Learner podcast 4 – Serie A

Here is the fourth Learner's podcast of the season. We hope you enjoy it. Try out our worksheets or online quiz to help you practice your listening and vocabulary skills. If you click on the audio when it is playing on an iPod you can see the transcript below as you listen. It's a great way to practice listening and fluency. Transcript - Serie A Now, last week Damian introduced La Liga and he argued that it was the best in Europe. Today, Ia€™ll be looking at Serie A, the Italian top division, and a league that ten or so years ago, most people would have said was the best in Europe. Their clubs have won the European cup 11 times, a record equal to Spaina€™s, and their national side has won the World Cup four times. Indeed, last year in Germany the Italians won the world cup, and AC Milan won the European Cup, beating Liverpool. So, why do most people turn to La Liga or the Premier League as the leading leagues in Europe. Why will this season the Italian league be trying hard to repair a damaged image? Well, there is something rotten in the state of Italian football. Last year was overshadowed by scandal in the Italian game with some of the biggest clubs being deducted points, and in the case of Juventus being demoted, because of a match fixing scandal. Fiorentina were docked a huge 15 points, shades of Leeds there, while Lazio had three points taken away and AC Milan eight. The game appeared to be corrupt and fans have increasingly stayed away from games. Added to this was continued violence at games a€“ both in the stadiums and on the streets, culminating with the death of a police officer during trouble at a Catania Palermo game. The infamous ultras seem to hold clubs to ransom, taking money from tickets, intimidating club officials and ruling the curves (special sections in the stands). Will this year be any different? Leta€™s hope so. The season this year got underway last week and many Serie A fans welcome back three big clubs: Genoa, Napoli, and Juventus. The latter ran away with the race in Serie B despite starting at minus nine points. For Genoa it was a 12 year wait and Napoli will be dreaming of regaining the glory years when Maradona ruled Italian football and led them to two championships and a UEFA Cup. Claudio Ranieri, the Tinkerman, brings the old Lady from Turin, the most successful club in Italian football, Juventus, back with hopes of winning the Championship. No Champions League football and the loss of a number of key players after demotion last season may hamper that ambition. So who will win Serie A? Well, last year Internazionale ran away with the title crushing all opposition and winning by a clear 22 pits from Roma in second. But this season surely AC Milan their rivals will perform better this season. The a€˜rossoneria€™ are packed with world class players a€“ Kaka, Inzaghi, Emerson, Maldini, Nesta, Seedorf a€“ remember they started with 15 points deducted but fiished strongly and were crowned Champions of Europe. Fiorentina shouldna€™t be overlooked either. If they had had no points deducted they would have finished third instead of fifth and with Mutu up front they will surely be in the mix again. The first games last week showed that this season will be a closer affair than last season. Fiorentina opened their account with a comfortable win over Empoli while Inter drew with Udinese. Roma, ACMilan, and Juventus all won. The latter putting five past sorry Livorno. My tip a€“ Juventus. But what do I know? Here are some real Italian football fans with their views.