Juventus v Internazionale – as it happened | Paolo Bandini
Invincible? Ten months on from his appointment as the Juventus manager, Antonio Conte is yet to taste defeat. Second in the Serie A table and through to the final of the Coppa Italia, his team might have drawn as often as they have won in the league
West Brom v Newcastle – as it happened | Paolo Bandini
Papiss Demba Cissé scored two as the Magpies' first-half blitz secured an easy winAfternoon folks Just the one Premier League game this afternoon, so here's hoping it's a good'un. Recent history suggests it probably should be; the last eight league me...
Serie A may be no country for Inter’s Massimo Moratti any more | Paolo Bandini
The owner's dismay at his club's decline from treble winners in 2010 is made worse by the return of Silvio Berlusconi at MilanFor Tommy Lee Jones, substitute Massimo Moratti. Tired, ageing and increasingly overmatched by the hostile world in which he o...
‘Napoli kept dream alive right to the last moment, then they woke up’ | Paolo Bandini
There was sadness in the Italian press after Napoli's Champions League exit at the hands of Chelsea, but a lot of pride tooGazzetta dello Sport's front-page headline catches the mood of the Italian sporting press perfectly: "Thanks Napoli. You tried." ...
Ezequiel Lavezzi heads to Chelsea with his – and Napoli’s – confidence soaring | Paolo Bandini
Adored perhaps more even than Edinson Cavani, Ezequiel Lavezzi's imperfections make him more identifiable to fansSome jokes just don't translate. "Ezequiel Lavezzi has such a hard time seeing the goal that when he gets home he has to enter through a wi...
Football transfer rumours: Peter Odemwingie to Arsenal? | Paolo Bandini
Today's stodge is keeping things quietYou don't need the Mill to tell you that these are troubled economic times. One in five people who left university within the past two years is out of work, according to the Office for National Statistics, and unem...
Rome derby delight helps Lazio manager Edy Reja sleep easier at last | Paolo Bandini
Sweet dreams have been hard to come by for the Biancocelesti boss, but victory switched the pressure to his opposite numberYou could hardly blame Edy Reja for trying to resign. The Rome derby was still 11 days away when Lazio's manager handed in his no...
Milan’s ‘ghost goal’ against Juventus leaves Serie A on a knife-edge | Paolo Bandini
Sulley Muntari's disallowed goal drew the headlines in a match that was contentious but enthralling nonethelessThe Milan supporters behind the press box in the Tribuna Rossa craned their necks, trying to catch a replay on the journalists' TV screens. O...
Italian press hails Napoli’s victory for financial prudence
• 'Chelsea might have bigger names, but not the inspiration'• 'Chelsea's defence is a masterpiece of disorderliness'Gazzetta dello Sport described it as "extraordinary normality". A team such as Napoli – one with a wage bill a fraction the size o...
Inter’s latest let-down put in proper perspective by a nine-year-old | Paolo Bandini
After another horror show, the match with Marseille is already being billed in some quarters as decisive for Claudio RanieriAt San Siro on Friday night, a lesson for all supporters with an axe to grind. The most effective way to ensure your message get...
Novara fans left wishing they could play Internazionale every week | Paolo Bandini
The remarkable off-field story of Emiliano Mondonico now has an on-field addition, after Novara did the double over InterThe more things change, the more they stay the same. Almost five months have passed since newly promoted Novara, playing their firs...
Juventus’ Alessandro Del Piero rolls back years to see off Inter | Paolo Bandini