Serie A Preview: Risorgimento Edition

March 17th is not just for the Irish. Anyone with any Italian connections also has reason to celebrate the day, as it is the anniversary of the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy. History!

Sure, Italian-Americans are supposed to celebrate Columbus Day, but what right-minded liberal history teacher is going to do that?

Instead I say we celebrate the day that the hard work or patriots and politicians alike finally payed off and the beginning of the nation that brings us Serie A every week was announced. If you think my writing is flowery, just check out this interesting piece from La Gazzetta dello Sport, which explains the quest for Italian unification in a way that football fans can understand. Yeah, suck on that, Austrians.

Italian football could use its own Risorgimento right about now. Franz Beckenbauer recently gave his frank assessment of the state of football in Italy and while taking cues from Germans has never really worked out for Italy, I must agree with some of his key points.

Attendance at Serie A stadiums is pretty dreadful. But the problem might not be the quality of the product on the field as much as it is the quality of the actual stadiums themselves. As Der Kaiser mentions, an international tournament could be just what Italy needs to build new venues or have existing structures refurbished.

I’m not sure I buy the idea that top players are no longer attracted to Serie A, but the lack of Italian teams remaining in European competition this year lends some credence to Beckenbauer’s statements.

It won’t be easy to reclaim the lost Champions League place or rebuild the league’s reputation in the eyes of many skeptical foreign football fans, but I bet putting together a then loosely-defined country wasn’t a piece of cake either.

So in honor of yesterday’s anniversary, and because I am a proud Italian-American and a huge nerd, enjoy a little history with this weeks previews. Let’s get to the matches!

Lazio v. Cesena: Rome was always the thorn in the side of Italian patriots. Mazzini and Garibaldi played major roles in capturing the city and declaring it a republic in 1849, only to have it yanked out from under them the same year. When the Kingdom of Italy was proclaimed in 1861 Rome was chosen as the capital, despite the fact that it wasn’t even technically in the kingdom yet. It would still take almost another decade before the Eternal City finally took its rightful place.

The city plays host to the seahorses of Cesena this week, who come to town looking to take points off of another high-profile opponent and keep the relegation zone at bay. Cesena did very well to draw Juventus at home last week but find themselves up against a Lazio side wounded by its derby defeat which saw the club leapfrogged by Udinese. Bogdani will be the target man as usual for Cesena and Marco Parolo, who scored the equalizer against Juve, has been putting in some quality performaces.

Lazio needs to start seeing more scoring from its frontmen if they are going to reclaim the fourth spot. Kozak and Zarate have been too quiet lately and perhaps Sculli should begin to get more looks after his brace that sunk Palermo two weekends ago. Mauri continues to put in a good campaign in the midfield. I think Lazio’s strength will ultimately prevail in this match. 2-0 to the hosts.

Palermo v. Milan: The city of Palermo had a real history of opposition to foreign rulers and faced obliteration when insurrections supporting the recently landed Giuseppe Garibaldi (thanks, Britain!) broke out in the streets. The expedition of Garibaldi and the Thousand began in earnest in Sicily. Without these events its possible that Southern Italy would have been left out of the first “unified Italy” altogether.

Always root for the Redshirts

Garibaldi is one of the most fascinating characters in modern history. And also a total badass. Is it any coincidence his volunteers wore red? Probably, but still, take that Inter.

Milan will see what they’re made of without Ibra this week. Palermo’s blabbermouth of a chairman has provided plenty of bulletin board material for the Rossoneri and I for one am excited to see what sort of partnership Pato and Cassano can create. It’s been good to see Boateng getting back into form, but if I have to sit through another Luca Antonini performance I might hurl. Here’s an analogy that EPL fans can understand: Antonini is Milan’s Alan Hutton.

After a strong start to the season Palermo has fallen into a miserable slump that I can only hope continues this week. Their slide can largely be attributed to a very leaky defense but they also haven’t scored in 4 Serie A matches! With some of the attacking talent they have, that won’t last for long. I think they’ll break that duck this weekend, but Milan’s duck will eventually break them. 1-2 for the Rossoneri, a brace for Pato.

Fiorentina v. AS Roma: From 1865 to 1870, before the addition of Rome, it was Florence that actually served as the Italian capital.

La Viola have little chance of getting back to Europe next season but have improved their lot dramatically after the winter break. Undefeated in 4 Serie A matches, they’ve still yet to find a consistent source of goals, though I must say that Gilardino has quietly had a solid season. A lot of credit should also go to big Artur Boruc in the Fiorentina net.

Roma will be riding high after their derby victory but I think they will find this to be a difficult match. Totti will need to be just as inspirational as he was last week if the Giallorossi expect to take anything from this game. Definitely one of the best matches of the weekend, i’ll call this one a 1-1 draw with both goals coming late on.

Bari v. Chievo Verona: Both Bari and Verona remained in foreign hands until being basically abandoned by their former rulers after key defeats. Chievo’s hometown wasn’t actually added to Italy until 1866 when Venetia was finally seized from Austria.

The history is probably more exciting than this match will be, but I must give Bari some praise for their performance last week against Milan. Chievo fans will just be happy when this season is over, as long as they keep their slight distance from the relegation zone. I don’t think they’ll be happy this weekend though, as I expect Bari to take a 1-0 victory that will ultimately do little to help even the victorious squad.

Bologna v. Genoa: Bologna is another city with a long history of defying papal or foreign rule, rebelling in 1831 and more successfully in 1849, before eventually voting for annexation into Victor Emmanuel II’s kingdom of Sardinia in 1859. Genoa has the dual distinction of being the birthplace of Mazzini, one of the most prominent political minds and activists in the struggle for unification, and also the launching point for Garibaldi’s famed expedition.

Both teams picked up 1-0 victories last weekend and with less-than-stellar offenses the result could be similar this week. I’ll give the edge to the home team here, and anyone who’s read these previews consistently (anyone?) will know exactly, who I predict will earn them the full 3 points. 1-0 to Bologna, with a goal scored by you-know-who.

Internazionale v. Lecce: Credit where credit is due. Inter’s victory over Bayern in the midweek was an impressive showing from a side finally showing signs of being a treble-winning team just one year ago. Anyone who watched the early rounds of ths Serie A season would never have expected a courageous effort like that from Benitez’s Nerazzurri, but Leonardo seems to have done enough to right the ship. Inter are still in position to defend each of their titles.

The Italians required foreign help to acquire Milan in 1859 (thanks, France!) and the Italian champions have alwasy had foreign help in spades. Eto’o, Sneijder, and Pandev were all on the scoresheet Tuesday and I expect they’ll do much of the damage versus a Lecce side still clinging to slim hopes of survival. Those hopes will take another hit after Inter’s 3-0 victory this weekend.

Juventus v. Brescia: Turin is the birthplace of Count Camillo di Cavour, the shrewd politician whose backroom wheeling and dealing increased the power of Victor Emmanuel II and whose opportunism eventually resulted in an Italy more united than he had even dreamed. They say those who actually live in Turin are Torino fans, but someone as power-hungry and calculating as Cavour would indubitably support the Old Lady.

Brescia holds a special place in the story of Italy’s creation as well. The “Ten Days of Brescia,” a drawn out street battle between locals and their Austrian rulers earned Brescia a revolutionary reputation. While they were eventually put down, Brescia residents didn’t hesitate to join the newly forming nation in 1859.

Brescia really should have taken full points of Inter last week but Julio Cesar came to the rescue for the Nerazzurri. Two more points would have Brescia on level terms (points-wise) with Lecce and increased they’re chances for survival. On paper this is an easy one, but Juve’s recent form makes it decidedly less so. Still, I have to go with the Bianconeri in this one, though I expect a good fight from Brescia, and really a solid match overall. 2-1, Del Piero with a goal.

Sampdoria v. Parma: Parma was one of the first regions of Italy to fly the tricolore.This game will not be a treat for the eyes. Both of these teams are very much in danger of slipping into the relegation zone and anyone who’s watched either squad recently will know why.

Samp keeper Curci is one of the few on his side who can hold his head high. It is beyond me why leading scorer Hernan Crespo, aging though he is, can be kept out of Parma’s starting line-up so often.

This is a toss-up, but i’ll at least be optimistic that we’ll see a few goals. 1-1 gives each team a valuable point.

Udinese v. Catania: Udine joined the Kingdom of Italy with the rest of Lombary-Venetia in 1866. The city’s beloved football club joined the ranks of Champions League qualifiers last weekend and should have little trouble seeing off the Elefanti and solidifying their place. Udinese Manager Francesco Guidolin has done a remarkable job with a side that, on paper, do not look like the fourth best squad in Serie A. They certainly didn’t look the part during the early course of the season either, but a lot can be accomplished with a goal scorer like Di Natale. Expect him to do the damage once again this weekend. 3-0 to the Zebrette.

Napoli v. Cagliari: Long a jewel in the crown of Victor Emmanuel II, King of Sardinia and future King of Italy, Cagliari once served as the capital of the small kingdom which would eventually blosson into a new nation. The Sardinians travel to Napoli this weekend, just like they swept southwards to claim the Kingdom of Naples for Italy.

The islanders will find it more difficult to take the spoils on this occasion however. Naples welcomed Garibaldi basically with open arms despite still being a Bourbon possession. It’s addition was one of the final pieces of the puzzle and when the Sardinians arrived the Neapolitan army was finally defeated.

Napoli are still in the hunt for the scudetto. If the pressure gets to either Milan squad the Azzurri could make a move. They must stay close though and their defense, which has gone largely uncredited this season, should be able to stop an inconsistent Cagliari attack. Captain Paolo Cannavaro has been consistent and strong, and will lead his team to another victory this weekend, 3-1.

Some Italians get pumped up after watching Rocky. Reading Denis Mack Smith does it for me. If you made it all the way to the end of this, well, I commend you, and wish you a great weekend!