Claudio Ranieri's Roma Renaissance
The reborn Wolves travel to reigning champions Inter, whose whole season is suddenly on the line across eight days.
IN THIS ISSUE:
KEVIN DE BRUYNE DEPARTS / VARDY’S LAST PARTY / HARRY KANE’S FIRST MEDAL / FA CUP SEMIFINALS / EL CLÁSICO CUP FINAL / THE SUPERCLÁSICO
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It was crushing defeat in the Coppa Italia this week for Internazionale, and to next-door neighbors A.C. Milan no less. With that semifinal exit, the treble that Inter were loudly pursuing this season has evaporated. Now there are merely two competitions they’re in a good position to win: the Champions League — if they can get past Barcelona in the semifinal — and Serie A.
The latter is where they’ll meet Roma this weekend for another highly difficult encounter, even at the San Siro. The visitors have not lost a league match since December, an incredible turnaround from a frankly disastrous opening period of the season, and they’ve zipped up the table to compete for a Champions League place. At the heart of it all is Claudio Ranieri, the 73-year-old Roman who came out of retirement to manage his hometown club for one final chapter (maybe) of a lifelong football romance.
Here to get into all that ahead of kickoff is Alasdair Mackenzie, Rome-based writer for TNT Sports, Destination Calcio, Total Italian Football and more:
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Or check it out on APPLE PODCASTS🍎
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LONG READS
⚽︎ On Subtack, declares that the soon-departing Kevin De Bruyne changed Pep Guardiola and changed English football in the process.
⚽︎ And on the same platform, says Kevin De Bruyne’s fate is a testament to “football’s loyalty lie.”
⚽︎ The Guardian and The Athletic both have looks at the stunning story of Jamie Vardy as he prepares to leave Leicester City as the club’s greatest-ever player.
⚽︎ What’s the deal with Gabriel Martinelli? On Substack, explores the frustrating inconsistencies of Arsenal’s “last man on the left.”
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MORE MATCHES
HARRY KANE GETS A MEDAL?
Sat @ 9:30am ET, 2:30pm UK
This could be the day that the Spursiest man alive becomes a Bavarian world-beater. It’s BAYERN MUNICH vs MAINZ and BAYER LEVERKUSEN vs AUGSBURG, all in the same match window, and if Bayern win and Bayer fail to match them, Harry Kane will secure his first medal as a professional footballer. It’s an astounding state of affairs for one of the past decade’s top players, but he’s poised to exorcise the Tottenham spirits, this weekend or next.
FA CUP SEMIFINAL #1
12:15pm ET, 5:15pm UK
It’s CRYSTAL PALACE and ASTON VILLA vying for a place in the FA Cup final, not that Wembley has been overly kind to either of them in recent times. Palace have made the showpiece match twice, in 1990 and 2016, losing to Manchester United on both occasions. Villa were last there in 2015, when they got blasted by Arsenal, 4-0. They also lost to Chelsea in 2000, their first appearance since winning it back in 1957.
Palace have never won it, but they did turn in a decent performance at the Emirates in midweek and Oli Glasner has a few tricks up his sleeve. For the Villans, this is the chance to take something tangible from a very memorable season, one where they very nearly found themselves in a Champions League semifinal.
CUP FINAL CLÁSICO
Sat @ 4pm ET, 9pm UK
It’s the final of Spain’s oldest national football competition, the Copa del Rey, and it’s a meeting of the nation’s two greatest teams and storied rivals. BARCELONA have won this thing 31 times, way ahead of REAL MADRID on 20, but the latter will be highly motivated to salvage something from what’s becoming a very disappointing season.
Madrid’s standards are lofty to be sure, but a Champions League quarterfinal exit was not what Carlo Ancelotti needed when they’re also four points behind Barça in La Liga. For the Calatans, on the other hand, the treble is still on. If they win this and the league and find a way past Inter in the Champions League, they’ll be on the brink of the unthinkable with such a young squad. All that is something Madrid will feel they simply must prevent.
BOURNEMOUTH vs MAN UNITED
Sun @ 9am ET, 2pm UK
This is certainly the lowest-stakes affair in this week’s match map, but Manchester United are just box office and Bournemouth are a treat to watch on their good days.
The Cherries are no longer in the European hunt after a really poor run of nine points from their last 10 matches. United have an identical record over that span, but with nothing to cheer about before that. Incredibly, Ruben Amorim’s side are still seeking the points they need to clear the 40-point threshold traditionally associated with safety from relegation. If the newly promoted sides weren’t so poor, Manchester United could be in a genuine relegation scrap in April.
FA CUP SEMIFINAL #2
11:30am ET, 4:30pm UK
NOTTINGHAM FOREST have won this competition twice, though not since 1959, and they have not made the final since they lost to Tottenham — Jesus! — in 1991. MANCHESTER CITY were there last May, of course, when they contrived to lose to Manchester United.
That was supposed to be the cherry on top of last season’s sundae for Pep Guardiola’s men, but this time around it’s the only morsel left on the table after a disappointing campaign in the league and in Europe. They don’t need the FA Cup, but they could very much use it. Forest, meanwhile, are looking for their own cherry atop a fabulous season where they’re on pace to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Also in this window, LIVERPOOL host TOTTENHAM for what could be a title-clinching day out at Anfield.
RIVER PLATE vs BOCA JUNIORS
Sun @ 2:30pm ET, 7:30pm UK
There is no local spat with more spite than this one, with the possible exception of the Old Firm up in Glasgow. The Superclásico is life and death, simple as, even though it seems to be played quite a few times per season. It never fades, never wavers, and that’s why I was so eager to kick off the Friday podcast with an examination of Argentina’s biggest game. This one’s on the bucket list to be sure, but until we can get to the Bombonera or the Monumental, we’ll need to make do with catching this one on TV. What a way to close out the Sunday.
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GEAR
👕 A Classic Football Shirts spring sale? You know we’re going in on this one, and the above is one of two Jamaican national team numbers that’s highly recommended.
👕 We’re also partial to this Real Madrid warmup. Not for the faint of heart, sure, but it’s a statement-maker.
👕 Bonus! A sale is a sale, and for $45, this Newport County third shirt deserves consideration. You can represent The Exiles over the last few weeks of this season as they fight to stay in the Football League.⚽︎
Wow, thanks for the shout Jack! Amazing company there.
Thanks for re-posting the Martinelli article! Glad you enjoyed - great company, and a phenomenal selection of garments there!