The Italian Job (Hardcover)

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Product Description
Football lies at the heart of popular culture in both England and Italy. 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 affect the game in these two footballing nations? Do the national stereotypes of Italians as passionate, stylish lotharios and the English as cold-hearted eccentrics still hold true when they kick a ball around? In "The Italian Job", for the first time, a footballer of the first rank, Gianluca Vialli, in conjunction with sportswriter and broadcaster Gabriele Marcotti, tackles this debate head on. Uniquely positioned across both the English and the Italian games, they provide a fascinating and highly controversial commentary on where football is now and where it's headed. And they have invited some of the biggest names in the sport to join in their discussion. Sir Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho, Arsene Wenger, Sven Goran Eriksson, Fabio Capello and Marcello Lippi, amongst others, add their not inconsiderable weight to the highest-profile symposium on football ever convened. Gianluca Vialli and Gabriele Marcotti explore every aspect of football, be it tactical and technical or cultural and sociological. Stuffed full of controversial opinions and gripping revelations, "The Italian Job" takes you on a journey to the very heart of two of the world's great footballing cultures.

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Football lies at the heart of popular culture in both England and Italy. 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 affect the game in these two footballing nations? Do the national stereotypes of Italians as passionate, stylish lotharios and the English as cold-hearted eccentrics still hold true when they kick a ball around?

In The Italian Job, for the first time, a footballer of the first rank, Gianluca Vialli, in conjunction with sportswriter and broadcaster Gabriele Marcotti, tackles this debate head on. Uniquely positioned across both the English and the Italian games, they provide a fascinating and highly controversial commentary on where football is now and where it’s headed. And they have invited some of the biggest names in the sport to join in their discussion. Sir Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho, Arsene Wenger, Sven Goran Eriksson, Fabio Capello and Marcello Lippi, amongst others, add their not inconsiderable weight to the highest-profile symposium on football ever convened.

Gianluca Vialli and Gabriele Marcotti explore every aspect of football, be it tactical and technical or cultural and sociological. Stuffed full of controversial opinions and gripping revelations, The Italian Job takes you on a journey to the very heart of two of the world’s great footballing cultures.


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9 Reviews 5 star:  (3) 4 star:  (4) 3 star:  (1) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:  (1)           Average Customer Review 3.9 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   10 of 10 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous!, 18 Jul 2006 By  Garret Byrd (Liverpool, England) - See all my reviews This book is not an autobiography, like so many others we've read before. This is a case of a successul player and manager, Vialli, teaming up with a journalist, Marcotti, to gain unparalleled and honest access to some of the finest minds in the game today: Mourinho, Ferguson, Wenger, Capello, Lippi etc. They're honest and frank when assessing some of the problems and issues facing the game today and Vialli uses their input as a platform to explore some of the most basic questions in football. Throughout, ever the perfectionist, Vialli presents meticulous research to back up his views, such as disproving the myth that better weather in Italy produces more technical players or providing evidence that in Italy managers are sacked far more often but have less trouble getting back into the game. This book moves past football, looking at basic cultural differences and how they are changing and converging over time. It's an excellent read for anyone who enjoys the game and isn't afraid to ask themselves difficult questions. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   8 of 8 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars Completely Fascinating !!, 8 Jul 2006 By  Mr. P. L. Winchester (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    Having purchased this book hoping to increase my somewhat "patchy" knowledge of Italian football, all I can say is congratulations to Messrs. Vialli and Marcotti!! A fascinating insight into the differences between two footballing cultures which highlights the gulf between them. Any fan of the beautiful game will enjoy this book, and I wholeheartedly recommend it. P.S. If Italy win the World Cup on 09/07/06, this book will give you an insight into how they did it!! Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   4 of 4 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Read, 6 Jun 2006 By  Mr. E. Kilinc (UK, London) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    Awesome read up untill now and I'm still reading it, i suggest anyone buying it if they are pretty much intrested in how the Italians & English go on about there football. Includes one of my favourite journalists out there "Gabrielle Marcotti" aswell.. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this) Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review › See all 9 customer reviews...		Most Recent Customer Reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent This is an excellent book. A very pleasant surprise indeed! G. Vialli compares football in Italy with football in England. Read more Published 10 months ago by Simple Millionaire 4.0 out of 5 stars It,s a game of several half,s The most intelligent book ever written by a footballer it triumphantly blares on the front cover .Taking into account that the average footballer is about as intelligent as a... Read more Published 22 months ago by russell clarke 5.0 out of 5 stars Simply "Magnificent" Even though I am not a footballer, I always had great passion for the game. It's true that I cannot ever experience the thrill of playing with my favourite players such as Ryan... Read more Published on 28 Dec 2006 by Darren Mizzi 3.0 out of 5 stars 3 points for a win Gianluca Vialli was an Italian striker who became a successful player and manager in England. He's always come over to me on TV as an intelligent and personable man, but he starts... Read more Published on 25 Sep 2006 by A reader 4.0 out of 5 stars a refreshing change This is a refreshing change from the run of the mill football biographies that dominate the best selling lists. Read more Published on 18 Sep 2006 by Mr. K. Rance 1.0 out of 5 stars Worst Book Ever Written I must admit I dashed out to buy this book as soon as it came out. I shouldn't have bothered. The book claims to be a journey to the heart of two footballing nations. Read more Published on 7 Jul 2006 by James Burton Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews › See all 9 customer reviews...

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