Ronaldo the Savior?

Following a shock 3-2 defeat against Milan at home in the Champions League, and an even more shocking defeat to Alcorcon 4-0 in the Copa del Rey, many Real Madrid fans are calling for injured star Cristiano Ronaldo to return to action to “save” the team before it is too late.

The ahem always modest Ronaldo has quickly calmed the Madrid faithful by saying “We are not going through a great moment but neither am I the savior.” Ronaldo’s comments went on to imply that it’s unrealistic for fans to expect one player to turn the team around. While I believe it is fundamentally true that one man does not make a team, I do not believe it is out of line for Madrid fans to put pressure on Ronaldo to “save” them.

Considering that Ronaldo scored five goals for Madrid in five La Liga games, all of them wins, and the fact that the £80 million transfer man’s yearly salary is roughly that of Alcorcon’s entire team, I would be hard pressed to find a Madrid fan who would not claim that Ronaldo is the key component of the Madrid lineup.

I believe that Ronaldo should not return from injury before he is ready just to please the fans, but at the same time I think Ronaldo needs to recognize his importance to both his team and the fans.

In short, when your team is struggling, and your most talented and highest paid player is injured, fans have every right to hope that his return will be the thing the team needs to turn the season around. Ronaldo should not take the idea of being a “savior” as added pressure, but instead look at it as a vote of confidence by the Madrid fans.

A return against struggling rivals Atletico Madrid on November 8th could be the perfect situation for Ronaldo to begin his campaign to save the Madrid season.

Stars Are Ready for Season Debut

While a Liverpool versus Arsenal match is always an interesting affair, the prospect of seeing two stars make their Premier League season debuts in the match makes the game all the more interesting.

Arsenal’s Samir Nasri and Liverpool’s big money signing Alberto Aquilani are both set to make their season debuts in Wednesday night’s Carling Cup match between Liverpool and Arsenal. Nasri is returning from a broken leg suffered in pre-season training, while Aquilani is coming back from a thigh injury.

The fact that both men are making their return from injury against one another forces me to choose which player I’m more interested in seeing play.

After blowing a two goal lead this weekend against West Ham, Arsenal would love to have Nasri in the lineup to boost their offense (as well as Theo Walcott). However, Nasri has already played a successful season in the Premier League, and has had time to gel with his teammates, which makes his return a little less compelling.

I am more interested in seeing Aquilani make his Premier League debut.

With Liverpool struggling, and Rafa Benitez’s job seemingly on the line, now more than ever Alberto Aquilani’s presence seems to be needed. Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres have both missed time with injury this season, and Liverpool’s title chances seem to slip away the more their star players are off the pitch.

As a Serie A fan, I am interested in seeing how Aquilani makes the transition from the Italian game to the English game. Will Aquilani be able to adjust to the size and speed of the players in the Premier League? Will the language barrier be a factor in his performance? Is Arsenal too tough of a team to make a debut against? Will Aquilani ever be worth his transfer fee?

All these question could be answered Wednesday after what is shaping up to be a very interesting Carling Cup match.

Messi Was Wasted

Usually when you hear about a soccer player partying at a nightclub, you don't get to see a video of them acting in a drunken state. 

However, this video which has been going all around the soccer community, is of Lionel Messi wasted out of his mind following the Champions League Final in Rome. 

Messi was stumbling all around, and his teammates had to try and keep him from falling over.

Since we all know that Europeans can't drink as much as Americans, (and Messi is pretty much European by now) I'm assuming Messi had about 3 beers.

Your View: Maldini's Last Game

This past weekend was AC Milan captain Paolo Maldini's final game. 

Maldini spent his entire 20+ year career with Milan and was the consummate professional, and a mentor to many of the Milan players. 

In the past game Maldini has allowed to be the "4th" substitute during the game, to allow the fans to cheer Maldini for a final time. 

Even if you are not an AC Milan fan, it is impossible not to appreciate a player like Maldini, and the impact he made on the game of soccer in general. 

Only time will tell if Maldini becomes involved with the team again in some way, but for now I say thank you to a true legend for the many years of great service.

Here is a nice video of Maldini's final moments as a Milan player:

What do you think about Maldini's career and final game?

Poll Result

To the question, "Is Racism a Problem in Serie A?"

79% said Yes

20% said No

Therefore the readers of Il Mondo di Calcio believe that racism is in fact a problem in Serie A.

This poll was conducted as a response to the situation involving Juventus and Inter Milan when Inter's Mario Balotelli was racially abused by Juventus fans.

Thank you for voting on the poll, and keep voting!

Ancelotti To Chelsea? Mass Migration on the Way?

Despite the months of denying that he was interested in leaving Italy for the rainy shores of England, AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti has left the Italian giants to become the new coach of Chelsea. 

While Avram Grant and Guus Hiddink have had good years as manager of Chelsea in the past, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovic believes that Ancelotti is the right man to bring Chelsea to European glory.

Chelesa players such as John Terry seem very happy with the move, and have immediately urged Ancelotti to try and sign players like Carlos Tevez and Franck Ribery. 

Further bad news for AC Milan fans was also present as Milan owner Adriano Galliani said it would be difficult to resist another large offer for Kaka and Pato from large European clubs. He said that many of the players have taken Ancelotti's exit to heart, and some were crying after learning that he had left.

As an AC Milan fan, this is a terrible situation for the club. The team has already had 1 emotional exit, as longtime captain Paolo Maldini retired, and now this. 

I am also very disappointed that Ancelotti wound up leaving after saying he had no interest in the job only a few weeks ago.

Best EPL Blog

Hey everyone, the other website that I write for, Premiership Talk, has been nominated for the best English Premier League Blog award by EPL Talk.

I would really appreciate it if everyone could follow the link below, and vote for Premiership Talk.

http://www.epltalk.com/best-epl-blog/

-Thanks

Mike

Have You Seen This Goal?

In this edition of Have You Seen This Goal, another Manchester United player makes his presence known.

Carlos Tevez has made it perfectly clear that he is not happy with the way Man United has been treating him, and is very mad that the team has not offered to extend his contract that ends at the end of this season...

Putting all the controversy off the field behind him, Tevez scored a fantastic back heel goal against Wigan, which sparked a 2-1 comeback for United.

United now only need 1 point in their next 2 games to clinch the Premier League title, and Tevez is once again making a case (which didn't need to be made) for why he should be re signed.

Diego is Coming to Serie A

A new superstar is well on his way to joining the Serie A.

Brazilian and current Werder Bremen star Diego has reportedly signed an agreement that will bring him to Juventus for the next 5 years. 

Diego's agent said that since Juventus is a company traded on the stock exchange, they cannot announce the transfer until May 31st.

For those of you unfamiliar with Diego, he won the Bundesliga Player of the Year award in 2006-2007, and currently has his squad in the UEFA Cup finals. 

I'm excited for this move to happen as a Serie A fan, but I'm not happy as an AC Milan fan. 

If you remember back to when AC Milan was in the UEFA Cup, it was Diego and Werder Bremen that knocked Milan out. Diego looked fantastic the entire game, and he seems to play really well against Serie A competition. 

What are your thoughts on the move?