From our football correspondent
Triumph
Match26 Apr 2027
Modena are in among the leaders
Position 3 and 56 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.
Match24 Apr 2027
Modena cannot stop winning
5 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.
Squad26 Apr 2027
At 20, Vasilije Adžić is already the best thing here
An average of 7.39 in a first team he is several years too young for. Modena have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.
Player ratings26 Apr 2027
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 27 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Squad26 Apr 2027
Andy Diouf in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Modena this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings26 Apr 2027
Marked 9.32 — 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.
Squad26 Apr 2027
8 goals and a season average of 7.39. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
Player ratings26 Apr 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.
Player ratings26 Apr 2027
A performance of 8.75 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match17 Apr 2027
Modena cannot stop winning
4 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.
Squad19 Apr 2027
Andy Diouf in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Modena this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings19 Apr 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 ratings19 Apr 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.45, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings19 Apr 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.
Player ratings19 Apr 2027
Successful dribbles: 19. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Match17 Apr 2027
Catanzaro made Modena work for it, but the scoreboard read 1‑0 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Squad19 Apr 2027
The manager makes an example of Kevin Barcella
“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.
Squad19 Apr 2027
Defences have started doubling up on Luca Zanimacchia
4 goals and a season average of 7.22 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
Upbeat
Match10 Apr 2027
Nobody wants to play Modena 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.
Squad12 Apr 2027
Tempers go at Modena
Andy Diouf 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.
Match10 Apr 2027
It finished 4‑2, and it was Pedro Mendes’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Modena.
Player ratings12 Apr 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.24, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings12 Apr 2027
Successful dribbles: 20. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings12 Apr 2027
Marked 8.98 — 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.
Squad12 Apr 2027
A season average of 7.48 with 6 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Squad12 Apr 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Simone Santoro, and the manager let it.
Player ratings12 Apr 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.63, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market5 Apr 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 Modena can pretend not to have heard.
Squad5 Apr 2027
Andy Diouf in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Modena this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings5 Apr 2027
Marked 9.32 — 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 ratings5 Apr 2027
A performance of 9.22 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Match3 Apr 2027
A 2‑1 win over Avellino, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Squad5 Apr 2027
A season average of 7.34 with 7 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Player ratings5 Apr 2027
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.
Squad5 Apr 2027
The award is a small thing with a heavy meaning: for four weeks nobody in this division did his job better. Modena have the trophy on a shelf and the player in the side.
Squad5 Apr 2027
The manager makes an example of Bryant Nieling
“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
Market29 Mar 2027
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Modena have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Squad29 Mar 2027
At 20, Vasilije Adžić is already the best thing here
An average of 7.26 in a first team he is several years too young for. Modena have something, and by now the whole division has noticed.
Squad29 Mar 2027
Tempers go at Modena
Andy Diouf 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.
Match27 Mar 2027
Padova made Modena work for it, but the scoreboard read 3‑2 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Player ratings29 Mar 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.41, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Player ratings29 Mar 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.99, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad29 Mar 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.
Player ratings29 Mar 2027
Successful dribbles: 15. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings29 Mar 2027
One lapse, one goal, and ninety minutes of honest work counting for nothing. That is the job at Modena, and it is a cruel one.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Player ratings22 Mar 2027
Successful dribbles: 34. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Match20 Mar 2027
No end in sight to Modena's wait for a win
5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Modena has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad22 Mar 2027
Tempers go at Modena
Vasilije Adžić 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 ratings22 Mar 2027
A performance of 8.92 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad22 Mar 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Davide Adorni, and the manager let it.
Squad22 Mar 2027
6 goals and a season average of 7.28. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
Match20 Mar 2027
2‑2, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
Player ratings22 Mar 2027
A mark of 4.71 tells the story without any need for embellishment. He will want the tape of this one quietly lost.
Market22 Mar 2027
The Fabio Gerli talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Modena know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market15 Mar 2027
The bid was some way short and Modena did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Player ratings15 Mar 2027
Successful dribbles: 30. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Match13 Mar 2027
4 matches without a win for Modena
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Modena are no longer polite ones.
Squad15 Mar 2027
Tempers go at Modena
Andy Diouf 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 Mar 2027
Manuel De Luca scored, and precious little else went right: 1‑2 to Spezia, and a quiet walk to the dressing room.
Squad15 Mar 2027
Pedro Mendes 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.
Squad15 Mar 2027
A season average of 7.43 with 5 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Squad15 Mar 2027
An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Christian Früchtl knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
The terraces15 Mar 2027
Everybody has an opinion about Manuel De Luca
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
Crisis
Market8 Mar 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 Modena can pretend not to have heard.
Squad8 Mar 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Francesco Zampano commits to Modena for another 2 years.
Squad8 Mar 2027
Andy Diouf in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Modena this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match6 Mar 2027
A bad afternoon for Modena against Palermo
2‑3 to Palermo, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Player ratings8 Mar 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.11, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad8 Mar 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Simone Santoro, and the manager let it.
Player ratings8 Mar 2027
Successful dribbles: 19. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad8 Mar 2027
Defences have started doubling up on Giuseppe Ambrosino
5 goals and a season average of 7.24 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.
The terraces8 Mar 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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad1 Mar 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Modena may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad1 Mar 2027
He is 20, he is averaging 7.04, and older professionals have started passing to him in the difficult minutes. That last part is the real scouting report.
Squad1 Mar 2027
Tempers go at Modena
Andy Diouf 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 Mar 2027
Successful dribbles: 21. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Loan watch1 Mar 2027
“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 Modena, and 7 appearances in 29 say he has earned the hearing.
Player ratings1 Mar 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.93, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Match27 Feb 2027
It finished 2‑2, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
Squad1 Mar 2027
The manager makes an example of Niklas Pyyhtiä
“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.
Loan watch1 Mar 2027
23 appearances at Monza and the goals keep coming. Modena are watching this more closely than the borrowing club would like.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Player ratings22 Feb 2027
Successful dribbles: 28. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad22 Feb 2027
Tempers go at Modena
Fabio Gerli 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.
Squad22 Feb 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Manuel De Luca, and the manager let it.
Player ratings22 Feb 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.22, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Match20 Feb 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.
Squad22 Feb 2027
2 goals and a season average of 7.22. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad15 Feb 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 Modena this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match13 Feb 2027
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Pedro Mendes. 2‑1 against Carrarese, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Squad15 Feb 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.
Player ratings15 Feb 2027
Successful dribbles: 19. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad15 Feb 2027
Defences have started doubling up on Yanis Massolin
5 goals and a season average of 7.44 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.
Player ratings15 Feb 2027
Marked 8.12 — 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.
Squad15 Feb 2027
Simone Santoro 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 ratings15 Feb 2027
A mark of 5.13 tells the story without any need for embellishment. He will want the tape of this one quietly lost.
Loan watch15 Feb 2027
21 appearances at Monza and the goals keep coming. Modena are watching this more closely than the borrowing club would like.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Player ratings8 Feb 2027
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.
Market8 Feb 2027
Modena say no — this time
The offer from Potenza for Abdullah Laidani 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.
Squad8 Feb 2027
Tempers go at Modena
Vasilije Adžić 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 Feb 2027
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 23 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Player ratings8 Feb 2027
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.
Player ratings8 Feb 2027
Marked 9.27 — 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.
Match6 Feb 2027
Three points for Modena, 1‑0 the final word against Cesena in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Squad8 Feb 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.
Squad8 Feb 2027
5 goals and a season average of 7.22. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Player ratings1 Feb 2027
Successful dribbles: 30. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Market1 Feb 2027
“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.
Squad1 Feb 2027
Liel keeps the receipts
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Modena may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Match30 Jan 2027
No end in sight to Modena's wait for a win
4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Modena has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad1 Feb 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 Modena this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match30 Jan 2027
Beaten 1‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Player ratings1 Feb 2027
A performance of 8.17 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad1 Feb 2027
The manager makes an example of Daniel Tonoli
“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.
Loan watch1 Feb 2027
“I watch every Modena game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Wolfsberger AC runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad25 Jan 2027
Ousmane Niang: 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.” Modena have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Market25 Jan 2027
Andorra come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Modena did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Market25 Jan 2027
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Modena they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad25 Jan 2027
Tempers go at Modena
Fabio Gerli 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 Jan 2027
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.
Player ratings25 Jan 2027
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.
Match23 Jan 2027
Modena and Monza take a point apiece
It finished 2‑2, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
Squad25 Jan 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Bryant Nieling, and the manager let it.
Squad25 Jan 2027
Manuel De Luca 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 Modena, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Player ratings18 Jan 2027
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.
Squad18 Jan 2027
Fabio Gerli in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Modena this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings18 Jan 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.04, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad18 Jan 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.
Player ratings18 Jan 2027
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.62, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad18 Jan 2027
A season average of 7.43 with 5 goals behind it. Opponents have started planning around him, which is the sincerest compliment football pays.
Match16 Jan 2027
It needed Yanis Massolin to find the net to bring anything home at all: 2‑2 against Pescara, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.
Squad18 Jan 2027
Manuel De Luca 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.
The terraces18 Jan 2027
Everybody has an opinion about Manuel De Luca
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
Player ratings11 Jan 2027
A defender's afternoon for Fabio Gerli
Defensive actions: 40. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Player ratings11 Jan 2027
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 32 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Player ratings11 Jan 2027
Successful dribbles: 29. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Market11 Jan 2027
“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.
Squad11 Jan 2027
Tempers go at Modena
Fabio Gerli 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.
Market11 Jan 2027
Fabrizio Bagheria has left for Lecce in a $390.0K deal. The accountants are pleased; the supporters are less certain.
Squad11 Jan 2027
The manager makes an example of Manuel De Luca
“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 Jan 2027
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Modena will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
Player ratings11 Jan 2027
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 ratings4 Jan 2027
Headers, blocks, tackles, interceptions — 37 of them, and not one goal behind him. The sort of performance that never makes a highlight reel and wins football matches.
Match4 Jan 2027
Modena refuse to drop out of the race
Position 3, 29 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.
Market4 Jan 2027
“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.
Squad4 Jan 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.
Player ratings4 Jan 2027
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 ratings4 Jan 2027
A defender's afternoon for Davide Adorni
Defensive actions: 25. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Squad4 Jan 2027
Fabio Gerli in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Modena this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings4 Jan 2027
A performance of 9.26 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Loan watch4 Jan 2027
“I watch every Modena game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Wolfsberger AC runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad28 Dec 2026
Tempers go at Modena
Fabio Gerli 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 Dec 2026
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.
Boardroom28 Dec 2026
Wages eat 146% of everything Modena 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.
Match26 Dec 2026
Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad28 Dec 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Davide Adorni, and the manager let it.
Player ratings28 Dec 2026
The one thing Pedro Mendes 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
Upbeat
Player ratings21 Dec 2026
Marked 10.00 — 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.
Match19 Dec 2026
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Giuseppe Ambrosino. 3‑1 against Südtirol, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Squad21 Dec 2026
Tempers go at Modena
Davide Adorni 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 Dec 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Leandro Chichizola, and the manager let it.
Player ratings21 Dec 2026
Marked 8.70 — 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 ratings21 Dec 2026
Marked 8.59 — 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.
Squad21 Dec 2026
14 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Player ratings21 Dec 2026
Successful dribbles: 15. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad21 Dec 2026
At 33 he has made the position his own, and the man he took it from has to find something to say about it. Modena have a decision that made itself.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad14 Dec 2026
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Modena may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Player ratings14 Dec 2026
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.
Squad14 Dec 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Modena this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad14 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.
Match12 Dec 2026
A bad afternoon for Modena against Bari
0‑1 to Bari, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Player ratings14 Dec 2026
The one thing Pedro Mendes could not do
Shots: 9, 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
Squad7 Dec 2026
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 ratings7 Dec 2026
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.
Squad7 Dec 2026
Fabio Gerli in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Modena this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings7 Dec 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.39, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Match5 Dec 2026
It finished 2‑1, and it was Yanis Massolin’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Modena.
Player ratings7 Dec 2026
Marked 8.24 — 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
Steady
Squad30 Nov 2026
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.
Market30 Nov 2026
“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.
Squad30 Nov 2026
Tempers go at Modena
Fabio Gerli 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.
Match28 Nov 2026
Three points for Modena, 2‑1 the final word against Empoli in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Boardroom30 Nov 2026
Wages eat 182% of everything Modena 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.
Player ratings30 Nov 2026
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 ratings30 Nov 2026
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 ratings30 Nov 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.63, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad30 Nov 2026
Manuel De Luca 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
Crisis
Player ratings23 Nov 2026
Successful dribbles: 25. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Match21 Nov 2026
The wait goes on for Modena
4 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.
Squad23 Nov 2026
Fabio Gerli in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Modena this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad23 Nov 2026
The manager makes an example of Pedro Mendes
“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.
Match21 Nov 2026
Avellino left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad23 Nov 2026
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Leandro Chichizola trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad16 Nov 2026
Tempers go at Modena
Fabio Gerli 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 ratings16 Nov 2026
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.
Squad16 Nov 2026
“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.
Match14 Nov 2026
Padova left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Player ratings16 Nov 2026
Shots: 12, not one of them in. A centre forward is paid for one thing, and on this evidence he has forgotten which thing it is.
Squad16 Nov 2026
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Christian Früchtl trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match4 Nov 2026
The small margins put Modena out
Out, 1‑2 to Arezzo, and the long argument about which of the small moments decided it. The league is all there is now, and everybody knows it.
Player ratings9 Nov 2026
Defensive actions: 28, 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 ratings9 Nov 2026
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 ratings9 Nov 2026
Successful dribbles: 23. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad9 Nov 2026
Fabio Gerli in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Modena this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad9 Nov 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Alessandro Sersanti, and the manager let it.
Player ratings9 Nov 2026
Defensive actions: 20. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Boardroom9 Nov 2026
Nobody left the Modena 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.
Squad9 Nov 2026
“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
Steady
Squad2 Nov 2026
14 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Player ratings2 Nov 2026
Successful dribbles: 23. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Match31 Oct 2026
Spezia made Modena work for it, but the scoreboard read 2‑1 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Boardroom2 Nov 2026
Wages eat 182% of everything Modena 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.
Loan watch2 Nov 2026
“I did not go to Wolfsberger AC to sit and watch. I want to come back to Modena and fight for my place.” 5 appearances in 12 matches say the rest.
Squad2 Nov 2026
The manager makes an example of Fabio Gerli
“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 Nov 2026
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.
Squad2 Nov 2026
43 days, the scan says, and scans are kinder than reality. The fixtures in that window have just become somebody else’s job.
Squad2 Nov 2026
“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
Steady
Player ratings26 Oct 2026
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.
Squad26 Oct 2026
Tempers go at Modena
Davide Adorni 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 ratings26 Oct 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.97, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad26 Oct 2026
The manager makes an example of Manuel De Luca
“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.
Match24 Oct 2026
It needed Yanis Massolin to find the net to bring anything home at all: 1‑1 against Palermo, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.
The terraces26 Oct 2026
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
Squad19 Oct 2026
Tempers go at Modena
Fabio Gerli 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 ratings19 Oct 2026
A performance of 9.14 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Match17 Oct 2026
It finished 2‑1, and it was Giuseppe Ambrosino’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Modena.
Player ratings19 Oct 2026
Marked 8.35 — 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 ratings19 Oct 2026
A performance of 8.32 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad19 Oct 2026
Liel 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.
Player ratings19 Oct 2026
Successful dribbles: 14. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad19 Oct 2026
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Modena have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
Squad19 Oct 2026
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Modena, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad12 Oct 2026
Fabio Gerli in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Modena this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings12 Oct 2026
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.
Player ratings12 Oct 2026
Successful dribbles: 18. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Match10 Oct 2026
2‑2, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
Squad12 Oct 2026
The manager makes an example of Niklas Pyyhtiä
“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.
Squad12 Oct 2026
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Modena have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Player ratings5 Oct 2026
Successful dribbles: 29. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad5 Oct 2026
The medical room confirms 45 days on the sidelines for Francesco Zampano, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad5 Oct 2026
Tempers go at Modena
Fabio Gerli 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 Oct 2026
A performance of 9.11 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Boardroom5 Oct 2026
Wages eat 313% of everything Modena 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.
Squad5 Oct 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.
Squad5 Oct 2026
31 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
Match3 Oct 2026
It needed Fabio Gerli to find the net to bring anything home at all: 1‑1 against Carrarese, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.
Player ratings5 Oct 2026
Shots: 9, 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
Squad28 Sep 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Modena this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad28 Sep 2026
The manager makes an example of Manuel De Luca
“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.
Match26 Sep 2026
A bad afternoon for Modena against Cesena
0‑1 to Cesena, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad21 Sep 2026
Tempers go at Modena
Francesco Zampano 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 ratings21 Sep 2026
A performance of 9.35 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Match19 Sep 2026
It finished 2‑1, and it was Yanis Massolin’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Modena.
Squad21 Sep 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.
Player ratings21 Sep 2026
A performance of 8.37 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Player ratings21 Sep 2026
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.
Squad21 Sep 2026
The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.
Squad21 Sep 2026
A wage question at Modena
Leandro Chichizola has done the arithmetic and does not like the answer. Nothing corrodes a squad faster, and no club has ever solved it by explaining the wage structure to a footballer.
Loan watch21 Sep 2026
The goals keep arriving from Giuseppe Caso’s exile
2 goals in 4 games at Monza — numbers that travel home faster than he does. Somebody at Modena updates a spreadsheet every Monday, and it makes better reading each week.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Player ratings14 Sep 2026
Successful dribbles: 25. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad14 Sep 2026
Tempers go at Modena
Davide Adorni 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 ratings14 Sep 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 9.06, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad14 Sep 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Alessandro Sersanti, and the manager let it.
Player ratings14 Sep 2026
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 ratings14 Sep 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.02, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Match12 Sep 2026
Honours even between Modena and Monza
2‑2, and both dressing rooms will call it two points lost. A draw that asked plenty of questions and answered none of them.
Squad14 Sep 2026
The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.
Squad14 Sep 2026
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Modena have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad7 Sep 2026
The medical room confirms 76 days on the sidelines for Francesco Zampano, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Market7 Sep 2026
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Modena can pretend not to have heard.
Player ratings7 Sep 2026
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.
Squad7 Sep 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Modena this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Boardroom7 Sep 2026
268% of the income goes out in wages at Modena
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.
Match5 Sep 2026
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad7 Sep 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.
Squad7 Sep 2026
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Alessandro Sersanti trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Player ratings7 Sep 2026
A mark of 4.84 tells the story without any need for embellishment. He will want the tape of this one quietly lost.
From our football correspondent
Triumph
Market31 Aug 2026
Modena say no — this time
The offer from Burgos for Luca Strizzolo 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.
Market31 Aug 2026
“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.
Squad31 Aug 2026
Fabio Gerli in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Modena this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings31 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 22. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Match29 Aug 2026
It finished 2‑1, and it was Manuel De Luca’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Modena.
Player ratings31 Aug 2026
There is a version of this player everybody suspected was in there, and on this evidence it is. 8.23, and no argument anywhere in the ground.
Squad31 Aug 2026
The manager makes an example of Pedro Mendes
“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.
Squad31 Aug 2026
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Modena have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
Squad31 Aug 2026
“If we are going to be beaten, let it not be because somebody in here could not be bothered.” He stood up and said it in front of everybody, which is a thing a squad remembers about a man for years.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market24 Aug 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 Modena, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad24 Aug 2026
Tempers go at Modena
Fabio Gerli 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.
Market24 Aug 2026
He is 16, and the scouting reports agree on the only line that matters: the ceiling. Signings like this are lottery tickets written by professionals.
Market24 Aug 2026
He is 16, and nobody at Modena signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.
Market24 Aug 2026
At 33, he has seen every situation this season can produce, twice. The legs will be managed; the head is the purchase.
Squad24 Aug 2026
He trains hard, says the right things and goes home to an empty flat. Nobody at Modena has done anything wrong, which is exactly what makes it so difficult to fix.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market17 Aug 2026
Modena get their man
The chase for Christian Früchtl ended with $1.4M changing hands and Lecce out of reasons to say no. The supporters will judge the fee the only way that matters: on Saturdays.
Squad17 Aug 2026
Fabio Gerli in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Modena this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market17 Aug 2026
“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Abdullah Laidani has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Modena.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad10 Aug 2026
The medical room confirms 107 days on the sidelines for Francesco Zampano, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad10 Aug 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” Fabio Gerli and Modena agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad10 Aug 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Modena this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad10 Aug 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Simone Santoro, and the manager let it.
Market10 Aug 2026
48 months to run and not a word offered. A club that lets the calendar negotiate for it usually ends up losing to the calendar.
Market10 Aug 2026
“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Fabrizio Bagheria has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Modena.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad3 Aug 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” Francesco Zampano and Modena agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad3 Aug 2026
Tempers go at Modena
Francesco Zampano 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.
Market3 Aug 2026
The phone has started ringing about Daniele Montevago again, and this time the name on the line is Ascoli. Modena are listening politely and promising nothing.
Market3 Aug 2026
Still no offer on the table, and Francesco Zampano’s deal keeps shrinking. In boardroom language, silence this long stops being an oversight and starts being an answer.
Squad3 Aug 2026
Fabio Gerli 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 Modena, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market3 Aug 2026
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Modena, another week without a signature from Antonio Imputato.