When Mantovani's dream came true | Sampdoria's 1991 Scudetto

The Serie A season came to an end a month ago, and the summer has done little more than confirm the arrival of yet another cause of concern for fans of Italian football. The Premier League was always a threat for Italian clubs due to their financial strength, and now Saudi Arabia has become another.Sandro Tonali has joined Saudi Arabia’s Newcastle United, and Marcelo Brozovic and Sergej Milinkoivc-Savic have headed to the Saudi Pro League.Conor Clancy hosts both Euan Burns and Kevin Pogorzelski to chat through the summer transfers so far, and the newest Serie A kits to have been released ahead of the 2023/24 season. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit curvaecalcio.substack.com

Despite putting in an excellent performance in Istanbul, Inter ultimately fell short of Manchester City as the Premier League side completed a historic treble in winning the 2023 Champions League final. A second-half strike from Rodri was enough to seal the win for Man City.To chat through the night's action and the consequences of the result, our man in Istanbul Alessandro Bai phones in from the press facilities at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium to join Conor Clancy and Euan Burns.We’ll be back again after the Serie A relegation and Serie B promotion playoffs have played out.  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit curvaecalcio.substack.com

Five questions.One Legend.Every month, paid subscribers to the Italian football newsletter will receive an in-depth look at one Serie A legend.Dropping later today is an episode on the King of Rome, Francesco Totti. Here’s a sneak preview the episode itself. Only paid subscribers will receive these episodes, but if you’re not already signed up, don’t worry! You can do so for just £39.99 for an entire year. That’s 12 episodes of these podcasts, plus a look at the Italian sports papers in English every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, stats, features and more!The full Totti episode drops in just a few hours. Make sure you’re signed up and it’ll be delivered right to your inbox. For now, enjoy this taster absolutely free.Ciao for now! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit curvaecalcio.substack.com

We are back with an episode on the title race: how it was won, who deserves the credit and was it good for Serie A?Plus, we update you on our podcast plans for the summer. Don’t forget you can get a whole year of subscriber only podcasts just like these for only £29.99 throughout the month of May. Just click the link below. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit curvaecalcio.substack.com

Hey everyone, Here is a free podcast that I just had to share with you all. It features three of our contributors – Adam Summerton, David Scott & Mark Gordon – talking about why they love Serie A. The reason I wanted to share it is because this sums up what this newsletter is all about. A love of Italy and Italian football. And the best bit is, it comes automatically to your inbox or the Substack app with no hassle whatsoever. Just the content you want, when you want it. We’ve gathered together the best experts, with exactly the right amount of passion, enthusiasm and knowledge on Serie A to deliver fantastic content to our subscribers.Now you might think I’m going to ask you to become a paid subscriber right about now, but actually I’m not. That’s because we have something incredibly special coming up soon and I think you should wait for that…We want our content to be affordable and accessible to everyone. There will be more news on this hitting your inbox soon, so keep your eyes peeled.Before that though, we’ve got a special A4 printable to share with you, designed exclusively for this newsletter by our resident artist Pennodraws. That’ll be with you later this week.If you enjoy the pod, please leave us a comment on Twitter @CurvaCalcio and share this email with your Serie A loving friends.Ciao for now!Chloe This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit curvaecalcio.substack.com

Here’s Chloe with the newly relaunched podcast.She talks about what to expect from the subscription service. The first new article will be out tomorrow. If you’re not already a member, join us in the Curva with 40% off all subscriptions. Just click the link below.And please feel free to share this episode with your friends!Talk to again soon…hope you enjoy the new music! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit curvaecalcio.substack.com

It’s 30 years today since Sampdoria won the Serie A title in 1991!As promised, here’s a 2hr deep-dive into that wonderful campaign as we look into the owner Paolo Mantovani and how he carefully assembled the perfect squad and Coach in order to pull off their fairytale Scudetto victory.If you like the stunning image above, you can order it as a mug from this link.Here are some links that we mention in the pod for you to enjoy. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit curvaecalcio.substack.com

Join Chloe & Adam as they discuss the entire Super League debacle. How did we get here? What actually stopped the clubs? Which fans did they think wanted such a ludicrous competition? What can we do to prevent a repeat of this in the future? Why does Curva e Calcio charge for subscriptions if you’re so adamant that money is ruining football? All these questions (& many more) are answered in this special edition of the podcast.If you’ve been inspired to subscribe after listening to this podcast, the link is below or on our homepage curvaecalcio.substack.com. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit curvaecalcio.substack.com

*Please note this is a reader-funded publication. The model only works through support from the Italian football community. By signing up for a paid subscription, you allow work on the newsletter & podcast to continue and receive access to every post & podcast. Please consider doing so if you can.*This week’s pod features a very special guest in Jonathan Grade, a man who worked on the famous Football Italia show, broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK from 1992 until 2002. Jonathan worked on that show, and gives us a unique insight into madcap antics alongside colleagues James Richardson, Kenneth Wolstenholme & Peter Brackley. Alongside stories from behind the scenes on the show, Jonathan describes his new book named “Golazzo: The Football Italia years” which is available to purchase now. Don’t miss this behind-the-scenes look at Italian football from its very peak! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit curvaecalcio.substack.com

Morning everyone!Here’s the latest episode of Saturday Morning Chill, your 30 minutes of pure Italian Football bliss.In today’s episode, I discuss what’s coming up this week on the newsletter and podcast and detail what subscribers get for their £8 per month/£80 per year. I hope those who have not yet signed up will consider supporting my solo venture, I’m not a big company but I work tirelessly to deliver the content that subscribers want.I then go on to the usual week’s round-up of the Italian sports newspapers, looking at some creative headlines and news of European endeavours for Serie A teams. Enjoy and have a great weekend! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit curvaecalcio.substack.com