The Italian Job

Serie A is like the Premier League in terms of depth and competition. There is a big four consisting of Inter, AC Milan, Roma and Juventus. In anyone else other than one of these four teams wins the league it is a huge deal.
Since 1990 only Sampdoria and Lazio did so and that was once each.


The big rivalries in Italy revolve around Inter. The Inter-Milan rivalry is huge as is the Inter-Juventus rivalry. The Milan-Juventus rivalry completes the triangle but it is nowhere big as the other two.

These rivalries are huge in Italy and have also manifested themselves in Europe. Milan won the Champions League at the expense of Juventus. The final was won in a penalty-shootout.


The Inter-Juventus rivalry is the biggest of the three. Part of the Milan - Inter rivalry stems from the fact that they are neighbors but there is also an element of respect there. With the Derby d'Italia it is personal and means something. The two really don't like each other. This came to the surface during the Calciopoli scandal and got very ugly.

Boca Juniors - River Plate Rivalry

The Boca Juniors - River Plate Rivalry is better known as the Superclásico. It is one of the highlights of South American football and if you have never been to one, you have to put it on your list of things to do.

Things couldn't be more different for the two teams at the moment. Boca won the Torneo Apertura while River Plate finished last. In the Torneo Clausura it did better finishing in 8th place while Boca was in 14th.


As is the case in Brazil, none of the quality Argentinean players are playing in Argentina. This is just the way it is. It doesn't diminish from the Superclásico though.

The Olympiacos Panathinaikos rivalry

Yesterday we discussed the situation in Scotland. The situation in Greece isn't that much better. Olympiacos and Panathinaikos are clearly the two best teams in Greece. Between them they have won the League 56 times, everyone else has 17 title between them. The last different team to win was AEK Athens in 1994. AEK was very strong around this but since has declined dramatically.

Again this two dominate Greek soccer but then struggle in Europe. The teams offer riches to players who aren't at the level of La Liga, the Serie A or the English Premier League. No one would play in Greece if there was the option to play in Spain, Italy or England.

Case in point is Djibril Cissé who is now playing at Panathinaikos or Matt Derbyshire who is now at Olympiacos. Not withstanding all this, Greece was able to win the 2004 European Championships but its success had nothing to do with the Olympiacos-Panathinaikos rivalry.

The Future of the Old Firm Derby

I don't know about you but the Old Firm Derby just doesn't do it for me. This is an instance where a football rivalry is bigger than the league. For all intents and purposes you only have two teams in Scotland - the rest are just making up the numbers.

The Celtic - Rangers rivalry is bad for Scottish football.




The statistics are staggering - Between them the two have won the League 94 out of a possible 113 times. It is a big deal if these two aren't the two on top of the ladder and competing in the final for everything.

The competition format also amplifies this with them playing each other in the League eight times - that is simply too much.

Every time you pay attention to what is happening in Scotland it is that Celtic is in the middle of a huge streak or Rangers is.

You can see how good Rangers and Celtic really are when they compete in Europe - some of their losses are simply embarrassing. I'm not sure what they can do to fix the situation in Scotland. They have been trying to do so for quite a while.

Barcelona and Real Madrid fighting over Cesc Fabregas

Nothing stirs up the Real Madrid - Barcelona rivalry like the two fighting over a player. In this case, it is Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas.

The question for Real is do they have any cash left over after splurging on Kaka, Ronaldo and Benzema? Who else would they have to get rid of to accommodate him?

Barcelona President Joan Laporta wants to make some headlines of his own, but it wouldn't make any sense for Real to buy him. They may just be involved in order to try bump up the price.

Flamengo Fluminense Rivalry

One of the most famous football rivalries in the world is the Flamengo Fluminense rivalry which is commonly referred to as Fla-Flu. These two Brazilian sides are responsible for producing some of the most fantastic players to have ever graced the pitch.

Unfortunately things aren't like they used to be. Currently Flamengo sit in 6th spot on the Serie A table and Fluminense are all the way down in 15th spot. Two wins from 9 games is a poor effort on their part.

A rivalry definitely suffers when the teams are declining. Flamengo haven't won the league since 1992 and you have to go back to 1984 for Fluminense last title.

Part of this is due to the state of Brazilian football. Brazil is a assembly line of footballers for the rest of the world. Have a look at the J-League or even the Bundesliga and you will a staggering amount of Brazilian footballers. Eight of the last nine leading scorers in Japan are a different Brazilian.

So when all the great players and even the so-so players are exported, what you are left with are the kids, the has-beens and the hacks. Anyone else who is remotely decent will be looking for a big payday from overseas.
It is sad and unfortunate but it is just part of the reality of modern football.

English Football Rivalries

What would you say is the biggest football rivalry in England?
You could make a case that each and every one of the 19 other teams in the Premier League is a rival. That would give you 190 rivalries. Now obviously some rivalries are bigger than others. Here are the main ones.



First and foremost you have the rivalries within the Big 4. Each of the six different fixtures involving two sides from the Big 4 has become a massive football rivalry.



If I was to rank them in terms of the strength of the football rivalry it would be as follows:

1. Manchester United - Liverpool rivalry
2. Manchester United - Arsenal rivalry
3. Liverpool - Chelsea rivalry
4. Manchester United - Chelsea rivalry
5. Liverpool - Arsenal rivalry
6. Arsenal - Chelsea rivalry

Here are the reasons why.
1) Manchester United and Liverpool are the two biggest clubs in England. They have both won the League 18 times and it is always a massive clash when these two meet. They truly hate each other with a passion.
2) Since the early 1990s, Arsenal have been United's main competition in terms of the league. Arsenal haven't won as many trophies and don't have the success in Europe that Liverpool has had.
3) Meeting five years in a row isn't normal and after that 4-4 draw, the Chelsea-Liverpool rivalry went to the next level.
4) Have met in some big games recently but doesn't have the historical weight of the others. Also decreased when Jose Mourinho left. Have ranked it above the Arsenal - Liverpool rivalry as it has the potential to be bigger than it.
5) The third triangle of the Big 3 rivalry. It is big but both sides hate Manchester United more than the other. Still the 1989 league conclusion and a number of Cup finals always means it is up there.
6) Local rivals but after having dealt with both Manchester United and Liverpool these two don't have the energy to muster up the anger. Only so much can be generated.


Then you have you local football rivalries or derbies. Now these are always going to be dramatic encounters but they are lessened somewhat because you can have one strong side against a weaker side. This is the case with the:

• Manchester United - Manchester City rivalry
• Liverpool - Everton rivalry
• Arsenal - Tottenham rivalry

Also after dealing with the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United and then the big European sides, taking on an Everton or Tottenham doesn't appear to be much of a big deal.

I would say the Merseyside Derby is the biggest of the three because for the most these two have both remained competitive. Everton slipped in the 1990s but since David Moyes came on board they have consolidated.

The North London Derby is a passionate one but for a very long time Tottenham weren't competitive in it.

The Manchester Derby has suffered because for a long time Manchester City weren't in the Premier League.

But of the 190 different clashes in the Premier League, I would say that these are the biggest nine.

Welcome to the Bernabeu

Real Madrid buying Kaka but prising away Cristiano Ronaldo is something else entirely.
Seeing Barcelona win La Liga and the Champions League last year was too much for them to bear. They had to do something about and going on a spending spree was their solution.

There is no doubt that this raises the Real Madrid - Barcelona rivalry a few notches. The Catalans threw down the gauntlet last year and this is the way Real responds.

As for the Real Madrid - Athletico Madrid rivalry forget about it. There is no way Athletico can compete with their more fancied local rivals.

In response, Barcelona has been quiet on the transfer scene. They replaced one Brazilian with another. Sylvinho is out and Henrique is in.

For many reasons, it should be a fascinating season.

Welcome!

This is a new blog dedicated to football rivalries both local, national and international.
Enjoy!