the World Cup forever.

West Germany entered the game as one of the tournament favorites after winning all qualifying matches. The team were so confident that manager Jupp Derwall said he would “jump on the first train for Munich” if they lose.

That arrogance came back to haunt Derwall as a totally unknown Algerian side dominated West Germany.

The North Africans took the lead in the 54th minute through Rabah Madjer, before Karl-Heinz Rummenigge equalized 13 minutes later. But from the kick-off, Algeria went up the other end of the field to regain the advantage.

Despite the famous win, Algeria won’t make it out of the group, partly because West Germany secured a 1-0 victory over Austria – a result that saw both European teams qualify for the next round at the expense of Algeria.

Since the “Disgrace of Gijón”, the last group matches of the World Cup have been played simultaneously.

Prior to the 1950 World Cup in Brazil, football had been fully professional in England for decades, although this was the England side’s first appearance at a World Cup after opting out of the three previous tournaments.

England faced an American team made up of semi-professional and amateur players including a gravedigger, a dishwasher and a postman.

But those amateurs pulled off the first big upset of the World Cup as Joe Gaetjens’ header late in the first half was enough to secure a remarkable victory for the United States.

Maurizio Sarri would rather walk his dog Ciro or buy a John Fante novel.

“I will not watch the World Cup,” he said. “I’m too pissed about what the Qatar host has done to the fixture list.”

The Lazio coach’s smoking habit hasn’t dampened it.

“I see it as an insult to football. If someone is able to explain to me what the Qataris have done for football, apart from their investment in PSG, I might change my mind.

Sarri’s counterpart at Juventus, Massimiliano Allegri, was more diplomatic.

“I am a coach and when they tell me to play, we play. When they tell us to stop, we stop. It’s not like we can do anything about it anyway.

It was like that in the spring of 2021 when the season was interrupted for three months by the COVID-19 pandemic, an experience still fresh in memory and undoubtedly useful to the medical services and physical trainers of the clubs.

Old plans for an abbreviated second pre-season will come in handy again next month, although no one can predict what effect this break will have on the flow of Serie A.

Napoli are eight points clear and running away with the Scudetto so much that having a World Cup now doesn’t seem so out of place. The title race seems done and dusted off even if there are still almost two thirds of the season to play.

So why did the Gazzetta dello Sport declare: “It’s not over” on Monday?

Well, third-placed Juventus have won six league games in a row. Inter Milan, fifth, took 18 points from 21.

And the champions, the closest challengers to Naples?

“Of course we still believe in it,” AC Milan technical director Paolo Maldini said after their stoppage time win over Fiorentina on Sunday. “Last February we entered the Derby della Madonnina seven points behind Inter and we managed to win the championship. We know that it will not be easy to maintain this pace until the end of the season. season.

After all, history is not on Milan’s side. Nobody with such a lead after 15 games has managed to win the title.

It sometimes seemed very easy for Napoli. Too easy. They were 3-0 up again within an hour on Saturday before the next World Cup and the winter break allowed a level of complacency to set in. Udinese then scored twice and nearly left Diego Armando Maradona with just one point to miss.

“It doesn’t take much for everything to change,” said Napoli coach Luciano Spalletti. But his team never ceases to surprise him. They saw complicated games, won away against Milan, Roma and Atalanta, faced injuries to Amir Rrahmani, Andre-Frank Anguissa, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Victor Osimhen.

“Napoli only lost four points,” observed Allegri. “They could potentially finish the first half of the season with 53 points, which means nobody wins the league this season with less than 90 points.”

Perhaps the Serie A record of 102, set by Antonio Conte in his 2013-14 farewell season at Juventus before taking the Italy job, is in jeopardy.

Advanced metrics show Napoli outperforming their xG, but they still top Serie A in terms of xG difference and other key performance indicators.

Beyond Napoli, hope rests in Inter’s victory over Spalletti’s men at the San Siro in the clubs’ first match after the World Cup and the winter break on January 4. Psychologically, it would be interesting to see how Napoli would react if that happened.

Competition is also expected to be stiffer in 2023. Juventus will regularly have ‘new January signings’ such as Paul Pogba and Federico Chiesa in the squad. Milan could yet rediscover the defensive solidity that underpinned the title win last season, while summer signing Charles de Ketelaere has more to give.

The Champions League knockout stage could also throw a spanner in the works of Napoli – the last two Serie A champions had left this competition in the group stages and were able to focus on domestic affairs in the second half of the season.

And yet Napoli seem elusive.

Spalletti has already won championships, in 2010 and 2012 with the Russian Zenith Saint Petersburg. He also led Roma to a club-record 87 points in his final season six years ago, a tally (obscured by Francesco Totti’s retirement drama) that would have been enough to win the Scudetto over the course of two of the last three years.

Osimhen currently leads the scoring charts with nine (and would become the third Capocannoniere to play under Spalletti) while the defense was the stingiest in Italy last term with 31 conceded.

This begs the question: should the league even return after Christmas?

Joking aside, Napoli exceeded expectations and Kvaratskhelia was the signing of the season by far after his move from Dinamo Batumi to home Georgia, with honorable mentions for teammate Kim Min-jae, Roma’s Paulo Dybala and Atalanta . Ademola Lookman.

What a drama!

Dybala’s fantastic effort cut the bar and fell past Nemanja Matić who struck home a late equalizer for Roma pic.twitter.com/ZEzdQjWNHA

— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) November 13, 2022

Right now, it would be surprising if this season’s final top four were different from last year’s.

Atalanta have lost four of their last five games. Roma are already too dependent on Dybala and fly to Japan for a winter training winless in three league matches, including a defeat in the Rome derby, and with Jose Mourinho in purge mode.

Nevertheless, four points is all that separates Juventus from Roma in seventh position. The league is bunched up in some places and stretched out in others. Napoli are in a league of their own, but six teams are in contention for Europe. Ten are in no man’s land in the middle of the table and the last three are already adrift.

Whatever your belief, the fate of two former champions, Verona and Sampdoria, in the latter category and with only five and six points respectively after 15 matches is desperately sad.

Both clubs could be content to find a buyer during the winter and need to take inspiration from Salernitana’s great escape last season.

Unfortunately, Serie A’s Harry Houdini Davide Nicola is unavailable to try and save them.

His next trick was to turn Salernitana into a side that could finish in the top half of the table. They are 12th, two points behind Fiorentina, 10th. Nicola picked up where he left off after losing just one of the last eight games in 2021-22 and would have been more talked about if he hadn’t already done the impossible last season.

Along with Napoli and Udinese, Salernitana must classify as the team of the season so far, with wing-back Pasquale Mazzocchi establishing himself in an Italian squad that unfortunately won’t be at the World Cup.

Roberto Mancini will preside over friendlies against fellow non-qualifiers Albania and Austria over the next fortnight, and after helping Wilfried Gnon become the national team’s youngest ever goalscorer in Turned 18 this summer, he hasn’t finished yet. .

True to his style, he brought in 16-year-old Udinese playmaker Simone Pafundi after his performances with the Under-17s (four goals and two assists in five appearances).

Born in March 2006, Pafundi was less than four months old when Fabio Cannavaro won the World Cup in Berlin. It will only be 20 years old when the United States, Canada and Mexico co-host its next edition.

It’s still absurd that Italy are not in Qatar, their second missed World Cup in a row.

Napoli’s start to the season, the prospect of Italy having their fourth different champions in as many years and the teetering Kvaratskhelia proved a welcome distraction, as did crises at Juventus and Inter.

But now the World Cup is upon us and Serie A cannot return soon enough.

(Top photo: Filippo Monteforte/AFP via Getty Images)

A-series

Milano will be the host Fiorentina at San Siro on the 15th day of the 2022-23 Serie A season on Sunday, November 13, 2022. Here you will find the kick off time for this Italian league football match and how to watch or stream it live for free in your country. For example, you can watch it on Paramount+ in the United States and fuboTV Canada in Canada.

It will be their 165th league meeting. No surprise here as AC Milan have been the head-to-head favourites, winning 75 games so far; ACF Fiorentina have celebrated a win 45 times so far and 44 games have ended in a draw so far.

Their most recent match was on May 1, 2022, when the game ended in a narrow 1-0 victory for the Rossoneri in the previous Serie A season 2021-22. It promises to be an even more exciting clash as they meet for the first time in the 2022/2023 Serie A season.

Milan vs Fiorentina: Kick-off time

Argentina: 2:00 p.m.
Australia: 3:00 a.m. (next day)
Bangladesh: 10:00 p.m.
Belgium: 6:00 p.m.
Brazil: 2:00 p.m.
Cameroon: 5:00 p.m.
Canada: 12:00 p.m. (ET)
Costa Rica: 10:00 a.m. (next day)
Croatia: 6:00 p.m.
Denmark: 6:00 p.m.
Ecuador: 12:00 p.m.
Egypt: 6:00 p.m.
France: 6:00 p.m.
Germany: 6:00 p.m.
Ghana: 4:00 p.m.
India: 9:30 p.m.
Indonesia: 11:00 PM
Iran: 7:30 p.m.
Ireland: 5:00 p.m.
Israel: 6:00 p.m.
Italy: 6:00 p.m.
Jamaica: 11:00 a.m. (next day)
Japan: 1h00 (next day)
Kenya: 7:00 p.m.
Malaysia: 00:00 (next day)
Mexico: 11:00 a.m. (next day)
Morocco: 5:00 p.m.
Netherlands: 6:00 p.m.
New Zealand: 5:00 a.m. (next day)
Nigeria: 5:00 p.m.
Norway: 6:00 p.m.
Poland: 6:00 p.m.
Portugal: 5:00 p.m.
Qatar: 7:00 p.m.
Saudi Arabia: 7:00 p.m.
Senegal: 4:00 p.m.
Serbia: 6:00 p.m.
Singapore: 00:00 (next day)
South Africa: 6:00 p.m.
South Korea: 1h00 (next day)
Spain: 6:00 p.m.
Sweden: 6:00 p.m.
Swiss: 6:00 p.m.
Tanzania: 7:00 p.m.
Trinidad and Tobago: 12:00 p.m.
Tunisia: 4:00 p.m.
Uganda: 6:00 p.m.
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: 7:00 p.m.
UK: 5:00 p.m.
United States: 12:00 p.m. (ET)

Milan vs Fiorentina: TV Channel and Live Stream

Argentina: ESPN2 Argentina, ESPN3 Argentina, Star+
Australia: beIN SPORTS 3
Belgium: Sports, Eleven Sports 1 Belgium
Brazil: Star+
Cameroon: SuperSport GOtv Select 1, DStv Now, SuperSport Variety 3
Canada: fuboTV Canada
Costa Rica: Star+
Croatia: Arena Sport 4 Croatia
Denmark: TV2 Play Denmark
Ecuador: Star+, ESPN3
Egypt:STARZPLAY
Finland: C Plus Sport 2, C Plus Suomi
Germany: DAZN
Ghana: DStv Now, SuperSport GOtv Select 1, SuperSport Variety 3
India: Sports18, Voot Select, Sports18 HD
Indonesia: beIN Sports 1 Indonesia, Vidio, beIN Sports Connect Indonesia
Iran: STARZPLAY
Ireland: BT Sport app, BT Sport 1, BTSport.com
Israel: UN2
Italy: SKY Go Italy, DAZN214 DAZN Area
Jamaica: ESPNPlay Caribbean
Japan: DAZN
Kenya: DStv Now, SuperSport Variety 3, SuperSport GOtv Select 1
Malaysia: beIN Sports Malaysia, beIN Sports Connect Malaysia
Mexico: Star+, ESPN Mexico
Morocco: STARZPLAY
Netherlands: Ziggo Sport Voetbal
New Zealand: beIN Sports Connect New Zealand, Sky Sport 7 beIN Sports
Nigeria: SuperSport Variety 3, SuperSport GOtv Select 1
Norway: TB+
Poland: Eleven Sports 2 Poland
Portugal: Sports TV2, Sports TV Multiscreen
Qatar: STARZPLAY
Saudi Arabia: STARZPLAY
Senegal: SuperSport Variety 3, DStv Now, SuperSport GOtv Select 1
Serbia: Sports Arena 2P
Singapore: StarHub TV+, beIN Sports Connect Singapore, beIN Sports Singapore
South Africa: SuperSport Football, SuperSport GOtv Select 1, DStv App, MáXimo 360
Spain: Movistar+, Movistar Champions League 5
Sweden: Discovery+, C Plus Sweden, C Plus Football
Swiss: Sports Blue, Sports Blue 13
Tanzania: SuperSport GOtv Select 1, DStv Now, SuperSport Variety 3
Trinidad and Tobago: ESPNPlay Caribbean
Tunisia: STARZPLAY
Uganda: SuperSport GOtv Select 1, SuperSport Variety 3, DStv Now
United Arab Emirates: STARZPLAY
UK: BT Sport 1, BTSport.com, BT Sport app
United States: Paramount+

Bologna travel to Inter Milan in an Italian Serie A showdown on Wednesday on Paramount+. The visitors have been playing well lately, winning four games in a row in all competitions. They face a tough opponent in Inter Milan who have dominated at home and are motivated to climb out of seventh place in the Italian Serie A table. You can see what happens when you stream the game now on Paramount+ and get a 30-day free trial with promo code UEFA22 (expires 11/18/22).

Kick-off from the San Siro Stadium in Milan is scheduled for 2:45 p.m. ET on Wednesday. The latest Inter Milan v Bologna odds from Caesars Sportsbook list Inter Milan as -340 favorites on the 90-minute money line, with Bologna as +850 underdogs. A draw costs +440 and the over/under of total goals scored is 3.5. Wednesday’s game will be streamed live on Paramount+ with their must-have Premium package, which you can try free for 30 days with promo code UEFA22.

Paramount+ is the only place to watch every minute of every Serie A game this season. A subscription also gives you access to other sports content, including the UEFA Champions League and Europa League, NWSL, NFL on CBS, and countless movies and shows. Use promo code UEFA22 to get 30 days free of Paramount+ until November 17 when you sign up here.

How to watch Bologna vs Inter Milan

• Inter Milan vs Bologna date: Wednesday, November 9
• Inter Milan vs Bologna time: 2:45 p.m. ET
• Live stream Inter Milan v Bologna: Paramount+ (use code UEFA22 for 30 days free)

Italian Serie A picks Bologna over Inter Milan

Before you tune in to Wednesday’s game, you need to see football insider Brandt Sutton’s Italian Serie A picks. Sutton, a former college football player, has been SportsLine’s top editor for more than five years. He has been following football closely for much longer and considers managerial tactics, projected line-ups and past performance to make the most informed decisions possible, keeping his finger on the pulse of the game all over the world. He’s also been on a roll with his best bets, going 144-110-1 in his football picks this year, returning over $2,100 for $100 bettors,

For Inter Milan against Bologna, Sutton chooses Inter with a handicap of 1.5 for a payment of -120. The Nerazzurri have four consecutive shutouts at the San Siro in all competitions and have scored 10 goals in the process. Lautaro Martinez is leading the way with six goals in 13 appearances, and the pundit believes he will find the back of the net on Wednesday with Bologna in town.

Bologna have just one road win in the Serie A season, although that win came recently as they beat Monza 2-1 on October 31. Inter are a much tougher team though, which can lead to even the slightest mistake. the back of the Bologna net.

“Given the recent success at the San Siro, I support Inter to secure victory in a convincing manner,” Sutton told SportsLine. “Look for Lautaro Martinez to make the difference against a Bologna side who have conceded 19 goals this season.” Stream the game here.

How to watch, live stream Italian Serie A on Paramount+

Now that you know what to choose, get ready to watch the Italian Serie A. Visit Paramount+ now to see Italy’s Serie A, your local CBS sports events live, some of the best soccer games in the world, and more. Use promo code UEFA22 to get 30 days free.

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Winning Group A of the 2022 UEFA Champions League may be too big for Liverpool in their group stage final against Napoli on Paramount+, but they could still head to the knockout stages on a high. The Reds host the Blues and seek revenge on Tuesday after the 4-1 loss with which they opened group play. Both clubs are on course to become the top two teams in the group, but Liverpool need a positive result as they have lost two of their last three matches on aggregate. You can catch all the action when you stream the match live on Paramount+, which you can try free for 30 days with promo code UEFA22.

Kick-off from Anfield to Liverpool is scheduled for 4pm ET. The latest Liverpool v Napoli odds from Caesars Sportsbook list Liverpool as -127 favorites (risk $127 to win $100) on the 90-minute money line, with Napoli as +295 underdogs. A draw costs +305, and the most/under goals is 3.5. Tuesday’s game will be streamed live on Paramount+ with their essential Premium package.

Paramount+ is the only place to watch every minute of every UEFA Champions League game this season. From now until November 17, sign up using promo code UEFA22 to get 30 days free of Paramount+. A subscription also gives you access to other sports content, including the UEFA Europa League, Italian Serie A, NWSL, NFL on CBS, and countless movies and shows. Get 30 days free by signing up here and using promo code UEFA22.

How to watch Liverpool v Napoli

• Liverpool vs Napoli date: Tuesday, November 1
• Liverpool vs Napoli time: 4 p.m. ET
• Live stream Liverpool v Napoli: Paramount+ (30-day free trial with code UEFA22)

UEFA Champions League pick for Napoli vs Liverpool

Before you tune in to Tuesday’s game, you need to see football insider Brandt Sutton’s UEFA Champions League picks. Sutton, a former college football player, has been SportsLine’s top editor for more than five years. He has been following football closely for much longer and considers managerial tactics, projected line-ups and past performance to make the most informed decisions possible, keeping his finger on the pulse of the game all over the world. Sutton has also been on a roll with his best bets, going 139-109-1 on his best football bets in 2022, and has been on the safe side of each of his last six Champions League picks.

For Liverpool against Napoli, Sutton backs Napoli to cover the narrow half-goal gap as the money-tying underdogs. Apart from the fact that Napoli have already won the reverse game convincingly and Liverpool’s recent form leaves something to be desired, the Reds will be shorthanded in another great game. Top defender Joel Matip (calf) and striker Diogo Jota (calf) have each made just eight appearances in total this season and remain out on Tuesday.

Although Napoli shouldn’t be motivated to score goals, that doesn’t mean they won’t be able to create chances in front of the net. Although the opponents had the second lowest percentage of shots on target against Liverpool in the Champions League game (25.6%), they had the 19th highest expected goal rate in the competition at 6.5 . Clubs playing Liverpool also recorded the sixth highest number of expected goals per shot (without penalty), at 0.12. The Reds haven’t been in their best form, and their defensive efficiency figures indicate that a few quality opportunities in attack are all Napoli should need to keep the scoreline close enough to cover on the road.

“Jurgen Klopp’s men have struggled this season in the English Premier League and have lost back-to-back games against bottom-dwellers Nottingham Forest and Leeds United,” Sutton told SportsLine. “I can’t trust the Reds against a Napoli side who have yet to lose this campaign.”

How to watch, live stream UEFA Champions League on Paramount+

Now that you know what to choose, get ready to watch the UEFA Champions League. Visit Paramount+ now to see UEFA Champions League action, your local CBS live sports events, some of the best soccer games in the world and more. Try Paramount+ free for 30 days with code UEFA22.

Luciano Spalletti has too often been the bridesmaid of Italian football. please let him win this time.

Who is it then?
Luciano Spalletti is a 63-year-old born in Certaldo in Tuscany and is currently the manager of Napoli, who sit at the top of Serie A unbeaten and came through their Champions League group by giving Liverpool their ass in their game at home at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium. He drives a Fiat Panda and has a pet duck. He’s damn brilliant.

He was not a professional footballer and played for Serie C clubs such as Entella, Spezia, Viareggio and Empoli, eventually leaving the game to become head coach at Empoli, which was then in the third tier of Italian football. He led them into the top flight after back-to-back promotions in 1995/96 and 1996/97.

For several years he moved from club to club, leading Sampdoria for a year, in two different spells, moving to Venezia for a pretty terrible 18 months and then to Udinese for a dreadful three months. The next step for Spalletti was a six-month spell at Udinese for a 40% win rate before returning to Udinese. That was odd in itself as his first 11-game spell produced just two wins and an 18% win rate.

But he turned things around in the next three seasons, taking them from 14th to sixth, seventh and in 2004/05 fourth in Serie A and a Champions League spot, courtesy of David Di’s 21 goals Michelle.

That performance with a little-known club landed him the gig at Roma, which he managed for 224 games over four years. He used Francesco Totti as a false nine when no one had really heard of the false nine (even though Uruguay probably used it in the 1930s) and others like Pep Guardiola would be mistakenly hailed for it. to have invented.

He got three consecutive second places in Rome, won the Coppa Italia twice and the Supercoppa once. Along the way, he broke the record for consecutive wins, picking up 11 in February 2006. He won back-to-back Serie A Coach of the Year awards in 2006/07 and 2007/08. Totti scored a remarkable 32 goals in 2006/07.

However, after finishing sixth in 2008/09 and a poor start to the season, he quit.

His next concert was at the new Zenit St Petersburg. He stayed there for three and a half years, 184 games and 57% win rate, winning two league titles and two cups. But since he hadn’t won anything for three seasons, he was sacked. He took 20 months away, then returned to Roma for 198 months, made them third and second, managed Edin Džeko to 39 goals and qualified for the Champions League. It was his thankless task to effectively pull off the superhero, Totti – something he did was not unskillful and graceful.

His next job was at Inter Milan in June 2017 for two seasons and two fourth places. But it wasn’t a happy marriage, the club wanted Antonio Conte to come in and look like an angry gnome, so Luciano parted ways in the summer of 2019 and took two years off before taking over Napoli. Last year they finished third.

It wasn’t enough for Napoli’s ultras who wanted him sacked, so much so that when his Fiat Panda was stolen they said they would get it back if he promised to quit. They felt that after leading the league for part of the season, they had fallen to third place and wanted someone to blame. I bet they’re glad he didn’t now because this season they’ve made 11 league appearances, won nine and drawn two.

The fact is, while others were hailed as heroes, he was Italy’s near-coach, never having won Serie A but finishing second and third on several occasions. Will this be his year to win the title? Some wonder if Napoli will be a good bet for the Champions League and their style of ‘sprezzatura’ has yet to suggest that is particularly unlikely.

Why love?
Italian football longhair James Horncastle said of our man: “Luciano Spalletti is one of the influential, innovative and counter-cultural managers that Serie A has produced over the last 15 years, and we get belatedly a certain recognition of what a fine strategist he is.

Presumably, his career in football management has left him with a healthy bank balance which makes his choice to drive a Fiat Panda all the more endearing. Proof that the coolest people are never the ones trying to be cool. He also has a huge collection of football shirts and the aforementioned pet duck. He could easily have been the Chelsea manager, as Roman Abramovich told him about it while he was in Rome, but he didn’t feel ready to do so as he didn’t speak English.

His Napoli side this year are one of the best to watch in Europe playing an expansive and wide kind of game with Georgian Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who arrived from FC Dinamo Batumi this summer for 10-12 million euros, opening the way with seven goals. and eight assists.

Kim Min-jae, signed from Fenerbahce for 18 million euros to replace Kalidou Koulibaly, has started very well. Giacomo Raspadori has been loaned out by Sassuolo and is playing superbly with five goals so far. The whole team plays according to a well-conceived plan.

Guillem Balague said Napoli are “a team that plays on an idea, everyone thinks the same way, it doesn’t build individual talent, you all have to think in one direction – chasing the ball, counter-attacking, but six stay behind the ball – things that don’t make you personally shine but benefit the team.

And Spalletti himself endears himself to European football fans by playing in front of the camera, doing all sorts of hand gestures and also wearing what appears to be some sort of space-age jumpsuit, which for a man 63-year-old man, is quite a distinctive look that conjures up the thought of the competitive grandpa shouting at his grandkids playing football for school.

three big moments
Some of his enigmatic hand gestures.

His Napoli side beat Ajax

The Rangers moved aside.

Future days?
His current contract ends next summer and it seems likely that he will get some sort of extension if this top form continues. Obviously injuries can take their toll and you wonder if Napoli have the quality depth in their squad to cope if they do. They haven’t won the title since 1990 in the Maradona years and it’s their best chance to do so.

He’s come so close to winning Serie A so many times that most neutrals will be cheering him on to do so this campaign, not least because Napoli are a fantastic team to watch and play with style and panache and that’s thanks to Luciano Spalletti.

READ NEXT: Liverpool join Portugal among Champions League winners; Spain, Simeone, Juve are sacred losers

Italian journalist Fabrizio Biasin believes that at this stage there is virtually no room for error in Inter’s Serie A title race.

Speaking to Italian media outlet Calciomercato.it’s Twitch channel, as reported by FCInter1908Biasin felt the Nerazzurri needed to keep growing and avoid further slip-ups given their position in the Serie A table.

Inter have managed three league wins in a row, which, coupled with their heroism in the Champions League, suggests they are a side that have recovered from their initial poor form.

However, the effects of this poor start to the season remain.

Inter have a big gap to fill on the likes of Napoli, AC Milan, Lazio, Atalanta and Roma at the top of the table.

The Nerazzurri can hardly rely on all of these teams to seriously falter, so if their goal is to catch up, they will have to be practically perfect themselves.

Looking back on Saturday’s win over Fiorentina, Biasin said ‘if you concede three goals in a game you still have problems’.

“Compared to the sinkhole of a few weeks ago, everything has changed although there may also be some mental fatigue,” he continued.

“Now the disadvantage they gave themselves at the start of the season means they have no room for error if they want to win the Scudetto.”

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Italian journalist Giancarlo Padovan believes Inter are still in contention for the Serie A title.

Speaking to Italian radio station Radio Napoli Centrale, Padovan felt that although the Nerazzurri are far down the table, they are still on the hunt, while he praised coach Simone Inzaghi for handling the situation. in the middle of the field.

Eight points is a big gap for Inter to make up for on Napoli at the top of the Serie A standings.

Based on this, it would be difficult to name the Nerazzurri as title favourites.

However, as Padovan points out, it would be difficult to completely rule out the Nerazzurri.

A recent turnaround is a testament to the quality of the team, as well as their ability to function as a cohesive team despite adversity.

The way Hakan Calhanoglu replaced Marcelo Brozovic in particular showed the versatility and adaptability of this Inter side.

When asked if he considered Inter out of the title race, Padovan replied “In my opinion, no”.

“I would put the Milan teams among the serious candidates for the Scudetto, I always have the opinion that the Nerazzurri, especially since they still have Lukaku to come back.”

“Inzaghi did very well to put Calhanoglu in place of Brozovic,” he added, “which they barely missed.”