come ci vedono gli altri

Articolo apparso sul Sunday Herald di ieri; courtesy of Piazza XX

Red alert Left-leaning Serie A side ready to test Rangers’ belief,
writes Natasha Woods

FOR those Rangers fans planning to travel to Tuscany later this week, a history lesson may be timely. Livorno, first up for the Ibrox club in the group stages of the Uefa Cup, was the location where the Communist Party of Italy was founded in 1921. In this most left-leaning of cities, banners in praise of Che Guevara and Stalin flutter alongside Palestinian flags in the stands of the Picchi stadium, and the club’s talismanic striker Cristiano Lucarelli wears the No 99 shirt in recognition of the year the Autonomous Brigades of Livorno – a communist fans’ group – were formed. Here politics and sport do mix, and sometimes with unsavoury results. It is almost a year since Paolo Di Canio raised his arm in a fascist salute as he was being substituted by Lazio at the Picchi. The hardcore among the two sets of fans – on the most extreme ends of the political spectrum – waved swastikas and communist flags at each other, and the police had to quell disturbances outside the stadium. While Paul Le Guen’s team talk on Thursday night will not dwell on the political affiliations of those on the opposing side, the Rangers manager will be conscious of the threat of those wearing red jerseys. Livorno have waited a long time for this moment. After more than half-a-century in the footballing wilderness, much of it spent as a semi-professional team, the Tuscans are enjoying being back in the limelight. An unusual set of circumstances may have propelled them into Europe for the first time in their history, but Daniele Arrigoni’s side are determined to make the most of it. The penalties imposed on those found guilty in Italy’s match-fixing scandal provided Livorno with a back door into Europe, but their early season form in Serie A suggests they should provide Rangers with a stiff challenge. After an opening day loss away to Roma, Livorno have gone unbeaten in the league in the four games that have followed to sit in the top half of the division. Given Juventus’ relegation to Serie B, and the swingeing points penalties imposed on Milan, Lazio, Fiorentina and Reggina, the top flight in Italy may not currently provide an accurate measure of quality. But one man with plenty of experience of Italian football suggests Livorno will provide a test for Rangers. Former Ibrox striker Mark Hateley, who counts AC Milan among his former clubs, believes Livorno’s tenure in Serie A points to the type of side they are. “They’re not one of the big teams, and they only returned to Serie A in 2004, but surviving in this league is all about being a tight, solid unit and plugging away to pick up your one-nils and your points to stay up,” said Hateley, who had three years at the San Siro in the 1980s. “They are a solid mid-table outfit in one of the best leagues in the world, where the technical standard of play is second to none. A set of circumstances may have put them in a decent position, but they are enjoying that. I still think if Rangers play to the standard they’re capable of, they should get something from this game, but they’ll need everyone in the team to be on their game.” A crucial factor could be the fitness of Lucarelli. The striker injured his calf during a goalless draw against Milan last month and hasn’t played since. There is a chance he could make the bench for today’s match against Ascoli, but whether he will be fit enough to start against Rangers is another matter. And Lucarelli is Livorno. Born in Shanghai – a housing scheme in the port city – he was the prodigal son who returned to play for his hometown team in 2003 and scored the goals which fired them back into Serie A for the first time in 55 years. He proved that was no fluke when he notched another 24 goals in 35 games the following season to outgun Andriy Shevchenko and Adriano and end up as the league’s top scorer. Lucrative offers failed to tempt him to leave his beloved club. “After that season I said no to many teams who were ready to pay a lot of money for me,” he explained. “I chose with my heart without thinking of the wallet. There are players who spend money to buy houses, luxury cars and wonderful trips, I prefer to present myself with the gift of Livorno.” This summer there were more offers; Dick Advocaat’s Zenit St Peterburg among the suitors, putting a £2m-a-year deal on the table, but the club captain rejected them all. “All of Italy knows Lucarelli is the leader and inspiration of those wearing the Amaranto shirt. He was born here, he loves the team and wearing our colours,” said Paolo Nacarlo, a club spokesman. The striker, just like many of the club’s supporters, also idolises Che Guevara. In his absence, Tomas Danilevicius has been scoring the goals. Dunfermline supporters may recall the Lithuanian, who had a short, but unproductive loan spell at East End Park five years ago. Tuscany appears to suit him better than Fife, but then some players settle better in different countries. Ask Everton fans about Ibrahima Bakayoko, for instance, and they may remember an expensive flop. Walter Smith paid £4.5m for the 21-year-old back in 1998, but sold him on at a loss less than a year later after the Ivory Coast striker had managed just seven goals in 28 appearances. During the enforced absence of Lucarelli, though, it is Bakayoko who has impressively partnered Danilevicius. However, every Livorno supporter will be hoping that it is the No 99 who leads the line on Thursday night to keep the red flag flying high.

Nella foto: Cristiano Lucarelli fa l'amore con la maglia del Livorno dopo il suo gol nella partita Piacenza-Livorno, che sancì la nostra promozione in serie A