Hazzetta dello Sport 2024/25 - Issue 3: Leicester City v Aston Villa
The idea of Hazzetta Dello Sport is that it provides that perfect little morning read before a game to give some background to events leading up to it. It’s James Richardson Cosplay.
In our little heads, sat in a public square with a pink newspaper pointing out the big headlines. Now this is all obvious. As a 90s child, Serie A has part of my footballing consciousness which was only cemented by visiting Italy for a game.
On those mid-90s mornings, however, there was a suave-looking Swede who would pop up to do an interview in excellent English. Sven Goran Eriksson was one of the managers for Channel 4’s first ever Football Italia live game; a 3-3 between Sampdoria and Lazio on 6th September 1992. Ironically, he made a team in Sampdoria known for their flair with Roberto Mancini into a far more defensive unit and he could never quite recapture their success of the earlier 1990s.
He popped up at Lazio then and brought Mancini with him. He pulled out of a deal to manage Blackburn Rovers to join the Roman club who had money to burn and a side of superstars he built, to win trophies aplenty.
The crowning moment was an incredible title race in the season of 1999/2000 Serie A. Lazio pipped Juventus by a point. In a fate like our own title glory, Lazio aren’t remembered winning in their own made moment. They won 3-0 at the Olimpico againt Reggina on the final day afternoon and it appeared all elementary. However, the Channel 4 cameras were covering Juventus’s trip to Perugia. There was an almighty rain storm and Pierlugi Collina kicked the game off thirty minutes late.
The British broadcaster committed to showing the game and messing around with its programming for the rest of Sunday. A draw would see a title playoff while a Juventus win and the title would be back off to Turin. Typically, Perugia triumphed with an awkward half-volley winner. In the process, Sven Goran Eriksson won Lazio’s second ever title.
While the Hazzetta departs from its normal format, this anecdote is a nod to Sven Goran Eriksson and the extraordinary, diversifying life he led. His managerial career is quite simply incredible. From European achievements with a Swedish club to success within an ultra-competitive Serie A. After a disappointing spell at England, he found himself at Leicester in a strange turn of events.
Sven made errors but he made Leicester find itself again a little. He was commonly seen in the city at such eateries as San Carlo and Mem Saab. He developed Andy King into a mighty goalscoring midfielder and began to build the basis of the ultimate dream we achieved. The performance at Pride Park and Yakubu’s superb, twisted volley goal set me and friends on an all-timer of a night out. Unfortunately, the gamble of transfers was too big the next summer but once there was a forward momentum and looking towards the top of the table rather than the bottom.
Rest in peace Sven.
Now looking forward to the Premier League’s Butterfly factor. Ourselves and Villa are inter-related in our fortunes. When we succeed and drank champagne, the Villans were off to the Championship for three seasons. Roles reversed now as their fans spent most of yesterday morning hammering EasyJet and Ryanair’s websites.
You could pinpoint the crossroads of both clubs at Saturday 9th September 2022. A game called off sadly due to the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. Both clubs had started the season off poorly and it shaped up to be season defining. Steven Gerrard or Brendan Rodgers, who would get the sack? Neither initially as we both found good form in October but Villa acted decisively when that faded for them. Gerrard sacked while Leicester’s hierarchy insisted Brendan Rodgers could steady the ship.
After ending his exploits at Villarreal by gaining them European silverware, Unai Emery was available. Thus, the sliding doors moment. They are now the new ‘Leicester’ and embark on a season of palpable hope that success is on the cards. Their two opening results are mixed, but the performances had plenty of promise. There are some very notable tactical points which could be played on; their addiction to keep a very high line which in the process makes the game very squeezed can be taken advantage of by utilising the space behind the full backs.
The victory over Tranmere for City was badly needed to some extent. The early enthusiasm of the point against Spurs was extinguished by a performance at Fulham which was very beige and lacked any feeling. Whacking four goals past any team feels nice and you sensed Steve Cooper might be beginning to feel a little tension, even this early into the season.
At Craven Cottage, admittedly I didn’t feel too downhearted by the performance. Rather we had two huge errors which were rightfully punished by Fulham in a manner which Spurs didn’t do the game previously. However, something festered as time progressed. The game at 1-1 around sixty-five minutes had this air of staleness and felt like the final session after a long day of County Championship cricket.
City were rather rigid, and it felt as though there was no clear method in how we were either going to see this game out or win it. This was none more so proven when Cooper prepared his subs of Skipp and Mavididi at 1-1. Iwobi scored for Fulham but the plan remained the same. We were very ordinary. Which is fine and expected. However, we appeared to lack the dynamism to make ordinary work.
Hence the much-needed signing of Bilal El Khannouss makes sense on the face of it. Equally though it speaks of a real contrast in what City are trying to do. He’s so far removed from the Premier League experience line depicted and more towards the signing we as a fanbase expected. It’s a gamble but Burnley have managed this summer to offload such players at a profit. However, Odsonne Edouard on loan from Crystal Palace was eventually picked as the striker option. It is not lost on me that over the course of this summer, we have attempted to reunite the Roy Hodgson Palace strikeforce of three years ago.
Personally there’s a sense that it could be a right spanking but really we should just all enjoy the beauty of a 3pm Saturday kick-off in August sunlight. A chance to enjoy the regularity of a pre-match pint and a natter about the incidents of the game. The doom-monger of myself thinks that’s where we are at. Enjoy the very essence of the community which surrounds football rather than the annoying current organisation at Leicester City Football Club.
