It had been a long time that the Serie A wasn’t as interesting as it is now. The vacuum left by Inter’s downfall  was filled with a tempestuous AC Milan which is now beginning to slow down. Along with AC Milan, Juventus have also begun to lose their knack of outscoring their opponents, especially noticeable in their 3-0 loss to Napoli. Roma were also unable to win, and now there are rifts beginning to form between Francesco Totti and Claudio Ranieri. How will it all finish?

1. Di Vaio Never Stops Scoring

Talk about consistency. Marco Di Vaio has had a lengthy career around Europe, and at the age of 34 he still bangs in goals which keep Bologna alive in the Serie A. With his latest goal against Bari he has now reached eleven goals this season, making up about 57% of Bologna’s goals in the Serie A! At the beginning of the season I wondered whether Di Vaio would continue to score so many goals, and he hasn’t slowed down a bit. With Bologna all the way up in 10th place, they shouldn’t have much trouble escaping relegation. Now the question springs into my mind, can Di Vaio continue this record for the rest of the season?

2. AC Milan trudge on after 4-4 draw

This was the most exciting match so far of this season in my opinion. An exciting 4-4 draw at the San Siro, with two goals coming in the final minutes of the match. While AC Milan started well and created opportunities, Udinese scored the first goal with Antonio Di Natale. As the first half drew to a close, Pato equalized with a simple tap-in delivered to him by Ibrahimovic. The second half saw Udinese go 3-1 up with a diving header by Sanchez and a fantastic run with a curling finish by Di Natale. With 12 minutes to go, AC Milan get lucky when Benatia heads a cross past Handanovic and into his own goal. Cassano replaces Seedorf and Denis replaces Di Natale, and both of the substitutes light up the match. Cassano serves Pato a great assist for the equalizer at 3-3, and then Denis scores a tap-in in the 89th minute to make it 4-3. As AC Milan fans filed out of the stadium in disgust, Cassano conjures up another sublime assist, filtering a pass through the Udinese defence for Ibrahimovic to score.

At 4-4, Allegri is happy to escape without a humiliating loss. The late equalizer will help hide the fact that this AC Milan side is unbalanced and concedes goals. If AC Milan concede this many to Udinese at the San Siro, how many will they concede to Tottenham at White Hart Lane? Hopefully Massimiliano Allegri will find a way to balance the side, or else AC Milan could be facing humiliation in the Champions League.

3. Edinson Cavani the hat-trick hero against Juventus

When Cavani joined Napoli from Palermo, I was slightly skeptical about his ability. While I thought that he wouldn’t be able to score as much without the brilliant Javier Pastore providing assists, I was completely wrong. Edinson Cavani has now scored 13 goals in the Serie A, with three in Napoli’s latest game against Juventus. All three goals were headers, showing that although Cavani can dance around defences and score with both feet, he can also use his tall frame to find the back of the net.

After this win, Napoli is now just four points from first placed AC Milan. If AC Milan continue to concede goals like they did against Udinese, and Napoli continue to provide Cavani assists, the title race could be between these two clubs.

4. Leonardo wins again as Inter return to form

Inter Milan’s second victory under Leonardo was a tough one. The nerazurri travelled to Catania where they went a goal down after 70 minutes of suffering. But in just ten minutes Leonardo’s side had turned the result around with two quick goals by Cambiasso. The first was a good finish after being served a sublime assist, and the second was a header which was served on a silver platter by Maicon’s outside of the foot cross. It’s a positive result for Inter who will now have to make up two of their matches which were postponed due to the FIFA Club World Cup. If they do win both of their games in hand, they’ll be just six points from their rossoneri cousins at the top of the table.

5. Both Roman sides lose

Lazio and Roma were unable to take advantage of AC Milan’s slip against Udinese. Lazio were defeated at home 2-1 by Lecce, and Roma lost by the same scoreline to Sampdoria. While Roma started well, with Vucinic skimming through Sampdoria’s defence and pounding the ball into the goal, the game changed when Julio Sergio was sent off ten minutes into the second half. The Brazilian goalkeeper’s rough challenge also gave Sampdoria a penalty which Pozzi smashed into the roof of the net. The winner was Juan’s mistake, he knocked the ball back towards substitute keeper Doni, and Guberti pounced striking the ball into the back of the net for the winner.

Lazio on the other hand were unable to function when their mastermind Hernanes had a bad day. Lecce went ahead first with a shot hitting the post and bouncing off of Muslera’s back and into the goal. An unlucky own goal which was equalized when Mauri awkwardly pushed the ball into the back of Lecce’s goal. But it was not to be for Lazio, Lecce showed great spirit and Grossmuller tapped in the winner, his first goal for Lecce.

What are your thoughts regarding the weekend of action? Will AC Milan pick themselves back up after their draw? Can Napoli continue to win and fight for the title? Share your comments below!

1. Juventus in second after 2-1 win over Lazio

A fantastic match between two sides which battled for the win. Juventus took the lead in the first minutes with Chiellini powering his way through a weak Lazio defence on a corner, heading in a temporary lead for the bianconeri. But Lazio fought back, and about fifteen minutes later they scored a scrappy goal with Zarate tapping in from a corner kick swung into a crowded group of players. Yet Lazio changed their style, and as the match wore on, they began playing more and more defensively, trying to hold onto the draw. Juventus on the other hand pushed well, creating opportunities with Krasic making the right wing his own, and Aquilani playing very well to set up teammates with opportunities to score.

The game wore on, and Lazio retreated more and more into their bunker as Delneri threw on Del Piero, Pepe, and Sissoko, the three of them providing more movement in the place of tired players. And after many chances to score the winner, Juve’s top man, Milos Krasic found the 90th minute after another rampaging run down the right side. A cheeky chip, which was probably meant as an assist for players in the middle of the box, was flapped in by Muslera’s gloved hands.

A very important win for Juventus which helps them rise up to second place along with Napoli and Lazio, all three sides equal with 30 points. But this win does something else, it allows AC Milan to take a six point lead above the three teams dwelling in second place. Who would’ve thought that Allegri’s side would be six points clear around December? Certainly not I.

2. AC Milan’s new signings continue to score

AC Milan managed to pull six points ahead of second place after their 3-0 win away against Bologna. Strangely enough, the three players who scored the goals against Bolgona – Kevin-Prince Boateng, Robinho, and Ibrahimovic – were also the ones who scored against Milan’s 3-0 win against Brescia, and for total deja vu, they also scored in the same order!

But other than just an interesting stat, maybe this represents a little more. All three players are new signings which Berlusconi secured over the summer, and they’ve truly thrived under Massimiliano Allegri. While I had few doubts about how Ibrahimovic and Boateng would do, I didn’t think that Robinho would do to well in the Serie A. I’ve been proved wrong by the Brazilian who has scored six goals already this Serie A season, coincidentally the same number that the other Brazilian starlet, Pato has scored this season.

So did AC Milan do the best business this summer? It certainly seems so; with Roma’s Adriano receiving the Golden Bin award, Inter’s lack of new signings, and Juve’s slight dependence on Milos Krasic, AC Milan have made three excellent signings over the summer which are slowly winning them the scudetto.

3. Bari hit new lows after latest loss

I really don’t know what to say after seeing Bari rack up another loss. It isn’t the fact that they lost against Roma at the Stadio Olimpico which really surprises and bothers me, it’s the slide which Giampiero Ventura’s club has been going down, all the way into last place. Bari have only managed to scrounge out ten points this season! Alarming, especially compared to last season, when they arrived tenth in the Serie A.

Not too much I can say regarding this, I’m just shocked that Giampiero Ventura hasn’t managed to get more out of his talented side.

4. Sampdoria suffer from fantastic Cordova free kick

Sampdoria have lost against Brescia, and while I have been constantly mentioning the Cassano situation, and maybe the lack of a world class player, that excuse has gotten a little old. While they were playing away from home, and Brescia’s goal was a strange free kick from Cordova, that still doesn’t hide the fact that Mimmo Di Carlo’s team isn’t doing too well. Hopefully this won’t be the beginning of a fall for Sampdoria, or else maybe the president Garrone will have to go crawling back to Cassano, begging for forgiveness.

Regarding Cordova’s free kick, I say that it was strange, mainly because I’ve never seen another one scored like this. Centrally facing the goal, but pretty far out, Cordova went for pure power, and his low free kick bounced through many Sampdoria players before tricking Curci into looking like a fool as the ball hit the back of his net. Check it out if you haven’t seen it yet, a possible “Goal of the Season” contender.

5. Lecce rise above Chievo with 3-2 victory

The result which truly shocked me this weekend was seeing Chievo lose 3-2 to Lecce. Chievo who are in 12th place after this loss, losing to Lecce which only has 15 points, and is in the relegation zone at 18th place. You could say that Chievo failed to wake up quickly enough considering that they were two goals down by halftime, two very nice goals from Ofere and Piatti. Then in the second half Chievo got one back with a magnificently struck, curling free kick from Bogliacino, but before they could find an equalizer, Piatti striked again for Lecce. Chievo pulled a goal back in the final minutes to make the final score 3-2, but Sergio Pioli’s side was beaten by a confident looking Lecce.

So could Lecce play well enough to survive relegation this season? After what I saw against Chievo, they seemed like a good side, especially with the forward Piatti, who reminds me quite a bit of Diego Milito. Share your comments below regarding the Serie A action which happened over the weekend!

Two matches have been played so far this weekend, and the more interesting result of the two has to be the 1-1 draw which was played out between Inter Milan and Brescia. The other match played was a 2-0 for Bologna against Lecce, with Di Vaio and Gimenez scoring simple tap ins.

But the match which will be attracting the media attention was at the San Siro, where Brescia almost managed to pull off a win against Rafa Benitez’s side. The Inter squad is currently destroyed by injuries, with Benitez unable to utilize Julio Cesar, Thiago Motta, Esteban Cambiasso, Dejan Stankovic, and Sulley Muntari. And this match Benitez has lost another couple of players to injury, first Maicon was substituted for a right thigh muscle problem, and then Walter Samuel awkwardly landed on his knee, twisting it and needing to be stretchered off. Wesley Sneijder also needed to be taken off at half time because he was apparently suffering from “lightheadedness”, another blow for Benitez.

The game seemed to start well for Inter Milan, some good possession with a few shots scattered as Brescia started defensively. But 14 minutes in a long ball for Caracciolo wasn’t dealt properly by Samuel and Lucio, and the Brescia captain managed to finish past Castellazzi to give the away side the lead. Then, Benitez’s side began to panic, and Bresica made sure to cover up defensively to not allow Inter to have any goalbound chances.

Maicon had to be replaced around the half-hour mark, so Benitez chose to do so with Cordoba. Then when Samuel needed to be substituted as well, Benitez finally put in Santon, sliding Cordoba in the middle of defence with Lucio, and giving Santon the right wing to operate on. And Benitez had to take off Sneijder at halftime because of some “migraine problems”, and Benitez decided to put in the young Nigerian Obi.

Inter pressed and pressed, with Pandev as useless as a stump, Eto’o dribbling too much, and Coutinho the only player providing danger to the Brescia goal. Milito, Obi, and Coutinho worked hard to make sure that Brescia remained on the defensive, and Santon was exceptional in tearing down the right wing to provide an attacking option. Eventually Inter Milan created the opportunity to score, Samuel Eto’o was brought down in the penalty box after one of his trademark dribbles, and referee Gava gave the penalty. Samuel Eto’o sent the keeper the wrong way with an unreachable and beautifully taken penalty into the bottom left corner of the net.

Regarding whether it was actually a penalty or not, it’s a very tough call to make. Eto’o had been brought down plenty of times in the box where the referee could’ve called a penalty with certainty, yet the referee called one when it was slightly dubious. There was certainly pushing and maybe some tripping by the defender, but looking at the replay, it seems like Eto’o is slipping with his foot literally on top of the ball. Whether he’s slipping because of the defender’s push, or his own faulty traction, we don’t really know.

So Inter manage to squeak a 1-1 draw where they were probably the better side, but I’m not sure they deserved a win. They had plenty of opportunities to score, one of which in the last minute of stoppage time with Diego Milito in front of an open net, volleying the ball over the goal, but Inter didn’t put any away. Sure, they kept possession and had some goal-bound shots, but they still didn’t score from open play, a worrying statistic for any Inter fans.

But what Inter fans should really be worried is the injury situation. I think that Samuel will be out for at least a month after his awkward and wince-causing knee injury, and Sneijder’s migraine problem isn’t a positive thing. But if you were to take the positives for Inter from this match: Santon is doing wonderfully and he can easily replace Maicon, Coutinho looks fantastic and was unlucky not to have a goal, and Milito is returning with a hardworking mentality.

What are your thoughts regarding these two matches? Was Inter Milan’s draw a surprise for you? Please share your thoughts below by commenting!

So far there have been three matches played this weekend, and all three of them have been pretty exciting. Genoa – Inter Milan ended in a 1-0 win for Inter, Roma – Lecce was exciting and finished 2-0 for Roma, and AC Milan – Juventus was the shock result, a 2-1 win for Juve.

Roma – Lecce

Roma – Lecce was an extremely enjoyable match. Both sides went out to score goals, and there were plenty of opportunities for everyone. Roma were more dangerous though, Vucinic was having the game of his life as he waltzed around players to create chances for himself and his teammates. Both sides had their crossbars hit after the first half, and although no goals were scored, it was a very entertaining match.

In the second half Roma finally found the back of Lecce’s net with Burdisso heading in a cross by Riise. But neither side stopped there, and Vucinic finished off one of his many opportunities to give Roma a two goal lead. But in the build up of the goal, a very strange event happened which resulted in the expulsion of two players.

Lecce’s Ruben Olivera tripped Totti who was running towards Lecce’s goal, and the Roma captain got up and shoved the Uruguayan. The referee Gervasoni ran over right away to stop a potential fight, and he gave both players direct red cards. At first they were both incredulous, but Ruben Olivera walked off to the dressing room. Totti protested a little longer, and then when he realized that the referee wasn’t going to let him continue to play, he ran over to where Olivera went to presumably pick a fight with the Lecce player. Totti was eventually dragged off the field by force.

The match ended 2-0 for Roma, with the giallorossi creating plenty of opportunities which they should’ve put away. But Lecce were very dangerous as well, and with a little more luck they might’ve managed to score a goal.

I think that a player like Totti, who earns millions a year should never act in such an immature and idiotic way, but what are your thoughts? I really want to hear what people have to say about this match, and this incident. So please comment below with your thoughts!

AC Milan – Juventus

AC Milan – Juventus was also an exciting match. There were plenty of players who were unable to play for both sides, and when Chiellini had to pull out during pre-match warm-up, it seemed like this would be AC Milan’s perfect night. Delneri started with Bonucci and Legrottaglie in the middle of defense, with De Ceglie and Motta on the left and right of defence. In the middle Felipe Melo played alongside Aquilani with Martinez and Marchisio supporting the attacking duo of Quagliarella and Del Piero.

AC Milan on the other hand were missing Ronaldinho and Thiago Silva, so Allegri had Nesta partnered up with Papastathopoulos in the middle with Antonini and Bonera playing on the outside of the defence. In the midfield AC Milan played with Gattuso, Pirlo, and Kevin-Prince Boateng, and the attacking trident was Ibrahimovic and Pato with Robinho acting as a “trequartista”.

The game was exciting right from the start, and Ibrahimovic slipped a sublime through pass for Pato, and then hit the top right corner of the woodwork with a precise shot. Juventus seemed scared and unable to create as AC Milan pressured from the start in search of a goal. But little by little the tables turned, and eventually Juventus were creating dangerous opportunities from counter-attacks. And the shock goal arrived in the 24th minute for the bianconeri, an unsavable header by Quagliarella which nestled beautifully into the top left-hand corner of Abbiati’s goal.

After this, AC Milan were creating less and less, Ibrahimovic was isolated up top as Robinho could only conjure up useless tricks, and Pato run in a straight line. Bonera and De Ceglie crashed into each other, with the AC Milan defender getting the worse end, he was taken off right away, and De Ceglie was substituted as well after a few minutes of useless limping around on the field. The second goal arrived in the second half, it was a mistake by the AC Milan defence which let Sissoko slip right through them and one on one with Abbiati. But the Malian midfielder literally missed the ball when shooting (very comical), but he somehow managed to pass it back to Del Piero who thundered in a low shot.

Juventus were organized and compact, taking advantage of AC Milan’s general disarray as the bianconeri created plenty of opportunities. But eventually AC Milan began to push forward by crossing in high balls for Ibrahimovic and the substitute Inzaghi to reach. The big Swede got on the end of one of them, and imitated Quagliarella’s goal to bring the score to 2-1. But AC Milan weren’t able to create much more, and Delneri’s side held out to grab three vital points.

What are your thoughts on this match? Did anyone expect Juventus to win? Share your thoughts below by commenting!

The second matchday of Serie A was exciting, that’s pretty much the only way to describe it. It was full of upsets, goals, and action. At the top of the table you have Chievo in first place with six points, at the bottom you have Udinese last with zero points, and Roma second last with just one point. There have been so many unexpected results, and among all of them, the biggest shock has to be AC Milan and Roma losing. Now we’ll have to see if the two title contenders can pick themselves up, or if Inter Milan will run away with the title yet again.

1. Bari played some fantastic football

This weekend we saw Bari play against Napoli, while the match ended 2-2, I saw some of the most amazing football I’ve seen in a long time. Bari are known to play very quick and attacking football, but when they went ahead against Napoli, they decided to play things a little differently. Bari decided to try an extreme possession game, they basically stretched their team across the entire field with the forwards pushing up, and had the defenders pass the ball around near the keeper. This forced Napoli into pressing high up the field into Bari’s penalty area, stretching the field and opening up a wealth of space. From here, Bari had no trouble sending the ball up to their quick forwards and wingers which were extremely dangerous. Napoli couldn’t touch the ball as Bari played this risky style, fighting their way to a fantastic 2-2 draw away at Naples. I’m really looking forward to seeing more of this from Bari.

2. All newly-promoted teams nab wins

In the second matchday of the Serie A, you find something relatively strange which rarely occurs, all newly-promoted teams winning. Probably the hardest win among the three is Cesena’s, as they were able to defeat AC Milan 2-0. Brescia defeated Palermo 3-2, and Lecce were able to win against Fiorentina 1-0. Defeating Palermo, Fiorentina, or AC Milan is difficult for any team, not just if you’re newly-promoted. While Cesena truly shocked AC Milan with quick counter-attacks, Brescia were winning 3-1 against Palermo at halftime with little trouble. Lecce on the other hand took advantage of a fairly disorganized Fiorentina led by Mihajlovic, who is leading the sack race. This feat won’t be repeated next week since Lecce and Cesena will be playing each other, but Brescia will be looking to continue their good form when they play away against Chievo.

3. Plenty of goals were scored

While last matchday only 15 goals were scored, this matchday we saw 35 goals! The statistics speak wonders, and it’s not like there were many one-way spankings, it was truly attacking football which provided six goal thrillers like the 3-3 between Juventus and Samporia. While some say that the Serie A is boring and full of scoreless draws, it seems like this weekend says otherwise.

4. Krasic makes a difference for Juventus

Juventus have spent quite a bit this transfer market, they’ve bought players like Quagliarella, Aquilani, Bonucci, and Motta, but the player which made the difference against Sampdoria was a small Serbian winger. It was Krasic who truly terrorized the Sampdoria defenders, providing assists and scoring chances. Krasic headed the ball down towards Marchisio to volley it for Juve’s first goal, after that Krasic provided a deadly cross which Pepe finished off for Juve’s second goal. Juventus fans are hoping that Milos will become the next Nedved, and considering the way he played against Sampdoria, he could very well become a very important player for Juventus.

5. What happened to Genoa?

Genoa were the transfer market kings this summer, they brought in players like Miguel Veloso, Luca Toni, and Rafinha, but they crumbled against Chievo this weekend. The match started well for the rossoblu, youngster Mattia Destro, who was playing instead of Luca Toni, scored in the 7th minute, putting Genoa ahead at the Stadio Ferraris. It was in the second half, when Gasperini decided to take off Ranocchia that things began to go wrong. Chievo scored three goals which overturned Genoa’s lead, winning an important match which puts them first in the table with six points. But what happened to Genoa? The team crumbled, they were distracted and fearful, something which shouldn’t happen in your home stadium. We’ll have to see how Genoa do next week away against Parma, whether they can shape up, or if they’ll crumble again.

What do you think about this weekend of Serie A? Notice anything I didn’t? Share your thoughts below!

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.

This is the 1st Serie A Team Of The Week for 2009.  So the squad that earns the prize this week is fortunate enough to have the honor of being the first.  Anyway, the winner played matches and/or made headlines during the calendar week of Jan. 5 – 11. The winner of the 1st Serie A Team Of The Week for 2009 is:

Unione Sportiva Lecce
 

The team located on the heel of Italy’s famed boot defeated Fiorentina in Firenze (Florence to the non-Italian speakers) 2 – 1 to pull themselves out of the relegation zone and put a surprising dent I Viola’s chances for a European spot.  Salentini got goals from Uruguayan midfielder Guillermo Giacomazzi and the game winner from Argentine striker José Ignacio Castillo in the 28th minute as Lecce crawled out of the relegation zone.   Salentini now sit 2 points above 18th place Torino.  When a recently promoted side struggling to stay up can get a big road win versus a Top 5 caliber side like Fiorentina, you got to show them some love.  Therefore, Unione Sportiva Lecce wins the honor of being the 1st Serie A Team Of The Week for 2009.

Bari Manager, Antonio Conte, was attacked by several Lecce fans while seated on a bench watching a game of five against five football. Italian police are currently investigating the incident and hope to make arrests soon.

Conte had been punched in the face several times, after which a number of bystanders came to his aid causing the assailants to flee.

What is your opinion, do fanatical fans especially Ultras have to be reined in by Italian police?

Several articles back I covered relegation targets so perhaps it’s time to talk on promotion, how it works in Italy and who in Serie B is positioned to make it happen.

Basically this is how it will play out, the top two teams from Serie B are automatically promoted. If the difference between third and fourth place is less than ten points, the next four teams play off with the winner gaining the third promotion spot, otherwise the third placed team is promoted. More…

The following table lists the current standings for the top six in Serie B and if nothing changes from now until end of season, we will see a play off for that third place promotion.

The Top Three

With five match days remaining leaders Chievo face off in four of those against clubs from the bottom half of the table. Leading all comers Chievo are in the favored position of having the most favorable schedule for promotion success.

In second place are Albinoleffe having come literally from nowhere in the last decade but before talking on that miracle lets discuss third place Lecce.

Lecce haven’t lost a match in their last 12, only 4-points off leaders Chievo and Serie B glory. The southerners, relegation victims two years ago, were joined in their decent from Serie A by Tresvio and the mighty Juventus caught in the Calciopoli scandal. Lecce has waged a dogged campaign, losing only once at home on October 20th against fifth place Brescia. The club have three home matches remaining and maintaining that fortress record surely will position them for promotion. I do get the feeling Lecce travels downward are a mere blip on calcio radar but protecting their one point lead over Bologna does them little good for automatic promotion. Lecce must overtake new boys Albinoleffe who they play on May 10 if they hope to avoid a play off and they must throw everything into that match.

Onto the David and Goliath story, the star of the show, Albinoleffe. The club barely a decade old, was formed from the merger of former Serie C2 teams Albinese Calcio and S.C. Leffe. After being promoted to Italian Serie C1, in 2003 AlbinoLeffe, under coach Elio Gustinetti, gained a surprising triumph in the division play-off final, beating Pisa, giving them the right to play in Serie B. For two seasons the club treaded water in B, and then lost their favorite son Gustinetti who went in search of new pastures. Vincenzo Esposito stepped into his shoes, but after a disastrous start was replaced by Emiliano Mondonico, who staved off relegation that year before engineering last season’s impressive 10th-place finish. [1]

(video, one highlight of the 2006-2007 season was of course the 1 – 1 home draw against Juventus when Albinoleffe took an early lead over the giants with Joelson converting the penalty awarded after Gigi Buffon tripped striker Ruben Garlini in the box.)

Mondonico’s success however was quickly forgotten with the return of Gustinetti to lead the club yet again with “fluid, effervescent, two-touch” football observed by Corriere dello Sport writer Fabio Monti. Albinoleffe on the cusp of their greatest triumph, promotion to Serie A, have several difficult matches remaining. Mentioned already is the May 10th winner take all match against Lecce, but they also face visitors Rimini Calcio, a team they’ve not been able to beat in their last five meetings and finally they play away to eleventh place Ascoli. Ascoli have also been difficult for Albinoleffe to overcome, with the little guys winning only once in the last five head-to-head.

References

[1] The Guardian – Can Albinoleffe write the greatest fairytail of all ?

[2] Corriere dello Sport – Il calcio più bello? In provincia di Bergamo