Lega Pro Special – End Of Season Review
The regular season in Italy’s third and fourth tiers came to an exciting climax last weekend and while some players can pack their Louis Vuitton wash bags and head to the beach, others are left to sweat it out in the end of season play-offs and play-outs – where survival could mean the difference between professional football next season and disappearance into the abyss of the amateur ranks.
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Lega Pro Special – Tension Rising In Season’s Final Stages
A fabulously entertaining season in Italy’s third and fourth tiers enters its final few weeks of competition and for many clubs there is still everything to play for.
Vigor Lamezia within reach of the most unlikely title in Lega Pro 2B
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Quadrangolare di Lega Pro – Aversa & Avellino Play Host To All The Young Dudes
Last week the Southern cities of Aversa and Avellino were at the centre of the Lega Pro footballing world as they co-hosted the 32nd edition of the Quadrangolare di Lega Pro. The tournament is a showcase for young talents plying their trade in Italy’s third and fourth tiers.
Youngsters in action at the Quadrangolare di Lega Pro
The competition involves four representative teams from Lega Pro consisting of players aged 21 and under. Before the tournament started, legendary defender Fabio Cannavaro sent his best wishes to all concerned stating that “you are the stars of the future” and telling them to “play with passion and strength“.
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Lega Pro Review – Giovanni Stroppa Making The Hills Come Alive In The Sudtirol
In the late eighties and early nineties Giovanni Stroppa was an attacking midfielder who was an integral part of the all conquering AC Milan dynasty. Stroppa was a product of the Milanello youth academy and he would later continue his top-flight career at Lazio and with the iconic Zdenek Zeman in Foggia.
'Gianmaria Cesaro free from the pirates hands' - Sorrento fans threw themselves into the campaign to have Cesaro released from the hands of pirates
With Arrigo Sacchi, Fabio Capello and Zeman all major influences in his playing career it is no surprise to see the 44-year-old now making great strides in his first coaching role at C1 side Sudtirol. This week, Stroppa has been speaking about how much he is enjoying life in the beautiful city of Bolzano and the comparisons he sees between his current employers and that of the team that gave him his big break.”It is obvious to everyone that you cannot compare Sudtirol with Milan” explained Stroppa “we are a very small club but the organisation here is reminiscent of my time at Milanello”
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Lega Pro Review – Stefano Borgonovo’s Como Shirt Enters Football’s Hall Of Fame
30 years ago, a promising young 17-year-old striker called Stefano Borgonovo made his debut for Como in a Serie A game against Ascoli. It was the clubs debut season in the top-flight of Italian football and Borgonovo looked to have the world at his feet. While the club where he served his apprenticeship fell out of the limelight, Borgonovo continued to enjoy the trappings of a top professional footballer spending time at AC Milan, Fiorentina & Udinese which ultimately led to three International call-ups for the Azzurri in 1989.
Stefano Borgonovo: A hero in Como, also won a Scudetto, European Cup and Intercontinental Cup with Milan under Sacchi.
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Lega Pro Review – La Gazzetta Dello Sport Recognises The Next Generation of Players
Steve Mitchell returns with a round up of the biggest stories in the Italian 3rd and 4th tiers. This week he looks at some of the leagues’ high-flying youngsters, a player suspected of robbing petrol stations and Pro Vercelli’s impressive rise into the play-offs.
Ternana players celebrate during their 3-0 demolition of Viareggio (image from TernanaCalcio.com)
The most famous sports daily newspaper in Italy, La Gazzetta Dello Sport has thrown its considerable weight behind the lower leagues this season in an attempt to single out the most promising young talent in the peninsula. For the 2011/12 campaign, the celebrated pink broadsheet is running two competitions the Premio Cestani to find the best young player in Lega Pro born after 1990 and the Premio Laudano which recognises the top young marksman in the third and fourth tiers and applies to those players in the same age category.
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Lega Pro Review – Taranto Are Cruising, This Is The Season So Far
Sadly, James Richardson was too busy for us at The Football Express. So we’ve got the next best thing, Lega Pro expert, Steve Mitchell to provide us with a round-up of the season so far in the Italian third and fourth tiers. If you’ve missed it so far, this will get you right back up to speed in no time at all.
After 1412 games, 1676 goals and 23 managerial changes, Italy’s third and fourth tiers went into their winter break. Congratulations go out to Ternana, Siracusa, Casale and Perugia who were crowned winter champions of their respective divisions.
The snow has thawed. The Lega Pro action will get under way again on Friday evening.
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