Fallen Italian giants Parma have taken their first significant step towards returning to the top flight by winning promotion from Serie D.
The Emilia-Romagna club, who were forced to reform and start from scratch after being declared bankrupt last year, secured first place in a regional division of the highest amateur league by beating Rovigo 2-1 at the Stadio Ennio Tardini yesterday.
With three games remaining, Luigi Apolloni’s men are still unbeaten and will next season compete in the Lega Pro – the third tier which currently features former Serie A sides Lecce and Catania among others.
Calleri eyes Serie A
Argentine striker Jonathan Calleri still wants to play in the Serie A next season despite seeing his transfer to Inter in January botched at the last minute.
The 22-year-old was very close to joining Inter in the winter transfer window but the deal was not completed in time. He is now on loan at Sao Paulo.
Roma are showing keen interest in Calleri.
“Roma have been tracking Calleri for some time,” agent Fabio Amicucci said.
“In January he could’ve joined Inter, but there were some problems. There’s nothing concrete with Roma right now, but Calleri will get a European passport soon and could therefore be an option for Italian clubs.”
Hodgson keeping attack options open
Roy Hodgson says it will take much more than being the flavour of the month to make him look beyond the players that fired England to Euro 2016.
West Ham striker Andy Carroll is among those to have caught the eye in recent weeks.
“We know Andy, we know his qualities,” the England boss said.
“In an ideal world, certainly, if you had a lot of places you’d always include a guy like him.
“But whether or not I’d be able to include him with all these others, I don’t know. When the time comes and I’m looking at what’s available, maybe he’ll be there.”
Ellis optimistic
Former Aston Villa chairman Doug Ellis has backed the club to bounce back into Premier League at the first attempt after their relegation was confirmed.
Ellis, 92, sold the club to Randy Lerner in 2006 and has remained a virtual ever-present at Villa Park ever since.
Ellis said: “I accept Villa are going to have great difficulty in returning to the Premier League in one year but nevertheless I am a little bit encouraged by the way we were playing (on Saturday).
“Over the last couple of games I’ve seen some encouraging signs that tell me maybe with the addition of one or two older heads to the squad, they can bring us back straight away.”
Mancini hails Icardi and Jovetic
Inter manager Roberto Mancini praised the efforts of his forward pair Mauro Icardi and Stevan Jovetic after they led his side to a 2-0 win over Napoli.
Icardi opened the scoring and turned provider for the second, while Jovetic was influential throughout as Inter continue the chase for the final Champions League spot in Serie A.
Speaking about the partnership between his forwards, Mancini said: “I thought Icardi and Jovetic could’ve done better at certain moments of the season... they have different characteristics and can play together.
“Against a side like Napoli you tend to have the utmost concentration, whereas against Torino last time we let our guard drop and made mistakes. That is part of the growth process.”
Pep unhappy with first-half display
Pep Guardiola said there could be no excuse for his side’s first half performance against Schalke on Saturday.
Three goals in the second half saw Bayern nevertheless take all three points but only after struggling for the first 45 minutes.
“I was a footballer myself and I know how hard it is to play again three days after a Champions League game, but that is no excuse,” he said.
“It took us a long time to get onto the field in the first half and the difference between our first and second half was huge.
“But of course I’m happy with the win. We’ve taken a big step forward in the league.”
Nothing artificial about Drogba’s goal
After sitting out the first five games of the MLS season to avoid playing on artificial pitches, Didier Drogba marked his 2016 debut with a goal as Montreal Impact beat Chicago Fire 2-1 last weekend.
Chicago opened the scoring through Kennedy Igboananike but Drogba, on as a second-half substitute, grabbed the equaliser before Ignacio Piatti curled home the winner in stoppage time.
“In the second half, we played with more rhythm and created more chances,” Drogba said.
“We’re top of the conference and we have to show more ambition on the road. This win does us a lot of good.”