Marked for Mario Perlingieri
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market3 Jun 2030
Luca Ferri hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Benevento can pretend not to have heard.
Market3 Jun 2030
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Benevento have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Squad3 Jun 2030
“The easiest signature of my career.” Matteo Darmian and Benevento agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Market3 Jun 2030
Only the photograph left for Roberto Troisi
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Roberto Troisi will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Benevento the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad3 Jun 2030
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Benevento this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad3 Jun 2030
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Raffaele Celia, and the manager let it.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match18 May 2030
3‑0, and Antonio Prisco took the headlines on an afternoon when everything Benevento tried came off. Days like this are retold all winter.
Squad20 May 2030
There were 8 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Player ratings20 May 2030
Defensive actions: 28. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Squad20 May 2030
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Benevento have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad20 May 2030
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Benevento this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad20 May 2030
55 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Player ratings20 May 2030
Marked 9.00 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Player ratings20 May 2030
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.95, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings20 May 2030
A performance of 8.72 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad13 May 2030
136 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Market13 May 2030
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Ernesto Starita will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Benevento the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad13 May 2030
Matteo Darmian was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Match11 May 2030
It finished 3‑1, and it was Antonio Prisco’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Benevento.
Player ratings13 May 2030
Marked 9.11 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Squad13 May 2030
A season average of 7.45 with 7 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Player ratings13 May 2030
A performance of 8.97 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings13 May 2030
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.89, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad13 May 2030
Angelo Talia gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad6 May 2030
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Benevento may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad6 May 2030
“The easiest signature of my career.” Jacopo Manconi and Benevento agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Market6 May 2030
Roberto Troisi has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Benevento they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad6 May 2030
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Benevento this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match4 May 2030
Cosenza left with the points after a 3‑4 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad6 May 2030
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Dmitriy Emeljanov, and the manager let it.
Player ratings6 May 2030
A performance of 8.54 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings6 May 2030
A performance of 8.43 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings6 May 2030
Successful dribbles: 13. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad22 Apr 2030
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad22 Apr 2030
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Benevento this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings22 Apr 2030
Marked 8.49 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Squad22 Apr 2030
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Raffaele Celia, and the manager let it.
Squad22 Apr 2030
Defences have started doubling up on Davide Lamesta
5 goals and a season average of 7.38 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.
Player ratings22 Apr 2030
Successful dribbles: 14. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Player ratings22 Apr 2030
Shots: 7. Goals: none. The chances were there and they were good ones, and they went into the stand, the goalkeeper's arms and the side netting in roughly that order.
Player ratings22 Apr 2030
Shots: 7. Goals: none. The chances were there and they were good ones, and they went into the stand, the goalkeeper's arms and the side netting in roughly that order.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad15 Apr 2030
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 8 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Market15 Apr 2030
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Ernesto Starita will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Benevento the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad15 Apr 2030
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad15 Apr 2030
Matteo Darmian was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad15 Apr 2030
8 goals and a season average of 7.55. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
Match13 Apr 2030
Catania left with the points after a 3‑4 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Player ratings15 Apr 2030
Marked 8.66 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Player ratings15 Apr 2030
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.10, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings15 Apr 2030
A performance of 8.06 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Market25 Mar 2030
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Benevento can pretend not to have heard.
Match23 Mar 2030
Nobody wants to play Benevento right now
3 wins in a row changes how opponents warm up: quieter, more glances across. Runs end, everybody knows that — but nobody in this dressing room is planning for it.
Squad25 Mar 2030
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Benevento this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings25 Mar 2030
Successful dribbles: 20. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Match23 Mar 2030
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Mario Perlingieri. 2‑1 against Siracusa, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Squad25 Mar 2030
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Player ratings25 Mar 2030
A performance of 8.50 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings25 Mar 2030
A performance of 8.48 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings25 Mar 2030
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.49, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market25 Feb 2030
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Benevento can pretend not to have heard.
Player ratings25 Feb 2030
Successful dribbles: 24. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad25 Feb 2030
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Benevento this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match23 Feb 2030
Foggia left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad25 Feb 2030
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad25 Feb 2030
A season average of 7.29 with 4 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Player ratings25 Feb 2030
Shots: 14, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.
Market25 Feb 2030
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Stefano Scognamillo’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
Player ratings25 Feb 2030
Shots: 7. Goals: none. The chances were there and they were good ones, and they went into the stand, the goalkeeper's arms and the side netting in roughly that order.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match16 Feb 2030
Trapani will want this one forgotten quickly: 3‑0, every duel lost, and a long ride home. Benevento were ruthless in the way good sides are ruthless.
Player ratings18 Feb 2030
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 30 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Squad18 Feb 2030
Lorenzo Cordaro: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Benevento have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad18 Feb 2030
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Squad18 Feb 2030
Matteo Darmian was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings18 Feb 2030
A performance of 9.51 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings18 Feb 2030
Marked 8.80 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Player ratings18 Feb 2030
Defensive actions: 20. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Squad18 Feb 2030
He is doing things on a Saturday afternoon that nobody around him can answer, which is flattering for about one season and a problem after that. Benevento will not keep him by pretending otherwise.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match9 Feb 2030
0‑3 to Casertana, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.
Squad11 Feb 2030
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 7 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Squad11 Feb 2030
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Benevento may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Market11 Feb 2030
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Benevento is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad11 Feb 2030
Matteo Darmian was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings11 Feb 2030
Successful dribbles: 22. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad11 Feb 2030
The manager makes an example of Matteo Darmian
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Market11 Feb 2030
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Benevento have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Boardroom11 Feb 2030
Nobody left the Benevento dressing room in a hurry
The door stayed shut a long time after the final whistle. What was said in there is between them; whether it worked is between them and Saturday.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad4 Feb 2030
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Benevento may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Market4 Feb 2030
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Benevento they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad4 Feb 2030
“The easiest signature of my career.” Stefano Scognamillo and Benevento agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad4 Feb 2030
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Benevento this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match2 Feb 2030
Still nobody has beaten Benevento
The unbeaten run reaches 6. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.
Player ratings4 Feb 2030
A performance of 8.98 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings4 Feb 2030
Marked 8.85 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Squad4 Feb 2030
Defences have started doubling up on Kevin Moressa
6 goals and a season average of 7.42 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.
Player ratings4 Feb 2030
A performance of 8.32 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad21 Jan 2030
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Market21 Jan 2030
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad21 Jan 2030
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Benevento this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings21 Jan 2030
Defensive actions: 23. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Market21 Jan 2030
Pisa pay $190.0K, and the deal is done. The number reads well on a balance sheet; whether it reads well on the pitch is next season's question.
Player ratings21 Jan 2030
Defensive actions: 21, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Player ratings21 Jan 2030
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.85, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad21 Jan 2030
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Antonio Prisco, and the manager let it.
Match19 Jan 2030
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Alessio Curci. 2‑0 against Sorrento, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad14 Jan 2030
There were 7 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Squad14 Jan 2030
Matteo Darmian was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Loan watch14 Jan 2030
“I did not go to Monopoli to sit and watch. I want to come back to Benevento and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 29 matches say the rest.
Squad14 Jan 2030
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Marco Tumminello, and the manager let it.
Player ratings14 Jan 2030
A performance of 8.39 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad14 Jan 2030
5 goals and a season average of 7.38. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
Match12 Jan 2030
It needed Antonio Prisco to find the net to bring anything home at all: 1‑1 against Monopoli, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.
Market14 Jan 2030
No place for Luca Ferri in the plan
“The manager did not use many words, and he did not need to.” Luca Ferri has his answer from Benevento; what he does with it is the next window’s story.
Player ratings14 Jan 2030
Successful dribbles: 12. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match22 Dec 2029
The wait goes on for Benevento
8 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Player ratings24 Dec 2029
Successful dribbles: 31. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad24 Dec 2029
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad24 Dec 2029
The medical room confirms 18 days on the sidelines for Jacopo Manconi, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad24 Dec 2029
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Benevento this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad24 Dec 2029
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Matteo Darmian, and the manager let it.
Match22 Dec 2029
0‑2 to Cosenza, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
The terraces24 Dec 2029
He is the name in every column and on every phone-in, which is a heavy thing to carry at any age. Some footballers thrive on it; others are quietly finished by it.
Player ratings24 Dec 2029
Shots: 14, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Player ratings10 Dec 2029
Successful dribbles: 26. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Match8 Dec 2029
No end in sight to Benevento's wait for a win
5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Benevento has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad10 Dec 2029
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Benevento this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings10 Dec 2029
A performance of 8.89 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings10 Dec 2029
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.79, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad10 Dec 2029
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Boardroom10 Dec 2029
101% of the income goes out in wages at Benevento
Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.
Match8 Dec 2029
It finished 2‑2, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
Squad10 Dec 2029
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Benevento have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Player ratings19 Nov 2029
Successful dribbles: 23. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad19 Nov 2029
Matteo Darmian was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad19 Nov 2029
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Match17 Nov 2029
Crotone left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad19 Nov 2029
45 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Loan watch19 Nov 2029
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Benevento, and 0 appearances in 21 say he has earned the hearing.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad12 Nov 2029
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Benevento may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad12 Nov 2029
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Benevento this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad12 Nov 2029
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Marco Tumminello, and the manager let it.
Match10 Nov 2029
Siracusa left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Player ratings12 Nov 2029
Successful dribbles: 18. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Boardroom12 Nov 2029
103% of the income goes out in wages at Benevento
Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.
Squad12 Nov 2029
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Benevento, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Player ratings12 Nov 2029
Shots: 13, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.
Player ratings12 Nov 2029
Shots: 10, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Player ratings5 Nov 2029
Defensive actions: 38. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Squad5 Nov 2029
2 kept out in the shoot-out, and a stadium that will still be describing them in twenty years. A goalkeeper only needs one of these to be remembered forever.
Match31 Oct 2029
Benevento through in the cup
A 0‑0 win over Pisa, and the draw for the next round can be watched with some interest for once.
Market5 Nov 2029
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Benevento, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad5 Nov 2029
A season average of 7.34 at an age when most of his year group are still in the youth team. Benevento know what they have, and so, by now, does everybody else.
Squad5 Nov 2029
“The easiest signature of my career.” Matteo Darmian and Benevento agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad5 Nov 2029
Matteo Darmian was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings5 Nov 2029
Defensive actions: 23. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad29 Oct 2029
There were 14 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Player ratings29 Oct 2029
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 30 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Squad29 Oct 2029
17 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Squad29 Oct 2029
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Benevento this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings29 Oct 2029
A defender's afternoon for Mattia Maita
Defensive actions: 23. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Player ratings29 Oct 2029
Successful dribbles: 20. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad29 Oct 2029
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Jacopo Manconi, and the manager let it.
Match27 Oct 2029
Three points for Benevento, 1‑0 the final word against Potenza in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Player ratings29 Oct 2029
Shots: 13, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad8 Oct 2029
3 goals in one game. The first was taken well, the second was taken greedily, and by the third the crowd were simply waiting for him to get the ball.
Market8 Oct 2029
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Benevento can pretend not to have heard.
Squad8 Oct 2029
A season average of 7.21 at an age when most of his year group are still in the youth team. Benevento know what they have, and so, by now, does everybody else.
Squad8 Oct 2029
“The easiest signature of my career.” Gianmarco Vannucchi and Benevento agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad8 Oct 2029
Matteo Darmian was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings8 Oct 2029
A performance of 9.79 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Match6 Oct 2029
A 3‑2 win over Trapani, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Player ratings8 Oct 2029
Marked 8.71 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Boardroom8 Oct 2029
96% of the income goes out in wages at Benevento
Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad1 Oct 2029
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Benevento may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad1 Oct 2029
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Benevento this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings1 Oct 2029
Marked 9.06 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Squad1 Oct 2029
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings1 Oct 2029
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.90, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings1 Oct 2029
A performance of 8.08 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Match29 Sep 2029
A 3‑3 draw with Casertana leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Player ratings1 Oct 2029
Shots: 5. Goals: none. The chances were there and they were good ones, and they went into the stand, the goalkeeper's arms and the side netting in roughly that order.
Squad1 Oct 2029
The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad17 Sep 2029
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Benevento may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad17 Sep 2029
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Benevento this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings17 Sep 2029
A performance of 10.00 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Match15 Sep 2029
Cavese made Benevento work for it, but the scoreboard read 3‑1 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Player ratings17 Sep 2029
A performance of 9.13 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad17 Sep 2029
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Stefano Scognamillo, and the manager let it.
Player ratings17 Sep 2029
Successful dribbles: 18. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Player ratings17 Sep 2029
Shots: 10. Goals: none. The chances were there and they were good ones, and they went into the stand, the goalkeeper's arms and the side netting in roughly that order.
Squad17 Sep 2029
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Benevento have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market10 Sep 2029
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Benevento, and it is not being withdrawn.
Match8 Sep 2029
The wait goes on for Benevento
5 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Squad10 Sep 2029
Matteo Darmian was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings10 Sep 2029
Successful dribbles: 22. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad10 Sep 2029
73 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Match8 Sep 2029
Pietro Biolchi scored, and precious little else went right: 1‑2 to Sorrento, and a quiet walk to the dressing room.
Squad10 Sep 2029
The manager makes an example of Mattia Maita
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings10 Sep 2029
Marked 8.49 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Squad10 Sep 2029
A defender's mistake gets tidied up by somebody else; a goalkeeper's ends up in the net. He knew before the ball crossed the line, and so did everybody in the ground.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match1 Sep 2029
4 matches without a win for Benevento
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Benevento are no longer polite ones.
Squad3 Sep 2029
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Benevento this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad3 Sep 2029
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings3 Sep 2029
Marked 8.88 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Player ratings3 Sep 2029
Successful dribbles: 15. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Match1 Sep 2029
It finished 1‑1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
Player ratings3 Sep 2029
Shots: 11, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.
The terraces3 Sep 2029
He is the name in every column and on every phone-in, which is a heavy thing to carry at any age. Some footballers thrive on it; others are quietly finished by it.
Squad3 Sep 2029
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Benevento have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad27 Aug 2029
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad27 Aug 2029
Matteo Darmian was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Market27 Aug 2029
The shirt still fits. Alfonso Chiari is back at Benevento, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
Market27 Aug 2029
Some transfers need a press campaign. This one needed a shirt with the old number on it. Riccardo Bonaventura is a Benevento player again, and the town has its story of the summer.
Market27 Aug 2029
The shirt still fits. Massimo Serafini is back at Benevento, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
Market27 Aug 2029
He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market20 Aug 2029
Benevento say no — this time
The offer from Rosenborg for Mario Perlingieri was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Market20 Aug 2029
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Benevento, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad20 Aug 2029
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Benevento have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market13 Aug 2029
Add another name to the list: Rosenborg have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Mario Perlingieri. The answer from Benevento has not changed — yet.
Market13 Aug 2029
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Benevento, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad13 Aug 2029
At 21, Kevin Moressa is already the best thing here
An average of 7.29 in a first team he is several years too young for. Benevento have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.
Squad13 Aug 2029
Matteo Darmian was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Market13 Aug 2029
Cremonese come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Benevento did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad13 Aug 2029
“I did not come here to warm up in front of people.” He is out of contract eventually, he is old enough to count the weeks, and Benevento will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad30 Jul 2029
Matteo Darmian was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad30 Jul 2029
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Loan watch30 Jul 2029
“I watch every Benevento game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Monopoli runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
Boardroom30 Jul 2029
Wages eat 87% of everything Benevento earn
There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.
Market30 Jul 2029
Cremonese are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. Benevento will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Market30 Jul 2029
No place for Luca Mazzeo in the plan
“The manager did not use many words, and he did not need to.” Luca Mazzeo has his answer from Benevento; what he does with it is the next window’s story.
Market30 Jul 2029
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Jacopo Manconi signs something — a contract at Benevento or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
The terraces30 Jul 2029
Supporters make their feelings known about Mario Perlingieri
The speculation has reached the stands, and the stands have answered. Benevento would like this settled before it becomes the only thing anybody asks about.
Squad30 Jul 2029
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Benevento, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market4 Jun 2029
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Squad4 Jun 2029
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Benevento may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad4 Jun 2029
Matteo Darmian was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Market4 Jun 2029
“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Ernesto Starita has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Benevento.
Squad4 Jun 2029
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Boardroom4 Jun 2029
Wages eat 89% of everything Benevento earn
There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market14 May 2029
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Benevento can pretend not to have heard.
Squad14 May 2029
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Benevento have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad14 May 2029
Matteo Darmian was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad14 May 2029
He is 21, he is averaging 7.11, and older professionals have started passing to him in the difficult minutes. That last part is the real scouting report.
Match12 May 2029
Beaten 1‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad14 May 2029
The manager makes an example of Jacopo Manconi
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings14 May 2029
Marked 8.34 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Player ratings14 May 2029
One lapse, one goal, and ninety minutes of honest work counting for nothing. That is the job at Benevento, and it is a cruel one.
Player ratings14 May 2029
Shots: 11. Goals: none. The chances were there and they were good ones, and they went into the stand, the goalkeeper's arms and the side netting in roughly that order.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Player ratings23 Apr 2029
A defender's afternoon for Angelo Talia
Defensive actions: 32. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Squad23 Apr 2029
A season average of 7.30 at an age when most of his year group are still in the youth team. Benevento know what they have, and so, by now, does everybody else.
Squad23 Apr 2029
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Benevento this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad23 Apr 2029
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match21 Apr 2029
It finished 1‑0, and it was Mario Perlingieri’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Benevento.
Player ratings23 Apr 2029
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.54, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings23 Apr 2029
A performance of 8.09 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings23 Apr 2029
Shots: 12, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad9 Apr 2029
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Matteo Darmian commits to Benevento for another 2 years.
Squad9 Apr 2029
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Benevento this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match7 Apr 2029
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Mario Perlingieri. 2‑1 against Catania, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Player ratings9 Apr 2029
Marked 8.92 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Squad9 Apr 2029
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings9 Apr 2029
Marked 8.55 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Squad9 Apr 2029
The medical room confirms 50 days on the sidelines for Francesco Lattisi, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Boardroom9 Apr 2029
85% of the income goes out in wages at Benevento
Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.
Player ratings9 Apr 2029
Successful dribbles: 13. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad2 Apr 2029
“The easiest signature of my career.” Matteo Darmian and Benevento agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad2 Apr 2029
Matteo Darmian was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings2 Apr 2029
A performance of 8.91 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings2 Apr 2029
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.28, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings2 Apr 2029
Successful dribbles: 18. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad2 Apr 2029
A season average of 7.41 with 5 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Squad2 Apr 2029
Luca Ferri gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match31 Mar 2029
It finished 1‑1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
Player ratings2 Apr 2029
Shots: 13, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad26 Mar 2029
There were 8 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Player ratings26 Mar 2029
Defensive actions: 26. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Squad26 Mar 2029
At 21, Kevin Moressa is already the best thing here
An average of 7.22 in a first team he is several years too young for. Benevento have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.
Squad26 Mar 2029
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Benevento this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings26 Mar 2029
Successful dribbles: 22. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad26 Mar 2029
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings26 Mar 2029
Shots: 13, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.
Match24 Mar 2029
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Crotone defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad19 Mar 2029
Matteo Darmian was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad19 Mar 2029
At 21, Matteo Del Gaudio is already the best thing here
An average of 7.11 in a first team he is several years too young for. Benevento have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.
Squad19 Mar 2029
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match17 Mar 2029
0‑1 to Siracusa, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad19 Mar 2029
A season average of 7.37 with 4 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Boardroom19 Mar 2029
The manager kept them in and said what needed saying. A response is expected on Saturday, and if it does not come the questions move upstairs.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad19 Feb 2029
Matteo Darmian was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad19 Feb 2029
A season average of 7.05 at an age when most of his year group are still in the youth team. Benevento know what they have, and so, by now, does everybody else.
Player ratings19 Feb 2029
A performance of 9.13 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad19 Feb 2029
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Mario Perlingieri, and the manager let it.
Player ratings19 Feb 2029
Successful dribbles: 17. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad19 Feb 2029
Defences have started doubling up on Davide Lamesta
4 goals and a season average of 7.37 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.
Loan watch19 Feb 2029
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Benevento, and 0 appearances in 5 say he has earned the hearing.
Match17 Feb 2029
It finished 1‑1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
The terraces19 Feb 2029
Every touch is being weighed now, in print and everywhere else. Some players grow into that and some are quietly ruined by it, and nobody knows which in advance.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match27 Jan 2029
No end in sight to Casarano's wait for a win
9 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Casarano has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad29 Jan 2029
Cosimo Chiricò: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Casarano have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad29 Jan 2029
There were 7 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Squad29 Jan 2029
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Casarano this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings29 Jan 2029
A performance of 8.78 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad29 Jan 2029
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Flavio Di Dio, and the manager let it.
Player ratings29 Jan 2029
Successful dribbles: 17. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Market29 Jan 2029
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Casarano will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
Market29 Jan 2029
He is 20, and nobody at Casarano signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market22 Jan 2029
Ertijon Gega hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Casarano can pretend not to have heard.
Match20 Jan 2029
8 matches without a win for Casarano
The run now stands at 8, and the questions being asked around Casarano are no longer polite ones.
Squad22 Jan 2029
Tiago Queiroz: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Casarano have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Market22 Jan 2029
Tiago Queiroz has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Casarano they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad22 Jan 2029
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Casarano this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad22 Jan 2029
31 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Match20 Jan 2029
Potenza left with the points after a 2‑3 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad22 Jan 2029
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Player ratings22 Jan 2029
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.73, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match13 Jan 2029
The wait goes on for Benevento
9 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Squad15 Jan 2029
There were 6 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Player ratings15 Jan 2029
Successful dribbles: 24. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad15 Jan 2029
79 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Squad15 Jan 2029
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Benevento this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings15 Jan 2029
Defensive actions: 22. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Market15 Jan 2029
The phone has started ringing about Giacomo Ricci again, and this time the name on the line is Monza. Benevento are listening politely and promising nothing.
Squad15 Jan 2029
“The easiest signature of my career.” Matteo Del Gaudio and Benevento agree another 5 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Player ratings15 Jan 2029
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 19 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match13 Jan 2029
The wait goes on for Casarano
7 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Squad15 Jan 2029
There were 6 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Player ratings15 Jan 2029
Defensive actions: 24. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Squad15 Jan 2029
Mario Perlingieri was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Boardroom15 Jan 2029
Casarano counting the cost
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Casarano now.
Player ratings15 Jan 2029
Successful dribbles: 15. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings15 Jan 2029
Shots: 14. Goals: none. The chances were there and they were good ones, and they went into the stand, the goalkeeper's arms and the side netting in roughly that order.
Squad15 Jan 2029
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match13 Jan 2029
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Altamura defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad1 Jan 2029
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Match30 Dec 2028
No end in sight to Casarano's wait for a win
6 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Casarano has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad1 Jan 2029
There are footballers who have a good season and footballers a season is remembered for, and the second kind get their names read out in a hall in the summer. Casarano will be quietly delighted and privately nervous.
Squad1 Jan 2029
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Casarano this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad1 Jan 2029
The manager makes an example of Flavio Di Dio
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Match30 Dec 2028
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Player ratings1 Jan 2029
Successful dribbles: 15. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings1 Jan 2029
Shots: 5, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.
Player ratings1 Jan 2029
Shots: 10, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market25 Dec 2028
Ertijon Gega hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Casarano can pretend not to have heard.
Match23 Dec 2028
The wait goes on for Casarano
5 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Market25 Dec 2028
Tiago Queiroz has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Casarano they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad25 Dec 2028
63 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Squad25 Dec 2028
Patrick Nuamah was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings25 Dec 2028
Successful dribbles: 19. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings25 Dec 2028
A performance of 8.35 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad25 Dec 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Daniele Celiento, and the manager let it.
Boardroom25 Dec 2028
110% of the income goes out in wages at Casarano
Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match16 Dec 2028
No end in sight to Benevento's wait for a win
5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Benevento has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad18 Dec 2028
110 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Squad18 Dec 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Benevento this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings18 Dec 2028
Marked 8.76 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Player ratings18 Dec 2028
Successful dribbles: 18. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad18 Dec 2028
4 goals and a season average of 7.34. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
Squad18 Dec 2028
The manager makes an example of Angelo Talia
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Match16 Dec 2028
1‑1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
Loan watch18 Dec 2028
16 appearances away from home and 8 goals to show for them. Every one of them makes next summer's conversation a little more expensive.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match16 Dec 2028
No end in sight to Casarano's wait for a win
4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Casarano has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad18 Dec 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Casarano this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Boardroom18 Dec 2028
Casarano counting the cost
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Casarano now.
Squad18 Dec 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Niccolò Chiorra, and the manager let it.
Player ratings18 Dec 2028
A performance of 8.47 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings18 Dec 2028
Successful dribbles: 17. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market11 Dec 2028
Only the photograph left for Mattia Macchi
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Mattia Macchi will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Benevento the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Match9 Dec 2028
4 matches without a win for Benevento
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Benevento are no longer polite ones.
Squad11 Dec 2028
Matteo Darmian was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings11 Dec 2028
Successful dribbles: 20. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Match9 Dec 2028
0‑1 to Salernitana, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad11 Dec 2028
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Luca Mazzeo commits to Benevento for another 4 years.
Squad11 Dec 2028
The manager makes an example of Christian Kouan
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad11 Dec 2028
Antonio Prisco knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Benevento, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Loan watch11 Dec 2028
15 appearances at Casarano and the goals keep coming. Benevento are watching this more closely than the borrowing club would like.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad11 Dec 2028
Patrick Nuamah was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad11 Dec 2028
The manager makes an example of Cosimo Chiricò
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings11 Dec 2028
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.73, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings11 Dec 2028
Successful dribbles: 16. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Match9 Dec 2028
1‑1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
The terraces11 Dec 2028
Everybody has an opinion about Flavio Di Dio
He is the name in every column and on every phone-in, which is a heavy thing to carry at any age. Some footballers thrive on it; others are quietly finished by it.
Player ratings11 Dec 2028
Shots: 5, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.
Squad11 Dec 2028
Ismael Cajazzo knocks on the manager’s door
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Ismael Cajazzo trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Market11 Dec 2028
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Casarano know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad4 Dec 2028
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Stefano Scognamillo and Benevento agree another 2 years.
Market4 Dec 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Benevento is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad4 Dec 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Benevento this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings4 Dec 2028
A performance of 8.94 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad4 Dec 2028
The manager makes an example of Kevin Moressa
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings4 Dec 2028
Successful dribbles: 16. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad4 Dec 2028
A season average of 7.30 with 3 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Match2 Dec 2028
It needed Jacopo Manconi to find the net to bring anything home at all: 1‑1 against Casarano, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.
Market4 Dec 2028
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Marco Tumminello signs something — a contract at Benevento or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad4 Dec 2028
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Player ratings4 Dec 2028
Successful dribbles: 25. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad4 Dec 2028
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Vito Leonetti commits to Casarano for another 2 years.
Squad4 Dec 2028
Federico Giraudo was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings4 Dec 2028
A performance of 8.53 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad4 Dec 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Vincenzo Millico, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market27 Nov 2028
Ertijon Gega hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Casarano can pretend not to have heard.
Squad27 Nov 2028
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Squad27 Nov 2028
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Casarano have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad27 Nov 2028
The medical room confirms 92 days on the sidelines for Stefano Negro, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad27 Nov 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Casarano this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match25 Nov 2028
Vito Leonetti scored, and precious little else went right: 1‑2 to Casertana, and a quiet walk to the dressing room.
Player ratings27 Nov 2028
A performance of 8.80 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Boardroom27 Nov 2028
Wages eat 115% of everything Casarano earn
There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.
The terraces27 Nov 2028
He is the name in every column and on every phone-in, which is a heavy thing to carry at any age. Some footballers thrive on it; others are quietly finished by it.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad20 Nov 2028
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Player ratings20 Nov 2028
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 25 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Squad20 Nov 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Benevento this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad20 Nov 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Mattia Maita, and the manager let it.
Squad20 Nov 2028
14 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Player ratings20 Nov 2028
Successful dribbles: 14. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Match18 Nov 2028
Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. Latina came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.
Market20 Nov 2028
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Jacopo Manconi’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
Player ratings20 Nov 2028
Shots: 6, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad20 Nov 2028
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 8 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Squad20 Nov 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Casarano this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Boardroom20 Nov 2028
Casarano counting the cost
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Casarano now.
Player ratings20 Nov 2028
A performance of 9.14 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings20 Nov 2028
Marked 9.04 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Match18 Nov 2028
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Mario Perlingieri. 2‑1 against Catania, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Squad20 Nov 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Francesco Grandolfo, and the manager let it.
Player ratings20 Nov 2028
Successful dribbles: 17. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Market20 Nov 2028
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Federico Giraudo signs something — a contract at Casarano or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market13 Nov 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Benevento is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad13 Nov 2028
Matteo Darmian was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings13 Nov 2028
Marked 9.22 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Player ratings13 Nov 2028
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.08, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Match11 Nov 2028
Three points for Benevento, 2‑1 the final word against Crotone in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Squad13 Nov 2028
Delis Gjeci gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad13 Nov 2028
Kevin Moressa asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Squad13 Nov 2028
Defences have started doubling up on Davide Lamesta
2 goals and a season average of 7.23 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.
Market13 Nov 2028
The Mattia Maita talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Benevento know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Player ratings13 Nov 2028
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 28 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Squad13 Nov 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Casarano this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings13 Nov 2028
Successful dribbles: 18. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings13 Nov 2028
Defensive actions: 18, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
Squad13 Nov 2028
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad13 Nov 2028
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Casarano, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Player ratings13 Nov 2028
Shots: 13, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.
Match11 Nov 2028
Point won or two lost for Casarano?
Ninety minutes, no goals, and the argument started before the car park emptied: a point gained, or two thrown away against Giugliano? Both sides of it will still be going on Thursday.
Market13 Nov 2028
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Casarano know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad6 Nov 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Casarano this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings6 Nov 2028
A performance of 9.11 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Match4 Nov 2028
Three points for Casarano, 2‑1 the final word against Latina in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Player ratings6 Nov 2028
A performance of 8.96 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings6 Nov 2028
Successful dribbles: 16. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad6 Nov 2028
The manager makes an example of Mattia Golin
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad6 Nov 2028
Casarano will explain it as a decision about the team, and it may well be one. A dressing room has never once read it that way.
Squad6 Nov 2028
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market6 Nov 2028
The name of Francesco Grandolfo keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Casarano say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad23 Oct 2028
There were 7 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Squad23 Oct 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Benevento this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad23 Oct 2028
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match21 Oct 2028
0‑1 to Potenza, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad23 Oct 2028
Jacopo Manconi knocks on the manager’s door
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Jacopo Manconi trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Player ratings23 Oct 2028
Successful dribbles: 14. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
The terraces23 Oct 2028
He is the name in every column and on every phone-in, which is a heavy thing to carry at any age. Some footballers thrive on it; others are quietly finished by it.
Player ratings23 Oct 2028
Shots: 10, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.
Player ratings23 Oct 2028
A mark of 4.91 tells the story without any need for embellishment. He will want the tape of this one quietly lost.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad16 Oct 2028
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 8 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Squad16 Oct 2028
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Casarano may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad16 Oct 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Casarano this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings16 Oct 2028
Successful dribbles: 20. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Match14 Oct 2028
Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad16 Oct 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Vincenzo Millico, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match30 Sep 2028
5 matches without a win for Casarano
The run now stands at 5, and the questions being asked around Casarano are no longer polite ones.
Squad2 Oct 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Casarano this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings2 Oct 2028
Marked 8.56 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Boardroom2 Oct 2028
114% of the income goes out in wages at Casarano
Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.
Squad2 Oct 2028
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings2 Oct 2028
Successful dribbles: 16. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Match30 Sep 2028
It finished 1‑1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
Squad2 Oct 2028
Ertijon Gega asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Player ratings2 Oct 2028
Shots: 10, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad25 Sep 2028
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad25 Sep 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Benevento this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings25 Sep 2028
A performance of 10.00 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad25 Sep 2028
The medical room confirms 28 days on the sidelines for Ernesto Starita, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Match23 Sep 2028
A 4‑2 win over Casertana, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Player ratings25 Sep 2028
Marked 9.15 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Player ratings25 Sep 2028
Marked 9.06 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Player ratings25 Sep 2028
A performance of 8.15 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad25 Sep 2028
The manager makes an example of Angelo Talia
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match20 Sep 2028
The small margins put Casarano out
Out, 1‑2 to Venezia, and the long argument about which of the small moments decided it. The league is all there is now, and everybody knows it.
Player ratings25 Sep 2028
Successful dribbles: 27. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad25 Sep 2028
A one-man rearguard from Marco Cassin
There were 6 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Squad25 Sep 2028
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Match23 Sep 2028
No end in sight to Casarano's wait for a win
4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Casarano has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad25 Sep 2028
Federico Giraudo was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Boardroom25 Sep 2028
Casarano counting the cost
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Casarano now.
Squad25 Sep 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Flavio Di Dio, and the manager let it.
Match23 Sep 2028
0‑1 to Audace Cerignola, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Player ratings18 Sep 2028
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 24 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Squad18 Sep 2028
Patrick Nuamah was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Player ratings18 Sep 2028
Successful dribbles: 21. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad18 Sep 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Francesco Grandolfo, and the manager let it.
Squad18 Sep 2028
“I respect the manager and I am not going to sit here and pretend I am happy.” It is the most common sentence in football and it has never once been the end of a story.
Squad18 Sep 2028
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Casarano, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad11 Sep 2028
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad11 Sep 2028
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Squad11 Sep 2028
Patrick Nuamah was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad11 Sep 2028
The medical room confirms 29 days on the sidelines for Stefano Negro, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Match9 Sep 2028
Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Player ratings11 Sep 2028
Successful dribbles: 17. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings11 Sep 2028
Shots: 14, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.
The terraces11 Sep 2028
He is the name in every column and on every phone-in, which is a heavy thing to carry at any age. Some footballers thrive on it; others are quietly finished by it.
Market11 Sep 2028
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Francesco Grandolfo signs something — a contract at Casarano or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad4 Sep 2028
The match ball belongs to Mario Perlingieri, whose 3 goals turned a difficult afternoon into a procession.
Squad4 Sep 2028
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Giovanni Catanese commits to Casarano for another 2 years.
Squad4 Sep 2028
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Casarano this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings4 Sep 2028
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.85, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings4 Sep 2028
A performance of 9.76 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Match2 Sep 2028
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Mario Perlingieri. 4‑2 against Altamura, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Squad4 Sep 2028
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Boardroom4 Sep 2028
Wages eat 104% of everything Casarano earn
There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.
Market4 Sep 2028
At 35, he has seen every situation this season can produce, twice. The legs will be managed; the head is the purchase.