Marked for Giovanni Raffaelli
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match20 Sep 2028
Perugia out of the cup
Forli ended it 0‑1. The season narrows to the league now, and everyone in the ground knew it before the final whistle.
Market25 Sep 2028
Only the photograph left for Matteo Polizzi
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Matteo Polizzi will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Perugia the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Market25 Sep 2028
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Perugia can pretend not to have heard.
Squad25 Sep 2028
Words at Perugia training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Christian Langella is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Match23 Sep 2028
Antonio Sabbatani scored, and precious little else went right: 1‑2 to Pineto, and a quiet walk to the dressing room.
Squad25 Sep 2028
A falling-out at Perugia
Erick Gabriel and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad25 Sep 2028
200 games in this shirt, through managers and relegations and everything else. Service like it is disappearing from the game and the crowd knows what it is watching.
The dugout25 Sep 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Matteo Polizzi, and the manager let it.
The dugout25 Sep 2028
“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Giacomo Piccini after 1‑2, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market1 May 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Perugia is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad1 May 2028
A falling-out at Perugia
Giuseppe Carriero and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad1 May 2028
Christian Langella falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Market1 May 2028
30 games and 1 goals away from here, and a man the manager did not have last summer. The loan did what loans are supposed to do and almost never do.
The dugout1 May 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Cristian Spini, and the manager let it.
Squad1 May 2028
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Giovanni Raffaelli commits to Perugia for another 3 years.
The dugout1 May 2028
Matteo Polizzi has become a man the manager trusts
Nobody at Perugia will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
Market1 May 2028
The name of Christian Langella keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Perugia say nothing, which says plenty.
Market1 May 2028
“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match3 Nov 2027
The cup run ends for Perugia
2‑3 against Frosinone, and the road stops here. Cup exits are quick deaths — no second leg, no next week, just the league from now until May.
Match8 Nov 2027
Perugia refuse to drop out of the race
Position 2, 17 points, and the result everyone checks first is now theirs. The word is still not being said around the ground, which is how you know everyone is thinking it.
Squad8 Nov 2027
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 6 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
Player ratings8 Nov 2027
At 33 every good afternoon gets called a throwback, and this one was: 7.89, and nobody on the pitch better.
Player ratings8 Nov 2027
Matteo Angeli goes up and wins it — 7.92
A defender on the scoresheet, which happens rarely enough that everybody in the ground remembers who took the corner. 1 for him, and a mark of 7.92 for the rest of it.
Squad8 Nov 2027
A falling-out at Perugia
Giuseppe Carriero and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Match6 Nov 2027
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Antonio Sabbatani. 2‑1 against Torres, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
The dugout8 Nov 2027
“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.
Squad8 Nov 2027
Four or five weekends of consistency, measured against everybody else in the division. A quieter compliment than an award and a more reliable one.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad26 Apr 2027
A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. Perugia will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.
Squad26 Apr 2027
A row about effort at Perugia
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Giuseppe Carriero was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout26 Apr 2027
“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.
The dugout26 Apr 2027
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Giorgio Tumbarello is on it.
Market26 Apr 2027
The name of Christian Langella keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Perugia say nothing, which says plenty.
Match26 Apr 2027
Continental football is in reach for Perugia
50 points from position 4. The title is somebody else’s business and the drop is somebody else’s problem; what is left is the argument about passports.
The terraces26 Apr 2027
Supporters make their feelings known about Matteo Angeli
The speculation has reached the stands, and the stands have answered. Perugia would like this settled before it becomes the only thing anybody asks about.
The dugout26 Apr 2027
A conversation in the manager’s office, and a commitment that came out of it. Promises like that are cheap to make and expensive to break, and Paolo Bartolomei has written the date down.
The dugout26 Apr 2027
Gabriele Angella 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.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad29 Mar 2027
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Perugia will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Squad29 Mar 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Perugia this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad29 Mar 2027
A row about effort at Perugia
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Andrea Cisco was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout29 Mar 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Giorgio Tumbarello, and the manager let it.
The dugout29 Mar 2027
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Perugia, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Looking ahead29 Mar 2027
The leaders are next for Perugia
Reggiana top the table and they are coming into view. Nothing to lose, which is what every manager says before losing.
The dugout29 Mar 2027
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Claudio Giardino is on it.
Looking ahead29 Mar 2027
He used to wear the other shirt. On Saturday he plays against Reggiana in this one, and whatever he says this week about it being just another game will be untrue.
Market29 Mar 2027
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Matteo Angeli signs something — a contract at Perugia or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad11 Jan 2027
Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 17 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.
Match9 Jan 2027
The wait goes on for Perugia
6 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.
The dugout11 Jan 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Perugia may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Transfer targets11 Jan 2027
Fee agreed, terms agreed, and a scan that said otherwise. He goes back to Ferencvaros; Perugia go back to the market; and both will insist there is no story here.
Squad11 Jan 2027
Giuseppe Carriero 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 Jan 2027
At 19 he is doing things this season that he could not do last season, and doing them every week. Form comes and goes; this has stayed long enough to be called something else.
Transfer targets11 Jan 2027
The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.
Squad11 Jan 2027
Andrea Cisco falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
The dugout11 Jan 2027
“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
Uneasy
Squad4 Jan 2027
A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. Perugia will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.
Market4 Jan 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Perugia can pretend not to have heard.
Match2 Jan 2027
The wait goes on for Perugia
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.
Player ratings4 Jan 2027
The game went through Valerio Verre — 7.21
Marked 7.21 on 17 actions at both ends of the pitch. Midfielders like this get described as unspectacular by people who have never tried to play against one.
Squad4 Jan 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Perugia this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad4 Jan 2027
Rikardo Sheji is a better footballer than he was
Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 18 he is doing things at this level he could not do at the start of the season, and the coaching staff will tell you exactly which of them.
Transfer targets4 Jan 2027
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Ludogorets have kept their man, and Perugia go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Player ratings4 Jan 2027
Successful dribbles: 18. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
Transfer targets4 Jan 2027
A loan enquiry to Ferencvaros: cover, or a look at somebody the club cannot afford to buy yet. Either way the answer will come back inside the week.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Player ratings28 Dec 2026
2 goals, and the second was the one that settled it. Marked 8.51, and he could have had a third with better luck at the near post.
Squad28 Dec 2026
Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 33 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.
Market28 Dec 2026
“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 Perugia, and it is not being withdrawn.
Match26 Dec 2026
4 matches without a win for Perugia
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Perugia are no longer polite ones.
Match26 Dec 2026
Alessio Nepi scored, and precious little else went right: 3‑4 to Pescara, and a quiet walk to the dressing room.
Match26 Dec 2026
Alessio Nepi among the goals in a wild afternoon
7 goals in one match, Alessio Nepi on the scoresheet, and a scoreline that will look like a misprint. Neutrals could not have asked more of Perugia and Pescara.
Squad28 Dec 2026
Giuseppe Carriero falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Squad28 Dec 2026
Paolo Bartolomei 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.
The dugout28 Dec 2026
“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.
In brief
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Player ratings
Luigi Canotto beats them one at a time
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Match
The half-term report on Perugia
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Boardroom
Wages swallow 101% of the Perugia income
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad21 Dec 2026
A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. Perugia will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.
Market21 Dec 2026
“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 Perugia, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad21 Dec 2026
A row about effort at Perugia
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Giuseppe Carriero was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Match19 Dec 2026
Ravenna left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
The dugout21 Dec 2026
The manager makes an example of Luca Gemello
“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 ratings21 Dec 2026
A midfielder is measured on whether the team functions when he is on the pitch, which is nearly impossible to see and completely obvious in retrospect. 11 actions, 6.63, and a manager who will not be substituting him again in a hurry.
The dugout21 Dec 2026
“I could talk about decisions and I could talk about luck. I will not. We lost.” The manager, 0‑2, and a press conference that lasted four minutes.
The dugout21 Dec 2026
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Giuseppe Carriero trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
The dugout21 Dec 2026
Nobody will confirm this and nothing else explains the last month of selections. A costly error buys a player a period of being second choice that is always longer than the error was.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad14 Dec 2026
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Perugia will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Squad14 Dec 2026
A one-man rearguard from Luca Gemello
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.
Match12 Dec 2026
Reggiana left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
The dugout14 Dec 2026
“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.
Squad14 Dec 2026
Words at Perugia training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Andrea Cisco is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout14 Dec 2026
“I could talk about decisions and I could talk about luck. I will not. We lost.” The manager, 0‑2, and a press conference that lasted four minutes.
The dugout14 Dec 2026
Nobody will confirm this and nothing else explains the last month of selections. A costly error buys a player a period of being second choice that is always longer than the error was.
The dugout14 Dec 2026
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Giorgio Tumbarello is on it.
Looking ahead14 Dec 2026
He used to wear the other shirt. On Saturday he plays against Ravenna in this one, and whatever he says this week about it being just another game will be untrue.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad7 Dec 2026
A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. Perugia will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.
Match7 Dec 2026
Perugia refuse to drop out of the race
Position 3, 26 points, and the result everyone checks first is now theirs. The word is still not being said around the ground, which is how you know everyone is thinking it.
Squad7 Dec 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” Christian Langella and Perugia agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad7 Dec 2026
Giuseppe Carriero falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Looking ahead7 Dec 2026
Top-of-the-table clash for Perugia
Reggiana next, and the two sides the division is watching meet each other. Whoever wins will be told nothing is decided in the same breath as being congratulated.
Squad7 Dec 2026
The manager has re-ordered his thinking and Antonio Sabbatani has come out of it lower. He will be told it is temporary, and the players who have heard that before will avoid his eye.
The dugout7 Dec 2026
The manager makes an example of Luca Calapai
“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.
Match5 Dec 2026
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 dugout7 Dec 2026
“A point is a point and I will take it, but we should have had all three.” Giacomo Piccini after the 1‑1 draw, and the sentence every manager in the country said at some stage this weekend.