Serie A proved to be a mix of the mundane, the farcical and the sublime
this week. Although looking back it has
those properties every week.
Roma crashed away at Juventus, given the Giallorossi’s record in Turin it is still a
surprise.
Ranierii picked an attacking if unfamiliar three man
attack. Sure they seemed to have plenty
of the ball early on and had a few half chances, but in reality the majority of
the Bianconeri crosses in the first half went AWOL, Camoranesi had a good game
but was unable to unlock Roma.
Roma actually played a good
tactical game in the first half, they sat back, built up attack slowly and
tried to keep possession in the middle.
The majority of their crosses and balls into the box needed a Juventus boot
or head to cut them out.
Roma always looked more
threatening and composed.
Nedved is a wily old campaigner
and knows how to dive. Sure the foot was
stuck out, watch the replay, he starts the dive with his other leg. That sort of play gets you a free kick in Italy.
Let’s not take away the excellent
free kick from Del Piero, let’s just point out the atrocious wall.
Roma came out in the second half
but the tactical nous of Ranierii saw Camoranesi withdrawn and Nocerino
added. So the Bianconeri have two
holding midfielders, Roma get plenty of possession but failed to find that pass
or that shot.
Mr. Spalletti, clearly Totti is a
talismanic figure in Rome,
but clearly he was not fit today.
Playing him was pretty dumb. Sure
his touch can be sublime and his passing intricate but when he can’t run to
stab home a ball in the six yard box then he’s just like a chocolate
fire-guard. Would Ranierii, Mancini, Ferguson, Wenger or Moyes play
a crocked player?
Juventus:-
Buffon
Zebina
Legrottaglie
Chiellini
Molinaro
Camoranesi (Nocerino 46)
Zanetti
Nedved (Palladino 81)
Del Piero
Iaquinta
Trezeguet (Sissoko 67)
Goals:-
Del Piero 46
Bookings:-
Chiellini
AS Roma:-
Doni
Cassetti
Ferrari
Mexes
Tonetto
Pizarro (Aquilani 73)
De Rossi
Taddei (Giuly 60)
Perrotta (Esposito 82)
Mancini
Totti
Bookings:-
Goals:-
Referee:-
Saccani
Genoa lost at home to Sampdoria in a turgid game
without much to recommend it.
The bright start, Maggio and Di
Vaio going reasonably close in the opening few minutes soon gave way to some
really dire football.
The two teams aren’t solely to
blame for this. Them being two points
off each other before kick off and local city rivals and having played to a
draw earlier on in the season were just a backdrop.
Fresh faced and freshly minted by
FIFA Mr. Rizzoli; known for being card happy; had a total smegging ‘mare of a
game. Breaking wind got you a stern look,
spitting and he’d give a player the evil eye, make a goof strong derby tackle
and he’d give s oft or stupid yellow.
The teams cancelled each other
out in a poor Derby
game whilst the referee was happy to take Bob Marley at his word and “Every
time I plant a seed,
He said kill it before it grow”. He had
to do a Cartman and stamp his AUTHORITAH! On the game instead of letting it
flow. Then Rizzoli has the temerity to
not book Delvecchio?
Genoa had more possession but couldn’t do
much with it. Sampdoria looked more
threatening in attack but it took playing against ten men (a spurious couple of
cards) and the eventual use of his eyes by Maggio to create the goal.
Cassano was the one bright spot
in the game, some brilliant passages of play and some entertaining whining
flowed from the youngster. Thankfully he
didn’t despair that the six other chances he handed to Maggio went AWOL and
persevered to hand the midfielder the seventh.
Genoa:-
Rubinho
Konko
De Rosa
Criscito
Rossi (Bovo 67)
Paro
Juric
Danilo
Milanetto (Lucarelli 64)
Borriello
Di Vaio (Figueroa 49)
Goals:-
Bookings:-
Juric
Paro
Danilo
Danilo (second get’s sent off)
Konko
Criscitto
Sampdoria:-
Castellazzi
Campagnaro
Sala
Accardi
Maggio
Delvecchio (Volpi 68)
Palombo
Franceschini (Bonazzoli 83)
Pieri
Cassano (Ziegler 90)
Belluci
Bookings:-
Sala
Campagnaro
Cassano
Accardi
Goals:-
Maggio 87
Referee:-
Rizzoli
Injuries can be no excuse for this torpid and uninspiring display. Top marks to Parma for making themselves hard to
beat.
Not much to say about this
game. Parma started the game with a point in mind
and got it. Milan started the game poorly and continued
in that vein for the following ninety minutes.
Even the highlights were
awful.
Ancellotti is praying for
Pato.
Parma:-
Bucci
Zennoni
Couto
Falcone
Castellini
Dessena
Morrone
Cigarini (Mariga 75)
Pisanu
Reginaldo (Gasbarroni 64)
Lucarelli (Budan 64)
Goals:-
AC Milan:-
Kalac
Cafu
Nesta
Kaladze
Jankulowski (Maldini 70)
Gattuso (Gilardino 46)
Emerson
Ambrosini
Serginho (Pirlo 46)
Kaka
Inzaghi
Goals:-
Referee:-
Dondarini
Adrian Mutu is sniffing around the capponcanoniere. The Romanian is the difference in one of the
best Italian games this weekend.
Catania
are hard to break down and have some good attacking options in Vargas, Pia and Martinez.
Fiorentina are better away than
at home although they have Mutu up front.
A good team with plenty in all departments.
Catania shaded the game early on then
Fiorentina got themselves straight and started to dominate possession although
not chances.
Some soft defending allowed
Kuzmanovic to get between two defenders to nod home a cross for Fiorentina’s
opener.
Mascara’s introduction caused
Fiorentina problems and more defensive fluffs (created no doubt from the dodgy
Serbian ‘keeper) led to a well executed goal from a corner, Vargas with the
powerful shot from the sloppy clearance.
The second half was end to end stuff,
nail biting and well executed. Mutu is
the jewel in Prandelli’s squad and a good knock down, powerful direct running
and a blinder of a shot led to the winner for La Viola. This was just after a passage of play that
saw Fiorentina pushed back and Catania
squander several half chances.
This time Fiorentina weathered
the late pressure and came away with a good three points.
Fiorentina:-
Frey (Abramov 55)
Potenza
Dianelli
Gamberini
Pasqual
Donadel
Montolivo (Jorgenson 65)
Kuzmanovic
Santana (Semioli 76)
Mutu
Pazzini
Goals:-
Kuzmanovic 39
Mutu 70
Bookings:-
Mutu
Donadel
Catania:-
Polito
Alvarez
Silvestri
Stovini
Vargas
Baiocco
Izco
Biagianti (Mascara 46)
Martinez
Pia
Colucci
Bookings:-
Silvestri
Goals:-
Vargas 60
Referee:-
Banti
Catania’s 433 would look like this is FSC were
actually correct in their team graphics!:-
Polito
Stovini – a CB @ RB?
Vargas – a LB @ CB?
Izco – a CM @ CB?
Baiocco – a CM @ LB?
Silvestri – a CB @ CM?
Biagianti
Colucci – a F @ CM?
Pia
Alvarez – a RB @ F?
Martinez
That is just so dumb.
Max Bretos and other commentators.
Gotta single out the commentator
here. Firstly the team sheet for Catania was hopelessly
WRONG. The names of the players were correct
but their location on the graphic was hopelessly lost. Juan Vargas isn’t a right back either. Thankfully he didn’t do the commentary.
I’m sure that the people of Genoa love to hear tales
about their nautical past but is it really necessary to waffle on about it
during a football match.
He wasn’t the only muppet at the
mike this weekend though. Two normally
reliable commentators; Richard Widdle and Paul Visca; seemed to think Juventus
dominated the first half, surely they must have been bough some nice new
Italian suits by Ranierii to be so blatantly pro Bianconeri.
The bloke who did the Fiorentina
game was excellent.
Other Results.
Internaz ional 2 – 0 Livorno
The table toppers increase their
hold on the Scudetto. Suazo gets a pair
and Livorno are glad to get out of Milan.
Lazio 3 – 0 Atalanta
A surprise and welcome win for
the Biancocelesti. Back to the drawing
board for Atalanta.
Napoli 1 – 3 Empoli
Big trouble for the Azzurri with
another loss. With three sendings off it
was a high tension game.
Palermo 2 – 1 Cagliari
Guidolin’s ‘little girls’ show
some balls.
Reggina 1 – 3 Udinese
Back into the European place
scrap for Udinese, more woes for Reggina.
AC Milan has a trio of Brazilian talent up front. The Rossoneri grab their first home win of
the season. The Stadio Meazza is full to
bursting. Seven goals go in and a Hero
Arrives!
Sunday at the San Siro, the
magnificent stadium is chock full; and that includes a sizeable away
contingent; the first game of 2008 for the Rossoneri is a tough one, Napoli are
ahead of them in the table and have their share of quality and steel. All eyes are on a duck, kind a like a day out
at Disney!
Ancelotti thrusts his newish
acquisition into the limelight; creating a formidable front three of Ronaldo,
Kaka and Pato, behind them sit Pirlo, Ambrosini and Seedorf with the back four
of Maldini, Kaladze, Nesta and Bonera protecting Dida. The formation is more or less 4 3 2 1 until
forward players drift wide or drop deep and midfielders get forward, that
fluidity; a Milan
trait; has been missing for much of the season.
Reja sticks with a fairly settled
and battle tested 3 5 2. Iezzo gets the
nod in goal, with a back three of Cupi; he’s not normally first choice though;
Cannavarro and Domizzi, strung across the middle is Garics, Bogliacino,
Gargano, Savini and Hamsik with Sosa and Lavezzi up front. Plenty of guile from the Argentine
attack.
The game starts off at a leisurely
pace. This suits Milan, an older team who likes to keep
possession and attack in bursts.
The relaxed tempo also suits Napoli who are adept at playing counter attacking
football.
Maldini breaking forward provides
the first real Milan
impetus.
This game was one of goals, seven
of them and all good in their own way.
Milan opened the scoring with a Ronaldo shot
that Iezzo managed to get a foot to but Cupi couldn’t track back fast enough to
prevent the ball crossing the line.
Kaka was the instigator, breaking
up a Napoli attack with a determined challenge he brought the ball forward using
Seedorf as a foil, after the one-two the Brazilian plays in Pirlo who finds
Ronaldo, a one two on the edge of the Napoli area with Pato is broken up but only
as far as Pirlo, this time the ball in is almost perfect for Ronaldo.
The second was pure counter
attacking genius. Bogliacino broke up a
Milan thrust and plays an intelligent ball to the back post, Lavezzi has the
pace to get there first and volleys his cross across the six yard box, Sosa is
a poacher and arrives with prefect timing and a deft touch with the outside of
his left boot to even up the score.
SOSA WATCHES HIS SHOT OVER THE LINE!
Next up is a Dutch Master. Milan pounce on a poor ball from Lavezzi and
attack, Pirlo, Ronaldo and Seedorf bring it forward with a sweet one-two, Il
Fenomeno finds Pato in the area and the youngster shoots, Iezzo saves the first
effort which comes out to Ronaldo, his cross finds Pato again and yet again
Iezzo saves, Seedorf had stayed forward and comes crashing in to slam the ball
up into the roof of the net, he wheels away with a big grin and heads for the
corner flag.
More counter attacking leads to
the second Napoli equalizer. Domizzi steps in front of Pato to break up an
sloppy Bonera pass; his ball forward allows the pace of Lavezzi to trouble
Kaladze, contact is made in the area and the diminutive Argentinean instantly
finds the lush San Siro grass. Earlier
Lavezzi had used his strength to shrug Kaladze and Nesta off the ball, the
youngster knows how to cheat though and went down easy, much too easy. The referee buys his poor acting and Domizzi
steps up to calmly convert the spot kick.
DOMIZZI BAGS A PENALTY!
Two two at the half, Milan are clearly having
more of the ball but the game is finely balanced.
Pato has shown well enough
without a goal, some of his touches are neat and accurate; others are ineffective,
particularly when he tries to beat Napoli on
his own.
Ancelotti freshens things up at
the half he withdraws a thirty nine year old and brings on a thirty six year
old. They must put something in the
water at Milan.
Normal goal service was resumed
before Napoli had time to do pretty much
anything.
Seedorf; who today had a great
game; turns Hamsik inside out then fires the perfect cross in for Ronaldo, the
Brazilian gets in front of his marker and glances the ball past Iezzo for his
second of the afternoon.
Goal number six is again heavily
Dutch influenced, Seedorf; seemingly running into trouble deep on the Napoli right; back heels the ball to Favalli, the pass
inside finds Kaka who shimmies and turns his man then unleashes a wonderful
strike to beat Iezzo at his near post.
Stunning display of skill.
The final goal is a headline writer’s
wet dream. Favalli is the provider with
a hoof upfield, Pato’s first touch is excellent and allows him to burst past
Domizzi, his finishing is top drawer and his tears just added to the
moment.
THREE BRAZILIANS AND A DUTCHMAN!
Reja’s Napoli
played well but lacked any sort of extra gear or tactical change to get back in
the game in the second half. They have
plenty of quality but sitting back and defending a 3-2 deficit or counter
attacking just didn’t work. The
frustration was obvious as the game wore on with Gargano getting his second
yellow. This leaves Napoli
in eighth place with a home game to Lazio next week. They do have just half the points of Internaz
ionale though.
Ancelotti’s problems from 2007
melted away with the introduction of an attacking Brazilian triumvirate. The first half of the season saw them score
only three times at the San Siro, this changed dramatically today. The team seemed full of confidence, Seedorf
was particularly vibrant. Ronaldo and
Pato made good starts and each contributed immensely to the Rossoneri. At times the defence did look easily pulled
out of position but held firm for most of the game. This result can supercharge the AC Milan
season with games in hand against Atalanta, Livorno
and Reggina eminently winnable. They
still lie in twelfth place (this could be as high as sixth) but look in good
shape to face Arsenal in the Champions League and a difficult trip to Udine next week.
Rossetti had a decent game, soft
penalty decision; especially as he was practically miles away at the time.
AC Milan:-
Dida
Bonera
Nesta
Kaladze
Maldini (Favalli 46)
Seedorf
Pirlo (Gourcuff 80)
Ambrosini
Kaka
Pato
Ronaldo (Emerson 69)
Goals:-
Ronaldo 16
Seedorf 31
Ronaldo’s Hair 46
Kaka 68
Pato 74
Napoli:-
Iezzo
Cupi
Cannavarro
Domizzi
Garics
Bogliancino
Gargano
Savini (Capparella 70)
Hamsik (Dalla Bona 78)
Lavezzi
Sosa
Goals:-
Sosa 28
Domizzi 38 (P)
Referee:-
Rossetti
AN ASIDE - AC Milan are tracking the results of Arsenal on their webpages.
My pick will still remain as Internaz ionale to beat either Barcelona or an English team in the Final in Moscow.
Draw for first KO stage. (group
winners play away leg first)
Arsenal v AC MILAN – possibly the
plum tie of the round for the neutral
BARCELONA v Celtic – the Scots have a
punchers’ chance with their good home record
CHELSEA v Olympiakos – much too one sided to
be really good for the neutral.
INTERNAZ IONALE v Liverpool – valiant scrappers come an Italian cropper.
Lyon v MANCHESTER UNITED – One sided, to the
maximum.
PORTO
v Schalke 04 – who knows, both sides have surprised so it could go either way,
definitely one to watch for the uncertainty factor.
REAL MADRID v Roma – possibly the
plum tie of the round (anyone who knows La Liga well should speak up on this
one)
SEVILLA v Fenerbache – Closer
then some may think as one game is in Turkey, but you figure two
consecutive UEFA Cups will be the thumb on the scales.
(Group winners in CAPS)
The odds are for winning it all;
first is the odds from August; second from before the draw; finally the odds after
the draw.
Liverpool
**9/1 – 11/1 – 14/1
– oops! the bookies don’t discount the reds but understand the enormity of
their task.
Porto
9/1 – 50/1 – 40/1
– getting possibly the easiest draw of the first KO round has improved the odds
but still a long shot.
Chelsea
6/1 – 8/1 – 6/1
– dropped back down, probably due to an easier draw.
Schalke 04
40/1 – 40/1 – two
teams in the same game have their odds shortened; indecisiveness from the
bookies.
Real Madrid
9/1 – 8/1 – 8/1
– stays the same; they have a really tricky and tough to call tie.
Olympiakos
150/1 – 50/1 – 100/1
– Someone thinks they have a punchers chance against Chelsea, still a long shot though
AC Milan
8/1 – 10/1 – 10/1
– The tie against a formidable team hasn’t shortened their odds, much
uncertainty with this tie.
Celtic
100/1 – 50/1 – 80/1
– big increase so the bookies think Strachan’s players have only a hope in
hell.
Barcelona
9/2 – 4/1 – 7/2
– they drop again, due to their opponents and smart bookies.
Lyon
18/1 – 20/1 – 25/1
lengthened again due to superiorly perceived opponents.
Manchester United
6/1 – 5/1 – 5/1
– stays the same, this suggests a win against Lyon but not anything more than a
decent chance to win it all.
Roma
21/10 – 16/1 – 20/1
– the bookies see them beating Arsenal when hell freezes over.
Internaz ionale
8/1 – 9/1 – 9/1
– no change which suggests the bookies like the Italians but aren’t quite
convinced.
Fenerbache
200/1 – 50/1 – 50/1
– the Turkish side could cause an upset but do YOU really think so against
strong Spanish opposition?
Arsenal
8/1 – 8/1 – 8/1
– stays the same; they like the gunners but don’t want the odds to suggest
anything more than a decent chance.
Sevilla
20/1 – 10/1 – 10/1
- stays the same, they like the Spaniards but don’t want the odds to suggest
anything more than a decent chance
Remember the bookies aren’t
exactly trying to pick the winner. They
are trying to make money, so the odds reflect their understanding of the
betting market and their expertize at fleecing suckers.
Expect the longer odds to change
if that team does well in the first game.
The stronger teams’ odds will remain fairly static at the early stages
of the KO rounds as the bookmakers realize the games are actually too tough to
call with any certainty.
**All
Ladbrokes odds are from 31/08/2007 and then 20/12/2007 and finally 23/12/2007.
My Picks.
Internaz ionale – unless Liverpool drastically upgrade several aspects of their personnel
and play the Internaz ionale Machine will roll them over.
Chelsea – too much for the Greeks; even with
a (possibly) depleted side.
Roma – they have managed to
overcome the toughest early Serie A schedule in many a season and still remain
second. Deceptively tough.
Porto
– too much for the Germans, you would think.
AC Milan – Cesc will shine, but then so will
Pirlo, Ambrosini, Seedorf, Kaka and Inzaghi.
Sevilla – Ole Ole Ole Ole! the
move to this stage of the Champions League will not be tougher than the UEFA
Cup (yet!).
Manchester United – they win when they play
less then good, very strong with possible January additions.
Barcelona – pushed hard by the Scots but the
class up front will tell in the end, they’ll do it with a draw and a tight win
at the Nou Camp.
Nerrazzuri play hard, physical football with some wonderful touches of
skill and touch to come from behind in the Derby della Madonnina. AC Milan has passages of lovely attacking
play but a refereeing lapse and some awful play from the defenders and ‘keeper
hand Cambiaso the winner.
Sunday at the San Siro, the
magnificent stadium is this week the home of Inter#### onale with AC Milan as
the away team. The Christmas break looms
and a win is more vital for Ancellotti’s side; who are faltering in Serie A. Mancini’s team wants the win to increase
their Serie A lead. The contest is a
historic and hard fought affair.
Mancini manages to pick a world
class side despite his injuries. None of
the starting eleven are Italian. Cesar keeps
goal with a South American back four of Maicon, Samuel, Cordoba and Maxwell, the midfield is mostly
South American with a touch of Romanian class, Zanetti, Chivu, Cambiaso and
Jiminez form a rotating midfield diamond.
Up front Ibrahimovic and Cruz form a potent strike threat; nine goals apiece
in Serie A; the 4 4 2 is more attacking for the home game.
Ancelotti; tired from a long but
fruitful World Club Championship victory in Japan; plays his first Serie A game
since early December. His team has
starts with Italians but has a definite international flair. Dida keeps goal with a back four of Oddo,
Nesta, Kaladze and Maldini. The
Christmas Tree formation sees Gattuso, Pirlo and Ambrosini as the deeper
midfielders, Kaka and Seedorf adding width and Inzaghi providing the goal
threat.
The first Milan thrust forward is a long ball up to
Inzaghi, meat and drink for Samuel.
Seedorf attacks down the left but his cross is sliced awry, then Oddo’s
cross is safely claimed by Cesar.
The game is played at pace, Inter
attacks the flanks switching play almost effortlessly. Maldini shows that experience will often beat
skill, strength and pace as he marshalls
Ibrahimovic and dispossesses him.
The initial tackles are fierce
with Gattuso educating Jiminez as to the intensity of a Milan Derby. Jiminez accepts the lesson then attacks,
initiating a move which see an unmarked Ibrahimovic at the back post show great
technique and poor aim as his powerful volley sails high.
Jiminez is working hard and shows
some nice touches with Ibrahimovic and Maxwell on the left then he combines
with Chivu on the same side.
Milan is being forced on the back foot but
keep trying to play their own possession football in the middle of the
park. This almost works when a good
Seedorf ball over the top almost finds Inzaghi who had beaten Cordoba.
Samuel defends the run of Kaka
well but the Brazilian has yet to get into the game.
Milan is starting to win the midfield battle despite
the tightness and tough harrying football Inter are employing. Another neat through ball bisects Inter,
forcing Samuel to haul down Inzaghi on the edge of the area. From twenty yards out Pirlo is very good and
with Ambrosini bossing the wall finds the top corner with Cesar rooted to the
spot.
PIRLO - DOING WHAT HE DOES BEST!
Ibrahimovic intercepts a poor
Kaladze forward pass and plays in Cruz on the left, the cross dips in to the
box and Dida gets a hand to it to take it away from Chivu, Jiminez is free at
the back post and his fierce shot comes off the face of the crossbar. The Chilean slips when under pressure from
Pirlo in the Milan
area, Morganti isn’t interested.
The game is tight and combative
with Inter exploding into action when they break forward. Milan’s
game is less frenetic and more subtle.
Gattuso gets an almost inevitable
yellow. The free kick is deep on the
Inter right and is well delivered forcing Seedorf to concede the corner,
Maldini clears another good Inter delivery then the next ball is well met by
Milan, the Rossonerri break but Zanetti has the pace and skill to track back and
deny Kaka with a good, well timed challenge.
The tough tackling and harrying
continues from both sides as the play spends more time in the congested
midfield. Inter get a good chance with a
central free kick which Chivu manages to get over the wall, Dida is well placed
for an easy catch.
Jiminez is denied a killer
through ball to Cruz by a great Ambrosini block, Milan comes away with the ball
and Kaka has time and space to run at Samuel, the defender is turned inside out
so much by the pace and trickery of the Brazilian that he gets injured, a last
ditch interception by Cambiaso sees Kaka flop over in the box, Morganti
probably gets the decision right as he waves play on.
Inter reshuffle a little while
Samuel gets treatment. They are a team
driven and well organized and Ibrahimovic evades the attention of three Milan
defenders to poke the ball to Cambiaso on the right the Argentinean cuts the
ball across for his countryman Cruz who brushes aside the Milan challenges to
fire in a near post shot, Dida gets a hand to it but can’t stop the shot,
pretty poor to be beaten that easily at the near post.
The equalizer comes whilst Inter
were down to ten men, Materazzi comes on as a substitute to make eleven.
Jiminez continues to cause
trouble and Kaladze gets away with a handball to end a Chilean inspired
attack. The Nerrazzurri are turning up
the pace of the game once more.
YOUNG CHILEAN TALENT!
The ex Blue, Materazzi hasn’t
found the pace of the game and of his first three tackles on Kaka two are
fouls, one earning the big defender a card.
The Inter pressure is patient and
they spread the play from left to right before coming inside and finding Zanetti,
the veteran’s shot is wide. Jiminez is
caught by Ambrosini whilst pulling the trigger and Ibrahimovic’s daisy cutter
free kick doesn’t beat Dida.
Ancelotti freshens things up at
the half with the introduction of the receding Emerson and his last fit
striker, Gilardino. Gattuso and Inzaghi
retire tired and hurt.
Inter start as they left off,
fast and furiously. Milan keeps playing their way and gets the
first of the second half chances.
Maldini is at the end of a flowing passage of play with a great near
post cross, Gilardino’s stooping header finds the ball but it flies wide.
Milan create a good opportunity
again, Kaka’s play starting the move, the Brazilian cuts a perfectly weighted
ball inside and Pirlo decides to do a fancy stepover instead of a netbusting
shot, with no one behind him; Emerson having pulled to the back post the chance
goes begging and Inter clear.
Kaka is seeing more ball in the
game and that is helping Milan
threaten their cross city rivals.
The pressure is relived with some
effort, skill and good Inter possession which ends with poor Chivu shot to
allow Milan to
come out again.
Serginho comes on for a disappointed
Seedorf and his impact is instant, he takes advantage of the tiredness of
Maicon on the Inter right, twice he gets forward on the flanks and delivers
good, telling crosses.
Milan possession is broken up with a Cambiaso
tug on Pirlo’s shorts, the Argentinean pushes forward and finds Cruz on the
left, his countryman cuts the ball back across the area and Maldini is in
position to make an easy clearance. The
veteran’s header is weak and poor and Cambiaso takes advantage with a shot,
Dida is flummoxed and let’s the shot through his legs.
HOW TO CELBRATE A WINNING GOAL!
SO GOOD TODAY HIS HAIR FELL OUT!
From then on in Inter
dominate. The game gets stretched at
times but never had the cut and thrust of the early exchanges with scrappiness
creeping in from both sides.
Gilardino and Ambrosini can’t
combine to beat Cesar in the six yard box.
Nesta shows his skill with a
wonderful marshalling of Ibrahimovic.
Ibrahimovic moves well for a big
man with a delightful cut back but his shot goes wide.
Cordoba beats Gilardino to a good Oddo cross
from deep.
Emerson dallies, is robbed by
Pele but the attempted lob is overcooked.
Cesar parries one wide from a
fierce Kaka shot; Maicon’s clearance to his countryman was tired.
Serginho delivers a succulent
ball into the six yard box and with the Inter defence beaten Ambrosini scuffs
it woefully wide.
Mancini’s team are deceptively
good, they showed strength to come back from behind but looked ragged at
times. They have an ability to dominate
sides and showed this today. A restful
Christmas will; perhaps; sort out a few knocks and leave the team fresh and
looking for more wins.
Ancelotti’s problems mount with a
performance littered with some shoddy play and only fitfully excellent. With the lead Milan should be at their best but they were
unmanned by the pace, power and application of Inter. A bitter derby defeat which leaves the
Rossoneri pretty much out of the Scudetto race.
Not picked as the Italian
refereeing representative for Euro 08 the experienced man in the middle showed
his credentials in a hotly contested game.
He officiated tough early on and
set the tone with a ‘play on’ type mentality.
He brooked no dissent or shirt pulling and was maybe unsighted for the
blatant tug that led to the second Inter goal.
Stern yet fair but maybe his legs gave the Euro spot to Rossetti, twice
Morganti needed treatment.
Week 14 in Serie A is an important one
Four of the top five play each other and Juventus have a tough trip to
AC Milan, then you have two up and comers battling it out in the Derby of
Sicily.
AC Milan 0-0 Juventus
Not a bore draw. Some of the play was high octane, quality
football, just no end product. Juventus
had energy pace and no end product and Milan
seemed bewildered at times but fought themselves back into the game. Nedved and Kaka were the shining lights on
the park with some fine forward play; the Czech player is prone to the theatric
dive though although Kaka came close to emulating the veteran midfielder with a
comic flop over Chiellini. . Both Dida; not least from Salihamidzic; and
Buffon; from a variety of Milan
players; made some good saves.
TREZEGUET LETS FLY BUT THE POST COMES TO MILAN'S RESCUE
Ancelotti will rue another week
at the San Siro sans three points and Ranieri will have seen plenty to be happy
about in the Bianconeri play.
Neither side had that extra burst
of pace of deft touch or slice of luck to prise open their opponents and the
draw is a better result for others in the top half of the table.
Wow! It’s not just the Dutch that know how to play
total football. The version being played
by Mancini’s team at the moment is something beautiful to behold. They have power, pace, skill, finishing and
bags of work ethic. Front to back the
whole squad is oozing confidence.
Fiorentina are finding that
staying in the top echelons of Serie A is tough to do. La Viola started well, the interchange, verve
and skill of their front six allowed them to get plenty of penetration deep
into the Inter half. Mutu looked to be
in fine fettle without really troubling Cesar.
Inter’s first real attack bore
fruit though; a defence splitting pass from Ibrahimovic found the young
Chilean; Jiminez; free and clear and well bale to slot the ball past the
excellent Frenchman, Frey.
Fiorentina never recovered
despite a series of half chances which were never taken. The visitors played confident, assured
football all over the park. The front
line was always a threat and the defence rarely let Cesar work. Cambiaso was particularly excellent with a
stunningly energetic performance, box to box he was impeccable, apart from the
yellow.
The Swedish sensation may not be
finding the net in the league but his passing and vision created two today,
just before the half his sublime flick into the path of a well timed Cruz run
allows the Argentinean to continue his rich goal scoring vein with a cool
finish past Frey.
Ibrahimovic almost scored himself
late on but two fantastic saves from Frey frustrated the Swede.
Two changes at half time didn’t
do much for Fiorentina’s game. They
huffed and puffed but couldn’t blow down the house that Mancini has built.
BECAUSE IT'S ONLY EVER A GAME
THE ECITING YOUNG CHILEAN OPENS THE SCORING
The ex Sampdoria man will be more
than delighted with three points from a Scuddetto hopeful away from home.
Prandelli will have seen much to
be happy about but no goals at home must be a worry.
Elvis isn’t dead, he’s living in Italy
and supporting Fiorentina.
The Derby of Sicily was incident
packed and a fine advertisement for football beyond the hallowed turf of the
top clubs. The Stadio Angelo Massimino
had yet to see a home Serie A victory in this fixture. With a new manager at Palermo
and Catania
playing well things looked promising.
Both teams went at each other
from the whistle. The first ball was
usually forward and both keepers had to come out of the area to clear through
balls, Polito with his chest and Fontana
with his head.
The Elefanti had the better of
the early going with Martinez
and Vargas providing some splendid effort and excellence on the flanks.
Catania got a lucky break when
Spinesi hauled the ball back into play and out to Vargas, the Peruvian’s cross
met by Mascara ahead of the less than stellar Biava for the goal. Replays, Fontana
and the Palermo
defence suggested the ball had gone out but Terfoloni wouldn’t have any of
it.
Later on in a half that was
mostly Catania’s Biava clearance spooned up from the edge of the penalty area
and dropped invitingly for Spinesi, Barzagli gave the forward a push at the
vital moment but a smart referee and assistant spotted the infringement and
Spinesi duly tucked one past Fontana.
Amauri was too isolated to do
much damage in the first half. He got
company in the second and looked more dangerous, Caserta providing the assistance. For the second week in a row Palermo started
with one up front and for the second week in a row looked much, much more
dangerous when a second striker joined in, this also helped Brienza get into
the attack more.
Simplicio takes a quick free kick
to Tedesco; unfortunate not to be facing his injured brother; Simplicio plays
the return ball forward to Brienza whose deft pass finds Amauri, the
Brazilian’s flick is into the path of Caserta who outmaneuvers the defender
with a feint right foot shot, he leaves his man behind and buries one with a
delicious left foot drive.
The jubilation of the away team;
their fans are banned from the stadium; is short lived as a studs up challenge
by the Palermo goal hero is greeted by a red and the derision of the Catania
fans.
Palermo
struggle to get back into the match but gamely plug away, Fontana
is the busier of the two ‘keepers in the last twenty minutes and comes up with
some stunning saves but can’t do a thing when Martinez fires one past him. The Uruguayan caps a blinding game with a
stunning curler beyond Fontana
and inside the far post from some hard work by Vargas. Fitting that the two best Catania
players are involved in the third and best Catania goal.
Baldini will have seen much to be
pleased about, good attacking and solid defending along with some standout
perfomances from key players.
Unfortunately more good play from the likes of Vargas, Martinez and Stovini are likely to perk the
interest of some bigger clubs.
Guidolin; without the firepower
of Miccoli and Cavani suffered his first defeat in this fixture, not a good
start to his fourth stint at the Rosanero.
Roma 2-1 Udinese (Juan 10, Taddei
27 – Quagliarella 11)
Roma kept the pressure on
Internaz ionale with this well crafted victory with the team in joint second
place.
Both teams started well. Roma looking to work the midfield with slick,
one touch passing and Udinese looking to Di Natale to create.
Roma’s tactics paid early
dividends, Juan cam up from the back to poke a close range effort home for the
opener. Udinese responded immediately,
Quagliarella turning on a ball from deep and rifling one past Doni. Mexes was at fault for giving the forward too
much space, the Frenchman had an up and down game, some excellent defending
interspersed with some dodgy mistakes.
Zapata was the standout defender
for Udinese but could do nothing to stop Taddei taking advantage of a sloppy
Lukovic clearance.
Udinese kept looking to Di Natale
for a spark and despite some sublime ball skills from the Italy International
they visitors couldn’t find the net.
The Giallorossi dominated in the
second half, winning the midfield battle with ease. Udinese only came into the game in the last
quarter hour when a harsh series of red cards saw the Bianconeri reduced to
nine men. Saccani brandished the
straight red for substitute Pinzi for a clumsy challenge then Dossena got the
same for being overly mouthy. Roma
seemed to struggle to come to terms with their two man advantage, Floro Flores
brought the best from Doni late on.
TADDEI CONCENTRATES AS HE CROWNS HIS RETURN WITH A WINNER
Marino is doing well to take the
unfashionable Udinese to the dizzy heights of Serie A, a loss to Roma in Rome is no shame as the
contest was pretty close, at least in the first half.
Spalletti will be pleased with
the win but not with the shambolic last fifteen minutes in which the nine men
of the visitors troubled his team.
The Scuddetto race is only a quarter complete and certain
issues are becoming clearer. Favourites
are emerging, train wrecks are happening before our eyes and the usual suspects
are scrapping for the crumbs
A general overview:-
Internaz ionale remain strong despite some early
faltering. Juventus are for real. Lazio and Milan are in trouble already. Fiorentina aren’t a one season wonder and Napoli is making their mark on the top Italian
division. Palermo,
Udinese, Atalanta and Catania
are a pleasant surprise and Sampdoria a dissapointment. Genoa is
struggling and the usual mess of Siena, Cagliari, Empoli, Livorno
and Reggina are already mired in a relegation battle.
Team by team:-
Internaz ionale:-
Mancini has put together a strong squad; their bench is full
of internationals. Injuries to Figo and
Stankovic will hamper the current champions, but a run out for Dacourt in
midweek and the versatility of Cambiaso and Zanetti will ease the manager’s worries. Chivu is starting to find his feet and is a
dangerous set piece expert. Ibrahimovic
remains the main striker and the most difficult of Mancini’s decisions
surrounds who partners him up front with Adriano, Suazo, Crespo and Cruz all
netting recently.
A schedule which has seen them play some top and bottom
sides; with mixed results but still on top and unbeaten; will continue to be a
mixed bag with no really tough stretches, the next big game for the league
leaders is away to Fiorentina on matchday 14.
Fiorentina:-
Prandelli is building on the UEFA Cup spot from last season;
despite starting the season with a 19 point deficit. Mutu is hitting a rich vein of form. Vieri is helping to fill the Luca Toni shaped
hole in their front line. Gamberini and
Dainelli have helped La Viola remain unbeaten.
Frey is pushing for a place as a starter for France and his keeping has been
solid, last week his world class save against Lazio gave La Viola the three
points ensuring they go second.
A schedule which has seen them take points from Roma, Milan, and Juventus and beat the upstarts of Naples sees them unbeaten but unable to turn draws into
wins at Genoa
or Atalanta. The upcoming games for the Florence team include tough trips to Palermo and Sampdoria with two tough home
games against Internaz ionale and Udinese.
The Reggina game should be a relatively easy three points.
Roma:-
Having finished one of the toughest opening schedules in
Serie A in years the Giallorossi are still third. Despite an injury to talismanic Captain Totti
Roma has played well. Mancini is still
adjusting to Serie A and can blow hot or cold, Vucinic is stepping up to the
lone striker role well. Giuly has
adapted well and is becoming more consistent.
Mexes and Juan still remain a touch green but are generally solid. Doni would be the only real weak link in the
side, his performance against Sporting was less than stellar.
The schedule for the Roman team gets easier for the next few
weeks with no game against the top four before the winter break.
Juventus:-
Fresh from a season in the dungeon of Serie B the Bianconeri
are back in Serie A with a vengance. Raineri
has moulded a good side and with Trezeguet firing on all cylinders the goals
are flowing freely. Contract worries
over Del Piero have rightly been quashed and Nedved is finding a rich vein of
form. Buffon; still reputedly the
world’s best; is solid as ever but they have still shipped goals and lost games
this season.
A schedule that has seen the Old Lady take points from
Internaz ionale and Roma with late goals has also seen them drop points against
Udinese and Napoli. This has been interspersed with emphatic wins
against Livorno and Reggina and a tough Derby
win against Torino.
Tough upcoming games for Juventus include the visit of Palermo and a trip to Milan.
Udinese, Atalanta, Napoli and Palermo are fighting for the UEFA Cup places
in Serie A. Each team has started the
season well but with only nine points separating Udinese; in fifth place and
Lazio in fithteenth place a slip up can drop a team down several places.
This is the Serie A dogfight. Teams don’t have the resources to buy in big
name players or have large squads; they have to rely on younger players coming
through and older stars refinding their past form. These teams should be endeavoring to beat the
teams below them and take points of the teams above them. Any one of these teams could face mid table
mediocrity at the season’s end or find themselves in a Champions league spot.
Udinese have Asamoah and Di Natale finding the net and
manager Marino has shown his flair for an attacking team that doesn’t forget
how to defend.
Atalanta has Doni in form and Zampagna and Langella finding
the net. Del Neri has shown what he can
do with some Flying Donkeys but has yet to find the right club since leaving
Cheivo back in Serie B.
Napoli has been a pleasant
surprise upon their Serie A return.
Lavezzi has been wonderful up front and Zalayeta, Domizzi and Sosa have
been finding the net. Despite tough
losses; their defeat to Inter#### onale they have continued to commit
themselves to a brand of attacking football that is pleasing to watch. Reja is proving to be a good choice as
manager.
Palermo
have Amauri in good form and paired with Miccoli provides the Rosanero with a
useful strikeforce. Too many draws have
put pressure on Colantuono for a home win.
Week 12 fixtures:-
Atalanta v Milan:-
Sixth versus ninth.
Ancelotti has all but Jankulovski fit.
Del Neri has Talamonti, Costinha, Bellini injured and Zampagna and De Ascentis
suspended. Unbeaten at home faces a Milan team with a better
away record then home record. History
suggests a home win but what does she know.
Fiorentina v Udinese:-
Second versus fifth.
Gamberini is injured for Prandelli.
Marino has Pinzi and Ferronetti as doubts but sees the likely return of
Asamoah up front. An unbeaten home side
in fine form against a team with a patchy away record. The result should see three points for La
Viola.
Internaz ionale v Lazio:-
First versus fifthteenth.
Mancini has his team on fire and full of confidence following the four
goal turnaround in midweek. Figo,
Stankovic, Viera, Materazzi and Toldo are all injured. Rossi is without Zauri, Mauri, Diakhite, Siviglia, Del
Nero, all injured but Pandev could return.
The midweek win will boost their confidence.
Probably an easy three points for Inter but Lazio can always
spring a surprise in the big games.
Palermo v Napoli:-
Eighth versus seventh.
Blassi is injured for Reja.
Amauri is suspended and Miccoli doubtful for Colantuono. Tough to call. Figure on an away win with the home teams
best strikers both out.
Parma
v Juventus:-
Fourteenth versus fourth.
Di Carlo has Cardone, Budan injured and Couto suspended. Ranieri has Boumsong out along with Andrade
and Nedved suspended.
History doesn’t bode well for Parma
and a Bianconeri side that have scored eight outside Turin
against a Parma
side that has shipped ten goals at home seems to suggest an away win and the
possible firing of Di Carlo.
Reggina v Genoa:-
Bottom versus eleventh.
Uliveri has Garcia and Tognozzi out injured. Gasperini has Waigo and Santos injured with Borriello suspended. Who can really tell how this game will
end. Anything from a dull goalless
snorefest to a rampaging seven goal thriller is possible.
Roma v Cagliari:-
Third versus seventeenth.
Spalletti will be without Aquilani but Totti may return. Pisano, Lopez are out for Giampaolo. Even the rigours of a 2-2 draw against
Sporting should see the Giallorossi with enough legs left to see off a
trembling Rossoblu.
Sampdoria v Empoli:-
Twelfth versus eighteenth.
Mazzarri is without Cassano, Delvecchio, Lucchini, Accardi and Pieri is
suspended. Cagni deals with injuries to
Balli and Volpato with Saudati suspended.
A must win for either team who both came back in week eleven from poor
week ten result. Anybodies guess but I’d
go for a home win.
Siena v Livorno:-
Sixteenth versus nineteenth.
Mandorlini is without the injured ####ssola and Forestieri. Suspended De Vezze and injures Giannichedda
and Vidigal are absentees for Camolese.
Several bore draws have been the results in frequent Tuscan
derbies. So a repeat of the 6-3 Siena victory in the
2004/05 season seems unlikely. Snore
Draw!
Torino v Catania:-
Thirteenth versus tenth.
High flying Catania
manager Baldini has Silvestri injured.
Novellino will miss Bjelanovic and Vailatti through suspension and
Recoba, Barone and Grella through injury.
Could be a spine tingler, Catania will look to bounce back after being beaten
at home to Atalanta and Torino look to build on a hard fought San Siro
draw. Possibly a high scoring draw.
Game of the week:-
At first glance it appears to be Palermo
v Napoli but with Amauri out I’d actually go
for Fiorentina v Udinese. The vagaries
of FSC’s scheduling means I don’t yet know which game(s) I’ll be doing a
wonderfully crafted game summary for.
Milan,
Roma, Lazio and Internaz ionale played in midweek so perhaps they will suffer
from post Champions League fatigue.
Fiorentina played in the UEFA Cup Thursday but they didn’t have to
travel so might not feel as groggy as some.
AC Milan v AS Roma. Another home
loss and poor performance for Anchelotti’s Rossoneri. Totti – less Giallorossi take home three
points for a delighted Spalletti.
A packed San Siro welcomed AS
Roma, both sets of Tifosi eager and anxious.
Milan
winless at home needed to carry on their winning ways from the Champions League
and a free scoring Roma needed to solidify their back line. Three points would carry Milan up the table and three points for Roma
would take them above Juventus.
Anchelotti plays his usual
formation 4 3 2 1 but used different personnel from midweek. Gilardino gets the nod up front, Kaka sits
deeper with Seedorf, Gattuso, Pirlo and Ambrosini sit deeper still, Cafu slots
into the right back position; playing against his former team; with Kaladze and
Nesta inside him and Maldini on the left.
.
Spalletti is without Totti so
Vucinic gets the nod up front. A five
man midfield with De Rossi and Pizarro deep and Tonetto, Perrotta and Mancini
further forward. The back four is
Cicinho, Mexes, Juan and Cassetti.
A tentative start sees no team
getting into any rhythm. Roma apply the
first pressure with their own brand of midfield play, Milan takes a while to clear their lines
properly and give themselves space to come out.
Ambrosini has a long range shot
deflected wide for a corner, Roma clear and break through Mancini but an awful
refereeing decision halts the move.
Cafu hasn’t quite got the pace to
keep a great Pirlo ball in play. The
pace isn’t high but the game is st
