The Madridista: It's just Spurs, how good could they even be

Lorenzo Crisetig scored his first league goal of the season, two years and seven days from his last Serie A goal against Atalanta in 2016.

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INTER 2-0 FIORENTINA (SERIE A)
ROGERIO (x2)
ROGERIO

NAPOLI 0-1 INTER (SERIE A)
VALENTINI
CARRASCO

INTER 2-0 PALERMO (SERIE A)
CRISETIG, INSIGNE
LUIZ

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The Serie A season has now officially drawn to a close, and Inter Milan have finally lifted their sixth straight Scudetto trophy, and their eleventh trophy in the last thirteen years, continuing their absolute, iron-fisted dominance over Italian football.

The last few games were much like the month of April; filled with starting XI's of young players and backup players who perhaps didn't see as much action this season. The Nerazzurri didn't really have much trouble in any of the games; Napoli put up a strong defensive showing, but even after conceding a goal, they didn't manage a shot on frame.

18 year old striker Filippo Valentini scored his second Serie A goal of the season against the Naples-based side, proving again to be one for the future. Lorenzo Crisetig scored his first Serie A goal in over two years against Palermo, and in the same match Lorenzo Insigne scored his tenth Serie A goal of the season.

It was the greatest year of dominance yet for the Nerazzurri who finished with a new record of 112 points, beating their old record of 110. In fact, the Milanese side dropped points only once all season, finishing with an incredible record of 37-1-0. The team also entered the record books by scoring 100 goals for the first time in club history.

"It's a beautiful feeling to have finally finished this Serie A campaign and be able to proudly say we were, by far, the best team in the country," said Bergomi after the captain, Andrea Ranocchia, lifted the Scudetto trophy after the 2-0 win over Palermo. "Now, however, we must focus our attention to the upcoming games; we have two cup finals looming, and we want to win them both."

100% league season next Neal. Come on.

Yes you are, Neal. Yes you are.

2014-07-04 14:55#182652 Arvind :

Yes you are, Neal. Yes you are.

From turtle sperm to not being drink. What are you doing Neal?

TheMS99: If there is a next season, I will do my best

Arvind: I am not

edu1878: I didn't write that, but I do love turtles

The 2018 FIFA World Cup to be held in Russia is just one month away. The stadiums are ready, the fans have been ready, and now each qualified country's team is one step away from being completely finalized. Yesterday, Italy manager Giuseppe Bergomi submitted his 30-man preliminary squad for the tournament, which will have to be trimmed down to 23 players before the start of the tournament. The squad is as follows:

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Goalkeepers
Salvatore Sirigu (Paris St.-Germain), Emiliano Viviano (Juventus), Andrea Consigli (Udinese)

Defenders
Andrea Ranocchia (Inter), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Mattia Ronconi (AC Milan), Davide Astori (Juventus), Guilherme Siqueira (Granada), Ignazio Abate (At. Madrid), Alessandro Crescenzi (Valencia), Diego (Internacional), Marco Capuano (Pescara), Mattia De Sciglio (Man City), Davide Santon (Tottenham)

Midfielders
Daniele De Rossi (Leverkusen), Andrea Poli (Inter), Lorenzo Crisetig (Inter), Claudio Marchisio (Juventus), Giacomo Bonaventura (Napoli), Andrea Romano (Palermo), Sebastian Giovinco (Juventus), Alessandro Florenzi (Udinese), Marco Verratti (Liverpool)

Forwards
Mattia Destro (Inter), Lorenzo Insigne (Inter), Alberto Paloschi (Parma), Gianluca Caprari (Atalanta), Mario Balotelli (Bayern), Fabio Borini (Porto), Samuele Longo (Udinese)

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There are a couple exclusions from this initial squad. Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, Bergomi's Inter Milan player Giuseppe Bellusci, who made only 15 appearances all season, was not selected, with Pescara's Marco Capuano instead looking to stake a place in the national team's defense. Andrea Consigli was called up as the third string goalkeeper as well, replacing the normal back-up Francesco Bardi of Ajax who will miss the tournament with a double hernia.

There are some very interesting inclusions, however. Aside from Marco Capuano, the defense holds more intriguing choices as Brazilian born Diego may make his first ever appearance for Italy should he make the final 23 man squad. The 28 year old Internacional defender, who is equally capable of playing at left back and center back, is eligible for Italy through his Italian father.

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Samuele Longo (above) during his Inter Milan days as a youth. He and Andrea Romano, both ex-Inter players, could make their first appearances for Italy if they make the final 23 man squad.

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Andrea Romano and Samuele Longo similarly have been called up to this preliminary squad despite never before having appeared for the Azzurri. Longo enjoyed a stellar season with Udinese, scoring 13 goals in Serie A, but will have stiff competition in the shape of Mattia Destro and Serie A Golden Boot winner Alberto Paloschi to make the final squad. Andrea Romano also is included after a strong showing with Palermo this season.

Surprises aside, Italians across the nation will look to their stars to deliver the goods. With Mattia Destro misfiring at the club level and having only scored 7 goals in 19 Serie A appearances all season, the goalscoring responsibility will fall to other players; Serie A top scorer Alberto Paloschi of Parma may get a lead role, while leading active scorer Sebastian Giovinco with 23 will have to chip in from midfield as well.

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International Specialist: Despite not playing very much for Juventus over the last few seasons, Sebastian Giovinco (above) will be expected to add to his 23 goal haul, only 4 behind record scorer Roberto Baggio.

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At the back, Andrea Ranocchia and Leonardo Bonucci will create one of the most lauded defensive partnerships that Italy has ever seen, and with Salvatore Sirigu behind them, scoring on the Azzurri will not be an easy task.

With all of these stars, a mix of debutantes, a manager known for his tactical nous, and a healthy dose of luck, this Italy squad could go very far at the World Cup this summer. The final 23 man squad will be announced in a few weeks' time.

The Azzuri are going to win the world cup! Come on you blues!

TheMS99: That's the plan, I think we definitely have the strength and the belief to do it!

The Coppa Italia and UEFA Champions League finals are looming for Inter Milan, who are the reigning winners of both tournaments.

Inter Milan have, thus far, had their most successful season to date. It all began with two supercup wins; the Supercoppa Italiana and the European Supercup fell quickly to the Nerazzurri wave. The FIFA Club World Cup in December was soon to follow, and now the Milanese giants have set a new Serie A record by winning 112 points and scoring 100 goals over the course of their sixth straight Scudetto winning season.

However, two of the club's most important games of the year are looming on the horizon; the Coppa Italia and UEFA Champions League finals.

The Coppa Italia final versus Torino is the first up in four days' time. Giuseppe Bergomi has the luxury of having his entire squad fit and ready to choose from for the match. Fernando Muslera, Inter's usual cup keeper, is expected to start during the final, with Italian winger Lorenzo Insigne also expected to keep Philippe Coutinho on the bench from the start.

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Italy international Lorenzo Insigne has had a wonderful season for Inter this year, taking over the starting left wing spot from Philippe Coutinho and scoring 10 goals in Serie A.

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Torino, however, is not quite as lucky. Il Toro have had Inter youngsters Maxime Gautier and Augusto on loan this year, both playing key roles in the squad. Augusto, the young Brazilian striker, has become a bit of a fan-favorite, scoring 5 goals in 12 games in Serie A. Neither player will be available due to loan rules. Along with this, star central defender Angelo Ogbonna will not be available.

The Nerazzurri is expected to win this final with ease, but the UEFA Champions League final could be another beast entirely. Going up against a rampant Tottenham Hotspur that has beaten Barcelona 6-0 and Bayern Munich 5-0 this season will be the sternest test that Inter has faced in many years.

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Emmanuel Adebayor has had a brilliant final season with Tottenham, especially in the Champions League where we leads the team with 11 goals.

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Spurs' strike options are their biggest strengths; Emmanuel Adebayor, Yassine Benzia, and Danny Welbeck have all been playing the best football of their lives. The three players have combined for 69 goals in all competitions. Though Benzia and Welbeck are in the primes of their careers, some people have been surprised by Adebayor's 21 goal season despite this being his last year of football before retiring.

Inter's fiery Giuseppe Bergomi, however, remains confident. "We have the two biggest games ahead. We want to win both trophies for the fans, especially the Champions League, and I think our team is definitely strong enough to do so."

Even with the confidence, some heavy questions still weigh upon Bergomi's mind. With the World Cup looming and rumors swirling that this could be Bergomi's last year as a manager, the Nerazzurri will want to give him every incentive of success to stay.

Comment.

gl

Good Luck in both finals Neal, you'll win them both as usual!

good luck with both of the finals Neal! How are you not bored of total domination yet?

Quality update Neal! I wish you the best of luck! (Second 5am comment woo!)

God, I love your updates.
Good luck for both finals!