Alessandro Del Piero Confident Juventus Have Overcome Bad Spell

Juventus striker Alessandro Del Piero has seen his team-mates smile again, and play with lots of enthusiasm, as the positive results are rolling in for the Bianconeri.

The Turin giants remain the only team left in the Europa League, after the elimination of Roma by Greek side Panathinaikos.


"In this period, the results are finally arriving. The team is satisfied that we progressed through to the next phase of the competition," the 35-year-old stated to Corriere Dello Sport. "With the elimination of Roma, we are the only Italian side left in the tournament.

"I am disappointed that Roma could not go further than they did. It would have been great for Italian football."

'Pinturicchio' also revealed something about how coach Alberto Zaccheroni approached this evening's match.

"The coach evaluates every opponent, and the situation the side finds itself in. It is then up to the players to follow his instructions.

"At the start of the season, I had many injuries, and suffered. But now that I am fit, I am pleased to be playing a vital role for the team," Del Piero concluded.

Roma Midfielder Rodrigo Taddei On Sevilla Radar

According to rumours coming out of both Spain and Italy, Roma midfielder Rodrigo Taddei is being closely monitored by Sevilla. He may be on the verge of signing a new deal with the Giallorossi, but the Spanish club are interested in the player

The Brazilian midfielder is set to sign a contract extension in the coming weeks that will see him stay at the Giallorossi, but the Spanish outfit will do their best to lure him away from the Eternal City, Novantesimo.it reports.

Taddei's current deal runs out at the end of the season.

Genoa are also in the hunt, wanting to capture the signature of the 29-year-old.

Goals from Marco Borriello and Pato were enough to give the Rossoneri an easy win and a vital three Serie A points

Bari were no match for an efficient AC Milan side who bagged three important Serie A points to erase the recent memory of Champions League defeat.

Milan were hoping to use the game as a chance to recover from the recent loss to Manchester United in the Champions League. For Bari the task was simple, make the misery worse and bag a vital three points.

The first half was a frustrating one to watch. Milan had plenty of the ball but were not doing enough to convert this into a good lead. However, they stuck to their task and stretched the advantage in the second 45, never looking back.

Bari made the slightly better start as Barreto went racing down the wing in the fourth minute. Gattuso was having none of it and raced over to clear the danger and any early chance of a threat against Milan.

Milan struggled in the early moments to find their feet. Passes were going out of play and either too long or short. If Bari could get an early goal then it could help them when Milan improved later in the game.

Ambrosini missed a great chance just before the quarter of an hour mark when he fired over. Pato did well to beat the full back, progress along the by line and cut the ball back before it was sent into row z.

Bari were not to be outdone and a good little move nearly put them ahead. Meggiorini found a little space on the edge of the area but couldn’t get enough power behind his shot as a Milan defender came across to clear.

Pato stood menacingly over a free kick on the 20 minute mark but the Milan star hit a poor effort. The ball broke through the wall but lacked pace and swerve. The Bari goalkeeper went down and smothered the ball easily.

There were Bari shouts for a penalty on 30 minutes. Bonera seemed to be manhandled by Barreto during a corner but the referee waved away the protests and booked the home player for good measure.

Bonera missed a good chance to get in behind the Bari defence when he misread a Ronaldinho piece of genius. The Brazilian moved his feet too quickly to play the ball and Bonera just did not read it as the ball was quickly hoofed away from danger.

Milan had the best chance of the first half with only minutes remaining. Pirlo played a ball forward, which fell into the path of Borriello. The front man cracked his effort at goal only for a defender to sweep and clear it off the line as it was rolling in.

However, he did not have to wait long for another chance and he took it to put Milan 1-0 up. Ronaldinho played a world class pass to the striker who hit it on the volley first time and drilled it into the corner.

The second half started in much the same way as the first. Milan controlled the ball in the middle of the pitch and waited patiently for a chance to edge forwards and increase their lead.

Pato missed a great chance to put Milan 2-0 up in the 50th minute. He timed a run well and got onto a through ball before the goalkeeper. The front man poked the ball towards goal and it rolled just wide of the far post.

Bari kept going and Donati went close with an effort from all of 30 yards. He curled the ball towards the Milan goal forcing Abbiati to dive. The goalkeeper looked panicked but the ball went just wide.

Milan put together a superb passing move on the hour mark. At least six or seven players were involved before Ronaldinho sent over a cross, which was just behind Pato who put his head in hands immediately as the goal was gaping.

Barreto smacked a stunning free kick at the Milan goal as the game headed towards the final 20 minutes. The ball dipped slightly and forced Abbiati to tip it over. It was a clear sign that Bari were still in the game as Milan’s lead was only a single goal.

Milan really needed a second and it came as the game entered the final stages. Pato slotted in after Ronaldinho had a fizzing effort saved. Jankulovski did well to start the move and there seemed no way back for Bari from here.

The away team looked happy to sit on their two goal lead. A number of substitutions were made to soak up time as Milan played keep ball along the back line and across the midfield.
The comfort of Milan’s performance was finalised as Ronaldinho started to pull out all of the party tricks and skills.

However, the last few minutes saw Bari earn a penalty as Pato committed a striker's challenge in the box, but it was not their day and Abbiati made a fantastic stop to deny Barreto once again.

Roberto Baggio To Play In Haiti Charity Match

Former Azzurri stars Paolo Maldini and Roberto Baggio are set to play in a charity match, raising funds for the Haiti earthquake disaster on February 26.

The match will be played in Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela, with a host of other big name superstars playing in the name of charity.


Luis Figo, Edgar Davids, Fernando Hierro and Rui Costa are also confirmed starters for next week's match, according to TMW.

With proceeds going to the Red Cross, the South American contingent includes Ivan Zamorano, Juan Pablo Sorin and Jorge Campos.
By Rick D'Andrea on goal.com

Jose Mourinho Angered At Penalty Not Awarded Against Napoli

Inter coach Jose Mourinho is furious that his side were not awarded a penalty against Napoli, as the referee did not see the incident.

The tactician also believed that the match deserved a winner, and not for it to finish in a scoreless draw.

"I don't know if it is the result that a match such as this deserved. Napoli played well in the first half, and we did better in the second," Mourinho told TMW post-match. "Despite this, they had a very good chance to score through [Fabio] Qualgiarella.

"After the match, I paid my compliments to the referee [Rosetti], as I liked the way that he handled the match, and some of the decisions he made.

"I work from the sidelines, and therefore am too far to see if a penalty should be given, which I am told was clearly there. I don't know why he didn't whistle for it.

"If we exclude this episode, he did very well. But, he has gotten several of these 'single' episodes wrong against us, and we don't know how many more he will get incorrect in the future," the coach added.

Juventus Star Diego: We’re All To Blame

Juventus' attacking midfielder Diego is adamant the Italian giants have what it takes to turn their season around after last night’s 1-1 draw away to Livorno left them without a win in Serie A in their last five outings.

Diego’s failure to make a big impact since his €25 million summer move from Werder Bremen has often been blamed for Juve’s poor displays in recent weeks, but the 24-year-old is adamant the club’s problems are widespread.


“We don’t seem capable of scoring goals and converting all the chances we create, but that’s what we have to do,” he told Mediaset Premium after the Armando Picchi clash.

“It’s true we struggled in the first half, but improved considerably after the interval. But we need a victory. If you don’t win it’s difficult and nothing changes, that’s the problem.

“Personally I don’t think I’m finding it more difficult in Italy, it’s an overall problem. I feel fine, but if we don’t win, things get more difficult. We must keep working hard.

“We can all do much better, including me. Our morale is still intact. We know what our qualities are and what we have to do to find a solution.”

Juve lie sixth in the standings and could find themselves six points behind the Champions League places if Napoli defeat Udinese this afternoon.