The Serie A has returned, and we're beginning to see some interesting developments regarding teams which might need a new manager sometime soon. Just looking at the bottom three teams: Fiorentina, Parma, and Udinese, you find underachievers which will need to either start winning, or be replaced. The question is, how much time will Mihajlovic have at Fiorentina? Does he have another couple of weeks? Or will he be kicked out before that? Well, I can't answer that, but here are five things to note from this weekend's Serie A matches.
1. Lazio continue to rise with win at Bari
Lazio currently find themselves at the top of the table, two points ahead of Inter Milan and AC Milan. This is wildly unexpected, but as I've always said, Edy Reja is a fantastic coach, and he's proving it at Lazio. Bari is a difficult side to face, even at home, but travelling away to the Galletti can often be slightly humiliating for most sides. And while Giampiero Ventura's side tried to stretch out Lazio with huge spells of possession, Reja meticulously prepared his side to stay compact and organized. After a boring first half, Reja's side found the back of the net after the break, first with Hernanes coolly finishing at close range, and then with Floccari awkwardly looping it over Gillet with an unintentional touch. But now the question must be asked, can Lazio continue to stay in front of the two Milanese clubs? We'll have to wait and see, but I'm sure that this season under Edy Reja, Lazio fans can expect a Europa League spot at least.
2. Krasic a continuos creator for Juventus
Krasic started the season wonderfully for Juventus, and he's continuing this devastating form which single-handedly cuts through teams. In Juventus's 4-0 win against Lecce, Krasic was a key player, and he contributed three assists for the final three goals, and so far this season, he has scored three goals, and assisted six! That means that Krasic has either created or scored 56% of Juventus's goals this season! Talk about an influential player. Delneri has been praising Krasic after the match, and he'll certainly be looking to help this youngster develop into the next Juventus legend.
3. A weekend of great goals
While there wasn't a huge amount of goals scored this weekend, there were plenty of fantastic ones. You had two rockets in Palermo's 4-1 victory over Bologna: first Pastore lashed one into the top-right hand corner, and then Ilicic blasted one right through the middle of the net. We also saw a sublime finish by Di Vaio in Bologna's consolation goal, he squeezed the ball into the back of the net from a very tight space, and if you're an aspiring forward, watch this goal because it's pure textbook finishing. We also had Pato score two goals in AC Milan's 3-1 win over Chievo, one of which was a very nice scissor kick.
Another great goal was Samuel Eto'o's winner against Cagliari for Inter Milan, the Cameroon forward controlled, twisted past a defender, and then released a low rocket which rose off the ground with his left foot. Juventus had some good goals in their 4-0 win over Lecce, along with Sampdoria scoring two nice goals in their 2-1 win over Fiorentina, one which was a swerving free kick, and the other a wonderful move by Cassano. So if you have some free time, be sure to watch all the goals of the Serie A this weekend, because there's some fantastic ones in there.
4. Julio Cesar does some fantastic goalkeeping to save Inter Milan
In my opinion Julio Cesar is the best goalkeeper in the world. I truly think that he has more agility, faster reactions, and better defensive organization than any other keeper out there. And as Inter played out a 1-0 win away against Cagliari, Julio Cesar produced some epic saves.here they are below.
Well, what do you think? To me these are two fantastic saves which stopped Cagliari from drawing level, and so far Julio Cesar has only conceded three goals this season which is better than any other keeper in the Serie A. What do you think about Julio Cesar? Is he the best in the world? Comment below!
5. The Scudetto probably won't go to Inter Milan this year
I know that this is a big call to make so early into the season, but I'm making it anyways. Although Inter find themselves tied second in the table, I dont think that Rafa Benitez's side can muster up a league winning run. While they have only conceeded only three goals, and they're winning matches, they haven't convinced me, at all. The entire team seems tentative, and it's only thanks to moments of brilliance by Eto'o and Julio Cesar which win them games. They don't create many chances, and I think that while Juventus and AC Milan win with big amounts of goals, Inter always manages to squeeze by. I expect AC Milan to win the upcoming derby della Madonnina, and I think that from there Massimiliano Allegri's side will run off to win the title.
But what do you think? Can Inter Milan win another consecutive Serie A title? Please share your thoughts by commenting below!
8 comments… read them below or add one
Mihajlovi? should’ve stayed at Catania. I don’t understand why young coaches grab the first big job that comes their way when it’s obvious they don’t have the experience to deal with it. He did well for what, half a season at Catania? So now he’s ready to lead Fiorentina out of the wilderness. Please. How many times does this have to happen? Ferrara, Donadoni, Leonardo. Most of the best coaches in Serie A are the guys who started below, proved themselves, and moved up when they were ready.
I’m partial to the other Julio, Sergio, but then I would be, a Romanista from afar. Plus JC wasn’t quite up to his best over the summer. I’d hardly kick him off my team, though.
Far too early to write off Inter, though I do hope they don’t win. I love Rafa, hate Inter, but I can see them returning to their pre-Jose days, where they putz around for an hour then Ibra/Eto’o wins it for them. It may be enough. I’m not convinced Milan can make their lopsided team work well enough in the long run. They can handle injuries up front, but not at the back. I just hope Lazio don’t do what Roma did last year.
Mihajlovic is not a great coach but one must keep in mind he’s missing three stars in Jovetic, Mutu and D’Agostino at the moment while Vargas and Montolivo have already missed games for various injuries.
Imagine any other team missing 5 starters at different points of the season, it will be a disaster.
JS the best! that’s a really big statement to make i guess..I’d Agree with David on this. Cesar’s form at the WC wasn’t exactly inspiring. The Melo-Cesar own-goal was a mistake you will never expect from some like Buffon.
Also Aquilani should be on the list i guess. Liverpool’s (BPL) loss is Juventus’ (Serie A) gain.
To me, Iker Casillas is the best keeper in the world. Julio Cesar is top 5, no doubt, but when you look at their skill level along with performance, Casillas is the best. Nobody is head and shoulders above anyone else. I can see Iker being close to the dominant type of keeper Buffon was in the middle part of this last decade, he’s that good. I’m a huge Gigi fan and I may be a bit partial to him when it comes to these kinds of discussions, but I still feel like even though he’s no longer in his prime he’s still a close 2nd to Casillas when he’s healthy. I’d put Cesar 3rd best in the world. The Melo own goal in the WC was unfortunate, I do agree, but I just don’t see Cesar as the brick wall in net like Casillas or Buffon.
Ben, I always thought of Buffon as the best and then comes Casillas. When healthy and fit, no one is on the level of Buffon because of his consistency and the number of amazing saves that he makes.
It’s one thing to make one great save in a match or to have a great game then disappear in the following rounds, compared to Buffon who was making magnificent saves at a frequent basis to help Juventus gain more points on a consistent basis.
Great responses! I think Julio Sergio has done some great things for Roma, and his rise from third keeper a couple of seasons ago to become the starter has to be noted.
Speaking of which, has anyone heard any news about Doni? Is he just being kept out by Julio Sergio and Lobont?
And I agree with your point David, there are so many managers which try to make the big step too soon, when maybe they should remain at “small” clubs. I really thought that Mihajlovic would be decent for Fiorentina, but I’m being proved wrong, maybe Pierpaolo Bisoli from Cagliari deserves that job?
Great comments, and please keep them coming!
I thought Leonardo did fairly well considering the fault was with the management which did not give him the players needed. Now Milan’s management has spent on attack ignoring the aging defensive line and the result was a 2-0 loss to Real Madrid.
I think Allegri is not any better than Leonardo but he is lucky to have better players with Ibrahimovic, Boateng and Robinho added to the team…
Krasic:the new nedved