Serie A

Andrea Pirlo, Romelu Lukaku and Zbigniew Boniek are among the players who will be honoured during this year's Italian football Hall of Fame ceremony on May 4.

Per Football Italia, the Italian Football Federation announced Pirlo as the latest addition to the Hall of Fame. Lukaku will be given the Astori Award for fair play, and Boniek will be recognised for his contributions to the sport in Italy as a foreign player. Carlo Mazzone will be inducted among the HoF coaches and Antonio Percassi among the directors.

The Hall of Fame was born in 2011, and since the first edition of the event, an impressive list of players has been inducted. Pirlo will join Roberto Baggio, Paolo Maldini, Franco Baresi, Fabio Cannavaro, Gianluca Vialli, Giuseppe Bergomi, Alessandro Del Piero and Francesco Totti, who have all been recognised in previous years.

The midfielder spent most of his professional career in Italy, starting at Brescia. He joined Inter Milan in 1998 but was never able to break into the starting XI with the Nerazzurri. He did transition from attacking midfield to a deep-lying role during this time, which is where he would find fame.

A move to rivals AC Milan followed in 2001, and he would win two Serie A titles and two UEFA Champions Leagues as a member of the team.    

By 2011, he appeared to be past his peak, and the Rossoneri allowed him to join Juventus on a free transfer. That proved to be a colossal mistake, as the veteran became a key figure in the resurgence of the Bianconeri, winning four more Serie A titles. He finished his career with New York City FC, hanging up his boots in 2017.

As a member of the national team, his greatest achievement was winning the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He broke the deadlock in a semi-final win over hosts Germany with a splendid assist for Fabio Grosso's goal in extra time:

Pirlo also converted Italy's first penalty in the shootout in the final against France.

Lukaku has only spent half a season in Italy so far, but his impact has already been major, both on and off the pitch. As a striker for Inter, he has been scoring at a solid rate:

The Belgian is being recognised for taking a stand against racism.

Per Football Italia, he was the target of racial abuse during a win over Cagliari, while pundit Luciano Passirani was banned from a TV show after saying the only way to stop him was giving him "10 bananas to eat," per BBC Sport.

He also handed a penalty over to 17-year-old team-mate Sebastiano Esposito, giving the youngster the chance to score his first Serie A goal.

Polish midfielder and forward Boniek helped Juventus to a Serie A title and a European Cup win before guiding Roma to a Coppa Italia victory a year later.

While his time in Italy was relatively short―he played in Serie A between 1982 and 1988―he has become something of a cult hero. Perhaps his finest outing came in the 1984 European Super Cup against Liverpool, where he scored both goals:

Percassi is the current chairman of Atalanta, who have been one of the best Cinderella stories in European football this season. They qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions League and sit fourth in the Serie A standings with the league's best attacking record.

Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini returned to training on Tuesday, taking part in his first group session since suffering a major knee injury in August.

The defender shared these photos on Twitter:

The club also featured him as the lead image in their training-session roundup. On Monday, they added him to the UEFA Champions League squad list in place of the injured Merih Demiral.

The 35-year-old has been out since the opening day of the Serie A season. He scored in the win over Parma but also picked up a knee injury:

His absence thrust summer arrival Matthijs de Ligt into the starting XI much sooner than anticipated, and the former Ajax man struggled greatly in his first few months at the club. The 20-year-old has turned things around since, however, and has been one of the team's top performers of late.

Fellow summer arrival Demiral, formerly of Sassuolo, also got his chance and had a superb run of form before succumbing to a knee injury of his own. The 21-year-old's season is likely over.

While the two youngsters have performed admirably, Chiellini's return is undoubtedly a welcome sight. The veteran, who has made 384 appearances for Juve, has long been among the best defenders in Italy, compensating for his diminishing athleticism with excellent vision and positional play.

He and Leonardo Bonucci have formed a fantastic partnership at the back for both club and country, and while the latter has stepped up big since Chiellini went down, he'll undoubtedly be happy to see his longtime team-mate return.

Given De Ligt's strong play, Juventus will likely be prudent with Chiellini in the coming weeks. The Serie A leaders have crucial matches coming up against second-placed Inter Milan on March 1 and an UEFA Champions League tie with Lyon on February 26 and March 17.

Ideally Chiellini would be able to play in the contest against Inter, but it would make little sense to rush the team captain back after such a lengthy layoff.

Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku has heaped praise on former team-mate Zlatan Ibrahimovic ahead of the derby against AC Milan on Sunday.

The Belgian told Tiki Taka (h/t Football Italia) Ibrahimovic is a "champion" who gave him plenty of advice when the two worked together at Manchester United:

"Ibra is a champion, I respect him. In Manchester I could train every day with him, that was the most beautiful thing for me. It will be nice to play against him. He is a great champion and professional.

"For me it’s normal that he can do those things at the age of 38. He works a lot; he always gave me advice when we played together in Manchester. He’s up there with (Cristiano) Ronaldo."

The 38-year-old Ibrahimovic returned to the Rossoneri in January after a two-year stint with L.A. Galaxy.

He has hit the ground running, helping his club turn their season around:

Milan still sit in eighth place in the Serie A standings after the draw against Hellas Verona, but they're once again in the thick of the race for the UEFA Europa League tickets.

The Rossoneri will be looking to derail Inter's title bid on Sunday in one of the most anticipated derby matches in years. The Nerazzurri sit just two points behind eight-time defending champions and leaders Juventus in the standings.

Like Ibrahimovic, Lukaku has had a major impact on his new club after his summer move from United. He's been scoring at a solid rate:

Inter ended a three-match winless streak against Udinese on Sunday and will likely be favourites going into the derby. They will be without the suspended Lautaro Martinez, however, and star goalkeeper Samir Handanovic is also likely to miss out:

That's good news for Ibrahimovic, who has scored once in four Serie A outings so far. The Rossoneri have scored in six straight outings across all competitions.

Two supporters who attended Juventus' pre-season friendly with the K League All Stars have been awarded compensation after Cristiano Ronaldo did not feature in the match.

The July clash in Seoul, South Korea, finished 3-3, with Juventus fielding 20 players in total during the game.  Ronaldo was the only member of the squad not to feature.

Per Alex Young of the Evening Standard, The Fasta Inc, who organised the match, promised that Ronaldo would play at least 45 minutes, although Juventus said he was unavailable because of "muscle fatigue."

According to Reuters (h/t Young), with the Portuguese icon not involved, two supporters successfully recovered £46 for their match tickets and a further £194 for "mental anguish."

There are reportedly 87 other plaintiffs suing over Ronaldo's absence.

Ronaldo did start in Juventus' two other matches on their Asia tour, a 3-2 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur and penalty-shootout success against Inter Milan.

Juventus signed Ronaldo, who is one of the biggest sporting names on the planet, in the summer of 2018. 

The club won an eighth consecutive Serie A title in the former Real Madrid and Manchester United man's first season at the club. Juventus lead Inter by three points in the race for this season's prize, and Ronaldo's brace of penalties on Sunday against Fiorentina in a 3-0 win means he has scored in the last nine consecutive league matches.

Inter Milan CEO Giuseppe Marotta has said the Italians tried to land Chelsea forward Olivier Giroud during the January transfer window but that the Blues were not willing to negotiate his exit.

Marotta spoke to Sky Sport Italia (h/t Football Italia) to assess the window, and according to him, the Blues' stance was the reason the move did not go ahead:

"We are satisfied with the overall transfer window, as we wanted to raise the quality level of the squad and achieved that objective.

"The January window is all about taking opportunities, but we also brought in valuable experience and quality to bolster our options.

"There were some priorities, which were the players we signed, so were completely satisfied. We had wanted another target, which was Giroud, but Chelsea were not prepared to even negotiate with us."

That stands in contrast to what was reported in France when it became clear the transfer would not happen toward the end of the window. According to RMC (h/t Get French Football News), the parties had agreed to a deal, and the Italians pulled the plug:

Per the report, Inter made contact in December and had everyone convinced they would bring him in. When they reneged, Giroud's entourage tried to find another club, but at that point Chelsea had taken him off the market.

Tammy Abraham suffered an injury, leaving the Blues short on depth. They were linked to Napoli's Dries Mertens, but that transfer never seemed likely.

Giroud's position as the starting striker for France at this summer's UEFA Euro 2020 tournament is far from certain, and the former Arsenal man needs playing time badly.

GFFN were not happy when Chelsea didn't even include him in the matchday squad shortly after taking him off the market:

The 33-year-old has started just two Premier League matches so far this season.

Inter armed themselves for the Serie A title race by bringing in three players with Premier League experience. Christian Eriksen, Victor Moses and Ashley Young made their way to the Italian fashion capital, joining Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez, who both left Manchester United for the Nerazzurri last summer.

Lukaku has formed a fantastic partnership with Lautaro Martinez, combining for 27 Serie A goals so far. Depth is limited behind those two, however, with 17-year-old star prospect Sebastiano Esposito the next man up.

Juventus moved six points clear at the top of Serie A on Sunday, with Cristiano Ronaldo's two penalties helping them beat Fiorentina 3-0 at the Allianz Stadium. 

At the end of each half, Juventus were awarded penalties after VAR checks and both times Ronaldo was able to convert.

The first goal made it nine Serie A games in succession in which the Portuguese has netted:

Matthijs de Ligt got in on the act too, with his late strike adding some gloss to the scoreline of what was a tight game for long spells.

The result puts the pressure on Inter Milan to respond later in the day. Antonio Conte's side visit Udinese, seeking to chop the gap back down to three points. Meanwhile, La Viola remain down in 14th place, albeit comfortably clear of any relegation worries.

Per Italian football writer Adam Digby, Maurizio Sarri lined the team up in an attacking setup, with Douglas Costa preferred to Paulo Dybala in the forward line:

Despite the glut of talent on show in black and white, the Bianconeri weren't able to settle into an attacking gear immediately, with Fiorentina defending with determination for the majority of the first half.

Fiorentina were actually the first team to test either goalkeeper, with Wojciech Szczesny alert to prevent a fierce strike from Federico Chiesa finding the net.

Eventually Juventus got the breakthrough thanks to an intervention from the VAR assistant Fiorentina's German Pezzella was deemed to have handled the ball and Ronaldo stepped up to convert with aplomb.

Per OptaPaolo, Ronaldo's goal saw him equal a club record held by Bianconeri legend David Trezeguet:

Fiorentina would have been disappointed to have conceded so close to half time and at the interval, football writer Karl Matchett said there was still something in the game for La Viola: 

In the early stages of the second half, Juventus continued to control the tempo of the game, although chances were at a premium for both sides.

As a result, it was no surprise that Juventus needed another penalty to extend their advantage. This time Federico Ceccherini was deemed to have committed a foul and after an assessment by VAR, another penalty was awarded.

Just like he did in the first period, Ronaldo made no mistake from 12 yards. Per Squawka Football, since arriving in Italian football, the forward has been the most prolific player in the league:

Juventus also noted that Ronaldo had reached a landmark number of goals in the black and white:

After defending well for long spells, Fiorentina would have been disappointed to have fallen behind to two penalties. 

When De Ligt was able to net in stoppage time, the scoreline was undoubtedly a flattering one for Juventus, who had carved out little from open play in the match. However, the strike was a deserved one for the Dutchman, who excelled at the base of the team alongside Leonardo Bonucci.

What's Next?

Juventus' next outing is against Verona on Saturday, while Fiorentina will host free-scoring Atalanta on the same day.

In their final game of December, AC Milan were thrashed 5-0 by Atalanta to finish 2019 in 11th place in Serie A, eight points off a European berth.

A month later, after an undefeated January, they are tied on 31 points with sixth-place Cagliari in the Italian top flight and have a spot in the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is back at the club, and after a rotten 2019, things are finally looking up for the seven-time European champions.

Milan Statistical Leaders in Serie A

Goals: Theo Hernandez (5), Krzysztof Piatek (4), Ante Rebic (3), Giacomo Bonaventura (2), Hakan Calhanoglu (2), Rafael Leao (2), Frank Kessie (1), Suso (1), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (1)

Assists: Suso (2), Theo Hernandez (2), Andrea Conti (1), Davide Calabria (1), Hakan Calhanoglu (1), Lucas Biglia (1), Lucas Paqueta (1), Rade Krunic (1), Samu Castillejo (1)

Milan took 10 points from 12 available in Serie A in January.

They kicked off 2020 with a 0-0 home draw against Sampdoria before beating Cagliari 2-0, Udinese 3-2 and Brescia 1-0.

The six goals Milan scored in January is equal to the combined total they netted in October and November.

Three of those were scored by Ante Rebic.

The 26-year-old joined Milan on a two-year loan deal from Eintracht Frankfurt in September. He spent most of the first half of the 2019-20 campaign warming the bench, playing just 179 minutes of Milan's opening 19 games of the Serie A season.

Against Udinese, though, manager Stefano Pioli threw him on at half-time with Milan trailing 1-0, and he equalised three minutes after the break.

The Croatia international then scored a stoppage-time winner. Five days later against Brescia, Rebic came off the bench again to secure all three points with a 71st-minute goal.

As well as a string of good results in Serie A, Milan also made it through two rounds of the Coppa Italia in January. Midway through the month, they swept past SPAL with a 3-0 victory in the last 16.

And on Tuesday, the Rossoneri booked their spot in the semis by beating Torino 4-2. A 91st-minute equaliser from Hakan Calhanoglu forced extra time at San Siro. And in the additional half-hour, Calhanoglu netted again to put Milan ahead before substitute Ibrahimovic ensured their spot in the last four, where they will face Juventus.

The Swedish striker, who sealed his return to Milan in December, played a part in all four of the club's Serie A games in January. The first appearance of his second stint at the club came from the bench against Samp. He scored Milan's second in the 2-0 win against Cagliari in his first start since his return.

Set up by Theo Hernandez, Ibrahimovic's first-time finish from 12 yards out was typically nonchalant.

In the victory over Udinese, he became the fastest player to register 150 Serie A wins, reaching the milestone in his 222nd appearance.

At 38, Zlatan will not be able to start every match for Milan across the remainder of the season. But he remains a top-class finisher, and his mere presence appears to have had a positive impact on the club. 

Antonio Conte has said he did not intend for Christian Eriksen to make his Inter Milan debut so soon after the midfielder played 24 minutes in Wednesday's 2-1 Coppa Italia quarter-final win against Fiorentina.

Eriksen only completed his £17 million move from Tottenham Hotspur to the San Siro on Tuesday, signing a contract until 2024. In his first outing for Inter, he replaced Alexis Sanchez in the 66th minute to a rapturous reception from the home crowd.

Conte said after Inter's victory that he had not wanted to put Eriksen into action so quickly, but his hand was forced by a lack of midfielders, per Rai Sport (h/t Goal's Patric Ridge): 

"We did not intend to use Eriksen so soon, as he only started training with us yesterday, but Matias Vecino and [Nicolo] Barella were the only available midfielders. Eriksen has character and raises the quality level of the squad. I hope to get more players back, because we really are limited in the middle.

"We tried a system with a trequartista today to deal with the absence of Stefano Sensi and Marcelo Brozovic. Eriksen can play in a few different roles, and we'll see—it could be an option, but we need to work on it a lot more. We were rather forced into using the three strikers together because I found out about the problems in midfield."

Moments after Eriksen's introduction, Barella scored what proved to be the winner.

Martin Caceres had cancelled out Antonio Candreva's first-half goal on the hour.

Eight minutes from time, Eriksen appeared to have registered his first assist for the club when he fed Lautaro Martinez beyond the defence and the Argentinian converted through goalkeeper Pietro Terracciano's legs. But the goal was ruled out for offside.

Inter's victory put them through to the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia, where they will take on Napoli in a two-legged tie. The other semi-final sees AC Milan take on Juventus.

Inter closed to within three points of the Old Lady at the top of Serie A when they drew 1-1 with Cagliari in their most recent league game.

They are back in action away to Udinese on Sunday after Juve host Fiorentina in Turin.

Christian Eriksen has expressed his delight at joining Inter Milan from Tottenham Hotspur before the end of the January transfer window.

The Denmark international completed a move to the San Siro on Tuesday, while Spurs tied up a permanent switch for Real Betis loanee Giovani Lo Celso, per the Lilywhites' official website.

Speaking to Inter TV (h/t Lee Wilmot of Football.London), Eriksen said he can't wait to play in Serie A after seven years in the Premier League:

"I couldn't wait to join, it's wonderful to be here and I'm happy to be a new Inter player. I'm very excited and can't wait to introduce myself to the fans. I've already experienced their warmth, it's been a fantastic welcome. I feel great. [...]

"The numbers say that I did really well in England. It's now time to start a new challenge, I'm really happy to have the opportunity to play in Serie A for a big team. Inter is a fantastic club."

Eriksen has remained on the fringes of Spurs' starting XI this term after failing to sign a new deal to remain in the capital.

Last summer, Matt Law of the Telegraph reported Spurs valued the playmaker at £130 million, but with the Dane's contract running down to its expiry, the club have been forced to accept a much lower fee. Eriksen had told Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet (h/t Law) he was ready for a new challenge elsewhere, triggering Spurs' large valuation.

Per Wilmot, Inter have reportedly paid £16.9 million for the 27-year-old's services in what could turn out to be a phenomenal deal for Antonio Conte as his team chase the Serie A title. The Nerazzurri are second behind Juventus by three points.

Inter tweeted a message from their new star wearing their famous club colours:

Spurs are now in transition under new manager Jose Mourinho, and the loss of Eriksen is not compensated by Lo Celso. The Argentina international arrived in August on a season-long loan, but Tottenham are now a player lighter.

Eriksen carved out a phenomenal career with Spurs after signing from Ajax in 2013. The attacker became one of the Premier League's modern No. 10s, operating in multiple roles as English club tactics evolved.

Lo Celso, 23, is a rising talent who will benefit from increased responsibility in Mourinho's setup. However, the Argentinian has failed to score in 14 Premier League appearances this season, and Spurs will need to re-evaluate their attacking options while Harry Kane recovers from a hamstring injury.

Christian Eriksen has joined Inter Milan after signing a contract until 2024 with the Serie A giants.  

The Nerazzurri confirmed the signing on their Twitter account:

According to Fabrizio Romano of the Guardian, Inter agreed a €20 million (£17 million) fee with Spurs to sign the Denmark international.

The move brings to an end Eriksen's lengthy tenure with Spurs which began in 2013. He helped the club reach the UEFA Champions League final last season before expressing a desire to leave north London during the summer.

Eriksen has been inconsistent, with Dele Alli, Giovani Lo Celso and Harry Winks taking on more of the creative burden for Spurs. Some Tottenham fans even booed Eriksen when the Dane was substituted during the 1-0 defeat to Premier League leaders Liverpool, per Football.London's Joe Doyle.

Despite the negative reaction, Eriksen still showcased the quality that kept him on the radars of top clubs around Europe:

Inter have been tracking the 27-year-old for a while, with director Piero Ausilio recently saying the club had confidence a deal could be reached, per Sky Sports.

For that to happen, Inter and Spurs needed to agree on a fee. Inter's initial attempts included offering £13 million, according to Mike McGrath of The Telegraph.

Landing Eriksen represents a huge fillip for Inter's chances of dethroning Juventus in the Italian top flight. He will add some extra ingenuity and technique at the heart of the engine room.

So far, Inter have relied on the industry of the likes of Marcelo Brozovic, Roberto Gagliardini and Antonio Candreva. Eriksen's eye for a pass, shooting power from distance and quality when delivering set pieces will be key to creating more chances for prolific strike duo Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez.

Inter boss Antonio Conte knows all about Eriksen's quality thanks to his time in charge of Chelsea. The schemer becomes the latest former Premier League talent, along with Manchester United loanee Alexis Sanchez, Lukaku, Victor Moses and Ashley Young to be acquired by Conte since last summer.