Serie A

“Are We Stronger? We may be less experienced than others, but we are racking up points…” – Soccer Style

Published

4 weeks ago

09/23/2025

Staff

Napoli-Pisa – Conte suffers more than expected, but eventually bends (3-2) the still well-played team of Gilardino.

Conte against Pisa makes fewer changes than expected, despite the effort displayed by Napoli in Manchester to try to contain the impetuous progress of Guardiola’s team with one man less.

Napoli, Conte’s words

The coach of Napoli, Antonio Conte, commented on the victory to Sky.

Match
“It’s never easy to win. We played against a physical team: they have speed and acceleration, as well as an intensity that places them among the top teams in these statistics. When you have opponents who can handle challenges, it becomes a problem. In the first half, we struggled to make diagonal passes with the midfielders: but we are happy to have achieved four victories, there are six-seven teams of excellent level.”

Lucca
“I hugged Lucca because he is working hard and entered the field well. When I talk about calmness and preach prudence, I say it for this reason: unlike others, we do not have a settled squad to go through a season with different commitments like the Champions League, the Coppa Italia, and the Supercoppa. The players come from different backgrounds and find the Scudetto on their shirts: you play with high expectations. Unlike others, we have to work on the field to grow and improve, but sometimes you don’t have time and experience comes with patience. When I hear talk of a big market, that’s another thing.”

Europe
“Certainly, playing gives you experience and you can train. For us, this season will be the most complex: in the squad there are 9 players, you are putting half a team with players coming from other backgrounds. You have to be patient, accept mistakes because the shirt weighs heavy. Compared to teams that regularly play in Europe, we are not settled. This brings physical and mental stress.”

Manchester
“You have to be good at high pressing and when the team makes you play deep. Before Di Lorenzo’s expulsion, you could see the game plan. After 18 minutes, it’s inevitable, you have to hope to defend and bring home the result. However, everyone is starting to understand that there are different phases of the game: everyone comes to press you high, even City no longer has the same pressure as before. Even a coach like Guardiola, yesterday at Arsenal’s home, wanted to bring home the result.”

Then to DAZN.

Performance
“Starting with four victories is never easy for anyone, having done it gives us satisfaction. Before, I heard talk about the squad issue: I am reiterating that we made transfers because we had to fill a squad that did not exist before. Whether it is an important market or not is to be evaluated. We have taken players from different backgrounds, they need time, I have already said it in the press conference. This will be the most complicated year for us because unlike others who have experienced the Champions League and already had the squad, we find ourselves with many players who need to gain experience. This requires patience, understanding, and waiting for these players to grow because we cannot always play with the same eleven. We are taking risks in progress. If you put nine players in, it means you have put half a team in and therefore you will encounter difficulties, also because you have the Scudetto on your shirt.

Transfer Market
“I am happy because Lucca is working hard, but he comes from a different background. He needs to feel the new level. Training is also important because you train with high-level players. Patience is needed. When I hear people say ‘important market’, I say important in terms of numbers because if you average out nine acquisitions, even if you spend 150 million, it’s 15-20 million per player. Important players have a different cost, from 50-60-70 million. It’s another thing. The story of Lucca applies to all the others who arrived this year from a different background. Lucca is eager to work and learn, it will be up to me and the staff to try to enhance their football knowledge. If you think we have taken players ready to play in the Champions League and everything, I say that we have taken players who need time and time is not there, so we take risks. We have taken Hojlund who is young and was not playing at Manchester United.”

Spinazzola
“He had the tendon problem at the best moment of his career, when we won the Euros in 2021. But he has quality, he has physicality, if he is focused for 98 minutes he is a top player. In fact, he is playing.”

Standings
“We are looking at the progress. We have already gathered 12 points and this is important. It’s important to start on the right foot. Then we know very well that Milan has the structure of a team that made the Champions League last year. Those who played in the Champions League or Europa League have already structured squads, which Napoli did not have. I repeat: we have taken nine players and everything depends on the growth of these players who have come from different backgrounds. We need calm, patience, and acceptance if mistakes are made at times.”

Good morning
“We have to see what he had, we will make evaluations. Hopefully, it’s nothing serious otherwise this guy has to go get blessed.”

Antonio Conte’s celebration after Gilmour’s goal (Photo by Salvatore Fornelli)

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Serie A

Milan, Leão found: from second striker to pivotal player

Published

4 hours ago

10/20/2025

Staff

Milan, the Portuguese forward scores a brace and suggests that he can express his full potential as a second striker. Allegri has found the key to relaunch him.

Rafael Leão is back, and he did it in the most spectacular way possible: with a brace that led Milan to victory and back to the top of the standings. After a month and a half on the sidelines and some lackluster performances, the Portuguese responded on the field with a display of personality, clarity, and determination.

Against Fiorentina, the Rossoneri striker found the back of the net in Serie A at San Siro after 512 days, as reported by Opta. The first goal was a trademark move, with acceleration, a sharp dribble, and an unstoppable right-footed shot past De Gea. The second, from a penalty, showcases the maturity of the new Leão, who secured the 3 points against Fiorentina with a precise right-footed strike.

Milan, Max’s idea for a new Leão

But the real secret of this revival lies in the change of position. In the first half, Allegri had deployed him as a center forward, a role that restricted him with few movements, many errors, and little impact. In the second half, with Gimenez coming on and Saelemaekers widening the play, Leão returned to move freely between the lines, as a second striker. And there he found himself again.

RAFAEL LEAO SORRIDENTE ( PHOTO BY SALVATORE FORNELLI )

Free to roam, receive the ball, and take on his marker, the Portuguese has returned to being the game-changer. Allegri knows this well, and in a Milan that wants to stay at the top, Leão can be the ultimate weapon, as long as his creativity is utilized without constraints.

In short, it is clear that Leão performs best a few meters further back, where he can light up the game and inspire his teammates. After difficult weeks, Milan has found its star player again, perhaps at the most challenging time of the season given the absences of Pulisic and Rabiot.

The post Milan, Leão found: returns decisive as 2nd striker first appeared on Calcio style.

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Serie A

“One of the most challenging situations I have experienced in my career” – Football style

Published

20 hours ago

10/19/2025

Staff

Against Como, Juventus suffered their first defeat of the season under the guidance of Igor Tudor, who has not found a victory in almost two months.

Thanks to goals from Kempf and Nico Paz, Como defeated Juventus 2-0, ending Juventus’ unbeaten streak. The team under Igor Tudor suffered their first loss of the season.

This defeat confirms the already difficult period the Old Lady was going through, given the five consecutive draws in their recent matches in the league and Champions League.

IGOR TUDOR URGES DUSAN VLAHOVIC ( PHOTO BY SALVATORE FORNELLI )

Juventus, tough times for Tudor

The main culprit for the negative trend Juventus is experiencing is undoubtedly coach Igor Tudor. After the first three consecutive wins in the league, his team has failed to secure a victory.

One reason could be attributed to the fact that the Juventus coach has not been able to give a clear identity to his team. This is evidenced by the numerous lineup changes and the constant rotation of players on the field.

The most obvious example is in the attacking department, where David, Openda, and Vlahovic constantly interchange without definitively establishing a fixed starter.

This situation was further complicated by the recent injury to Bremer, who will be out for more than a month. His absence will weigh heavily on Juventus and has already been felt in the defeat against Como. It is indeed a challenging time for Tudor, who must find a solution to turn things around.

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Serie A

Atalanta-Lazio, official line-ups: the decision on Krstovic

Published

1 day ago

10/19/2025

Staff

Cagliari-Bologna ends 0-2 at Unipol Domus, with goals from Holm and Orsolini. Clinical Emilians, Sardinians never dangerous

At Unipol Domus Cagliari-Bologna ends 0-2 thanks to goals from Holm and Orsolini. Italiano’s team manages with maturity and strikes at key moments, while Pisacane’s Sardinians struggle to react and come away empty-handed.

Cagliari-Bologna, the match

Bologna starts with more conviction and immediately tries to threaten the Cagliari defense, which responds with an organized but ineffective attitude. The red-blues seek opportunities on the wings with Felici and Esposito, while Italiano’s men keep the center of gravity high and manage possession better. The first caution of the match comes in the 13th minute, with Miranda punished for a handball on Palestra’s run.

The visitors grow as the minutes pass: Odgaard and Bernardeschi ignite the offensive play, while Caprile has to intervene several times to defend the Sardinian goal. In the 26th minute, Cagliari finds the net with Felici, but the goal is disallowed for an offside position of Adopo, who obstructs Ferguson in the action. A few minutes later, in the 31st minute, Bologna takes the lead: Bernardeschi’s corner, a header by Odgaard, and a winning tap-in by Holm, who scores his first goal of the season.

Cagliari reacts in the final minutes of the first half with a great opportunity: in the 42nd minute, Prati releases Felici in open space, but Ravaglia is superb in deflecting the shot for a corner. On the counterattack, Odgaard again tests Caprile, but the first half ends with a 0-1 scoreline.

In the second half, there are no immediate changes, but Cagliari tries to turn the game around. Cambiaghi attempts from distance, but finds a weak shot easy for Caprile. In the 53rd and 54th minutes, the first substitutions arrive: Zappa makes way for Borrelli, while Felici is replaced by Luvumbo to bring freshness to the attack.

The visitors start to catch their breath, and Italiano decides to make changes: in the 59th minute, Orsolini comes on for Bernardeschi, and a minute later Lykogiannis replaces Miranda, strengthening the defensive phase. On the other side, Pisacane responds with offensive moves: Mina off for Ze Pedro and Prati for Gaetano, in an attempt to increase attacking presence and find more unpredictability between the lines.

The match remains lively and intense. In the 62nd minute, Ferguson is cautioned for a foul on Palestra, then Folorunsho squanders a good headed opportunity, sending the ball high from a favorable position. In the 65th minute, play is halted for a few minutes due to a physical issue for Odgaard, while in the 71st minute, Luvumbo protests for an alleged handball by Ferguson, but referee Marchetti lets play continue.

In the final minutes of the game, Bologna comes close to a third goal, and Cagliari risks a heavier defeat. In the 85th minute, referee Marchetti awards a penalty to the visitors for a contact between Folorunsho and Holm in the penalty area. After a brief interruption, the match official is called to the VAR for a review on the monitor: the check confirms that there is no penalty, and play resumes with a simple throw-in.

Shortly after, in the 88th minute, the final substitution for Italiano’s team arrives: Holm, the scorer of the opening goal, exits to applause from the visiting fans, and De Silvestri comes on to strengthen the defensive phase and manage the result.

Bologna holds their ground until the final whistle and closes the match with a 0-2 victory, taking three valuable points from Unipol Domus, the first away win for the Emilians in this Serie A, thanks to goals from Holm and Orsolini, confirming the solidity and growth of Vincenzo Italiano’s team.

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