Marked for Jonathan Klinsmann
From our football correspondent
Triumph
Match31 Oct 2029
Cup progress for Cesena
A 2‑1 win over Vis Pesaro, a place in the next round, and the quiet arithmetic every supporter does on the walk home: how many more until a final?
Squad5 Nov 2029
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.
Squad5 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 Cesena this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market5 Nov 2029
Leandro Villa has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Cesena they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Match3 Nov 2029
Mantova made Cesena work for it, but the scoreboard read 4‑3 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Player ratings5 Nov 2029
A performance of 9.31 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings5 Nov 2029
A performance of 9.10 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad5 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.
Player ratings5 Nov 2029
Marked 8.84 — 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.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match27 Oct 2029
A bad afternoon for Cesena against Sassuolo
5‑6 to Sassuolo, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad29 Oct 2029
Tempers go at Cesena
Nicolò Casale 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 ratings29 Oct 2029
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.03, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad29 Oct 2029
The manager makes an example of Omar Traoré
“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 ratings29 Oct 2029
Marked 8.64 — 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 ratings29 Oct 2029
Marked 8.33 — 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.
Squad29 Oct 2029
Beaten 6 times, with 5 saves for company. Goalkeepers carry these scorelines on their record whoever actually caused them, which is the quiet injustice of the job.
Squad29 Oct 2029
6 goals and a season average of 7.21. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
The terraces29 Oct 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
Triumph
Squad22 Oct 2029
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.
Market22 Oct 2029
Only the photograph left for Luca Caldirola
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Luca Caldirola will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Cesena the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad22 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 Cesena this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match20 Oct 2029
6 unbeaten for Cesena
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 6 matches without defeat is a foundation Cesena did not have in the autumn.
Match20 Oct 2029
It finished 2‑1, and it was Alberto Cerri’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Cesena.
Player ratings22 Oct 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.
Squad22 Oct 2029
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Kevin Mendoza, and the manager let it.
Player ratings22 Oct 2029
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 Oct 2029
Shots: 8. 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 Oct 2029
Tempers go at Cesena
Cristian Shpendi 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.
Match13 Oct 2029
A 4‑3 win over Catanzaro, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Player ratings15 Oct 2029
A performance of 9.27 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings15 Oct 2029
Marked 8.46 — 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 Oct 2029
Marked 8.30 — 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 Oct 2029
A performance of 8.06 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad15 Oct 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.
Squad15 Oct 2029
An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Jonathan Klinsmann knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
Market15 Oct 2029
The name of Tommaso Berti keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Cesena say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad1 Oct 2029
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.
Match29 Sep 2029
Nobody wants to play Cesena 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.
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 Cesena this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match29 Sep 2029
Modena made Cesena work for it, but the scoreboard read 4‑3 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Player ratings1 Oct 2029
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.16, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad1 Oct 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 ratings1 Oct 2029
A performance of 8.56 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings1 Oct 2029
A performance of 8.14 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings1 Oct 2029
The one thing Alberto Cerri could not do
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
Uneasy
Market3 Sep 2029
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Cristian Riggio will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Cesena the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad3 Sep 2029
Tempers go at Cesena
Cristian Shpendi 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.
Squad3 Sep 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 watch3 Sep 2029
“I watch every Cesena game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Sambenedettese runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
Player ratings3 Sep 2029
There was no pressure on him and nowhere he had to be. Cesena lost a goal to a decision that took half a second and will be discussed all week.
Match1 Sep 2029
A 1‑1 draw with Hellas Verona leaves the dressing room somewhere between relief and regret.
Market3 Sep 2029
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Cesena will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
Squad3 Sep 2029
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Cesena have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
Player ratings3 Sep 2029
Shots: 7, 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
Uneasy
Market9 Jul 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 Cesena can pretend not to have heard.
Market9 Jul 2029
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Market9 Jul 2029
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Cesena they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad9 Jul 2029
“The easiest signature of my career.” Benjamin Stambouli and Cesena agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad9 Jul 2029
Tempers go at Cesena
Cristian Shpendi 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.
Squad9 Jul 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad2 Jul 2029
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Benjamin Stambouli commits to Cesena for another 2 years.
Squad2 Jul 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 Cesena this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Boardroom2 Jul 2029
$4.5M on the table at Cesena
The board have answered with money instead of encouragement, which is the only answer a manager ever wants. Spending it well is now entirely his problem.
Squad2 Jul 2029
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. Cesena will not keep him by pretending otherwise.
Market2 Jul 2029
Livorno are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. Cesena will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Squad2 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 Cesena, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market21 May 2029
Alberto Rizzo has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Cesena they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad21 May 2029
Tempers go at Cesena
Cristian Shpendi 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.
Squad21 May 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.
Squad21 May 2029
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Guillaume Renault commits to Cesena for another 3 years.
Squad21 May 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 Cesena, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market21 May 2029
The name of Morten Frendrup keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Cesena say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market2 Apr 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 Cesena can pretend not to have heard.
Squad2 Apr 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.
Squad2 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 Cesena this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad2 Apr 2029
Defences have started doubling up on Tommaso Berti
10 goals and a season average of 7.48 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.
Squad2 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.
Player ratings2 Apr 2029
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.34, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Boardroom2 Apr 2029
$5.6M on the table at Cesena
The board have answered with money instead of encouragement, which is the only answer a manager ever wants. Spending it well is now entirely his problem.
Player ratings2 Apr 2029
Successful dribbles: 15. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Match31 Mar 2029
1‑1, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Player ratings29 Jan 2029
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 36 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Match24 Jan 2029
Cesena bow out of the cup
Juventus go through and Cesena go home, 2‑4 the scoreline that did it. The dressing room will call the league the priority now, because that is what dressing rooms say.
Squad29 Jan 2029
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.
Market29 Jan 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 Cesena, and it is not being withdrawn.
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 Cesena this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings29 Jan 2029
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.31, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad29 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.
Market29 Jan 2029
Add another name to the list: Ospitaletto have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Vittorio Magni. The answer from Cesena has not changed — yet.
Player ratings29 Jan 2029
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
Market1 Jan 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 Cesena, and it is not being withdrawn.
Market1 Jan 2029
Stefano Turati wants to know where this is going
“I want to win things, and I would like to do it here.” Nothing has been demanded and nothing has been threatened — but a boardroom at Cesena hears a sentence like that exactly as it was built.
Player ratings1 Jan 2029
Defensive actions: 24. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Squad1 Jan 2029
Tempers go at Cesena
Cristian Shpendi 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 ratings1 Jan 2029
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.40, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Market1 Jan 2029
“The manager did not use many words, and he did not need to.” Morten Frendrup has his answer from Cesena; what he does with it is the next window’s story.
Squad1 Jan 2029
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Jonathan Klinsmann, and the manager let it.
Match30 Dec 2028
Südtirol made Cesena work for it, but the scoreboard read 1‑0 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Squad1 Jan 2029
6 goals and a season average of 7.36 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad25 Dec 2028
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Cesena may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad25 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 Cesena this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings25 Dec 2028
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.
Match23 Dec 2028
Virtus Entella left with the points after a 1‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad25 Dec 2028
The manager makes an example of Stefano Turati
“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 ratings25 Dec 2028
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.45, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad25 Dec 2028
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.
Loan watch25 Dec 2028
“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 Cesena, and 0 appearances in 17 say he has earned the hearing.
Market25 Dec 2028
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Morten Frendrup signs something — a contract at Cesena or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
From our football correspondent
Triumph
Player ratings18 Dec 2028
Defensive actions: 41. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Match13 Dec 2028
Cup ties wait for somebody to seize them, and Gabriele Ricci obliged against Sassuolo. 1‑0 on the night, and the name in the next round’s hat is Cesena.
Match16 Dec 2028
No mercy from Cesena
Carrarese will want this one forgotten quickly: 3‑0, every duel lost, and a long ride home. Cesena were ruthless in the way good sides are ruthless.
Player ratings18 Dec 2028
Defensive actions: 30. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Match18 Dec 2028
Cesena refuse to drop out of the race
Position 3, 32 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.
Squad18 Dec 2028
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Cesena may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Match16 Dec 2028
Cesena cannot stop winning
3 wins on the spin now, and the question has changed from whether the run ends to who ends it. Confidence like this cannot be bought; it has to be earned exactly this way.
Player ratings18 Dec 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 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 Cesena this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match1 Nov 2028
Cesena march on in the cup
Perugia are out and Cesena go through, 2‑0 the final word. The bracket opens up a little, and everyone allows themselves a look at it.
Squad6 Nov 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.
Player ratings6 Nov 2028
Defensive actions: 28. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
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 Cesena this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings6 Nov 2028
Marked 9.02 — 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.
Squad6 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.
Player ratings6 Nov 2028
A performance of 8.61 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings6 Nov 2028
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 17 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Loan watch6 Nov 2028
“I did not go to Gubbio to sit and watch. I want to come back to Cesena and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 13 matches say the rest.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Player ratings30 Oct 2028
Defensive actions: 27, 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 ratings30 Oct 2028
Defensive actions: 27, 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 ratings30 Oct 2028
Defensive actions: 25. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Squad30 Oct 2028
Tempers go at Cesena
Morten Frendrup 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 ratings30 Oct 2028
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.31, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Match28 Oct 2028
A 1‑0 win over Mantova, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Squad30 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.
Loan watch30 Oct 2028
“I watch every Cesena game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Renate runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
Squad30 Oct 2028
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Jonathan Klinsmann trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Triumph
Squad18 Sep 2028
There were 12 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.
Market18 Sep 2028
“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 Cesena, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad18 Sep 2028
Tempers go at Cesena
Morten Frendrup 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.
Match16 Sep 2028
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Alberto Cerri. 3‑1 against Padova, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Player ratings18 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.
Squad18 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.
Player ratings18 Sep 2028
Marked 8.63 — 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 Sep 2028
Successful dribbles: 14. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad18 Sep 2028
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
Upbeat
Player ratings11 Sep 2028
Defensive actions: 36. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Player ratings11 Sep 2028
Defensive actions: 34. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Squad11 Sep 2028
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Cesena may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad11 Sep 2028
Tempers go at Cesena
Morten Frendrup 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 Sep 2028
A performance of 9.36 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad11 Sep 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Benjamin Stambouli, and the manager let it.
Match9 Sep 2028
Reggiana made Cesena work for it, but the scoreboard read 1‑0 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Player ratings11 Sep 2028
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.
Loan watch11 Sep 2028
“I did not go to Gubbio to sit and watch. I want to come back to Cesena and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 5 matches say the rest.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad31 Jul 2028
Giovanni Zaro: 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.” Cesena have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Market31 Jul 2028
Carrarese come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Cesena did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad31 Jul 2028
Tempers go at Cesena
Morten Frendrup 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.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad8 May 2028
Defences have started doubling up on Morten Frendrup
17 goals and a season average of 7.34 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.
Squad8 May 2028
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Benjamin Stambouli commits to Cesena for another 2 years.
Squad8 May 2028
Tempers go at Cesena
Morten Frendrup 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.
Match6 May 2028
A 2‑1 win over Virtus Entella, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Player ratings8 May 2028
A performance of 9.02 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad8 May 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Jonathan Klinsmann, and the manager let it.
Player ratings8 May 2028
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.61, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings8 May 2028
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.45, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings8 May 2028
Marked 8.15 — 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.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match15 Apr 2028
Nowhere to hide for Cesena
0‑3 against Juve Stabia, and no complaints that would survive the replay. The manager spoke about character afterwards; the terraces used shorter words.
Squad17 Apr 2028
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.
Market17 Apr 2028
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Cesena they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad17 Apr 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 Cesena this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad17 Apr 2028
136 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Squad17 Apr 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Omar Traoré, and the manager let it.
Player ratings17 Apr 2028
Successful dribbles: 19. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Boardroom17 Apr 2028
Doors closed at Cesena
The music was off and the showers ran late. What was said in that dressing room stays there, but Saturday will publish the minutes.
Market17 Apr 2028
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Gaetano Castrovilli signs something — a contract at Cesena or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad10 Apr 2028
Tempers go at Cesena
Morten Frendrup 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.
Squad10 Apr 2028
14 goals and a season average of 7.29. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
Match8 Apr 2028
Loan Merrifield scored, and precious little else went right: 1‑2 to Padova, and a quiet walk to the dressing room.
Squad10 Apr 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.
Squad10 Apr 2028
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Niccolò Fontana commits to Cesena for another 4 years.
Market10 Apr 2028
The name of Cristian Shpendi keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Cesena say nothing, which says plenty.
Player ratings10 Apr 2028
Shots: 8, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.
Player ratings10 Apr 2028
The one thing Tommaso Berti could not do
Shots: 5, enough of them from close enough that a striker in form scores two. He is not a striker in form.
Loan watch10 Apr 2028
31 starts and a season average of 6.63. The loan is doing exactly what it was arranged to do.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad3 Apr 2028
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Cesena may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad3 Apr 2028
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.
Boardroom3 Apr 2028
Pressure builds in the Cesena boardroom
The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.
Squad3 Apr 2028
Defences have started doubling up on Cristian Shpendi
14 goals and a season average of 7.50 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.
Squad3 Apr 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 Cesena this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match1 Apr 2028
A 4‑3 win over Reggiana, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Player ratings3 Apr 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.
Player ratings3 Apr 2028
Marked 9.05 — 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 Apr 2028
Marked 8.53 — 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad28 Feb 2028
The medical room confirms 23 days on the sidelines for Benjamin Stambouli, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad28 Feb 2028
Defences have started doubling up on Cristian Shpendi
12 goals and a season average of 7.45 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.
Squad28 Feb 2028
Tempers go at Cesena
Morten Frendrup 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 ratings28 Feb 2028
Successful dribbles: 21. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Match26 Feb 2028
A bad afternoon for Cesena against Bari
1‑2 to Bari, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Player ratings28 Feb 2028
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.25, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad28 Feb 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Christian Langella, and the manager let it.
The terraces28 Feb 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.
Market28 Feb 2028
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Morten Frendrup signs something — a contract at Cesena or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad14 Feb 2028
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Cristian Shpendi and Cesena agree another 5 years.
Squad14 Feb 2028
Tempers go at Cesena
Morten Frendrup 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.
Match12 Feb 2028
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Tommaso Berti. 3‑1 against Empoli, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Squad14 Feb 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Jonathan Klinsmann, and the manager let it.
Player ratings14 Feb 2028
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.
Player ratings14 Feb 2028
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.38, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings14 Feb 2028
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.32, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings14 Feb 2028
Marked 8.11 — 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.
Squad14 Feb 2028
34 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad7 Feb 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.
Player ratings7 Feb 2028
Successful dribbles: 30. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad7 Feb 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 Cesena this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match5 Feb 2028
Modena left with the points after a 1‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad7 Feb 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.
Squad7 Feb 2028
54 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Player ratings7 Feb 2028
A performance of 8.36 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Loan watch7 Feb 2028
“I watch every Cesena game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Bra runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
Market7 Feb 2028
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Cristian Shpendi signs something — a contract at Cesena or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match29 Jan 2028
Whatever happens, Cesena do not lose
10 games unbeaten now. Some were earned and some were survived, but a habit is forming — and habits are the hardest thing in football to play against.
Squad31 Jan 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.
Squad31 Jan 2028
56 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Squad31 Jan 2028
Tempers go at Cesena
Morten Frendrup 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.
Match29 Jan 2028
Three points for Cesena, 2‑1 the final word against Pescara in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Squad31 Jan 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.
Player ratings31 Jan 2028
Marked 8.95 — 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 ratings31 Jan 2028
A performance of 8.49 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings31 Jan 2028
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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad24 Jan 2028
A shoot-out is remembered by its ending, and this one ends with Jonathan Klinsmann: 2 kept out, and a set of supporters who will describe every one of them for the next twenty years.
Match19 Jan 2028
Cup progress for Cesena
A 1‑1 win over AS Roma, a place in the next round, and the quiet arithmetic every supporter does on the walk home: how many more until a final?
Squad24 Jan 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.
Match22 Jan 2028
Still nobody has beaten Cesena
The unbeaten run reaches 9. Some of them were wins and some were escapes, but a side that refuses to lose is a side other dressing rooms talk about.
Market24 Jan 2028
“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.
Squad24 Jan 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 Cesena this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad24 Jan 2028
A season average of 7.40 with 10 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Player ratings24 Jan 2028
A performance of 8.85 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings24 Jan 2028
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.53, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad10 Jan 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.
Market10 Jan 2028
Cesena say no — this time
The offer from Casertana for Simone Bastoni 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.
Squad10 Jan 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 Cesena this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match8 Jan 2028
6 unbeaten for Cesena
Hard to beat is not the same as winning, but 6 matches without defeat is a foundation Cesena did not have in the autumn.
Market10 Jan 2028
Pro Patria paid $210.0K and Cesena took it, which is the whole story in one sentence. The longer version involves a wage budget and will be told all season.
Squad10 Jan 2028
The medical room confirms 83 days on the sidelines for Mathieu Deplagne, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Player ratings10 Jan 2028
A performance of 8.78 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings10 Jan 2028
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.18, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad10 Jan 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.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad3 Jan 2028
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 9 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Match1 Jan 2028
Nobody wants to play Cesena right now
4 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.
Market3 Jan 2028
Cesena say no — this time
The offer from Ospitaletto for Simone Pieraccini 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.
Squad3 Jan 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 Cesena this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match1 Jan 2028
Mantova made Cesena work for it, but the scoreboard read 3‑1 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Squad3 Jan 2028
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Benjamin Stambouli, and the manager let it.
Player ratings3 Jan 2028
A performance of 8.93 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings3 Jan 2028
A performance of 8.64 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings3 Jan 2028
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.36, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad27 Dec 2027
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.
Match25 Dec 2027
Cesena make it 3 in a row
Momentum is a hard thing to buy and an easy thing to lose, and right now Cesena have 3 straight wins of it.
Squad27 Dec 2027
Tempers go at Cesena
Morten Frendrup 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 ratings27 Dec 2027
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 22 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Player ratings27 Dec 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.23, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad27 Dec 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Alberto Cerri, and the manager let it.
Player ratings27 Dec 2027
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 20 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Match25 Dec 2027
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Morten Frendrup. 1‑0 against Virtus Entella, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Player ratings27 Dec 2027
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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match15 Dec 2027
Cup progress for Cesena
A 1‑0 win over Spezia, a place in the next round, and the quiet arithmetic every supporter does on the walk home: how many more until a final?
Squad20 Dec 2027
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.
Squad20 Dec 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Cesena may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad20 Dec 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 Cesena this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings20 Dec 2027
Successful dribbles: 21. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Player ratings20 Dec 2027
A performance of 9.06 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Match18 Dec 2027
Carrarese made Cesena work for it, but the scoreboard read 2‑1 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Player ratings20 Dec 2027
A performance of 9.01 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings20 Dec 2027
Marked 8.94 — 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match11 Dec 2027
The wait goes on for Cesena
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 ratings13 Dec 2027
Successful dribbles: 23. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad13 Dec 2027
Tempers go at Cesena
Morten Frendrup 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.
Squad13 Dec 2027
118 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Player ratings13 Dec 2027
Marked 9.03 — 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 Dec 2027
5 goals and a season average of 7.35 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.
Squad13 Dec 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.
Match11 Dec 2027
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 terraces13 Dec 2027
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.