Manchester United have reportedly held talks with Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino as well as Jose Mourinho over the possibility of taking over from incumbent manager Louis van Gaal—but the conversations with the former “could wreck” the latter’s “dream” of managing the club.

That’s according to an exclusive from the Sun‘s Neil Custis, who reported the Red Devils “chiefs have spoken to representatives” of Pochettino as they believe he “can lead them long term and deliver trophies as well as good football.”

Meanwhile, “similar” talks with former Chelsea, Real Madrid and Inter Milan boss Mourinho are described as “ongoing.”

After three steady years managing Espanyol, with whom he spent much of his playing career, Pochettino took charge at Southampton and helped them survive the 2013-14 season, before guiding the Saints to eighth place the following year.

His brief but impressive stint on the south coast earned him a move to Spurs, where he took them to a Capital One Cup final and a fifth-placed finish last season. This year, the Lilywhites are firmly in the title race as they sit second in the Premier League. 

Former Tottenham striker Gary Lineker has showered praise on Tottenham this season, in which they have shown far more resilience than they are typically known for:

What likely appeals to United is his track record of developing young players—something Mourinho isn’t known for.

He did so back at Southampton, bringing the likes of Luke Shaw through successfully, and he’s had even more success at Spurs with players such as Nabil Bentaleb, Dele Alli and Harry Kane.

Eric Dier—whom Pochettino signed in his first summer at White Hart Lane—has come on leaps and bounds under his care, and Erik Lamela has shown far more consistency this season than he did at the start of his Tottenham career.

Of course, the 43-year-old is also more of a risk than Mourinho, having never won silverware or managed a club of United’s stature before—a risk that backfired with the hiring of David Moyes from Everton, though he was arguably not given enough time to grow into the role.

Football writer Liam Canning believes Manchester City‘s appointment of Pep Guardiola necessitates someone of Mourinho’s quality and record, lest the club be left behind by their rivals:

Of course, by his own standards, Mourinho won relatively little when the pair went head-to-head while they were in charge of Real Madrid and Barcelona—just one league title in three seasons, along with one Copa del Rey and one Spanish Super Cup.

As Custis noted, Mourinho would be much more straightforward to appoint as he’s not only a free agent but is “desperate” to take over at Old Trafford, while Pochettino is contracted to Spurs and the club could require significant compensation to allow him to depart.

The Argentinian is an exciting young manager, though, so it’s not completely inconceivable United would be interested, provided they’re willing to take a risk.

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Manchester United have reportedly re-emerged as genuine contenders to sign midfielder Ever Banega from Sevilla when his contract with the Liga club expires at the end of the season.

The Red Devils looked to have missed out on the Argentinian when it emerged late in the January transfer window that he was set to sign a three-year deal with Inter Milan, per Tuttosport (via Liam Corless in the Mirror).

However, Spanish outlet Superdeporte (via Calciomercato) now reports that, with Inter having failed to nail down the signing of Banega, United are back in the mix, as he looks unlikely to remain at Sevilla past the end of the current season.

Per ESPN FC’s David Amoyal, Banega, 27, wants a deal worth around €3 million (£2.3 million) per season net. It’s a significant demand, but he is “one of the best players available on the expiring contract market.”

Given that he will be available for free in the summer, United may be prepared to meet his demands, and they could certainly afford to if they felt he was worth it.

A hardworking box-to-box midfielder, the experienced Argentina international would provide competition for the likes of Ander Herrera and Juan Mata at Old Trafford.

He can operate in the No. 10 role or slightly deeper and is both an astute defensive operator and a high-quality creator—he has scored three goals and provided two assists in La Liga this season, per WhoScored.com.

Inter, though, seem fairly confident they can get their man, with sporting director Piero Ausilio having recently spoken on the subject, via Amoyal:

Meanwhile, United centre-back target Aymeric Laporte has said he is happy at Athletic Bilbao.

The 21-year-old has been widely touted as one of the best young defenders in Europe, and he has drawn interest from Barcelona and United, while Bleacher Report’s Sam Tighe has suggested he could be a target for Pep Guardiola when he takes over at Manchester City in the summer:

The Frenchman, though, has insisted he would turn down any offer from Barca and indicated he is happy at the San Mames Stadium, per Sport: “FC Barcelona is one of the most important clubs in the world, but I would reject an offer from them. They have not talked to me to present an offer, not this season or last, but it wouldn’t interest me. All the future is ahead, playing these years at Athletic.”

Laporte is only going to improve as he gets more and more experience, and he clearly feels Athletic—for whom he made his debut back in 2012—is the best place for him to continue to advance.

United would undoubtedly like to sign him, though, as their defensive ranks have been hit hard by injury this season.

Though they have managed to maintain one of the best defensive records in the Premier League—conceding 22 goals in 25 games—an overreliance on Chris Smalling and Daley Blind has been noticeable.

Laporte would be the ideal signing to ease the pressure in the defensive ranks—especially as Phil Jones continues to be plagued by injury—but it seems he is currently settled at Athletic.  

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Manchester United reportedly had a £23.1 million offer for Mauro Icardi rejected in January by Inter Milan but are likely to renew their pursuit of him in the summer.

That’s according to Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport (h/t Uche Amako of the Express), with Rob Dawson of the Manchester Evening News adding: “Expect United to return with an improved bid for the Argentinian in the summer.”

The 22-year-old, who was the joint top scorer in Serie A last season with 22 goals, has thus far hit 10 in 21 games this season.

Icardi is a ruthless and clinical finisher—a quality United undoubtedly have need of, as their attack has severely lacked a cutting edge for much of the current campaign—as his goalscoring record demonstrates, per Opta Paolo:

Though Wayne Rooney is currently back in form, as the Red Devils captain demonstrated for most of 2015, he can no longer always be relied upon for goals, while Anthony Martial alone—impressive though he may be—isn’t enough for a club of United’s ambition of winning league titles and challenging in Europe.

Last season, sports journalist Jonas Giaever believes Icardi has a big future ahead of him:

According to Mediaset Premium (h/t Amako), following a report from talkSPORT that the youngster had clashed with manager Roberto Mancini, Inter vice-president and former stalwart Javier Zanetti said the striker is happy to stay put.

“There is no Icardi problem, we have great faith in him. The decision to make him captain was shared by everyone,” Zanetti said. “He is very young, but in the locker room he is recognised as a positive leader.”

However, as Inter no longer have the pulling power they once enjoyed, it would hardly be a surprise if a bigger and wealthier club were able to snap him up in future.

At the other end of the pitch, United have largely been better, conceding just 22 goals in 25 Premier League games. Nevertheless, a top-quality centre-back option should be among their targets this summer as they seek to restore the fearsome reputation they once enjoyed.

One such target could be Athletic Bilbao’s Aymeric Laporte, who according to Telefoot (h/t Sport), has claimed he would reject an approach from Barcelona. 

“FC Barcelona is one of the most important clubs in the world, but I would reject an offer from them,” Laporte said. “They have not talked to me to present an offer, not this season or last, but it wouldn’t interest me.”

Sport note he has been linked with the Red Devils in the past. Indeed, the Manchester Evening News (h/t James Whaling of the Mirror) reported an approach from United is “imminent.”

La Liga writer Andrew Gaffney is a big fan of the youngster, who extended his stay in the Basque region last summer:

However, it would seem that rather than opening the door for United, Laporte is instead closing it to any and all interested clubs. He added, per Sport: “All the future is ahead, playing these years at Athletic.”

Indeed, the defender seems intent on staying put at Bilbao despite being much coveted around Europe.

Should he become available, United and a whole host of clubs would undoubtedly vie for his signature, but that might not be for quite some time as things stand.

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Joel Matip has reportedly agreed terms to join Liverpool as a free agent in the summer and will complete a transfer to Anfield when his deal with Schalke expires.

According to Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport (h/t Jamie Sanderson of Metro,) the deal is “done and dusted,” after the defender decided he would not stay in the Bundesliga. Matip turned down interest from other teams in order to link up with Reds coach Jurgen Klopp and start a new challenge in the Premier League. 

Schalke had hoped the player would remain at the Veltins-Arena after Liverpool pursued Matip through January, and former team-mate Christoph Metzelder was quoted by the Telegraph (h/t the Independent‘s Sam Hall), urging his former defensive colleague to make the jump to England.

“Joel is free. If the interest is from England and he wants to have an experience abroad, then Liverpool is a super destination for him,” said Metzelder. “Jurgen [Klopp] knows he can work very well with him. For Joel it would be an easier entry into a new country and a new environment.”

According to Kaveh Solhekol of Sky Sports News, his colleagues in Germany reported Liverpool made a bid for the Cameroon international in January, attempting to grab him early for use this season:

As a free transfer, Matip will be a sensational addition to Klopp’s squad, bringing experience and knowledge to a Liverpool back line fraught with problems and frailties.

The centre-back has made 179 Bundesliga appearances over his seven campaigns in the Schalke first team, according to WhoScored.com and is built for life in the top division in England. 

His arrival will surely mean the end for one of Liverpool’s current centre-backs, as Matip claims one of the two central berths in the back four. 

In other news, Liverpool reportedly had a £22.7 million bid for Inter Milan attacker Mauro Icardi rejected on the final day of the January transfer window. 

Italian outlet Corriere della Serra (Liam Corless of the Mirror) said the Nerazzurri turned down the offer, as they could not find a suitable replacement in time, as the clock counted down to the window slamming shut. 

Icardi would have been a diverse and dangerous signing for Klopp, and the evaporation of his relationship with Inter boss Roberto Mancini might have pushed him into Liverpool’s arms, per Corless.

Klopp equally needs to find a balanced attack as much as he desires a reliable defence, and Icardi has been a regular goalscorer in Serie A. 

Matip is an excellent building block for the Reds to start a summer of reconstruction, allowing Klopp to bring in a host of faces that are more familiar to him.

The German is well aware of Matip’s talents and limitations, having faced him many times in the Bundesliga, and the 24-year-old will add an intelligence that is currently not present in the back four at Anfield.

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Arsenal have been linked with Bayer Leverkusen’s Javier Hernandez and Inter Milan man Mauro Icardi, with the club said to be on the lookout for a new centre-forward in the summer.

According to Fichajes (h/t Tom Matson of Goal), the Gunners will battle with Liverpool to sign Hernandez, who has been in exceptional form for the Bundesliga side this term. Fichajes (h/t Aaron Flanagan of the Daily Mirror) also suggest Icardi is on the club’s radar and could be available for £20 million.

Here’s a look at how both of these forwards compare statistically in league matches to Arsenal’s current starting centre-forward, Olivier Giroud:

It’s clear the Gunners do need to strengthen in this area of the pitch. Although the Frenchman has been in fine form for much of the campaign, he does tend to go through spells where he scores spades of goals, followed by dry patches.

The most recent run of games has fallen into the latter category and Arsenal have suffered as a result, with no goals in any of their last three league games. As we can see here, courtesy of OptaJoe, as a whole the team have not been particularly prolific throughout 2015-16:

Both Hernandez and Icardi may not be forwards who can contribute too much in general play, like a player in the mould of Giroud, but they each know where the back of the net is.

The former is well-acquainted with English football, too, having spent five years with Manchester United before his transfer this summer. During his time in the Premier League, Hernandez was a regular goalscorer, although he was often used as an impact substitute due to his poor hold-up play and lack of technical flair.

At Leverkusen, he’s been handed the regular football he craves, and as we can see here, courtesy of the UEFA Europa League Twitter feed, he is reaping the rewards of some exceptional form:

Icardi’s situation is a little more peculiar, as he’s not been at his best this season. Granted, Inter play a pragmatic style of football that makes being stationed at the point of the attack a particularly difficult job. However, the decisiveness that the youngster showed last term in front of goal, scoring 22 times in Serie A, has been lacking this time around.

Here is a look back at the tremendous 2014-15 enjoyed by the Inter man, in which he shared the Capocannoniere with Luca Toni:

Despite being handed the captain’s armband this season, Icardi has been left out of some big games by manager Roberto Mancini, including the most recent Milan derby. As noted by beIN Sports’ Matteo Bonetti, it’s going to be intriguing to see what kind of role he plays in the weeks to come after recent events:

From an Arsenal perspective, both players have their virtues. Hernandez is proven in the Premier League and is in tremendous form at the moment. Icardi, while he’s not in great touch, is still only 22 years old, has more room for improvement and is a lot more technically proficient than the Mexican, making him a more natural stylistic fit for the Gunners.

Nevertheless, either would represent a significant signing for Arsenal. It’s been a long time since they had a player capable of sniffing out chances in the penalty area likes these two can; it’s a missing quality that could well hinder the club in pursuit of domestic and European glory in the months to come.

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Manchester United are reportedly closing in on a deal to secure Jose Mourinho as their new manager in place of Louis van Gaal.

While two wins on the bounce has eased the pressure on the Dutchman slightly, Van Gaal’s position remains precarious, as United are far from guaranteed UEFA Champions League football next season, per James Ducker of the Times.

Following his sacking by Chelsea in December, Mourinho has long been considered the favourite to take over at Old Trafford should Van Gaal depart, and Sky Italia journalist Alessandro Alciato now reports a deal is “close” (via James Robson in the Manchester Evening News):

Van Gaal’s three-year contract with United does not run out until the end of the 2016-17 campaign, and the Old Trafford hierarchy would ideally like him to see it through to the end, per Robson.

They have kept faith with him through various rocky patches this season, including United’s late-2015 run of eight matches without a win, during which they were knocked out of the Champions League at the group stage.

Not only have results been poor this season, but Van Gaal has been widely maligned for the boring style of play he has introduced at Old Trafford, per the Guardian‘s Jonathan Wilson.

A 3-1 FA Cup win against Derby County and a 3-0 defeat of Stoke City have recently spawned some greater optimism among the United faithful, with the performance against the Potters particularly heartening in an attacking sense, per Bleacher Report’s Dean Jones:

However, the Red Devils remain five points off the ever-important fourth spot in the Premier League, leaving their Champions League ambitions for next season in grave danger. 

Should results not continue to improve and United’s top-four prospects become less and less likely, the Old Trafford top brass could yet pull the trigger on Van Gaal, paving the way for Mourinho’s instalment as manager.

Back in 2014, a defeat to Everton that made Champions League qualification a mathematical impossibility proved the end of the road for David Moyes after 10 months in the job.

Van Gaal could befall a similar fate if he is unable to force United into the top four, and the spectre of Mourinho will pile on the pressure.

Further calls for the former Porto, Real Madrid and Inter Milan boss’ instalment at Old Trafford were sparked by the recent confirmation that Pep Guardiola will take over at Manchester City in the summer, per BT Sport’s Ian Darke:

The pair have gone head to head in the past in Spain when Mourinho was at Real and Guardiola at Barcelona.

The prevailing wisdom now suggests that hiring Mourinho would be the ultimate response to City’s high-profile appointment, per MailOnline’s Joe Bernstein.

However, United have stuck with Van Gaal this far, and if he can engineer a strong end to the season and qualification for the Champions League, he could yet remain in the top job despite the looming presence of Mourinho.

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Perhaps it’s simply the nature of social media that there will always be those who want to be contrary. Perhaps Twitter and Facebook have simply given vent to a streak of snideness that has always underlain humanity. But there remains something very odd about the tide of invective against Pep Guardiola.

The argument is familiar; everything has been handed to him on a silver platter. The five league titles he’s won in his six full season in management—and the sixth he’s about to win—have been almost inevitable. If he really wanted to prove himself, he would eschew the game’s giants and drop down a level.

Let’s take that last point first, the idea that Guardiola somehow has a duty to handicap himself (which in itself is an admission of his quality). Of who else do we demand this? Yes, Lionel Messi/Cristiano Ronaldo/Neymar/Luis Suarez is pretty good, but, for me, he needs to win the league with Sunderland before he can really be considered a great. Yes, Tom Hanks is a great actor, but could he do it in a school nativity play? That Hilary Mantel is a decent writer, but could she churn out three on-the-whistle match reports for different outlets? Do we dismiss Bob Paisley’s three European Cups at Liverpool just because he didn’t go off to try his hand at Brighton and Hove Albion?

The argument also misses a fundamental point about management, which is that managing a small team on a budget and trying to keep them up requires a different skill set to competing with a giant in the Champions League. As the director of a Premier League side once put it to me when suggesting his club should have sacked their manager as soon as they got promoted: You don’t ask a guy who runs a corner shop to run a multinational.

The expectations are different, the management of egos is different, the style of football is different. Perhaps Guardiola would be a good manager of Norwich City or Swansea City, perhaps not. The truth is it doesn’t really matter. He is an elite-level manager and so should be judged on what he does with elite-level teams and, on that scale, he scores extremely well.

It’s easy to forget now what a mess Barcelona were in when Guardiola was appointed in 2008. They were a tired, ill-disciplined squad. They hadn’t won the league for two years. In Frank Rijkaard’s final season, they finished third, behind Villarreal and fully 18 points adrift of champions Real Madrid.

There’s an assumption now that Lionel Messi’s rise was inevitable, that whoever was in charge, the Argentinian would have shrugged off the chrysalis and emerged as the one of the greatest players in the world. But Messi in 2007-08, although he scored 10 goals in 23 league appearances, was often injured. 

Messi was close friends with Ronaldinho. In Guillem Balague’s biography, Pep Guardiola: Another Way of Winning, there are stories of the concerns that he’d begun to be distracted by socialising with the Brazilian. Guardiola acted quickly, offloading Ronaldinho, Deco and Edmilson. The Barcelona boss knew the style of play he wanted and immediately began to shape the squad to play it. 

It’s true that he was fortunate to have the talents of Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Messi emerging, but he also shaped them. He brought Sergio Busquets into the side to provide a platform for the tight, technical football. He moved Javier Mascherano into the back four to improve the passing quality of the side. That was a radical move, one that could easily have gone wrong. Equally, moving Messi from the flank to operate as a false nine and switching Samuel Eto’o to the flank was something revolutionary.

What looks obvious in retrospect was startling at the time. Within a year, Barca had won the league, the cup, the Champions League, the FIFA Club World Cup, the Spanish Super Cup and the UEFA Super Cup. And they’d done it playing extraordinary football.

However good a side is, three league titles, two cups and two Champions Leagues in four years is astonishing. And had it not been for an Icelandic volcano forcing Barca to travel to Italy by coach for the first leg of their semi-final in 2011, and for a defensive performance of extraordinary discipline from Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan in the second leg, Barca might have ended up with three successive Champions Leagues.

No side has dominated European football in the Champions League era as Barca did between 2009 and 2011. To say it was easy for Guardiola because he had the best team is ludicrous; they were the best team because of him.

Bayern Munich, admittedly, is a different issue. The side he inherited had just won a treble. They were by some distance the best side in Germany and, given their resources—the latest Deloitte report showed their revenues for 2014-15 were 69 per cent higher than Borussia Dortmund, the next-richest side—they have a huge advantage over the rest.

The 19th edition of the Deloitte #Football Money League is available here: https://t.co/x1m0dLiPRI #clubs #Deloitte http://pic.twitter.com/97gAfGB75e

— The ICSS (@The_ICSS) February 3, 2016

In those circumstances, winning the league title is expected. But that doesn’t mean it’s a given, and Guradiola has delivered.

And then there’s the style of football. This hasn’t been a case of just sitting on the driver’s seat while the train continues on the same tracks as before. Guardiola has had Bayern play some of the most tactically revolutionary football the Bundesliga has known.

Of course, a failure to win another Champions League—so far—is a disappointment, but semi-final defeats to sides who went on to win the tournament is hardly a disgrace.

Ten major trophies in six years is a stunning record; the seventh season will almost certainly yield another Bundesliga, while Bayern are in the quarter-final of the DFB-Pokal and the last 16 of the Champions League.

The idea that Manchester City is some sort of sinecure is also preposterous. They probably do have the greatest resources of any Premier League club, but they only have the second highest revenues. And the Premier League is far more competitive than either Spain on Germany: five of the richest nine clubs in the world play in it, 17 of the richest 30.

Guardiola will have to modify his approach. He will have to work out how to manage his intensity and the intensity he demands of his team over a relentless season in which there will be very few easy weeks, and two cup competitions to deal with. And he will have to work out how to achieve European success with a team that has never reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

To talk of managing elite clubs as being easier than managing a York City or even a Crystal Palace is to miss the point. It’s just different. And Guardiola’s record at the level at which he has managed is without equal on the time he’s been doing the job. He’s a great coach, but Manchester City is a great challenge.

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Liverpool reportedly had a bid rejected for Inter Milan forward Mauro Icardi in the final knockings of the transfer window. 

According to Corriere della Sera (h/t the Daily Mirror) the Reds made the bid for the Argentine on Monday before the deadline passed. Icardi has been left out of the Inter side for the last couple of matches by manager Roberto Mancini, sparking rumours about a possible move.

Although the 22-year-old may not be in favour at the San Siro currently, there is no denying his talent. Here’s a look at why he’s rated as one of the most exciting attacking players on the continent:

This term he’s netted eight goals in 19 Serie A appearances. The Nerazzurri star is a very technical forward, blessed with brilliant link-up skills, clever movement and, when given chances, an extremely composed head in front of goal. They’re qualities Liverpool lack at the point of the attack.

However, Sport Witness feel as though reports suggesting Icardi could be available for a knockdown fee are likely wide of the mark:

Indeed, while Icardi has been out of the side recently, he remains a key figure at Inter. He may not be the fastest, tallest or strongest forward around, but with their star striker in the side the San Siro club always preserve a much greater goal threat.

Liverpool decided not to liven up their attacking talent in the midseason window, and in their previous outing, a 2-0 defeat to Leicester City on Tuesday night, Jurgen Klopp’s side once again lined up without an orthodox centre-forward. It’s an area they will definitely need to address next season, though.

One player who may seek to give this side a jolt in 2016-17 is Lazar Markovic, who is on loan at Fenerbahce this term. According to the Serbian winger, the decision to ship him out on loan is due to a breakdown in relationship with former manager Brendan Rodgers.

“I had no problem with Rodgers and we had a bond until, for some reason that remains a mystery to me, he changed.” Markovic told Turkish website Fanatic (h/t Rory Brigstock-Barron of the MailOnline). “He stopped playing me and then at the start of the season he didn’t even include me in the squad. And nobody explained to me what was going on or what his plans were, so I decided to leave.”

Markovic has been a vibrant presence for Fenerbahce this term. Here is a look at some of his best moments since making the loan switch:

As noted by Bleacher Report’s Karl Matchett, it seems as though Liverpool supporters are keen to give the former Benfica man another chance:

One player who Liverpool supporters will definitely want their club to pursue at the end of the season is Alex Teixeira.

However, according to Calciomercato (h/t Will Giles of Metro), the Brazilian is a target for Chinese Super League side Jiangsu Suning, who are willing to pay £38 million to sign him from Shakhtar Donetsk. As reported by James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo, it’s an amount the Reds decided not to meet, and the player himself is said to be willing to wait until the summer to sort his future.

He’d certainly add the clinical edge in front of goal Liverpool need. As we can see here courtesy of Sport Witness’ Tom Coast, Teixeira’s goalscoring has been extremely impressive:

Although clubs in the Chinese Super League have flexed their muscles in the window as of late, it’d be a huge surprise to see Teixeira move to the division.

He’s on the cusp of the peak years of his career, after all, and will be keen to enjoy that spell with an established elite club in Europe. Liverpool, among others you suspect, would be willing to give him that chance.

Icardi could potentially be a solution to the Reds’ woes at centre-forward, although he’d be a costly signing in the summer. Christian Benteke, Daniel Sturridge, Divock Origi and Danny Ings all have question marks over them and Klopp will want a forward who can marry industry and incision at Anfield.

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AC Milan looks to capitalize on the momentum produced by their 3-0 win over Inter Milan as they travel to Sicily to take on Palermo.

Date: Wednesday, February 3

Time: 8:45 local time, 7:45 GMT, 2:45 EST

Venue: Stadio Renzo Barbera, Palermo

TV Info: No live feeds

Live Stream: beIN Sports Connect (US)

Palermo has been synonymous with instability for as long as Maurizio Zamparini has been their owner.  

Since buying the club in 2002, when it was still in Serie B, the eccentric president has changed managers a whopping 29 times.  One man, Serse Cosmi, was fired after only four games in charge in 2011 when his team was crushed 4-0 by Catania in the Derby della Sicilia.

The game of “musical managers” reached its nadir in 2012-13, when there were five individual coaching tenures involving three different men.  Not surprisingly, they were relegated that season for the first time since they had reached the top flight in 2004.

Their success in the two years since—they won Serie B to get right back into Serie A and a comfortable 11th-place finish in their first season back—was due largely to a rare bit of stability in the manager’s office.  Giuseppe Iachini, who replaced Gennaro Gattuso after only two months of that Serie B season, was a steadying influence.  He utilized his team well and had their complete respect.

But after Palermo won only four of this season’s first 12 games, Zamparini‘s trigger finger began to itch, and Iachini was out, replaced by Davide Ballardini.  The move was immediately rejected by the players.  Star forward Franco Vazquez called it an “injustice” on Twitter (h/t Football Italia), and Enzo Maresca was similarly criticial in a Facebook post (h/t Football Italia).

Eventually the relationship between Ballardini and the team grew so toxic that goalkeeper and captain Stefano Sorrentino told reporters after their January 10 win over Hellas Verona (h/t Football Italia) that the manager didn’t interact with the team at all during the game.  

Giovanni Tedesco has since taken Ballardini‘s place.

As if all these distractions aren’t enough, Palermo has become the target of Operation Offside, a large-scale tax-evasion scandal involving a number of Serie A and Serie B clubs and personnel.

Perilously close to the relegation battle, Palermo will be relying on Vazquez to trigger their attack and on 22-year-old center-back Edoardo Goldaniga to keep their line tight.

On the other hand, Milan will be riding a huge wave.  After squeaking by Alessandria in the first leg of the semifinal of the Coppa Italia last Tuesday, they came home to the San Siro for the Derby della Madonnina against archrivals Inter.

After an exciting first half, Alex got a head to a powerful cross from Keisuke Honda to give the Rossoneri a late 1-0 lead going into the break.  The game was still in the balance until the final 20 minutes, when Inter’s Mauro Icardi clanked a penalty off the post and Carlos Bacca and M’Baye Niang scored in quick succession to put the 3-0 win to bed.

The Rossoneri weren’t nearly as dominant as that scoreline suggests, but for once they took their chances to kill off the game with cool efficiency, and they capitalized on Inter’s lack of creativity at the other end.

Coach Sinisa Mihajlovic has been under pressure himself this season, but he has managed to keep his seat so far, and this season has been a general improvement over last year under Filippo Inzaghi.  

Now only two points behind AS Roma for a place in the top five, if Milan can take the momentum from their biggest win of the year and turn it into a genuine run, they could even close the six-point gap between themselves and the final Champions League place.

The first meeting between these two this year on September 19 was an exciting affair.  Milan went ahead twice through goals by Bacca and Giacomo Bonaventura, but the Rosaneri wouldn’t be finished off.  Twice Oscar Hiljemark equalized before Bacca‘s second goal of the game provided the difference 15 minutes from time.

Form Lines

 *Coppa Italia

Probable Lineups

Unavailable

Palermo: none

Milan: Out: GK Diego Lopez (knee), CB Rodrigo Ely (foot).  Questionable: FW Luiz Adriano, who could be set for a move to China, per Football Italia.

Key Players

Palermo’s attack starts and ends with Vazquez.

The Argentina-born Italy international hasn’t been the goalscoring threat that he was a year ago, when he potted 10 strikes to go along with his 10 assists.  That decrease, though, is not so much a reflection on his abilities as on the fact he no longer has Paulo Dybala to play off of.

With his old running mate now at Juventus, defenses have been able to collapse on him in the absence of a second option of similar quality.  He’s on pace to at least equal his assist numbers, but one of his teammates has to step up to help him get the attack going.  

If someone turns into a big enough threat that he starts requiring attention, it will be a boon for Palermo’s most dangerous man.

The creator on the other side is Giacomo Bonaventura.

The only man who has really shown the ability to create for Milan this season, Bonaventura has been exceptional, scoring five goals and notching seven assists.  His play has been instrumental in the club’s attempt to climb back into Italy’s elite.

Even more impressive is that that success has come from several different places.  The 26-year-old has played on the left wing in a 4-3-3, left midfield in a 4-4-2 and as trequartista in a 4-3-1-2.  

For some players all that shuffling would be confusing, but Bonaventura hasn’t once allowed his form to falter.

Good in front of goal, one-on-one on the dribble and deadly as a set-piece threat, knowing where Bonaventura is at all times is vital in stopping Milan from creating chances.

Key Matchup

Goldaniga didn’t play in the first game between these two clubs, but he’s been a regular starter since the end of November and is quietly becoming one of Serie A’s better young defenders.

Particularly adept at intercepting balls (WhoScored.com clocks him at 2.8 per match), Goldaniga is going to have a task on his hands when he goes up against Milan’s Carlos Bacca.

Bacca has been nothing short of fantastic this season.  In his debut season in one of the most difficult leagues in the world to score in, he’s already struck 11 times, and he would have a lot more if his team had managed to get him more service.

According to WhoScored, Bacca is averaging only 1.8 shots per game.  Squawka has tallied that up to 30 shots in 22 games, excluding blocked efforts.  

In order to have as good a year as Bacca has had with that kind of service you have to hit the target consistently, and that’s exactly what the Colombian has done.  He’s found the target on 21 of those 30 shots—a whopping 70 percent.

Compare that to scoring leader Gonzalo Higuain, who Squawka clocks as hitting the target 53 percent of the time, and you wonder how many times Bacca would score if he had more opportunities.

Bacca‘s game is based on off-ball movement.  He finds space and then exploits it.  Goldaniga is going to have to limit that space as much as possible and use his feel for angles to keep passes from getting through to him.  

If he can do that, Milan will have to rely on their lesser attackers to find their goals—and it will be easier for Palermo to snag a point.

Odds (via Odds Shark)

Palermo win: 16-5

Milan win: 20-23

Draw: 13-5

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Inter Milan will reportedly let their captain and star striker Mauro Icardi leave for just £19 million following a bust-up with manager Roberto Mancini—a price Liverpool are prepared to pay.  

According to Italian outlet Sport Mediaset (h/t Metro‘s George Bellshaw), Liverpool “are admirers of the 22-year-old and are ready to meet Inter Milan’s asking price.”

The Reds have scored just 30 goals in the Premier League this season, with big-money summer signing Christian Benteke struggling to fit in at Anfield, so more firepower would be a huge boost to their hopes of finishing in the Champions League places.

A prolific striker such as Icardi could be the answer to Liverpool’s problems. The Argentinian has scored eight goals and assisted on one in 19 Serie A appearances this term, and last season, he was the division’s joint-top scorer with 22, per football writer James Horncastle:

Indeed, the youngster was in incredible and ruthless form:

Unsurprisingly, Italian football writer Adam Digby believes Icardi is the most clinical finisher in Italy’s top tier:

Mancini has a history of allowing players to depart following a personal clash with them, such as with Mario Balotelli at Manchester City, but Icardi is a much more key player for Inter than Balotelli was for City so it would still be a huge surprise if they let him go for such a relatively low fee in the middle of the season.

Further, according to Sky Sports (h/t Football Italia) the hitman will be staying put:

Liverpool are also reportedly targeting one of Italy’s other top young striking talents, as Calciomercato (h/t Sam Hall of the Independent) reported the Reds “lead the race” to sign Juventus star Alvaro Morata.

The Spaniard has accrued seven goals and five assists in all competitions this season, putting him on target to at least equal last season’s tallies of 15 and seven, respectively.

The 23-year-old has outstanding potential, but that is precisely why, as Hall noted, the Bianconeri do not wish to part with him. If Liverpool hope to land a goalscorer before the end of the deadline, they’ll likely have to look elsewhere.

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