Yesterday was a bad day for Serie A in the Champions League.  Roma lost 3-1 at home to FC Basel to fall into last place in Group E, but level on points with Basel and Cluj.  But the big story of the night was AC Milan’s first trip back to the Bernabeu since their shock 3-2 victory there last year.

This year’s trip was quite different, and the major difference was the two men on the sidelines.  Jose Mourinho, now the manager of Real Madrid, got a chance to face an opponent he almost owned in Serie A over the past few years.  And his managerial expertise and genius was seen from kickoff.  Madrid dominated action for the first twenty minutes and consistently threatened the Milan goal, scoring twice in the first fifteen minutes.

The first goal was part Ronaldo’s skill, part Milan failure.  After Alexandre Pato made a poor challenge outside the box that was called, Ronaldo drilled the free-kick into the corner in an absolutely brilliant shot through a Milan wall.  Replays showed, however, that the gap was created by Clarence Seedorf stepping back and a few teammates pivoting away from the shot.  About sixty seconds later Madrid added a second goal.  Mesut Ozil’s quality chance inside the area was put into the net by deflecting off of Daniele Bonera’s head as keeper Amelia watched from the ground.

Milan, while having a few chances throughout the match, was generally dominated by Madrid.  Coming in everyone knew that Madrid had only allowed three goals this season, and they showed their prowess by limiting Milan to only a few legitimate chances to score.  Allegri is rightly receiving criticism from Milan fans for his lineup with eschewed defense and looked to score as often as possible.  That meant starting Seedorf and Ronaldinho, as well as Ibrahimovic, Pato and Pirlo.  Ronaldinho, while a few times looking quality, was generally a non-factor, while Pato played a poor match and Ibrahimovic was shut down by the defense.  Seedorf, in addition to creating a hole in the wall in the fourteenth minute, had an open chance later in the first half that he completely botched.  Allegri looked lost in this match while Mourinho again put out a perfect lineup and his club had the better gameplan.

So Milan is back to the drawing board but still has three points in Group G.  Today’s Champions League match is a real treat as Tottenham travels to Milan to face Inter in a match that has some interesting storylines.  It is up to Rafa’s club to prevent Serie A from going 0-3 in the Champions League this week.

Like most soccer fans, I am a soccer league polygamist.  Because I live less than 20 minutes from an MLS club, I root for and follow Major League Soccer in the U.S.  However, I am also a passionate Arsenal fan who lives and dies in every match they play throughout the year.  And of course, I love Serie A best of all and have my favorite club, whose scarf I wore proudly this past Sunday.  I dare say almost every soccer fan, because of the diverse leagues around the world, has multiple favorite teams or leagues.

But as I read about Bobby Zamora’s recent leg break and as Arsenal players continue to suffer and recover from rough (or, if you prefer) violent tackles, it made me compare the style and content of play I watch in both the EPL and Serie A every weekend.  And upon reflection, I came to a conclusion I probably reached long ago but only now can put into writing:

Serie A soccer is superior to English Premier League soccer

This sentiment goes beyond just who has the best team (although it would be Serie A with reigning Champions League winners Inter).  Looking at the two leagues as a whole, Serie A is superior to the EPL in a number of ways both on and off the pitch and, if I were a novice soccer fan researching what league to watch, it should be obvious that I would want to watch Serie A.  The following are the reasons for this argument, and I welcome your thoughts in the comments section below and on Twitter @roberthayjr.  Thanks also to Niccolo for his contribution to this post:

1. The Italian style of play is more fluid and skillful, while the EPL style is one of constant hard fouls – If you are a fan of an EPL club, it is almost inevitable that one of your most important players will miss time with a nasty injury picked up from a violent tackle.  Arsenal alone lost Robin Van Persie this year and Aaron Ramsey last year for extended time to hard fouls in league play.  It’s not just Arsenal – Tottenham fans will have to enjoy not watching Jermaine DeFoe for seven more weeks, Everton fans Jack Rodwell, Tottenham fans Luka Modric, etc.  Why?  Because these players are subject to constant fouling and aggressive slide tackling, which is the EPL style of play.  On a Serie A pitch, there are fouls and slide tackles, but you are more likely to see fluid passing and individual skill over broken shins.
2. English fans whine about their clubs, Italian fans actively seek to undermine their clubs – AC Milan fans made news last year when one of their ilk, protesting club owner Silvio Berlusconi, threw a statue at him and knocked him out.  Manchester United fans, conversely, feel wearing old shirts conveys their anger sufficiently.  When a club under-performs in Italy, the fans act as though the world is ending and the papers ring endlessly with criticism and advice on just how the manager should have done differently.  If it’s truly bad, they simply do not attend and show the management what an empty stadium looks like.  English soccer fans and their local press more grumble and fall into a “woe is me” attitude.  The Italian style is much more fun.
3. Serie A owners are much more interesting than their EPL counterparts -  Who would you consider the most interesting and exciting Premier League owner?  There are some who are hated, but that is more for their nationality and mismanagement (Glazers, Hicks).  Italy has some real characters running their clubs, likely because many of them are family owned and operated within the country.  The obvious one is Silvio Berlusconi, who is passionate about AC Milan and tends to make himself the center of most offseason stories; has an English owner ever said publicly the team would have won the Premier League if he had been manager, and was 100% serious?  Napoli’s Aurelio De Laurentiis is another colorful personality that loves to spend his family’s wealth on the club, and is not afraid to speak on it.
4. Serie A has more parity than the EPL – Right now, the top four clubs in Serie A are Cesena, Inter, Chievo Verona, and Lazio, with Brescia right behind.  Granted it is early in the season, but it is much easier for smaller clubs to climb the ladder in Serie A than it is in the EPL.  The Premier League is dominated by four clubs every year and the story at the beginning of every season is which club can crack the top 4.  While Serie A has its Big Four (Juve, Inter, Milan, and Roma), it is much easier for smaller clubs to compete for European tournament spots.  A club with the budget and population of Chievo could never compete for a UEFA tournament in the EPL, but can in Serie A.
5. Serie A clubs are more successful in Europe than EPL teams – Many people don’t realize this, but Italian teams have been more successful in European play (especially recently) than Premier League clubs.  Overall, Italian clubs have won 12 Champions League trophies versus 11 for England, but since 1992 that number has been 5 for Italy, 3 for England.  The same trend has held true for the UEFA Cup/Europa League: an Italian club has won the trophy 9 times (5 since 1992) and an English club has won the trophy 6 times (once since 1992).

Serie A fans have had to endure a long two weeks for the international break, but they could be looking at another long break at the end of the month that could deprive fans of the most anticipated matches so far this season.

Earlier today, the Italian Professional Players’ Association announced that, due to the failure to sign a collective-bargaining agreement, all Serie A players will go on strike the weekend of September 25-26.  That weekend has two high profile and anticipated matches, as defending champion Inter is set to visit scudetto contender AS Roma, while AC Milan hosts dark horse contender Genoa.

At issue is a proposal by the owners to limit a player’s ability to refuse a transfer.  The proposal states that a player with more than a year on his contract cannot refuse a transfer if he is being transferred to “an equally competitive club” that guarantees the same financial conditions.  An example would be this offseason’s potential transfer of Fabio Grosso to AC Milan, when he refused to leave Juventus. Also, the players are allegedly upset with another proposal that would force players to be treated by team-appointed physicians instead of their own doctors.

FIGC President Giancarlo Abete has called for a meeting Monday with himself, AIC representatives and Serie A leadership.  But even if some agreement is reached, the strike will likely continue according to AIC representative (and Milan fullback) Massimo Oddo: “The players are fed up with being treated like objects and not like people. We are dealing with human rights here.”

This is the first players’ strike since the 1995 Bosman ruling over player transfers.  While strikes have been threatened in the past, this time it looks like the strike will definitely happen.  I am sure we have not heard all sides of the debate, but the timing on this announcement could not be worse.  Italy’s season is already behind that of England, Germany, and France and now faces another break four matches into the season.  The next international break is two weeks after the strike, so by mid-October Serie A fans would have only seen their favorite club play five Serie A matches.

Ultimately, the fault lies with both sides for not resolving this situation over the summer, and as usual it is the fans who will suffer.  But what do you think about the strike?

Today’s UEFA Champions League draw was one that should prove that Serie A is still one of the premier leagues in the world, and that Inter is arguably the world’s best club.  The Nerazzurri swept the UEFA individual awards: Goalkeeper of the Year (Julio Cesar), Defender of the Year (Maicon), Midfielder of the Year (Wesley Sneijder), Striker of the Year (Diego Milito), and Footballer of the Year (Milito again).  Milito scored both goals in Inter’s defeat of Bayern Munich in last season’s Champions League final.

But of course the big news is the draw, and with Sampdoria’s loss this week Serie A has three teams represented in the Champions League – defending champion Inter Milan, AS Roma, and AC Milan.  The draw was a mixed bag for all three, but all have a good chance of advancing.

Inter was placed in Group A along with Werder Bremen, Tottenham Hotspur, and FC Twente.  Bremen is of course the club that eliminated Sampdoria, and so it has a second chance to knock off a Serie A team.  Tottenham is playing in its first Champions League since 1963, and has a potent attack led by Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe.  FC Twente are the reigning Dutch champions but are making their first  Champions League group stage appearance ever.

This is a tough draw for Rafa Benitez’s club, but they will not have to travel far for away matches, two of which (White Hart Lane and De Grolsch Veste) hold fewer than 40,000 spectators.  They won’t go through the group stage undefeated, but it’s hard to see how Inter doesn’t advance from this group probably at the top.  My instinct is a loss either at Tottenham or Twente, but they finish first in their group.

Their rivals AC Milan also face a group of quality opponents rich in history, possibly making them part of this year’s “Group of Death”.  Milan (a Pot 1 club) is in Group G with Real Madrid, Ajax, and Auxerre.  Last year Milan went to Madrid and escaped with a upset 3-2 victory, helping them advance from the group.  This year, they will face the defending Champions League winning manager Jose Mourinho who is looking for a third title with his third team.  Ajax is one of Europe’s most famous clubs, but does not have the level of talent it has had in past years.  Auxerre is the French club that has a knack for upsets – it qualified for the group stage by knocking off Zenit St. Petersburg.

Jose Mourinho is likely salivating to play in Milan again and knock off the Rossoneri.  I have my doubts that AC Milan can go into Madrid and beat Real Madrid again, but they can advance from this group.  The key is not to lose focus when playing Ajax or Auxerre, because both are more than capable of advancing themselves.  This group will also have a ton of attention paid to it simply because of the names involved.  As such, Allegri will have a tough tightrope between preparing for his group and the domestic league.  Still I expect AC Milan to finish second and advance.

The third Champions League team Roma will be expected to finish second in their group, but because of the balance in this group all four have the possibility of advancing.  The Pot 2 team drew Group E headlined by Champions League runner-ups Bayern Munich, which will be a tough test for the Giallorossi.  The upset pick from this group will be FC Basel, Switzerland’s most successful club who have played in European competition since 1999.  While Roma has more talent and big names, Basel will not be an easy victory.  The fourth club, CFR Cluj, is a Romanian club that under new ownership in the 2000s has found success after being a second division team most of their history.  Roma fans will remember this club as the one in 2008 that came to Rome and won 2-1 in the Champions League.  I expect Roma to advance, but to have to battle the entire way.

My prediction is that all three Serie A clubs will advance, one in first and two in second.  But what do you think?  Tell us in the comments section, in the poll below, and on Twitter @roberthayjr

Serie B champions Lecce have once again made the jump to Serie A, two years after finishing nineteenth and being relegated.  Prior to that they spent two years in Serie B, preceded by three years in Serie A.  As you can see, Lecce has made a habit of bouncing up and down the ranks, making every season dramatic for the Giallorossi fans.  This season, the club looks to establish a foothold in Serie A, but does the club have the players to do so?

Management: Luigi De Canio is entering his second full year with the club after coming on board late in the 2008-2009 season to try and save the club from relegation.  He was unsuccessful and was initially let go, only to re-up with the club a few weeks later.  He is known as a “salvation specialist” as he helped Siena and other Italian clubs avoid relegation in the last decade.  He is known for getting the most out of young players, and will not be over-matched in Serie A.

Transfer Market: The club’s goal in the transfer market so far has been to acquire players who, even if they lacked a large number of Serie A minutes, have enough top flight experience to add quality minutes to the club.  Their best signing then may have been former Juventus midfielder Ruben Olivera.  The Uruguayan national has eight Serie A goals in 42 matches, and adds needed talent in the Giallorossi attack.

All told, they have three players on loan from the Serie A Big Three.  They were also able to take on loan Schalke 04 defender Tore Reginiussen.  The Norwegian, who can also move up to the midfield, was the victim of a numbers game in the Bundesliga club and wanted to play more minutes.  He does have eight caps with the Norwegian national club.

Key Players and Formation:  A major concern for Lecce fans is the starting keeper Antonio Rosati.  The 27 year old has his only Serie A experience with Lecce but has appeared in 37 matches for the club since 2002.  Fortunately for him, the defense in front of him has some quality players.  Inter loanee Giulio Donati, who was recently called up for Italy’s U-20 match against Hungary, will likely pair with Reginiussen, U-21 and former Fiorentina defender Davide Brivio, and Brazilian Gustavo.  If this is the starting backline, then all four starting defenders will be new to the club this year.

Captain Guillermo Giacomazzi anchors the midfield for the Giallorossi.  He is the record-holder for more Serie A appearances with the club and has 27 career goals for the Apulia-based team.  If Olivera is moved forward then taking his place in midfield will be another Uruguayan and Schalke product Carlos Grossmuller, who has twenty-five career goals.  Another midfield option is career Serie B player Gianni Munari or the youngster Andrea Bertolacci.  Although 19, the Roma loanee has eleven caps for the various Italian national youth clubs.

Expect Olivera to be moved forward in De Canio’s formation as the lack of quality forwards is a concern heading into the 2010-2011 season.  The most talented player is Daniele Corvia, who had seventeen goals for the club last season.  His previous season high, however, had been six.  Brought in to bolster the attack is Ignacio Piatti, who has experience in Serie A, Ligue 1, Turkey, and Argentina.

Outlook: The combination of a poor attack and a poor keeper leads to relegation, and unless the club addresses these issues in the transfer market I would not expect much from Lecce.  There is some talent on this club, however, and they will battle to stay in Serie A the entire year.  They have reinforced the squad, but need additional help to achieve salvation once again.

Italy’s oldest soccer club finished a disappointing ninth last season, and the management has made it clear this offseason that such a result is unacceptable.  Disappointing play by a number of key players left the club outside the top six, one year after qualifying for the UEFA Cup and two years after returning to Serie A after a long climb up the Italian leagues.  As is his style, club president Enrico Preziosi aggressively spent money this offseason, acquiring a list of talented players that he expects to lead his team back to the top six in Serie A.  With one of the best managers in Italy, anything less would be a disappointment for the Griffin.

The Transfer Market: If Genoa does qualify for a European tournament next spring, the genesis of that success can be seen in July 2010.  During the summer, the club brought in and sent out a number of players, with the end result being a balanced and competitive club.

A perfect example of this philosophy is the keeper position: Genoa spent the entire summer looking for a top-notch keeper, at times pursuing Chievo’s Sorrentino and Cagliari’s Marchetti.  Finally, they bought Eduardo from Sporting Braga and sent Marco Amelia to AC Milan, and if Eduardo plays as well as he did in the World Cup for Portugal, this will be the signing of the summer.  Genoa also followed Roma’s path from last season and signed Luca Toni to give them a tall attacking option in the middle.  Backing him up is Mattia Destro, an eighteen year old on loan from Inter who has scored 21 goals in 29 matches for various Italian youth national teams!

A key player added for depth and the future is attacking midfielder Franco Zuculini, who is on loan from Hoffheim.  The young Argentine had one goal in seven appearances as a nineteen year old in Bundesliga, and started for Racing Club at age eighteen.  While he will likely begin the season on the bench, he is the type of key reserve that will be the difference for Genoa this season – a player talented enough to fill in and contribute if an injury occurs.

Rumors continue to surround the club, with the latest reports that it is still in the running for World Cup star Kevin Prince-Boateng and Tottenham Hotspur’s Giovani Dos Santos (although that rumor is being denied).

Key Players:  If Genoa wants to make a run at a European tournament, it has to improve its defense – the rossoblu allowed 61 goals last season.  Along with Eduardo, the club added Andrea Ranocchia (on loan from Inter) to bolster the defense.  Look for Ranocchia to partner with Italian national team member Domenico Criscito and Rafinha (Schalke 04), but also in the mix are Dario Dainelli (Fiorentina), Salvatore Bocchetti, and a host of other players who have starting experience in major leagues.

In the middle will be captain Marco Rossi and new signed Miguel Veloso.  The Portuguese holding midfielder/defender was in high demand this offseason, but the Griffin pried him from his home country by trading money and Alberto Zapater to Sporting Lisbon.

Expect Luca Toni to start in the middle of the 3-4-3 and provide a physical presence for the Genoa attack.  On his flank could be returning forward Robert Acquafresca, who spent some time the past few seasons being traded to and from Genoa.  Also likely starting is Rodrigo Palacio, who had partnered with the departed Hernan Crespo to form a potent attack.

Outlook:  This team has invested heavily in the transfer market (and may continue to do so) with the goal of getting a European tournament spot.  Defensively this team is greatly improved and the flexibility of the players they obtained will help Eduardo reduce the number of goals allowed this season.  The club last season had balanced scoring, and you can expect the same this year as a number of players on their roster have the ability to score.  This team has the talent and leadership to qualify for the Europa Cup OR the final Champions League position, but a top three finish may be out of their reach.

On the pitch, an official has the authority to add time to a match to make up for injury or ensure that both clubs actually play 45 minutes in the half.  In the Serie A standings, there is no added time, and for the three clubs at the bottom the ticking clock is a doomsday one.

Relegation is never a fun process, but it will be particularly painful this year.  As Serie A forms its own league, e.g. the English Premier League, the amount of revenue available to top-flight clubs will be much more than the current pot; those sitting just below the top level will not only lose prestige but stand to lose a good chunk of change as well.

With five matches remaining, supporters of the bottom 3 are fervently hoping for one last push from their clubs.  Let’s take a look at each and see if they can survive in Serie A:

Atalanta

18th, 31 points, -12 goal differential

In their fourth season in Serie A, Atalanta looks to have the best chance of escaping the relegation zone.  They are four points behind Bologna, but actually have a narrow edge in goal differential. 

The good news for the club is that three of their remaining five matches are at home, where they are 6-4-6 and have a +4 goal differential.  And one of those four matches is May 2 versus 17th place Bologna, who has a terrible away record.  The do face, however, two of the top for clubs (@ Inter, v. Palermo) as well as Fiorentina and Napoli, who have a shot at a Champions League spot.  If they can secure some points in their next two matches, they have a chance to move into 17th and possibly survive.

Siena

19th, 29 points, -22 goal differential

Siena was the only one of the bottom three to win this weekend, surprising a slumping Bari club.  While the victory moved them up in the standings, it may have been a pyrrhic victory.  They are six back of safety currently, and only two of their remaining five matches are at home.

In order to make a serious run at 17th (and this may be the best they could hope for), they need six points from their next two matches: @ Catania and @ Udinese.  They beat both clubs at home earlier in the year, so it is not inconceivable.  But it is critical, as their next three opponents are Palermo, @ Fiorentina, and closing the season with Inter Milan.

Livorno

20th, 26 points, -28 goal differential

The club that has scored the fewest goals in Serie A is in trouble.  They sit nine points off seventeenth and lost a must-win match this weekend against Udinese.  Their carousel of managers has not led to them striking gold, and it does not look good for the Amaranto. 

Livorno, however, may have the easiest schedule of the bottom three.  Only two opponents are in the top ten (@Sampdoria, @ Parma) and they face Catania and Lazio at home.  The fact that they have not won since January 10, however, may be the telling statistic.

Predictions – Enjoy Livorno and Siena for the remaining five matches – barring a miracle they will move down a level.  Atalanta, however, seems to have a chance to escape and replace themselves with Bologna or even Lazio.  It will take some work, but don’t be surprised to see Atalanta pull out a miracle.

The most anticipated match-up of the weekend is the AS Roma-AC Milan contest to decide which club can challenge Inter for the top spot in Serie A.  While the loser still has an outside shot at the scudetto, an Inter victory over Genoa would make it a tough task.

Rather than a traditional post rehashing strengths and weaknesses, here are the quick seven keys to the match:

1. Who will step up for Pato: The loss of the young Brazilian is huge for this match.  Not only was he leading the club in goals, but he has been a key to the resurgence of Ronaldinho.  Milan has Borriello, Huntelaar, and other big names, but when that go-ahead goal is needed will they be able to be the unstoppable threat Milan may need?
2. The Milan Brazilians: Ronaldinho has been dominating the pitch as of late; even in the loss to Manchester United it could be argued that he was the best player on the pitch that day (although Wayne Rooney might argue against that).  Thiago Silva needs to have a good match to prevent scoring chances for Roma.  A major weakness this year has been the inconsistent play of Milan’s defenders.
3. Roma’s Injury Situation: Luca Toni will make his anticipated return for this match.  David Pizarro is available to play.  However, Francesco Totti will not be available.  Can Vucinic provide the scoring threat that Roma may need if Toni is still rusty?
4. Roma’s sudden defensive slip: In the Europa League last Thursday Roma gave up three goals in six minutes to Panathinaikos, leading to their elimination from the competition.  Last weekend they gave up a two goal lead and had to settle for a draw against Napoli.  Were these consecutive defensive mishaps anomalies or the sign of a bigger problem?
5. Leonardo’s game plan: He’s 0-2 versus Inter Milan.  He’s a rookie manager that has come under criticism from management.  The easiest way to ease criticism is to figure out a way to gain three critical points.  Failure to do so will only ratchet up that criticism.
6. The crowd: Stadio Olimpico is already sold out in anticipation of this match.  Roma has not lost a Serie A match at home this season and is 11-0-2 overall.  AC Milan’s away record in Serie A is an impressive 7-4-2, and how they handle the partisan crowd could carry-over to their mid-week match at Manchester United.
7. Milan facing double elimination:  One advantage for Roma is with their Europa League elimination, this match is for their season.  No points means no chance at a title.  The equation is different for Milan, however.  Will they be looking ahead to their match mid-week against Manchester United?  A loss in this match and the Champions League means no titles for this high-profile club.  Which title means more?  Will Milan be going all out, or could they want to save a bit for their United match?

As Serie A takes a quick breather for a World Cup friendly this week versus Cameroon, this past weekend once again saw changes in the standings as well as a tightening championship race.  Before we look ahead and begin debating which players deserve to make the national team, let’s take a look back at a fascinating week in Serie A.

It was the best and worst of times for AC Milan

Alexandre Pato was the star of the match for Milan, netting two first half goals for the club on their way to an easy 3-1 victory over Atalanta.  But the story coming out of this match was a thigh strain for Pato, who was carried off near the end of the match.  The severity is currently unknown, but it looks like he could miss the crucial away game versus Manchester United next week.  Milan is a talented club, but Pato has fourteen goals in 24 Serie A and Champions League matches this season and thus will be missed if he is out for the match.

The positive Juventus momentum grinds to a halt

This past week, Juventus beat Ajax in aggregate to move into the round of 16 in the Europa League.  They had also moved back into fourth place in Serie A and looked to be in control of their Champions League destiny.  Alas, their momentum came to a screeching halt with a 2-0 loss to Palermo, who replaces them in that coveted fourth place in the standings.  Juve had their chances, but only put one shot on goal in the contest.  This was their first loss under new manager Alberto Zaccheroni.

Roma and Napoli both end streaks

A Marek Hamsik goal in extra time sealed an impressive Napoli comeback and secured their first points in their last six matches.  That same goal also ended Roma’s winning streak at seven matches and, with Milan’s two victories in four days, dropped them into third in the standings three points behind Milan and seven behind Inter.  Mirko Vucinic continued to play well netting a goal in the 65th minute, but it was Roma’s defense that let Napoli back into the contest.  This bitter defeat ended a bad week for Roma – still without Toni and Totti, they had been eliminated from the Europa League on Thursday.

Lazio survives to play another day

In a match setting that ESPN described as “ghostly”, Lazio held on to a 1-1 draw against Fiorentina to pick up one point and remain three points away from relegation.  The Lazio faithful held a protest of the club’s ownership, resulting in an estimated crown of 10,000 quietly watching the match in the Stadio Olympico.  Lazio seized an early lead on a goal in the seventh minute, and their third-string keeper didn’t concede an equalizer until extra time in the second half.  It was at the same time a missed opportunity and favorable match for the home club.

Bari continues its free-fall

For a club that was considered a dark horse for a Euopra League spot, Bari has played miserably the past few weeks.  Last week, they barely put up a fight against visiting AC Milan.  This week, the gave up four goals to a Catania club that is fighting to stay up in Serie A.  Bari played well but failed to put any points on the board despite some good opportunities.  This is their fourth straight loss and they have failed to scored for the third time in those matches.

Photograph: Alessandro Garofalo/Reuters

This weekend’s action has a wealth of subplots, controversy, and exciting soccer play.  But the main story line out of this weekend is the standings.  Right now, the top four spots in the Serie A standings are occupied by the clubs most thought would occupy them in some order: Inter Milan, AS Roma, AC Milan, and Juventus.  And with fourteen weeks to go, the title race in again in doubt as the top clubs drew closer together.

AC Milan showed it is a championship club

Viewers of the AC Milan/Bari match saw a clinic put on by the Rossoneri.  The 2-0 scoreline was deceiving; Milan dominated the action pretty much from beginning to end.  Ronaldinho was once again magnificent with the ball, setting up both Milan goals.  And Milan’s defense was good, with Abbiati denying some good scoring opportunities for the home club.  This is the club Milan fans thought they would see all year, and a Wednesday win over Fiorentina will move Milan into second.

Inter goes shorthanded again – during and after the match

Much like the Milan derby this year, Inter again had players sent off in the course of their match against Sampdoria.  But instead of pulling out a win like they did against Milan, Inter could only muster a scoreless draw.  To describe the play as chippy would be an understatement; the match featured multiple fights and some overly aggressive tackles.  Not only were two Inter players eventually sent off, but so was Sampdoria’s star Pazzini.  And of course it would not be an Inter match without a Jose Mourinho subplot – the Inter manager was suspended three Serie A matches for the “disrespectful” gesture seen above.

AS Roma moves closer to Inter

Another weekend, another Roma victory.  This weekend the victim was Catania, when Roma scored an early goal and held on for the victory.  The goal was Mirko Vucinic’s fifth in Serie A this season.  They now sit five points behind Inter Milan, and travel to Napoli next week before their major home match against Milan.

Napoli slips a little more while Siena shows progress

Napoli failed to score a goal against last place Siena and has now gone four matches without a victory.  The match leaves them in fifth place, one point behind Juventus for the final Champions League spot.  The problem seems to be their offense – this was their third goalless draw in the current winless streak.  On the flip side, Siena has now gone two games without a loss.  A bit of momentum, but it may be too little too late as they sit seven points from seventeenth place.

Seven words you can’t say on a soccer pitch

Basketball officials call them “the magic words” – those obscenities that are grounds for an automatic technical foul.  Udinese defender Christian Zapata said his own magic words on the pitch in Saturday’s and was immediately given a yellow card under FIGC’s new anti-swearing rules.  It was yellow card number two, and Udinese had to play ten men down the rest of the match.  A warning to all footballers – watch your tongue.