The current Serie A season has seen a trio of clubs compete for the Scudetto with Milan ahead by a small margin over Inter and Napoli respectively. The Milan-Inter showdown, set after the international break, will determine to a large extent the direction of the title. From an individual standpoint, there have been very few influential signings this season who can be credited with shaping the fortunes of their respective clubs.

Milan’s capture of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, on a loan deal likely to be made permanent at end of season, must rank as the season’s best transfer with the talented Swede carrying the club on his shoulders for an extended stretch earlier in the campaign. Ibrahimovic currently has 14 goals and 11 assists in the league alone. The former Juventus and Inter striker had an unimpressive spell with Barcelona, yet he has been firing on all cylinders with the Rossoneri. The knock on Ibrahimovic is his habit of disappearing on the big stage, with one major exception being his decisive goal for Barca in a 1-0 win over Real Madrid last season. In recent weeks, the Swede has been underperforming and his reckless side surfaced leading to his sending-off against Bari. This resulted in a three-match ban which could be decisive due to his absence from the much anticipated Milan derby.

Another success story has been Napoli’s striker Edinson Cavani who is having a remarkable campaign after his loan move from Palermo this summer. Cavani, who is only 24-years-old, is having the best season of his young career with a tally of 22 goals in 30 league appearances as well as another 7 strikes in just 8 European games. Cavani scored two goals against Cagliari over the weekend but his best achievement this season must be the hat-trick he managed against fallen giants Juventus. He also managed to score both goals in a 2-0 in over Roma to show he can rise to the occasion when needed. His two goals against Cagliari halted a recent slump in front of goal which included a missed penalty in recent weeks. Cavani will be one of the players to keep an eye on in the upcoming years as he has the potential to keep improving.

Finally, Juventus winger Milos Krasic deserves to be mentioned because he was instrumental in the early season push by the club before the Bianconeri started their plunge in the standings early 2011. Krasic’s drop in form coincided with Juve’s fall but he cannot be the one to blame for everything and he is clearly not the main reason. In recent weeks, coach Luigi Delneri has on more than one occasion subbed Krasic without a clear indication to the reasons despite the Serb’s critical role in providing much needed width. Krasic managed 5 goals in 26 league appearances which might seem as a low number but one must remember the Serb is not a striker. The winger provided 6 assists which ranks highest amongst his Juve teammates in Serie A. Krasic must also be dealing with fatigue since the Russian season’s schedule and his lack of rest must have exhausted him prior to joining the Bianconeri.

Considering various factors such as results, the importance of certain goals and the team’s progress, Ibrahimovic might be considered the summer’s best signing ahead of Cavani while Krasic’s stock has fallen as a result of Juve’s poor performances.

# To discuss your choice of Serie A’s best signing of the season or anything related to Italian or European football, feel free to contact @RamiSoufi on Twitter

Milan remain on top of Serie A yet their hold has become more tenuous than ever with city rivals Inter lurking just two points behind. The Rossoneri have some of the league’s most talented individuals such as Robinho, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Antonio Cassano, but along with that talents comes a lot of baggage and unpredictability.

Robinho has often missed chances which would make even those again the Rossoneri shake their head in disbelief while Ibrahimovic has often disappeared when needed the most. Zlatan was having a fantastic season and for over two months he was the main reason behind Milan’s rise to the top as his goals were decisive. In recent weeks, the talented Swede has looked like a shadow of the player who tormented Serie A defenders earlier in the campaign.

As for the Nerazzurri, the club parted ways with former coach Rafael Benitez and hired former Milan boss Leonardo as a replacement. Benitez cannot be blamed for all of Inter’s early season problems as injuries, fatigue from having key players such as Wesley Sneijder involved in the latter stages of the World Cup, the departure of Mourinho and the lack of signings contributed to the inconsistency prior to 2011. With players such as Andrea Ranocchia and Giampaolo Pazzini added to the squad along with the change in the coaching staff combined with Sneijder’s return to form, fans and pundits have witnessed Inter’s slow yet methodical surge in the league standings.

With eight rounds remaining, the Rossoneri and Nerazzurri will most likely keep the title in the city of Milan for another season. Third place Napoli are just one point behind Inter yet their schedule includes hosting Lazio, Udinese and Inter as well as trips to face Palermo and Juventus. Napoli’s tricky fixtures could potentially rule them out of the title race unless the two Milan clubs draw in their upcoming clash while Napoli grab all three points against Lazio. This could give the Partenopei the much needed boost as they have struggled when facing the top sides, losing twice to Milan and once to Inter. It is hard to envision Inter losing to Napoli a week prior to the end of the season because the Nerazzurri have a winning mentality and can cope better with pressure.

Going back to the Milan-Inter clash in the next round, this could be decisive in the title race (and you can get tickets for the Milan derby on TixDaq). A victory for the Rossoneri will effectively eliminate Inter from the race. A draw would not change much but would probably favor Inter despite being two points behind their city rivals. The Nerazzurri have momentum on their side, particularly after the stunning comeback win in Germany which ousted Bayern Munich to retain Inter’s hopes of defending the Champions League trophy.

In addition, Inter’s results have improved since the loss to Juventus with the club winning five out of the last six matches. On the other hand, Milan are struggling following a draw with Bari and a defeat to Palermo. The Rossoneri have also been eliminated from the Champions League and their star player Ibrahimovic was sent-off against Bari prompting a three-match ban which sees him miss the clash with Inter.

One other factor playing to Inter’s advantage is the fact Leonardo has experienced coaching a big club before, ironically with Milan, while Massimiliano Allegri is having his first coaching job at the helm of a powerhouse. Leonardo is familiar with some of the Rossoneri’s weaknesses and will be plotting for the downfall of his former team.

Finally, Milan’s new faces such as Cassano and even Robinho have yet to completely get on the same wavelength as the rest of the squad. Inter have the same core players and their new acquisitions have blended well with the squad.

Once again the key to the Scudetto race might be the Milan derby with the Rossoneri having much more to lose since the Inter players are playing with confidence, a fact backed by current form in Serie A and the progress in Europe. For those who argue Inter’s players will be tired from playing two more matches in Europe, the point is negated by the fact these same players have successfully dealt with this issue last season. Moreover, continuing to win in Europe will build confidence as opposed to early elimination.

April 2nd will be a decisive clash for both clubs but more emphasis will be on Milan not losing because playing away at Udinese on the last day could prove to be a daunting task under the pressure of achieving a positive result.

To discuss Milan-Inter clash or Serie A in general, feel free to contact me on Twitter @RamiSoufi

AC Milan fans saw the best and worst of their squad this weekend in London as the club competed in what has become a big-name tournament.  The Emirates Cup is a two-day preseason event where host Arsenal and three clubs (many of whom are sponsored by Emirates Airlines) compete to win the Emirates trophy but more importantly have the chance to play their entire squads against good competition.

The 2010 edition was won by Arsenal with eight total points, while the Rossoneri finished last with four.  Milan faced the hosts on Saturday and Ligue 1′s Lyon on Sunday, with Celtic as the fourth club.  A win was worth three points and a tie worth one, with a point awarded for each goal scored.

The first match against Arsenal could have gone spectacularly wrong for Milan on Saturday.  They fell behind early on a goal by new Arsenal striker Marouane Chamakh in the 36th minute, and if it were not by some quality keeping by Christian Abbiati they could have been down by more.  Arsenal dominated possession early in the second half as substitutes like Theo Wolcott constantly threatened in the Milan half.  However, Arsenal lived up to their reputation and despite some nice passing, failed to score the decisive second goal.  Alexandre Pato made them pay in the seventy-seventh minute.  He headed in a free kick from Clarence Seedorf from just outside the box.

The second match saw new keeper Marco Amelia start in goal, as well as starters Clarence Seedorf and Marco Borriello.  It was the latter who scored the first goal of the game in the fifty-fifth minute and it was the former who again set up the scoring chance with a nice pass through to Borriello.  While both sides had excellent scoring chances and the Rossoneri played well overall, they still gave up the tying goal in the eightieth minute to deny themselves three points.

While the Emirates Cup is only two preseason matches, AC Milan fans could should feel confident about their club.  Both keepers looked quality although it helped that some serious chances hit the crossbars.  Clarence Seedorf played very well and looks to be ready for the next season.  The new defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos also contributed in the Arsenal match and looks like a good signing so far.  So although the club finished last in the standings, the experience looks to have allowed them to tune up effectively for the new season.

While this was a mere friendly and many of the starters from both teams were not on hand, the manner with which Inter overcame Manchester City serves as a warning for those aiming to dethrone the Serie A champions and Champions League winners.

The Nerazzurri were missing the likes of Diego Milito, Lucio and Wesley Sneijder but still managed to put a solid display with some silk passing and neat moves. In midfield, Esteban Cambiasso was as productive as ever with his passing and disrupting of opponents while captain Javier Zanetti was as usual reliable at the back and a useful player going forward.

Inter dominated the match and were in control of possession even before the sending off of Patrick Vieira who was in all fairness unlucky to see red. The former Juventus and Inter midfielder deserved a yellow card in the worst case scenario. The 3-0 final score can be considering a flattering one for Manchester City since the game could have easily finished with a bigger win for the Nerazzurri.

Inter will be a force to contend with in the Champions League and appear to be confident about their chances of repeating as European champions. As for Serie A, it will be hard to see any club, including Roma, Milan and Juventus, challenge the Nerazzurri for the title. Roma do not have a big squad and there is a major drop off in level between the starting XI and the bench players while Milan rely on too many of the senior players who are edging closer to retirement such as Clarence Seedorf, Andrea Pirlo, Alessandro Nesta and Massimo Ambrosini. The Rossoneri will only have one youngster featuring regularly in their starting lineup and that is Brazilian striker Alexandre Pato. As for Juventus, they are still in the process of recovering from a dismal season and it will be hard to see them challenge for the title unless all pieces of the puzzle fell in the right place for the Bianconeri.

Inter’s victory against the Citizens showed that the Nerazzurri have a big squad and a deep bench which can be relied upon when there are injuries and suspensions. In fact, the Nerazzurri will probably have to trim their squad in order to save on some of the big salaries paid to fringe players and reserve players. Having a big squad has another disadvantage which is growing discontent amongst those not getting enough playing time. Such players might begin to cause undesired distractions and might hurt harmony within the squad.

Two factors will shape the Nerazzurri starting XI as well as the quality on the bench and these are related to the future of Maicon and Mario Balotelli. If both players remain with the club then Inter’s bench will be even stronger, but if they leave then the bench will be a weakened a bit since Balotelli will be gone while a full-back will have to start in Maicon’s place on the right flank. Even if the duo will depart, Inter will remain top contenders to sweep the trophies in their path and repeat as treble winners. Only Barcelona and Real Madrid with their talented roster can dethrone Inter as European champions as the elite English Premier League sides are perhaps a step below the Italian giants and the two Spanish clubs.

Inter’s starting XI will likely be (provided Maicon & Balotelli stay): Julio Cesar, Maicon, Lucio, W. Samuel, Chivu, Cambiasso, J. Zanetti, Sneijder, Eto’o, D. Milito and Pandev.

It will be interesting to see if Davide Santon and Mario Balotelli can establish themselves as regulars under new coach Rafael Benitez. The upcoming season certainly looks promising for the Nerazzurri and their supporters.  Feel free to comment below or simply contact me on Twitter  @RamiSoufi for further discussion. I am including below two pieces written following the end of last season which pertain to Inter:

www.serieatalk.com/diego-milito-inters-hero-as-nerazzurri-complete-historic-treble/2432

www.championsleaguetalk.com/what-next-for-inter-after-winning-the-champions-league/748

As always, it pays to take all off-season transfer rumors with a grain of salt.  But one rumor within the realm of possibility suggest a move of pure genius by the Rossoneri.

Yahoo Sports is reporting that Fulham star and American national team member Clint Dempsey has been targeted by AC Milan for a potential transfer bid.  The club reportedly has been impressed with Dempsey’s play in England and South Africa, enough so to pay roughly $12 million to add him to their roster.  His match-winning goal in Fulham’s defeat of Juventus in the Europa League also proved to Milan scouts that he could play against Serie A’s best.

Dempsey has been successful in his three year stint with Fulham.  Last season he scored seven goals in 29 Premier League matches, and his Juventus goal has been referred to as the most famous goal in Fulham history.  Internationally, Dempsey’s profile has never been higher, scoring the “Hand of Clod” goal against England and drawing the match-tying penalty kick in the U.S.’s loss to Ghana in this year’s World Cup.  With Roy Hodgson leaving Fulham for Liverpool, now is a good time for him to leave.

But within the context of AC Milan’s actions the past two years does it become clear how genius a signing of Clint Dempsey would be.  From a tactical perspective, Dempsey’s move to AC Milan would simply add him to a list of high-profile strikers the club already possesses.  He would battle up-front for playing time with Ronaldinho, Borriello, Pato, and maybe Huntelaar.  The midfield is equally crowded, but for a team that underachieved last year Dempsey could compete for time.

But the significance is that Dempsey is not just another striker, he is an American soccer star.  Remember that AC Milan last year signed Oguchi Onyewu, the injured American defender who is playing “for free” this year because of his injury.  A healthy “Gooch” is a valuable addition to the defensively challenged AC Milan, but more importantly he is also very popular among US soccer fans.  A Dempsey signing would mean two American stars on the pitch for AC Milan, increasing the clubs already high visibility among American fans.

American soccer fans, especially those converted by the last two World Cups, are looking for international squads to pull for and follow when the World Cup ends.  I suspect many will gravitate to teams with American stars – witness American fans of Everton.  Maybe this is not AC Milan’s primary reason for signing two Americans (they are very talented after all) but the ability to market two of the country’s most popular players could lead to tapping a new market.  Imagine the potential sales of Dempsey AC Milan jerseys.

Also factor in AC Milan’s travel schedule.  This year the club played a friendly in a near-sold out RFK Stadium against a dreadful DC United team, as well a May 30 friendly in Chicago.  Last season the club teamed up with Chelsea, Inter Milan, and Club America to play in the World Football Challenge, which allowed the Rossoneri to play in Atlanta, Baltimore, and Foxborough.  While it may be coincidence, the US friendlies combined with the signing of two American stars shows a strategy of tapping into a rich American soccer market.  And the strategy is a good one that could make one of the world’s richest soccer clubs even richer.

Milan defeated fallen giants Juventus 3-0 in a match with no consequence to the Serie A title race yet it served as the proper farewell for coach Leonardo who managed to do well despite the lack of depth in the squad and the limited resources.

The Rossoneri only spent on Klaas-Jan Huntelaar who turned out to be a flop and was unimpressive forcing Leonardo to confine the Dutchman to the bench and use Alexandre Pato and Marco Borriello as his starting duo in attack. Unfortunately injuries had a negative effect on Milan’s season with Pato missing a chunk of the season due to injury along with centre-back Alessandro Nesta who has been sorely missed in recent weeks.

The lack of alternatives to both Pato and Nesta meant the Rossoneri had no chance to compete for the Serie A title and this was evident as the club’s progress was halted in recent weeks with defeats against both Sampdoria and Palermo. Defeating Juve is always a positive thing and a welcome sign but the current Bianconeri players are a shadow of the feared side in the mid 1990s and early 2000s.

Leonardo proved he can remain calm and make the right decisions despite the tremendous pressure heaped upon him and the constant criticism from president Silvio Berlusconi. The tifosi gave the Brazilian coach a tremendous farewell as they chanted his name and held banners to thank him for his efforts. Milan’s management has committed a big mistake by letting the Brazilian leave as he has been part of the club for over a decade in multiple roles and has helped bring in some of the brighter Brazilian talent to Milanello. With every Milan defeat one could see how that affected Leonardo who would cheer on with every goal scored by the Rossoneri throughout the season.

Milan will also need to replace not just the outgoing coach but also some of the veterans who are nearing retirement and must address the status of Huntelaar. The Dutchman will be best served if he is sold and that can bring in some much needed funds which can be used to bring another quality attacker who can hopefully adapt to life with the Rossoneri and meet expectations. The Rossoneri are in desperate need of at least one full-back considering Gianluca Zambrotta and Massimo Oddo are no longer capable of properly fulfilling their role in that position.

In midfield Gennaro Gattuso must be replaced and it is clear Frenchman Mathieu Flamini is not the ideal solution so the club ought to bring in a defensive midfielder to reinforce the squad. Finally, the biggest concern will be the status of Brazilian duo Pato and Ronaldinho. Pato has been linked with a move to the England Premier League while Ronaldinho has had his best season in Serie A and was one of the key players behind Milan’s ability to end the season in third place. Ronaldinho will finish the season as Serie A’s top assist man and has managed to find the net four times in two matches against the Bianconeri. He showed flashes of brilliance in several matches this season and while he has yet to return to his Barcelona form, the Brazilian managed to end the season on a high and produced a series of convincing performances during this campaign which merited a recall to the Brazilian squad headed to South Africa 2010.

The summer will be a crucial period for the club to make the necessary adjustments and bring in a qualified coach. The rumours point to either Mauro Tassotti or Filippo Galli taking over and while this means the Rossoneri will look for their former players to lead the line, this move might backfire as not every former player can become a decent coach.

Juventus finished their abysmal campaign with another humiliating defeat as they were brushed aside by a rampant Milan side 3-0 at the San Siro. The hosts did not do anything extraordinary but rather the visiting Bianconeri once again were deflated after conceding a goal first.

As has become habit during this season the Juve players dropped their heads after conceding a goal and were not able to mount a comeback. The Bianconeri started the first 10 minutes strong as has become their habit yet they wasted two scoring opportunities and never recovered after conceding the first Rossoneri goal. Without delving into further details pertaining to the match and its major incidents, it is quite fair to say the blame for Juve’s tragic season must be shared by everyone from the management to the coach staff and the players. The management made a mistake by hiring Ciro Ferrara because he lacked the necessary experience to lead such a prestigious side and to copy the Barcelona model under Josep Guardiola would require a united, well-balanced and talented squad which the Bianconeri clearly did not have.

To make matters worse the management opted to sack Ferrara without really addressing the main problems facing the club as the January transfer window would have offered the club the opportunity to bring some reinforcements while farming out the underachieving players. Hiring Alberto Zaccheroni for the remainder of the season was a grave mistake not because of the results but due to the fact the players were unlikely to show the same respect and commitment towards a tactician who is only staying for a few months as opposed to one who will be in charge for the seasons to come. This was a drastic error on behalf of the management considering many of the Bianconeri players have vast experience and some have big egos so there was a need for a confident, authoritative and long-term coach capable of forcing his ideas upon the squad.

Moving on from the management and the coaching, the players, with perhaps the exception of Giorgio Chiellini and Gianluigi Buffon for the most part, were certainly responsible for much of the season’s catastrophic results. Injuries took their toll on the squad but those who played were not deserving of wearing the prestigious Bianconeri shirt as they did not display the fighting spirit which has long defined the Old Lady. The tifosiare not used to seeing their players quit after conceding a goal and their reaction, albeit exaggerated in a number of cases, was somewhat expected considering this expensively assembled squad was expected to challenge for both domestic and European trophies. Instead of fighting for the Serie A title, Juve were unable to secure Champions League football for next season while also suffering two humiliating losses in Europe by the same score of 4-1 to Bayern Munich and Fulham.

Veterans such as Buffon and Alessandro Del Piero were visibly upset with the club’s performances yet there was not much that they can do to lift the spirits of the team and urge their fellow players to fight on because the club missed on one objective after another beginning with the Scudetto, then the Champions League, Coppa Italia and Europa League before failing to grasp the coveted fourth spot in the Italian top flight. There is nothing positive to take from this campaign except the fact the current management will be overhauled in a move which is long overdue because a team of the Old Lady’s prestige and resources could have competed for trophies from last season yet the management kept using the excuse of returning from Serie B to justify some mind-boggling decisions.

Summer signings Felipe Melo and Diego were unconvincing, have certainly disappointed and ought to be classified as flops. Juve should sell the Brazilian pair if they get the proper offers which will hopefully come if Melo can play consistently for Brazil during SouthAfrica 2010. As for Diego, he might be given another season to prove his worth yet he must be surrounded by the proper players if he is to rediscover his best form. The duo were not the only two grave disappointments considering veterans Fabio Cannavaro and Fabio Grosso were a pale version for the World Cup 2006 winners as they struggled to put in two solid performances together in consecutive games. Grosso was below par for the majority of the games he played while the veteran Cannavaro showed a few glimpses in recent weeks but was utterly outpaced and outplayed against Milan. The older version of Cannavaro would have stopped Luca Antonini from scoring the first goal in the match.

Buffon saved Juve early in the season when the club were still on top of Serie A as he performed a series of stunning saves to guarantee valuable points for the Bianconeri or else they would be perhaps now stuck in 10th position if not worse. However, the Azzurri number one has suffered a drop in form due to injuries and other setbacks not to mention the club’s negative situation which affected everyone including experienced players such as Mauro Camoranesi and Del Piero. Unfortunately, no one but Claudio Marchisio emerged as a certain starter for the club next season along with the aforementioned Chiellini. The rough tackling and determined Chiellini will carry the Azzurri hopes in the defensive line considering he will be surrounded by a number of veterans in the twilight of their career such as Cannavaro, Grosso and Milan full-back Gianluca Zambrotta.

In midfield the Bianconeri have failed to impress with Melo going as far as engaging in verbal exchanges with the tifosi and Mohamed Sissoko spending a chunk of the season in the treatment room while Camoranesi’s age is beginning to show. Antonio Candreva showed some glimpses but he lacks the experience and consistency to perform at the highest level and shoulder the responsibility of carrying the side while Marchisio was doing quite well prior to the injury he suffered and as a result was sidelined for several weeks. Marchisio has yet to recapture his early season form. Finally, Christian Poulsen was on the verge of being offloaded early in the season only to benefit from Sissoko’s injury. There is no doubt Poulsen is a hard worker and is dedicated but he does not possess the necessary skills and guile to wear the Bianconeri shirt.

Other players such as Zdenek Grygera, Martin Caceres and Jonathan Zebina were unimpressive when used as starters in the right-back or centre-back position. Only Caceres showed some signs of improvement and played a couple of decent matches but he does not represent the type of quality defensive players the Bianconeri are accustomed to fielding. Finally, in attack the Bianconeri suffered with the injuries to David Trezeguet, Del Piero and Vincenzo Iaquinta while Amauri was a disaster during the current campaign.

Del Piero did manage to return to full fitness but at his age he can no longer carry the team. The club’s all-time leading scorer ended the Serie A season with 9 goals while Frenchman Trezeguet had 7 to his credit and Iaquinta managed to find the back of the net on 6 occasions in league action. Brazilian-born Amauri who became an Italian citizen during the course of the season was perhaps the biggest underachiever in attack forcing Azzurri boss Marcello Lippi to overlook him despite hints in 2009 that the striker could be included in the squad headed to compete for World Cup 2010.

Besides the disappointment of seeing Melo and Diego perform well below expectations, the Bianconeri had to cope with the loss of one of their best players in the last decade in the shape of Pavel Nedved who retired at the end of last season. Perhaps Nedved should have played for another season but the management was again at fault for not trying hard enough to convince the Czech midfielder of playing on for one more season. Last campaign the likes of Trezeguet, Del Piero, Buffon and Nedved carried the team along with Chiellini to earn qualification to the Champions League. Clearly Nedved’s retirement has been a big blow for the club and it appears the management is looking to bring him back in some managerial post.

The coaching decision expected to be made soon along with the drastic changes in the squad will hopefully have the desired effect on the prestigious club. The Bianconeri have already brought back Roberto Bettega in a managerial role and have chosen Andrea Agnelli as president (He is expected to take charge in June). Alessio Secco will no longer be the sporting director while Jean-Claude Blanc will have a reduced and scaled back role with a focus on finances and managing the club’s revenue. All these moves should have been made following the end of last season when the Bianconeri began to show signs of weakness and the players brought in such as Portuguese Tiago and Danish Poulsen proved to be flops.

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.

Juventus suffered another defeat which perhaps came as no surprise despite the fact Roma were rather not impressive until the penalty-kick which was converted by Francesco Totti. The Bianconeri did not deserve to lose the match but the players have certainly been struggling despite putting in a better effort against the Giallorossi.

Without discussing the much maligned Coach Ciro Ferrara who has been the focus of the Italian Press and was rumoured to be on the verge of being sacked for the umpteenth time, the Italian core of the Old Lady has become quite fragile. Whilst Alessandro Del Piero found the back of the net from a well-taken strike, he is on the downside of his career due to age and declining physical attributes. No doubt Del Piero will be remembered as a legend but he is no longer the player who broke one record after another wearing the famous Bianconeri shirt. Moving on to the Juve players who are likely headed to South Africa 2010 (Del Piero will not be in the Azzurri squad unless he goes on a torrid scoring run), they have been playing miserably or struggling with inconsistency due to the morale damaging crisis engulfing the Turin club.

Azzurri Coach Marcello Lippi has at one point or another relied on a core of players from Juventus starting with Gianluigi Buffon, Fabio Grosso, Giorgio Chiellini, Fabio Cannavaro forming the defensive line and ending with Mauro Camoranesi, Claudio Marchisio and striker Vincenzo Iaquinta. Those seven players are certain to head to South Africa 2010 unless they are sidelined with injury or something out of the ordinary occurs to force Lippi to exclude them. Adding to the list squad players Nicola Legrottaglie and Antonio Candreva will give the Bianconeri up to nine international players who are on Lippi’s list for consideration to make the World Cup.

The problem here is in the fact none of these players have impressed over the season. Only Gianluigi Buffon and Giorgio Chiellini reserve some credit as they have tried their best to shore up the Old Lady’s defense without much success. Even the great Buffon suffered the ignominy of being sent-off against Roma as he tried to cover up for the lack of concentration amongst the Bianconeri defenders while Chiellini has been one of Juve’s most consistent players but his performances have been affected by the disastrous slide as well.

The other defenders including Azzurri captain Fabio Cannavaro have been performing at a dismal level highlighted by comical errors and serious lapses in concentration. Cannavaro has seen time on the bench while his understudy Legrottaglie has not done any better with left-back Grosso in constant decline after a bright start to his Juve career.

The two players besides Buffon and Chiellini who will likely escape harsh criticism are Camoranesi and Iaquinta. Those two players were performing admirably prior to their injuries which put a massive dent in Juve’s armor. There is no guarantee of how they would be performing if they were healthy and actively participating in the midst of this crisis. One of the greatest disappointment has to be the free-fall of young midfielder Marchisio who was having a breakout season prior to his surgery and time spent rehabilitating. Marchisio appears to be a shadow of the player who sealed the famous victory against Inter with an exquisite goal. No doubt he has been negatively influenced by the events in Turin.

The question remains whether these Azzurri hopefuls, and in some case certainties, will carry the club’s baggage with them on the flight to South Africa. If they do, then Italy’s defense of the crown won in Germany 2006 will likely fizzle by the second round or the quarter-finals at best. Perhaps this is why Lippi paid a visit to Vinovo after checking out Milan’s Azzurri players at Milanello while bypassing the Nerazzuri on his way to Turin. Lippi acknowledges the importance of Juventus to his and Italy’s ambitions. After all Lippi opted for an Azzurri squad anchored by the Old Lady’s players in the last few World Cup qualifiers.

The only way to circumvent the Bianconeri crisis is by relying more on Milan’s Italian players but they too failed to shine against the Nerazzurri in the Milan derby. The Rossoneri have Azzurri regulars Gianluca Zambrotta, Andrea Pirlo, Gennaro Gattuso as well as hopefuls Massimo Ambrosini and Marco Borriello. Looking back at the Juventus-Roma match Lippi knows he has a committed player in Daniele De Rossi but the former Juve Coach might be actually considering the recall of Giallorossi legend Totti. The forward has missed games with injury but when fit he has played reasonably well.

As for the back four, Lippi was rumoured to have focused on Alessandro Nesta during his stop at Milanello in order to shore up the Azzurri’s defense. Frankly, no one can blame the experienced Lippi for attempting to lure back Nesta as the centre-back has been one of the main catalysts behind Milan’s recent revival with his absence extremely felt during the 2-0 defeat to Inter. The Rossoneri defense looked uncomfortable, unreliable and shaky in his absence. With Cannavaro struggling for form a rejuvenated Nesta can be a good bet to hold the Azzurri defense together.

Once again the dilemma for Lippi remains whether to alter his plans and rely less on Juve’s international players or simply to hope their hunger for victory after a tumultuous season could propel Italy to another triumph in World Cup 2010. During the World Cup in Germany the Italians were written off after the Calciopoli fiasco only for Lippi to rely on the players affected by the scandal. His faith was repaid with assured performances by those same players who helped carry la Nazionale to glory after 24 years of waiting.

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Official Introduction