The Italian Job: A Journey to the Heart of Two Great Footballing Cultures

The Italian Job: A Journey to the Heart of Two Great Footballing Cultures
by Gianluca Vialli, Gabriele Marcotti

The Italian Job: A Journey to the Heart of Two Great Footballing Cultures
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Book Summary Information

Author: Gabriele Marcotti, Gianluca Vialli
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2007-09-28
ISBN: 0553817876
Number of pages: 400
Publisher: Transworld Publishers

Book Reviews of The Italian Job: A Journey to the Heart of Two Great Footballing Cultures

Book Review: Thoughtful and thought-provoking
Summary: 4 Stars

Vialli's "The Italian Job" is a departure from the normal soccer books. It doesn't reminisce except to advance your understanding of his findings. It isn't a 'how to' book. Instead Vialli looks at the way English soccer differs from Italian soccer, and how both might benefit from the other. He is uniquely qualified to discuss these cultures, having had great success as a player in both Italy's Serie A and England's Premier League.

Part of the difference lies in the cultural backgrounds and economies of the two countries, but more lies in the traditions which have developed. Vialli explores the effect that the fans and the media have had on how the game is played, how differently the refs call the game in each country, and how the youngsters are brought up. His observations are interesting and perceptive.

If you are a student of European football, you will like this book. If you want soccer history, tell-all revelations, or finger pointing you would want to look elsewhere.

Summary of The Italian Job: A Journey to the Heart of Two Great Footballing Cultures

Soccer lies at the heart of popular culture around the world. It is played, watched, written about, and talked to death by millions virtually every day of the year. But how do the characteristics of England and Italy-two of the most passionate soccer playing countries-affect the game in these two nations? Do the national stereotypes of Italians as fervent, stylish lotharios and the English as cold-hearted eccentrics still hold true when they kick a ball around? For the first time, a player of the first rank-Gianluca Vialli-in conjunction with sportswriter and broadcaster Gabriele Marcotti, tackles this debate head on, and they have invited some of the biggest names to join them. Sir Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho, Arsene Wenger, Sven Goran Eriksson, Fabio Capello, and Marcello Lippi, among others, add their not inconsiderable weight to the highest-profile symposium on soccer ever convened. Every aspect of the game is explored, be it tactical and technical or cultural and sociological. Stuffed full of controversial opinions and gripping revelations, this study on the sport takes you on a journey to the very heart of two of the world's great soccer cultures.

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