Ciro Immobile has continued to be plagued by poor form and his struggles at Lazio may cause him to miss out on a spot in the Italy squad for the upcoming European Championship.
The 34-year-old striker, who was named Azzurri captain by Luciano Spalletti during his first international break in charge back in September, was again kept quiet as the Biancocelesti fell in a 2-0 loss to Juventus in the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-finals on Tuesday.
Immobile has struggled to impress this season with Lazio, netting just six goals across 26 games, and it’s hard to tell whether he’s truly on the decline or if he’s simply struggled with fitness and poor form at club level.
TMW highlights how it’s looking increasingly unlikely that Immobile will make the cut for Spalletti’s 23-man Italy squad for the upcoming European Championship in Germany, with his poor form continuing to limit his decisiveness in front of goal.
His last appearance for the Azzurri came back in September and he’s facing competition for a spot from Giacomo Raspadori, Mateo Retegui, Gianluca Scamacca and Moise Kean.
Valentin Castellanos is also threatening Immobile’s starting spot in the Lazio squad and recent rumours suggested that a move to Inter could be on the cards in the summer.
More must-reads:
Three games up, three games down, three straight wins. After a rough stretch in which the U.S. Men's National Team lost to Turkey and Switzerland, the Americans are back on track. They have qualified for the knockout rounds of the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup following nerve-settling wins over Trinidad and Tobago, Saudi Arabia and Haiti. Up next for the USMNT in the quarterfinals, though, is a dangerous foe: the Ticos of Costa Rica. The teams have played each other dozens of times and established a fierce rivalry. But where did that rivalry start? And how will it inform this Gold Cup quarterfinal? Here’s the story of the USMNT-Ticos rivalry, told through a few key games: March 22, 2013: The Snow Clasico The USMNT and Costa Rica have been battling each other since the 1970s, but their modern rivalry began in Commerce City, Colorado on the qualification trail for the 2014 World Cup. Both teams entered this match hungry for a victory: They had failed to win their opening games and viewed this fixture as their best way to get their World Cup qualification back on track. It was set to be a classic before it even started. Enter the fickle Colorado weather. As the start drew nearer, the clouds over Commerce City grew thicker, and before long Dick’s Sporting Goods Park was engulfed in a late spring blizzard. The game began as scheduled in a near-opaque cloud of snow. Costa Rica battled admirably, especially for a team without much snow experience, but the USMNT won 1-0 on a Clint Dempsey goal in the first half. In the United States, this "Snow Clasico” is remembered fondly as one of the USMNT’s grittiest and most lovable performances. In Costa Rica, though, it’s remembered as an outrage. Furious with the unsafe playing conditions and unfavorable outcome, the Ticos swore they’d take their revenge. Sept. 6, 2013: The Payback Six months passed by the time they hosted the USMNT in San Jose, but the Ticos' feelings about the "Snow Clasico" remained fresh. The Costa Rican faithful gave the USMNT a heated, raucous reception, and that, coupled with a spirited performance by the Ticos on the field, bullied the USMNT into its worst performance in years. Frustrated by the Costa Rican crowd’s gamesmanship, the USMNT collapsed. “That was not my fault,” USMNT coach Jurgen Klinsmann said of the "Snow Clasico" that fueled Costa Rica’s ire. “I didn’t call God to give us some snow.” Costa Rica, full of righteous indignation, beat the USMNT 3-1. June 7, 2016: The Copa Clash The USMNT and Costa Rica met again in the 2016 Copa America, a centenario competition pitting North and South America’s best teams. They faced off in the second game of the group stage with plenty on the line. The USMNT, humbled in its opening match by Colombia and still scarred from its Costa Rican beatdown two years earlier, needed a statement win to get its confidence back — and a statement win is what it got. The USMNT beat Costa Rica 4-0 at Chicago’s Soldier Field in grand style. Dempsey, Jermaine Jones, Bobby Wood and Graham Zusi scored as the global soccer media swooned over the USMNT’s reinvention. The USMNT went on to make the semifinals of that Copa America; Costa Rica went home in the group stage with its tail between its legs. Nov. 15, 2016 and Sept. 1, 2017: The World Cup drama The Copa America loss stung for the Ticos, but its revenge was swift and devastating. In two near-unbelievable matches a short months later, Costa Rica beat the USMNT by a combined score of 6-0 in World Cup qualifying. “We didn’t make any plays that mattered and we probably were outplayed at most positions on the field and made critical errors,” USMNT coach Bruce Arena said after his team’s second loss (2-0) to the Ticos. “They outplayed us and outcoached us tonight.” It was a near-unprecedented low for the USMNT. The losses to Costa Rica made the difference in the Americans' failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup a few months later. The USMNT will face Costa Rica in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup on Sunday in Minneapolis.
Shaquille O'Neal and Dwight Howard patched things up Sunday after years of feuding. But even while describing their rapprochement, O'Neal couldn't keep from teasing his longtime nemesis. The "Big Aristotle" was at the BIG3 playoffs Sunday to watch Howard's L.A. Riot play the Chicago Triplets. In the middle of describing to Rachel Nichols how he and Howard had made peace, O'Neal broke off his explanation to make fun of Howard for missing a dunk. The two Hall of Fame centers had sparred for years, despite their common ground as former members of the Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers. Some of the tension seemed to be due to Howard adopting O'Neal's "Superman" nickname, though O'Neal claimed to Nichols that he was simply being tough on Howard to motivate him. That explanation doesn't account for the time O'Neal mocked Howard for playing basketball in the Taiwanese league or the decade-plus he's spent roasting Howard on his podcast, in public appearances and on "Inside the NBA." Still, it appears that the two have made peace. Despite O'Neal being left off the original list of presenters, he insisted that he'll be among a group of Hall of Famers inducting Howard Sept. 6, including Dominique Wilkins, Robert Parish, Dennis Rodman and Patrick Ewing. It means that two of the most dominant big men of their eras have finally buried the hatchet. It's added a new level of interest to the Hall of Fame ceremonies, and it should be a sweet moment between O'Neal and Howard. As long as Howard doesn't mention Superman.
It is no secret that the relationship between Micah Parsons and the Dallas Cowboys is not on solid ground, but that does not necessarily mean it is tarnished beyond repair. On the latest episode of his podcast, which was released on Tuesday, ESPN's Adam Schefter predicted that Parsons and the Cowboys are "headed towards divorce." Schefter said the two sides have not spoken since April and that it seems like a matter of when — not if — they part ways. Longtime NFL reporter Josina Anderson was told the situation is not quite that grim, at least from the Cowboys' perspective. Anderson reported on Tuesday evening that the relationship between Parsons and Dallas "has not deteriorated to the point of an imminent divorce." "I did not detect any obvious tones of concern in my sourced conversation when I recently asked about ESPN's Adam Schefter's report stating he sees 'these two sides headed towards a divorce, in time.' ... I just feel Dallas has so much history with protracted (and) sensitive negotiations, thus my current impression is the club remains unrattled, at this time," Anderson wrote in a post on X. Parsons is earning just over $24M in the final year of his rookie contract this season. The 26-year-old had 12 sacks in 13 games last season and has 52.5 sacks in 63 career games. Parsons is arguably the best pass-rusher in the NFL when healthy. Although Parsons has formally requested a trade, the Cowboys maintain that they have no intention of dealing their four-time Pro Bowl defensive end. The only real leverage Parsons has is creating a headache in Dallas. He remains under contract, and the Cowboys also have the ability to use the franchise tag on him in each of the next two seasons. If Parsons were to sit out regular-season games, his contract would eventually toll. Even with Jerry Jones publicly taking shots at Parsons, one massive contract offer could change everything.
Days after Ian Rapoport reported that the Green Bay Packers would make total sense as Micah Parsons' landing spot if the Dallas Cowboys decide to trade the All-Pro edge defender, Packers fans have gained another reason to believe that a deal is actually possible. On ESPN Radio, NFL insider Adam Schefter mentioned that the Cowboys parting ways to Parsons truly is a realistic scenario. "It sounds like at some point in time—whether that's now, after the season, after two seasons—it sounds like the two sides are headed to a divorce at some time," Schefter said. On the Pat McAfee Show, Schefter said something similar. "These things always can change, and situations often change at the end of August and September. It changed for CeeDee Lamb last year. It changed for Dak Prescott last year. This one doesn't feel that way. It doesn't feel that way today. That doesn't mean it can't change, but the way that it's tracking, it feels more likely that these sides are headed for a divorce today than they would be for a new deal. Now, I don't know that it'll play out that way, but that is what I see when I look at the market, first of all. Now, I don't know whether that means there will be a trade. I think the most likely scenario would be that he's there this year, his contract expires, they franchise tag him, and then after they franchise tag him, then they have the ability to go and try and trade him." Micah Parsons is playing on the fifth-year option of his rookie deal with the Cowboys, and he will make $24.007 million in 2025. Even though he's slated to hit the free agent market next offseason, Dallas could utilize the franchise tag to keep him around—which would be 120% of his current salary, $28.8 million. Parsons wants a long-term deal with the idea of becoming the highest-paid non-quarterback in football, surpassing $40 million in yearly salary. To make that happen, the Packers would have to be willing to spend the combination of high draft picks and the big extension. But at 26 and with his extremely productive profile, Parsons is the type of player worthy of that effort. For now, though, the Cowboys control the cards.
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!