retired_teju

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> | Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | | Inter | | 21 | 19 | 0 | 2 | 44 | 8 | +36 | 57 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Palermo | | 21 | 14 | 4 | 3 | 36 | 16 | +20 | 46 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Sampdoria | | 21 | 12 | 3 | 6 | 33 | 20 | +13 | 39 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Roma | | 22 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 34 | 27 | +7 | 39 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Chievo | | 22 | 12 | 2 | 8 | 35 | 27 | +8 | 38 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Torino | | 21 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 28 | 21 | +7 | 34 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Milan | | 21 | 11 | 6 | 4 | 25 | 12 | +13 | 31 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Livorno | | 21 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 22 | 26 | -4 | 30 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Fiorentina | | 21 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 27 | 13 | +14 | 27 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | Lazio | | 21 | 9 | 3 | 9 | 30 | 26 | +4 | 27 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th | | Empoli | | 22 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 22 | 26 | -4 | 26 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th | | Parma | | 21 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 19 | 23 | -4 | 26 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 13th | | Catania | | 21 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 22 | 26 | -4 | 25 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14th | | Udinese | | 21 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 24 | 28 | -4 | 25 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15th | | Siena | | 21 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 16 | 19 | -3 | 24 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 16th | | Ascoli | | 21 | 5 | 3 | 13 | 18 | 30 | -12 | 18 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17th | | Atalanta | | 22 | 4 | 6 | 12 | 11 | 22 | -11 | 18 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 18th | | Messina | | 21 | 1 | 6 | 14 | 14 | 38 | -24 | 9 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 19th | | Cagliari | | 21 | 2 | 3 | 16 | 18 | 44 | -26 | 9 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 20th | | Reggina | | 21 | 3 | 5 | 13 | 15 | 41 | -26 | 3 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8 points deducted from Milan | | | | | | | | | | | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3 points deducted from Lazio | | | | | | | | | | | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11 points deducted from Reggina | | | | | | | | | | | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15 points deducted from Fiorentina | | | | | | | | | | | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1 point deducted from Siena | | | | | | | | | | | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre>

retired_teju

Four days into February, we headed to Parma. Vieira returned to the side in place of the suspended Cambiasso. We were heavy favourites, and the guys looked sharp. Stankovic lofted one in that Ibrahimovic finished nicely on 23. A very similar goal, this time involving Camoranesi and Adriano after 64, gave us a very professional win.

The following day, quite out of the blue, I received a phone call from the agent for Cesc Fabregas, or at least someone claiming to be. Apparently, the guy was very interested in joining us, which was nice to know. I was wary of course, and just said we would love him, but there was no way we could afford him. Certainly though, if Moratti splashed the cash in the Summer, he would be one of the guys we would be very interested in. Stankovic was irritating me, not with his play, which was superb, but with his ridiculous contract demands, which seemed to escalate every week almost. He would have to go at the end of the season.

We returned to the San Siro on the 11th, to face Ascoli. Vieira retained his place, and Materazzi replaced the slightly injured Samuel. It was an intensely frustrating game. We had two penalties turned down, quite ridiculously in my view, and then a disallowed goal. That's pretty much all there is to report, since we completely dominated the game, yet came away with a 0-0 scoreline, our first league draw of the season.

A re-arranged home game with Siena followed on the 17th. As usual we enjoyed heavy pressure, and this time the opposition didn't keep us out for too long. Ibrahimovic outpaced the defence and drove in after 37 minutes. Adriano extended our lead 4 minutes later, pulling down a cross and clinically finishing. I thought the guys relaxed a bit from there, yet we still got the win easily enough, so I didn't start moaning about it afterwards.

Another three days later and the biggest fixture of the season arrived, the home leg of our Champions League tie with Chelsea. There was a huge build up prior to the game which I studiously ignored, and instructed the players to do likewise. The atmosphere on the night was electric in the ground, and the players really responded to it. We started off all over them, and after 15 minutes, Ibrahimovic crossed and Adriano buried it. Eight minutes later, Grosso crossed and Adriano brilliantly turned and finished, provoking bedlam in the stadium. We had them reeling now. After 26, Ibrahimovic latched on to a long ball, and with no Blues defender in sight, waltzed in on goal to score our third.

At that moment, I was urged by the coaching staff to fall back and defend, but it just wasn't in my nature, and certainly not this early in the game. Lampard pulled one back after 57 minutes, with a 25 yard shot that I could have saved standing on one leg. I was absolutely furious with Julio Cesar for letting in a softie in this, of all games. I would have been delighted with 3-1, and it looked that way, until 4 minutes later, Joe Cole lashed in another 25 yarder. At least this one was a half decent shot, but from 3-0 to 3-2 at the end was very disappointing.

I had never met Jose Mourinho before, and was looking forward to it, as I thought we were pretty similar. I felt that we both liked to feign arrogance to annoy stupid people who weren't clever enough to see through it, and didn't take life that seriously. When I shook his hand at the end, I said with a smile:

"I would say bad luck, but I thought you were lucky, so I'll just say well played."

He laughed heartily. "I was just thinking that Il Mato." (I was surprised he knew my nickname).

[I]"Come upstairs and have a drink."

"I would like to but they arranged for us to fly out straight away. We'll do that after the second leg at the Bridge."

"Fair enough."

For our next game at Empoli on the 25th, I dropped Cesar and brought in Toldo. Abidal, who was inelligible for the Champions League, made his first league start. After 6 minutes, Camoranesi cut it back, and Vieira was the Johnny-on-the-spot. Stankovic added a diving header just before half time, which was more than enough for the win. Sadly though, Vieira tore his calf muscle again, and would miss another four months. His season was over, and I was wondering if his career at this club was too. I wanted him to stay, but there wasn't much point if he never made it on to the field.

On the last day of February, we visited 2nd placed Palermo. Vieira and Ibrahimovic (who was suspended) were replaced by Cambiasso and Cassano. It was a very poor game, and a lame display from both teams. We conceded the goal which lost us the game after 35 minutes. At least we still had a handy cushion at the top, and the team was allowed one bad performance every so often, though I was angry at the time, and let them have it after the match.

A productive February came to a close with a profit of 2.3M.

retired_teju

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> | Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | | Inter | | 26 | 22 | 1 | 3 | 50 | 9 | +41 | 67 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Palermo | | 26 | 15 | 7 | 4 | 39 | 20 | +19 | 52 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Roma | | 26 | 13 | 8 | 5 | 41 | 30 | +11 | 47 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Chievo | | 26 | 14 | 3 | 9 | 41 | 31 | +10 | 45 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Milan | | 26 | 15 | 7 | 4 | 35 | 16 | +19 | 44 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Sampdoria | | 26 | 13 | 5 | 8 | 36 | 26 | +10 | 44 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Torino | | 26 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 36 | 27 | +9 | 42 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Fiorentina | | 26 | 16 | 7 | 3 | 36 | 17 | +19 | 40 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Livorno | | 26 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 31 | 33 | -2 | 37 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | Parma | | 26 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 27 | 26 | +1 | 36 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th | | Lazio | | 26 | 11 | 4 | 11 | 38 | 32 | +6 | 34 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th | | Siena | | 26 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 19 | 22 | -3 | 31 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 13th | | Udinese | | 26 | 8 | 7 | 11 | 28 | 38 | -10 | 31 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14th | | Catania | | 26 | 8 | 6 | 12 | 31 | 35 | -4 | 30 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15th | | Empoli | | 26 | 8 | 6 | 12 | 26 | 35 | -9 | 30 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 16th | | Atalanta | | 26 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 13 | 25 | -12 | 23 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17th | | Ascoli | | 26 | 5 | 7 | 14 | 20 | 34 | -14 | 22 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 18th | | Messina | | 26 | 1 | 7 | 18 | 15 | 45 | -30 | 10 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 19th | | Cagliari | | 26 | 2 | 3 | 21 | 18 | 51 | -33 | 9 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 20th | | Reggina | | 26 | 4 | 6 | 16 | 21 | 49 | -28 | 7 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8 points deducted from Milan | | | | | | | | | | | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3 points deducted from Lazio | | | | | | | | | | | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11 points deducted from Reggina | | | | | | | | | | | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15 points deducted from Fiorentina | | | | | | | | | | | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1 point deducted from Siena | | | | | | | | | | | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre>

retired_teju

March's action began on the 3rd, at home to Udinese. Ibrahimovic returned, but it was Adriano who chose this day to create a sensation. In the opening minutes, he skipped past his marker and chipped delightfully in. Stankovic played him in on 26, and this time it was a power finish. He then produced a top corner from 25 yards job 8 minutes later, to complete one of the best hat-tricks you could ever imagine. Just before the break, Stankovic got in on the act, benefitting from a deflection to get an easy tap-in. Either side of the hour, two more goals came. Ibrahimovic finished easily from a Solari cross, then another sub, Cassano, laid him on for a similarly easy goal. Cassano then got his first for the club from a tight angle with 6 minutes left. That was more like it! I told the lads they were nothing short of sensational. Not even negative media coverage at the weekend, first concerning Toldo's continuing selection by me, and Stankovic whining about his contract could take the gloss off it. What's more, it was the perfect preparation for the return leg with Chelsea.

As soon as we arrived in London for the game the hype was obvious. A one goal win would be enough for them, any scoring by us would make it dicey for them. Again I shunned the media, and kept the pressure off the lads. All we did was train, and then also go to one of London's top Italian restaurants for dinner. The lads seemed relaxed.

Little did I know the match would live up to the hype, especially after they scored in the first minute. We were in disarray for some reason, and conceded again after 22. I went all out attack at half-time, yet we seemed doomed when they scored again on 63. Less than 2 minutes later, Ibrahimovic got us back in it with a neat finish. All we needed was one more to force extra time. Now the pressure reverted to them. They defended manfully, then almost with the last kick of the game, the ball broke to Ibrahimovic, who stormed in on Cech and slid it home. The crowd was crestfallen, except for our fans in one corner of the ground. Our bench and team was going nuts as well. I wasn't, and calmed everybody down. We'd achieved nothing more than extending the game.

That point was brought home to us when they scored again 7 minutes into extra time. It was an irrelevant goal, since if we scored we'd win on away goals, so the scenario was little different to us. In the second half of extras, Cordoba laid a long punt forward and Adriano completely outpaced their defence to slam home. This time I set up the barricades, and we hung on grimly to win on away goals! The groan around the Bridge was audible as the referee put the whistle to his lips. Our lot went mad of course, though I tried to retain some decorum, releasing my joy in the dressing room afterwards. I told the lads I was proud of their comeback, and we would stay in London overnight since we'd won, so they could celebrate all they like. There was a huge cheer to that.

I went upstairs where Mourinho very graciously had a drink with me. There was no doubt that when he made the offer in Milan, he thought he'd be doing it as a winning manager. Yet he was very generous, and we had a very long chat, not just about football. It went on so late in fact, that by the time it broke up the players had already left to go back to the hotel.

That other p***k Kenyon was there too, and I just blanked him. Interestingly enough, so too did Mourinho. It must have been galling for the baldy b****rd to watch me savour the victory in their club bar, and that certainly added to the enjoyment.

The next day good news filtered through. After quiet and productive negotiations (unlike those with Stankovic), Adriano signed a new 5 year contract at 60K/week. He had years left on his old one, which the club pointed out, but I fought on his behalf, because in football terms, he was being underpaid for his superb contributions. Also that day, we discovered that we would be playing Roma in the Champions League quarters. They were a known quantity, and one which I felt we could beat into the bargain.

At the weekend, we travelled to Fiorentina, and the European hangover was obvious. The players looked tired and underperformed, against a highly motivated side. The game was very poor quality, considering the players on show. It was eventually decided when we conceded in the 77th minute, and we never looked like coming back. I was angry afterwards, though it wasn't one of my real performances. I was as much disappointed as angry. Especially since news came through that Adriano would miss several weeks with a foot injury.

I expected a big reaction on the 18th, at home to Catania, even though I put all the reserves in. I made the decision because quite simply, the first choice stars were knackered. I expected the reserves to be really up for it, instead they were garbage as well. Crespo got one straight after a half-time tantrum from me, yet just 4 minutes later the visitors pegged us back. It was garbage, and I didn't want us to make a habit of it, but the title was still in hand, and the big stars did need rest.

As if to emphasise the workload, news came on the 27th that Walter Samuel had done his back in, a slipped disc that probably did for the rest of his season. On the same day, I accepted a 2 year extension on 36.5K/week. I wasn't sure if I would stay 2 years, however it was nice to have the security, not that I needed the money or anything. Still I'd take it. I made sure the announcement was made with no fuss, so it didn't distract from our preparations for upcoming games.

On the 31st we visited Roma in the league. We were in hot form, all over them. A Recoba special, blasting in a free kick, got us started (24). Nine minutes later, Ibrahimovic doubled it with a long range chip. The same player then knocked in an Adriano cross, to easily seal the points. We stayed in the capital, because our next game was just a few days away, against the same opponent, in the Champions League. I'd take the same result in that one any day of the week, although I had a feeling it would be a lot more difficult than that day's game.

retired_teju

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> | Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | | Inter | | 30 | 24 | 2 | 4 | 61 | 11 | +50 | 74 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Palermo | | 30 | 18 | 7 | 5 | 46 | 24 | +22 | 61 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Roma | | 30 | 15 | 9 | 6 | 48 | 35 | +13 | 54 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Milan | | 30 | 18 | 8 | 4 | 41 | 17 | +24 | 54 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Fiorentina | | 30 | 20 | 7 | 3 | 43 | 18 | +25 | 52 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Sampdoria | | 30 | 15 | 6 | 9 | 43 | 27 | +16 | 51 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Chievo | | 30 | 15 | 4 | 11 | 44 | 36 | +8 | 49 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Torino | | 30 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 41 | 35 | +6 | 46 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Parma | | 30 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 31 | 27 | +4 | 44 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | Livorno | | 30 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 37 | 37 | 0 | 44 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th | | Lazio | | 30 | 12 | 5 | 13 | 42 | 38 | +4 | 38 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th | | Udinese | | 30 | 9 | 8 | 13 | 30 | 47 | -17 | 35 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 13th | | Siena | | 30 | 9 | 8 | 13 | 24 | 29 | -5 | 34 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14th | | Catania | | 30 | 8 | 8 | 14 | 32 | 39 | -7 | 32 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15th | | Empoli | | 30 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 27 | 43 | -16 | 31 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 16th | | Ascoli | | 30 | 6 | 8 | 16 | 23 | 38 | -15 | 26 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17th | | Atalanta | | 30 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 15 | 30 | -15 | 25 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 18th | | Reggina | | 30 | 6 | 8 | 16 | 28 | 53 | -25 | 15 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 19th | | Messina | | 30 | 2 | 8 | 20 | 21 | 50 | -29 | 14 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 20th | | Cagliari | | 30 | 3 | 3 | 24 | 20 | 63 | -43 | 12 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8 points deducted from Milan | | | | | | | | | | | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3 points deducted from Lazio | | | | | | | | | | | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11 points deducted from Reggina | | | | | | | | | | | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15 points deducted from Fiorentina | | | | | | | | | | | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1 point deducted from Siena | | | | | | | | | | | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre>

retired_teju

I felt that staying down in Rome ahead of the Champions League encounter had helped to build team spirit, which was already terrific to begin with. We went to the cinema, and did some paintballing, during which I allowed the players to give me a thorough shooting up. They really enjoyed that one. The coaching staff took their revenge. I had them all hiding behind some shrubbery and they then jumped out and opened up on the players. The laughter and mickey-taking went on long into the night, and it was magnificent for team unity.

The atmosphere was as hostile as one would have expected for the match. They were silenced, and demoralised to an extent, by a bizzare goal for us after 13 minutes. Grosso launched a long punt downfield which their keeper seemed to be completely fooled by. The ball scooted past him and Ibrahimovic breezed after it to smash it in to the empty net. Then the home side were undressed 6 minutes before half-time. Zanetti crossed for a wide open Ibrahimovic, who in a brilliant and unselfish piece of play, squared for Adriano to tap in. That was sufficient for us and I sent the lads out in the second period to kill the game, which they did very professionally. It was a thoroughly well deserved win. Roma moaned about a disallowed goal that was a mile offside, but they were lucky they weren't beaten much more heavily.

On the weekend came the Milan derby, and I was surprised that we were second favourites. I used that to fire up the lads before the start. We got underway after 7 minutes when Camoranesi sent in a brilliant raking ball, which Adriano finished in his usual, effortless style. We had all the chances in that half, and it worried me that we went in only one up. I told the lads to keep on trucking, and in the 63rd minute we got our reward. Camoranesi this time produced a penetrating cross, which ran to Ibrahimovic, who blistered in a cross shot finish. The lads were sensational. The fans in the Curva Nord gave the team and me a hell of a reception all throughout the game, and the chant of "Il Mato! Il Mato! Il Mato li amiamo!" at the end of the game nearly shook the grand old stadium to its foundations. It shook my foundations too. We were on a roll, spirit in the camp was brilliant, and we felt unbeatable. Moratti, the fans, and everyone connected with the club knew we were going great guns too, and it was a terrific feeling to be at the head of it all.

Another major game came in midweek, with the Cup second leg at home to Juventus. It threatened to go pear shaped after 5 minutes when Materazzi was sent off for a careless elbow. However, Adriano killed the tie (if it wasn't dead already) with a goal from a tight angle after 18 minutes. He added a late penalty as well for a surprisingly easy win. Though even with 10 men, we were clearly the better side. The only spanner in the works was a groin injury to Stankovic, which would see him lost to us for 3 weeks.

On the Friday came the Champions League draw, and we got Man United. It was a huge game of course, however I didn't see any point in pontificating about it. Unlike some people, I had a good relationship with Alex Ferguson, and we both knew there would be little point trying to bull**** eachother.

The weekend saw us visit Cagliari. They were struggling, and with a comfortable lead at the top, I plugged in every reserve I thought I could get away with. It was a rancid game from the first minute till last, which I'd thought we'd won by virtue of a 78th minute Crespo penalty, only for them to equalise in injury time. It was a poor and embarrassing performance. Still, we were a few miles ahead in the league, so I wasn't going to lose any sleep over it.

All the regulars returned for the Italian Cup Final 1st Leg at the San Siro. It seemed like we'd played Roma about 50 times this season, and while that got a little stale, we never got tired of beating them. We dominated the game as we had against them all season. No goal came though, which led to an increasingly rare tantrum from me in the dressing room. In the 58th minute, Adriano broke through and the finish was never in doubt. The game failed to open up as I anticipated. After a great chance was cleared in the 90th minute, Camoranesi hammered in from the edge of the area, to give us an advantage which I felt would be enough to win the trophy.

The weekend fixture had us entertaining Reggina. With the Champions League game upcoming, the reserves made another appearence. Before the game, Cordoba took a bow on the field having signed a new 3 year contract worth 5 million, and then it was down to business as usual. Julio Cruz scored a fairly simple goal after 12 minutes, and Crespo added a second, a totally unchallenged half volley from a Figo cross, with 6 minutes to go before the interval. Totally against the run of play, and any football logic, they scored after 73, but sub Choutos restored some sanity to the scoreline with a tap in 6 minutes later. An easy win.

The next afternoon, Palermo could only draw with Milan, and we were champions of Serie A. Mission number one had been accomplished, and despite the usual media feeding frenzy, and the opportunity for clapped out ex-legends to crawl out of the woodwork and give their opinions, there was no time to relax. We were already preparing for the biggest game of our season.

I kept myself and the players completely out of the hype, though it was nice to have a media exchange with Ferguson along the lines of "I hope the best team wins". I was forced to play Tudor at centre back due to suspensions and injuries, although I had plenty of confidence in him. We made a disastrous start to the game. They were all over us, then before we knew it, Zanetti was receiving his marching orders for two yellows after 29 minutes. I was fuming, partly at the player, also at the overzealousness of the ref, which had of course ruined the game for everyone apart from United fans. We had no option but to fall back defensively. In the 50th minute, Adriano missed a great chance that he would normally have scored with a fag on. Six minutes later Camoranesi launched one into the box, and Ibrahimovic gave us an unlikely, and not undeserved lead. It only lasted 6 minutes before Scholes scored, then with 9 minutes left, wide open Wayne Rooney was allowed to fire home the winning goal. The sending of killed us in this game, and I said so afterwards to the media. I didn't give a damn if the authorities didn't like it. In addition to his incompetent meddling that saw Zanetti suspended for the 2nd leg, he also booked Ibrahimovic, meaning he would miss the return leg too. We were doomed as far as I saw it, though I didn't for a minute project an air of defeatism to anyone but my inner self.

A home league date with Atalanta was a supreme irrelevance, decided by two free kicks from Recoba. Cordoba got sent off for a pro foul too, so we were being nothing if not consistent. An 11.9M profit for the month was pleasing for the club and particularly the board, as we jetted off for Manchester. It was a tie I felt we had no chance of winning and I would rather have been home with Carla, but this was the life of a football manager.

retired_teju

The pressure was off with not expecting to get through against United, and I tried to create this impression with the players. We were struggling to get a full side out. It got even worse 6 minutes into the game, when Cordoba went down, and we were forced to play Cambiasso at centre back. This was getting ugly. It was a bit of an ugly game too. The scoring was finally opened by United in the 51st minute. Fifteen minutes later, Adriano blasted in a spectacular 30 yarder. Four minutes after that, Crespo picked up a rebound and gave us the lead, but we still needed another one. They got a fluke deflected goal with 12 minutes left, which was pretty irrelevant, since we needed another one to win the tie anyway. With a minute left, O'Shea mystifyingly passed it straight to Julio Cruz in front of his own net, and we had the scoreline that would advance us. I pulled everyone back to hang on, and just as I did, the lucky ba****ds scored of course, and that was that.

I said to Fergie afterwards that it would have been a miracle if we'd won with the injuries we'd had, and wished them luck for the final. He saluted the guts in our side, bearing in mind all the players we'd lost, and said we'd had them worried for a minute. We piled into a bottle of whisky in his office, since I was going back to Italy the day after the players. I was heading down to London to appear at a charitable event, which I had been embarrassed into attending by a charming young lady who had sent me a letter about clean water in Africa. A couple of charitable events and a few donations every year kept my conscience clean.

I missed Carla so much that I flew her in to meet me the next morning, then we flew back to Milan that night. I didn't go in to work for a few days, because the season was effectively over, having won Serie A and been dumped out of the Champions League.

On the 6th we visited Torino for an extraordinarily tiresome draw, a game we should have won, then hightailed it down to Rome for the second leg of the cup final against Roma. I knew we'd win, so it was a bit of a shock when we lost 3-0 and couged up the trophy. I was livid with everything: the result, the performance and also the refereeing, which made me think there might be another scandal going on in Italian football. When I bawled out the team afterwards, Materazzi spoke back to me. I was so furious I told him then and there that he'd played his last game for the club, which certainly shut him up. Still in a fit of pique on the flight home, I gave instructions to also transfer list Zanetti, Stankovic, and Cruz.

I was thoroughly fed up with football, and informed Moratti that I was going on holiday with immediate effect. He wasn't happy, considering there were three meaningless games left in the league. I told him I had to go away for the sake of my sanity, which was partly true. The other part was that I wanted to get away with Carla for as long as possible. He reluctantly agreed, since I left him with no choice but to fire me, which he wasn't prepared to do. As soon as it had been foisted on him, I felt embarrassed and apologised. It was a display of petulance and unprofessionalism, and I realised that I had put the club in a spot about how to explain it to the media and the fans. Moratti softened when I expressed remorse for being childish. He laughed and told me to "f**k off" in Italian, reminding me on the way out that I wouldn't be getting paid for the time I was away. That was fine with me.

The team finished with three wins, whilst I was gallivanting around the world with Carla. We had a marvelous time, first in Rio, then in Cape Town, before jetting back to Milan, and a weekend at Lake Como. By the time I arrived back in the 2nd week of June plenty had happened. In the meantime the club had raked in a 19M profit for the month, but it was time to asses the players' performance and start the plans for next season.

retired_teju

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Holders - Inter| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | ECC | Inter | | 38 | 30 | 4 | 4 | 75 | 15 | +60 | 94 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | ECC | Palermo | | 38 | 23 | 9 | 6 | 58 | 29 | +29 | 78 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | ECC | Fiorentina | | 38 | 24 | 11 | 3 | 57 | 24 | +33 | 68 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | ECC | Milan | | 38 | 21 | 12 | 5 | 51 | 22 | +29 | 67 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | EC | Sampdoria | | 38 | 19 | 9 | 10 | 54 | 33 | +21 | 66 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | EC | Chievo | | 38 | 20 | 6 | 12 | 58 | 41 | +17 | 66 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | EC | Roma | | 38 | 16 | 13 | 9 | 59 | 47 | +12 | 61 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | EV | Torino | | 38 | 15 | 14 | 9 | 52 | 41 | +11 | 59 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Livorno | | 38 | 14 | 10 | 14 | 47 | 46 | +1 | 52 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | Lazio | | 38 | 15 | 8 | 15 | 55 | 51 | +4 | 50 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th | | Parma | | 38 | 13 | 10 | 15 | 38 | 43 | -5 | 49 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th | | Siena | | 38 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 31 | 35 | -4 | 45 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 13th | | Udinese | | 38 | 10 | 13 | 15 | 33 | 53 | -20 | 43 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14th | | Ascoli | | 38 | 10 | 11 | 17 | 33 | 43 | -10 | 41 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15th | | Catania | | 38 | 9 | 12 | 17 | 40 | 51 | -11 | 39 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 16th | | Empoli | | 38 | 8 | 9 | 21 | 36 | 61 | -25 | 33 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17th | | Atalanta | | 38 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 22 | 41 | -19 | 31 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 18th | R | Messina | | 38 | 5 | 9 | 24 | 30 | 63 | -33 | 24 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 19th | R | Cagliari | | 38 | 4 | 6 | 28 | 26 | 76 | -50 | 18 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 20th | R | Reggina | | 38 | 6 | 10 | 22 | 34 | 74 | -40 | 17 | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8 points deducted from Milan | | | | | | | | | | | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3 points deducted from Lazio | | | | | | | | | | | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11 points deducted from Reggina | | | | | | | | | | | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15 points deducted from Fiorentina | | | | | | | | | | | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1 point deducted from Siena | | | | | | | | | | | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre>

retired_teju

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> | Pkd | Inf | Name | Position | Morale | Form | Con | Apps | Gls | Av Rat | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Mauro Camoranesi | AM R | Superb | 7-7-7-7-7 | 92% | 42 (1) | 7 | 7.40 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Hol | Iván Córdoba | D RLC | Superb | 6-6-7-7-7 | 93% | 48 | - | 7.38 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Eric Abidal | D LC, WB L | Superb | 7-6-8-8-8 | 98% | 16 (1) | - | 7.35 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Unh | Dejan Stankovic | AM RLC | Good | 8-6-7-7-9 | 92% | 49 | 8 | 7.35 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Hol | Adriano | ST | Superb | 7-6-7-7-7 | 92% | 38 (1) | 30 | 7.33 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Hol | Patrick Vieira | DM | Very Good | 7-7-8-7-8 | 60% | 7 (6) | 1 | 7.31 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Zlatan Ibrahimović | F C | Superb | 6-6-7-7-8 | 92% | 47 | 28 | 7.28 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Hol | Walter Samuel | SW, D C | Good | 7-7-9-6-7 | 35% | 34 | - | 7.26 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Hol | Álvaro Recoba | AM LC, F C | Okay | 6-8-7-7-7 | 100% | 47 | 15 | 7.23 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Hol | Esteban Cambiasso | DM | Superb | 7-7-7-7-8 | 93% | 50 (1) | 3 | 7.14 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Hol | Júlio César | GK | Superb | 7-7-7-7-8 | 97% | 47 (1) | - | 7.13 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | | Fabio Grosso | D/WB/M L | Superb | 6-7-7-7-7 | 96% | 39 | 1 | 7.03 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Inj | Santiago Solari | AM L | Good | 7-7-7-8-6 | 63% | 12 (17)| 2 | 7.00 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Hol | Maxwell | D/WB/M L | Poor | 7-7-7-8-6 | 96% | 8 (1) | - | 7.00 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Unh | Igor Tudor | D C, DM | Superb | 7-7-7-7-7 | 97% | 11 (7) | - | 7.00 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Wnt | Marco Materazzi | SW, D C | Superb | 8-6-6-7-6 | 100% | 21 (4) | - | 7.00 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Hol | Julio Cruz | AM/F C | Very Good | 7-7-7-7-7 | 100% | 10 (15)| 11 | 6.96 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Hol | Maicon | D RL, WB R | Poor | 7-7-7-6-6 | 100% | 25 (2) | - | 6.93 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Inj | Francesco Toldo | GK | Superb | 6-8-5-7-7 | 57% | 11 (1) | - | 6.92 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Hol | Javier Zanetti | D/WB R, M RC | Okay | 5-7-7-7-7 | 97% | 34 (3) | - | 6.84 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Inj | Antonio Cassano | AM RC, F C | Very Good | 8-7-6-7-7 | 67% | 6 (11) | 1 | 6.82 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | - | Hol | Roberto De Filippis | AM RC | Good | 7-8-6-6-7 | 94% | 1 (3) | - | 6.75 | | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre>

retired_teju

Armed with a two year contract extension, I felt it was time to re-make the side with come new blood. Luis Figo departed as his contract expired, which was no knock on him. He'd had a terrific season. I praised him highly in the press, saying that he was one of the best players I had ever played against, and was a joy to manage, but it was time to move on. He replied warmly and in similar terms which meant a lot to me. I pressed the club to give him a send-off, and thousands of people turned up at the San Siro car park to bid him farewell.

My first signing of the Summer was Alex from Chelsea. He'd impressed in the Champions League while on loan at PSV and since the Blues didn't want him, he would do nicely for us. 4.7M was the fee, with a 35k/week deal. I was still working away in the background, yet our second signing didn't arrive until the 22nd. It was none other than Giorgio Chiellini, whom I hadn't been able to prise away from Juve despite offering 15M during the transfer window. Bizzarely, they then started accepting bids all over the place for him for 3.4M, and I weighed in, knowing that he wanted to join us. He duly did, on a 40k/week deal, and that had to go down as an absolute steal, considering what they had previously turned down, and the fact that he was perhaps the most impressive young Italian prospect around. On the same day, Julio Cruz departed for Lazio, 3M the fee. He'd done well for us, but it was all part of the evolution process that I felt we needed.

Two days later, I read in the paper that the shareholders of the club had reaped in a 15.5M dividend, due to our financial performance. I knew it was none of my business, yet I was annoyed that this would surely affect our transfer budget. Moratti had said that money was no object. If he really wanted us to win big, he had to accept that we needed to spend in the 20M range for players, something that the current budget wouldn't really allow us to do. He called me the same day to announce that he had also set aside a "hefty" transfer kitty of 27M, which was not to be sneezed at, but was hardly Chelseamungus.

It was swollen by 1.3M when I sold Materazzi. He wanted to stay and regretted his outburst. I told him that I had decided to sell him anyway, and not to worry that our disagreement had cost him his career at the club. I emphasised that there were no hard feelings, and this was a purely footballing decision, which seemed to sweeten the pill.

Adriano was voted our player of the year, although it could have been any one of several people. The board raked in 48.5M in TV rights, none of which would swell our transfer budget, and the President also announced that they were expecting another title. I had no problem with that, though only a fool would think it would be as easy as last year.