While one of the biggest moves of the January transfer window happened recently, with Toni going to Juventus, there have been plenty of other, quieter moves which have gone unmentioned. Mostly they are young, aspiring Italians joining clubs on loan so that they can get some playing time to improve. Federico Macheda from Manchester United to Sampdoria is probably the biggest name, but there’s also Stefano Okaka who joined Bari, Davide Lanzafame who joined Brescia, and Palladino who joined Parma.

Having recently completed his loan deal from Manchester United to Sampdoria, Federico Macheda could already play tomorrow in Sampdoria’s match against Roma. Mimmo Di Carlo has chosen Macheda as part of the squad, and the young Italian might even get in the starting eleven. It depends on whether Giampaolo Pazzini, who has been ill, will be able to play or not. Whether or not he starts, Macheda should get some playing time, and I really want to see how the 19 year-old does in the Serie A.

So far this season Macheda had seven appearances in the English Premier League, scoring only one goal. It’s only because of an in-form Berbatov and the energetic Javier Hernandez that Macheda hasn’t played much, and his return to the Serie A is a smart one. Macheda is tall, technically gifted, and intelligent with his runs, so if Di Carlo can use him properly we should see some good things from him.

There’s another tall Italian forward who will be making an impact this season. Stefano Okaka joined Bari recently, and he played in Bari’s 1-0 win against Lecce, scoring the only goal of the match. It’s certainly a great debut with the Galletti, and it looks like he will be in the starting eleven tomorrow when Bari play Bologna. Okaka could look to Marco Di Vaio as an example of a goalscoring forward, and model himself on the Bologna captain. Okaka has the pace and strength needed to succeed, he just needs to implement it properly around the goal.

These January transfer moves aren’t all of successful players, Davide Lanzafame has been overshadowed this first half of the season at Juventus. While in the preseason he had a big part to play in friendlies, the arrivals of Krasic and Pepe ultimately pushed him out of sight of any playing time. I really like Lanzafame, and I expected big things to come from him this season. Hopefully he will deliver at Brescia, because an Italian with his talent should be playing every weekend.

This January transfer window we also saw some intricate dealings between Parma and Genoa. Parma received Palladino (who scored against Juventus in his first appearance for Parma) on loan. And then the two clubs basically traded Francesco Modesto and Luca Antonelli, with a half share of Alberto Paloschi also given to Genoa, where Paloschi will be playing for the rest of this season. So for Antonelli and half of Paloschi, Genoa gave Parma all of Modesto, half of Palladino, and seven million Euros. Only are transfers in the Serie A this complicated.

The upcoming matches tomorrow will be exciting, with many young (and some old) Italians with a chance to really make themselves known. What are your thoughts on these transfers? What do you think will happen tomorrow? Share your comments below!

While in the Champions League all Italian sides made it through to the knockout stages, there was a fear that in the Europa League there would be no Serie A teams. Luckily, Napoli managed to qualify with a 1-0 win over Steaua Bucharest, thanks to a very late goal by Cavani. And there was more good news for Italian sides around the world, Inter Milan were victorious in their semi-final of the World Club Cup, and they’ll be playing African champions TP Mazembe in the final of the tournament.

Napoli desperately needed a win at the Stadio San Paolo, or else they would not qualify for the knockout stages of the Europa League. But Steaua Bucharest came to defend with grit, staying turtled up in their own half, soaking up Napoli’s pressure, and then striking on the counter-attack. Napoli did their best, pushing well on the flanks and through the middle, eventually creating a great opportunity which Cavani put over the bar. Steaua had opportunities to score as well, and going into halftime, the two teams were fairly even.

The second half continued like the first, with Napoli slowly chipping away at the resolute Romanian side. Walter Mazzari’s team created more and more chances, with Cavani even hitting the post. The ending became more and more tense, with insults being thrown to and fro from players on the field to the ones on the benches. Both Steaua and Napoli were getting frustrated, creating goalscoring chances which weren’t finished properly or were saved by a pair of outstanding goalkeepers. Yet Napoli believed until the very end, and in the 92nd minute of the match Edinson Cavani scored what he calls, “a miracle goal”. The young Uruguayan managed to flick a corner from the near post with his head, sending Napoli through to the knockout rounds of the Europa League. Yet the tension was still high, and Paolo Cannavaro got sent off before the final whistle after receiving a second yellow card.

The other Italian sides did surprisingly well considering their previous poor form in the Europa League. Palermo defeated Lusanne Sports 1-0 away from home thanks to a late goal from Munoz, and Juventus got a good 1-1 draw against Manchester City, with some youngsters on display for the crowd at the Stadio Olimpico. Sampdoria though weren’t able to win or draw away against Debrecen, and lost 2-0. It’s nice that Napoli have managed to qualify for the round of 16, and hopefully they’ll receive a good draw and go deep in the tournament.

Inter Milan were in Abu Dhabi, where they defeated Asian champions Seongnam Ilhwa 3-0. This victory was an important one for Rafa Benitez, because the team is slowly recovering from injuries positively, especially Diego Milito who scored and assisted the other two goals. However there was a slight setback for Inter in this match; in the first minutes Wesley Sneijder received a tough tackle and had to be replaced. He won’t be able to make the final, which will be played against TP Mazembe, the first African side ever to reach the FIFA World Club Cup final.

The final is being played this Saturday, and while some don’t really consider this tournament as very important, if Rafa Benitez could manage to win it, it could be a turning point for his team. There have been many doubts over whether Benitez would stay much longer at Inter, and it seems like Massimo Moratti has calmed the voices by prasing the Spaniard regarding the team’s performance. But no matter how much praise Moratti heaps on Benitez, the president wants the coach to win this tournament, and transfer the momentum to the Serie A and Champions League campaigns.

What are your thoughts regarding Napoli’s qualification and Inter Milan’s solid win? Share your thoughts 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!

While it was a great Champions League group stage for the Italian sides, the Europa League group stages are proving to be more difficult for the Italian sides in the Europa League. In fact, all of the Italian sides have been eliminated except for Napoli, who might be able to pull off a good result and qualify for the knockout stages of the tournament. This truly doesn’t help the UEFA co-efficient in which the Serie A is doing worse and worse, and hopefully Napoli will manage to scrape through when they play their next (and last) Europa League match on Wednesday, the 15th of December.

Sampdoria were beaten at home 2-1 by PSV Eindhoven, and although the match was about to finish as a 1-1 draw, it was a late winner by Toivonen which secured three points for PSV. Pazzini had put Sampdoria ahead in the 45th minute, and it seemed like it could’ve been Sampdoria’s lucky night to fight back and have a chance to qualify for the next round, but it wasn’t. Toivonen scored in the 51st minute, and then scored the late winner which crushed any of Sampdoria’s hopes of qualifying to the knockout stages of the Europa League.

Juventus also failed to qualify after drawing 1-1 away against Lech Poznan. The home side took the lead after just fifteen minutes with Rudnevs, and by the time Iaquinta scored the equalizer in the 83rd minute, the field was engulfed in snow. Players were slipping, they had to switch to a high visibility ball, and the match probably should’ve been suspended. But it doesn’t change the result for Juventus, and they have failed to go through to the knockout stages.

Palermo also drew in their Europa League match, the final result was 2-2, and the Renzo Barbera stadium saw their team take the lead with Rigoni with a long range effort in the 23rd minute. But in the second half Sparta Praha equalized after being awarded a penalty when Goian brushed by Kweuke, and Goian was sent off because it was his second yellow card. With just ten men on the field, Palermo earned a proper penalty which was scored by Pinilla to give Palermo a temporary lead. But just a couple of minutes later Praha equalized with Kucka, and to add even more bitterness, Pastore was sent off in the 90th minute after receiving his second yellow card. And so, a third Italian side manages not to qualify for the knockout stages of the Europa League.

Napoli drew 3-3 away against Utrecht, and it was Cavani who scored a fantastic hat-trick to make sure that Napoli stay in the competition for their next group stage match against Steaua Bucarest which will be key in deciding which team will qualify for the knockout stages. Napoli scored first with Cavani, but then conceded three goals, and right before halftime Cavani pulled one back to make the score 3-2 for Utrecht. Then in the second half Cavani scored a penalty to give Napoli an important draw, and a chance to be the only Italian side left in the Europa League.

I think that it’s a shame that the Serie A sides did so badly in this competition, and I can only hope that Napoli manage to go deep in the competition and uphold some respect for Italian sides in Europe. What are your thoughts regarding the poor display from the Italian sides in the Europa League? Can Napoli progress through to the knockout round, and maybe go deeper? Comment below!

The Serie A continues with much of the same; Benitez loses his second game in a row, Krasic cuts through defenders like a hot knife through butter, and Ibrahimovic provides a fantastic goal for us all to enjoy. This slate of Serie A games saw many players play brilliantly, like Menez for Roma, Krasic for Juventus, and Pazzini for Sampdoria. Here’s are the match results, and below there are five things to note from this weekend’s Serie A action.

Roma 2-0 Udinese

AC Milan 1-0 Fiorentina

Genoa 0-2 Juventus

Brescia 1-2 Cagliari

Catania 1-0 Bari

Cesena 1-2 Palermo

Chievo 2-1 Inter Milan

Lecce 2-3 Sampdoria

Parma 1-1 Lazio

Napoli 4-1 Bologna

1. Ibrahimovic scores a Goal of the Season contender

The Swede has often been controversial, with a fiery arrogance which flames up occasionally (like against Arrigo Sacchi), but it’s this arrogance and confidence which puts him a level above your average player. In AC Milan’s 1-0 win against Fiorentina, it was Ibrahimovic who broke the deadlock with a spectacular goal. He receives the ball in the penalty box, juggles it, and then promptly does a bicycle kick to score against Boruc who was playing excellently in goal for Fiorentina. It’s a Goal of the Season contender without a doubt, if you haven’t seen it, check it out here.

2. Sampdoria beginning to pick up where Cassano left off

Finally it seems like Mimmo Di Carlo’s team has begun to click. With Cassano gone for good, Pazzini finally realized that someone would have to pick up where Antonio left off, and score some goals. Pazzini scored a hat trick away from home, helping his side defeat Lecce which only managed to score two goals. Now 8th in the table, Sampdoria will have to host league-leaders AC Milan next week. The idea of a win for Di Carlo’s side seems near-impossible, but could they halt this rampaging Milan side with a draw? Share your thoughts by commenting below.

3. Eto’o goes Zidane on Chievo player

Inter’s 2-1 loss to Chievo was highlighted by a few things, but none of them were as exciting as Eto’o head-butting Chievo player, Cesar. “Classic Zidane” you could call it, with the same head to chest attack which left the victim writhing on the ground. But nobody saw what Eto’o did, and while Cesar complained from the ground, the referee didn’t send off the Camerun forward, who will most likely be punished for two to four matchdays after the Italian FA reviews the incident. To justify Eto’o, he was punched in the gut by Cesar before he decided to head-butt the opponent, but the reaction was still unacceptable. What are your thoughts on Eto’o's Zidane-esque head-buttt? Comment below!

4. Time for Rafa to go?

After Inter’s latest loss away against Chievo, without a doubt Massimo Moratti is beginning to worry. In the past four matches, out of a possible of 12 points Inter Milan has only taken two, and so far this season they’ve lost three matches and drawn five, which means that they’ve lost or drawn 60% of their matches in the Serie A. While it’s true that Benitez has had to cope with a ridiculous amount of injuries, he should still be able to get something out of a group of players which won the treble last year. While I don’t think that Rafa Benitez should be sacked, I think that he’s skating on thin ice with Moratti, who certainly expects better from the Spaniard.

5. Krasic is unstoppable

Every once in a while, the Serie A gets players who truly light up matches, Krasic is one of those. His terrifying pace destroyed Genoa’s left side of defence, as he created the first goal and then scored the second. His goal was an absolute beauty, cutting in from the right side, a step-over got rid of two defenders as he pierced right through the penalty box, poking the ball against the far post and into the back of the net. He continued to terrorize Genoa’s defence throughout the match, showing that he is currently the best winger in the Serie A right now. And if it weren’t for Gareth Bale, maybe he’d be the best winger in all of Europe right now…

What were your thoughts on this weekend’s Serie A matches? Share your comments below!

1. Bari was on the brink of returning to form

Bari have been going through some tough times recently, and although they lost 3-2 at home to AC Milan, they showed signs of promise. Bari are currently at the bottom of the table with 8 points, and while the situation looks bleak, if Bari can pull off a win or two in their upcoming matches, they’ll be out of the relegation zone. The Galletti lost to AC Milan this weekend, but they still played well enough to score two goals, and both were beautiful. The first one for Bari was a weaving run by Kutuzov past the Milan defense, and a perfect finish past Abbiati, and the second was by the Brazilian Barreto. A wonderful volley from a long ball, no first touch or anything, he just smashed it into the back of the net right away, truly a wonderful goal by Barreto. But can Bari make it out of the relegation zone? I think that they will survive this season, what about you? Comment below!

2. Mihajlovic is safe… for now

Fiorentina have been in a similar situation to Bari, while they’ve begun to recover now, Mihajlovic was leading the sack race for a while. But Fiorentina stole three points against Chievo over the weekend, defeating the away side in a scrappy 1-0 win for the Viola. The goal was a tap-in for the substitute Alessio Cerci, Mutu had created the chance for Gilardino, and when the Italian’s shot was stopped by Sorrentino, Cerci followed up for the goal. But Fiorentina fans shouldn’t be rejoicing right away, mainly because Mihajlovic’s side will be travelling to Rome in the midweek day of the Serie A to face Roma. So is Mihajlovic safe? While fans won’t be expecting too much from their game against Roma, they’ll be expecting at least a Europa League place by the end of the season. Can Mihajlovic deliver? Share your thoughts by commenting below!

3. Lazio are finally stopped

Yes, the day has come where Edy Reja’s Lazio has lost. They even lost what’s technically a home game, but the Stadio Olimpico is shared by both Lazio and Roma, so it’s not like Lazio had much of an advantage. The Rome derby finished 2-0 for Roma, with two penalties being scored by Borriello and Vucinic. But if the penalties awarded to Roma were actually penalties, then Lazio had at least one clear cut penalty which should’ve been given. Both sides played well, with both of them having spells of dominance where they created danger. With this win, Roma rise up to 7th place, seven points away from their city rivals who are still at the top of the table. Lazio remain top of the table, but their cushion is reduced to just two points with AC Milan right behind them. Lazio have been finally stopped, is this the beginning of a slump, or can Reja’s side bounce back to continue their good run? What are your thoughts regarding the derby? Comment below!

4. No Cassano, no goal

Cassano is still not being chosen in the Sampdoria squad, and Mimmo Di Carlo’s side is suffering from the lack of creativity, big time. A 0-0 draw between them and Catania could’ve used Cassano’s flair, danger, and trickery, yet he’s not being allowed to participate in matches right now. If you notice, last weekend they had a similar problem, and Di Carlo’s side could only find the back of the opponent’s net in the 90th minute with Pazzini who gave his side a 1-0 win over Cesena. So will this “No Cassano, no goal” trend continue? We’ll just have to wait and see until this midweek when they play Parma.

5. Walter Samuel out for the season

It’s been confirmed that Walter Samuel has damaged his cruciate knee ligaments after hyperextending his knee in Inter’s 1-1 draw against Brescia. Samuel was stretchered off, and from seeing the incident, I could tell that he’d be out for quite some time. But I didn’t expect him to be out for the entire rest of the season, sadly that’s what it seems like after his terrible incident. Really bad news for Inter Milan fans, and the question arises, who will partner up with Lucio at the center of defence? Will it be Cordoba? Or will Chivu slide over into the middle, letting Santon play some more? Or could we see the return of Marco Materazzi? Benitez has options, but maybe they’re not exactly the best ones. We’ll have to see how badly yet another injury affects Inter’s season.

Serie A is becoming more and more interesting, and with Lazio continuing their winning streak, could we see a surprise winner for the scudetto? Lazio are currently first in the table with a four point lead on second placed Inter Milan. While we’re just nine games into the season, maybe Lazio can manage second place? We’ll just have to see if their good form continues, or whether they’ll die down into the midtable.

1. Mutu returns for Fiorentina

After a nine-month doping ban, there was doubt whether Mutu would even continue his football-playing career. But the Romanian returned in great form for Fiorentina, playing a full 90 minutes away against Catania. Although the match ended 0-0, there were some sparks of action, like when Mascara hit the woodwork from a free kick, and when Mutu had a great header parried by Catania keeper Andujar. Yet Mutu’s return couldn’t mask the way that Mihajlovic’s side played, and Fiorentina weren’t playing well enough to earn three points. Mutu had a great shot saved by Andujar again, stopping him from a dream return. But Mutu’s return is certainly a positive thing for Fiorentina fans, especially with the lack of Jovetic’s creativity, they now have someone experienced who can score important goals.

2. Bari sink to 20th with latest defeat

Last season Bari were a fantastic team which went out to win matches against the top teams of the Serie A, but it’s a different story this year. While Bari finished in 10th place last season, a wonderful finish for a newly-promoted side, this season they find themselves bottom of the table. Their latest defeat was to Udinese, and both goals were fantastic. The first was a wonder-strike into the top-left-hand corner from Alexis Sanchez, and the second was a powerful finish by Isla into the crossbar and into the back of Gillet’s net. So what has happened to Giampiero Ventura’s side? And do you think that Ventura could be sacked, and replaced by who? Remember to comment below regarding Bari’s situation at the bottom of the table.

3. The relegation battle will be tight

Looking at the table, something struck me regarding who might go down to the Serie B, this season’s relegation battle will be very interesting. What makes me say that is the fact that there are 10 teams within three points of the bottom of the table. That mean that if your team has a bad match, and a couple of other sides have a good match, then you could find yourself in the relegation zone. Right now there’s Cesena, Bologna, and Bari in the bottom three of the table, but I expect those three teams to survive this season. So who will go down? Well I think that this season Lecce, Brescia, and Parma will go down, but that’s just my opinion. So please share your opinion on who you think will be playing in the Serie B next season by commenting below!

4. and 5. Cassano will remain at Sampdoria who grab a win without him

I’ve decided to unify my fourth and fifth things to note about Serie A, mainly because they both include Sampdoria and Cassano. A couple of days ago Cassano decided not to attend an awards ceremony that the Sampdoria president Riccardo Garrone had asked the player to attend. After this event, there was a heated exchange between the player and president which opened up a can of rumors regarding a possible move for Cassano to Juventus, Inter Milan, and maybe even Chelsea. But now the storm has died down, Cassano said sorry to the president with this statement,

I’m sorry for what happened, and I’ve already said sorry to Mr. Garrone, which respect and like very much, in the presence of my teammates. To my teammates I wish them good luck for the game against Cesena. I read that the situation would be connected with speculations about the market, but I reaffirm that, always that there’s the possibility, it’s my solid intention to remain with Sampdoria.

So it seems like everybody is happy even if Cassano didn’t play in Sampdoria’s 1-0 win away against Cesena. And Sampdoria suffered without Antonio, Walter Mazzarri’s side could only find a winner in the 93rd minute of the match, with Giampaolo Pazzini tapping in Marilungo’s low ball across the box.

While I wanted Cassano to move away from Sampdoria, to a bigger club where he would be surrounded by world class players, it isn’t all that bad that he has remained in Genoa. Hopefully he’ll continue to play for Sampdoria, and play well enough to get into the Italian national team. With Balotelli’s return from injury, I can’t wait to see the two pair up under the guidance of Prandelli as Italy tries to qualify for the European Championships of 2012.

What are your thoughts regarding this weekend’s Serie A action? Share your comments below!

Although not all of the Serie A matches have been played, I’ve still decided to write about the nine matches which were played. Tomorrow AC Milan will face Napoli at the Stadio San Paolo, and it’ll be interesting if they can take advantage of Inter Milan’s draw against Sampdoria. But first, here’s five things to note from this weekend’s Serie A action.

1. Inter Milan aren’t incisive

Inter Milan hosted Sampdoria at the San Siro, and while I predicted a 3-1 win for the nerazzurri, the match ended in a 1-1 draw. Altough Rafa Benitez’s team kept possession, and were able to pass the ball around well, they created few notable chances in the first half. And the more they passed around, the more I realized that they weren’t going to be able to win the match. Inter just ominously lurked around Sampdoria’s penalty area, but they didn’t create many dangerous moments, and they were eventually punished when Sampdoria scored to take the lead in the 62nd minute. Chivu got the ball stolen from him by Cassano, and then Guberti finished Cassano’s cross to beat Julio Cesar. Inter Milan finally grabbed a goal with Samuel Eto’o tapping in a cross, but they were unable to find a winner. Coutinho was their main source of inspiration and danger, and if Benitez doesn’t get the rest of the team shooting on net, then Inter could have some trouble next week against Genoa.

2. Even Krasic’s dive can’t help Juventus score

After Juventus played out a 0-0 draw against Bologna, it was the third match this season where the bianconeri haven’t scored. Although they have the best attack in the league with 16 goals scored so far, they haven’t spread them out over their matches very well. Against Bologna they created chances, the best one coming when Krasic’s blatant dive in the box was awarded with a penalty. Iaquinta stepped up to take it, and the ever-improving Viviano parried to make sure Bologna earned their point from this match. Krasic’s dive was atrocious, and a yellow card should’ve been given to the Serbian winger, it’s interesting seeing such a great player showing that he has a little bit of evil in him.

3. Lazio continue winning to go five points clear

Lazio won 2-1 against Cagliari this weekend, and this win is their fourth in a row, which is part of a streak of seven unbeaten games. And while I credit this success to Edy Reja’s fantastic coaching skills, I should also credit the team which is playing well. Floccari and Mauri scored the goals for Lazio, and those two players were fantastic throughout the match. Mauri provided the assist for Floccari, and it was Hernanes who provided Mauri the assist for  his goal. Now the question must be asked: are Lazio title contenders? Share your thoughts below!

4. Chievo in fourth spot with win over Cesena

I was worried for Chievo when Mimmo Di Carlo left them to go coach Sampdoria, but Sergio Pioli has done a fantastic job with the club, taking them up to fourth place in the table. Chievo are just six points off of the table leaders Lazio after their 2-1 win over Cesena. Cesar scored first for Chievo, a wonderful running header into the top corner of Cesena’s goal, but the newly-promoted side equalized at halftime. An unlucky own goal from Guana, who had Jimenez’s shot flick off of his foot, and into the back of Chievo’s net for the equalizer. Chievo grabbed the winner in the final minutes of the match, a goalmouth scramble from a corner finished with Thereau slamming in the winner, which gives Chievo three important points.

5. Roma and Parma are doing very badly

Last season both Parma and Roma finished wonderfully, but it seems like a whole different story this season. Roma and Parma faced each other at the Stadio Ennio Tardini in Parma, and although there were plenty of chances to go around, neither side scored. Although you could say that a point for each side isn’t a bad result, both sides had a wealth of chances which should’ve been scored. For Parma Marques flipped the ball over the bar in front of an open net, and for Roma Julio Baptista had a chance with four teammates to pass to in front of goal, and he laid it off to nobody. Right now Roma is 14th with nine points, and Parma are 20th with only seven points. I expected better from both sides, we’re going to have to see whether these two teams will pick themselves up, or continue to sink. What are your thoughts? Share your comments below!

The Serie A this weekend started with Fiorentina vs. Bari at the Stadio Artemio Franchi. And while I expected Bari to take advantage of Fiorentina’s bad form, it was the Viola who took the game to Bari. The final result was a 2-1 win for the home side which dominated the game. Here’s what happened in that match, and a look ahead to the other fixtures we’ll see this weekend.

This game began with no action at all, neither side could create a decent chance, and any shots being taken were either over the bar, or ridiculously wide. In this boring beginning, it was Fiorentina who looked more dangerous with their high pressing which caused Bari to slow down. The first goal eventually came in the 34th minute, a very nice strike by Donadel which was probably intended to be a cross for Gilardino, yet the ball swerved away from Gillet, onto the post and in.

A great strike which didn’t spark life into the game which continued to be difficult to enjoy. Giampiero Ventura’s side were slow, and unable to create anything, while Fiorentina were more dynamic but still didn’t create much. Finally in the 82nd minute, Fiorentina scored another goal, it began with a great move from Ljajic who tried to curl a shot in, but Gillet parried. From there, Gilardino lept onto the ball, and somehow got it into the back of the net to make it 2-0.

The game seemed done and dusted, but Bari offered a small reaction to Fiorentina’s second goal, and the Galletti pulled one back in the 90th minute. A corner was swung into Fiorentina’s box, and Parisi made great contact with his head to make the score 2-1. The last minutes were filled with Fiorentina trying to waste time, while Bari frantically scampered around in search of an impossible equalizer.

The match ended 2-1 for Fiorentina, and it’s a fair result for the winners mainly because it seemed like they were the only team playing for most of the match. This win bumps Fiorentina up the table into 11th place, but we’ll have to see how other teams do this weekend, and whether Fiorentina will be overtaken by teams playing their matches tomorrow.

Probably the most interesting match which is happening tomorrow is Inter Milan – Sampdoria, a huge clash which Rafa Benitez’s side will need to win if they want to try and win the title. AC Milan will have to face Napoli in Naples, a tough match which could slow the rossoneri down in their run for the title. And the current table leaders, Lazio, will host Cagliari at the Stadio Olimpico.

It’s full of interesting matches coming up, and we had an okay one today. What are your thoughts regarding Fiorentina and Bari? Any predictions for tomorrow’s matches? Mine are a 3-1 win for Inter Milan over Sampdoria, a 2-2 draw between Napoli and AC Milan, and a 2-0 win for Lazio. Share yours by commenting below!

With the international break over, we can now focus back to this interesting title race in the works called Serie A. While the Azzurri have had a relatively disappointing international break with their 0-0 draw against Northern Ireland, their match against Serbia cancelled, and the fact that they won’t be part of the 2012 olympics, the Serie A will hopefully lift any Italy fan’s spirit.

Right now there’s a surprise leader, with Lazio in first place with 13 points thanks to their impressive record of having just lost one match so far in the league. But Lazio’s good run can be stopped this weekend when they travel to Bari to face the Galletti. Bari are an extremely tough opponent which will be looking to grab a win at home, and end this stop/start beginning they’ve had to the Serie A season.

Behind Lazio we find Inter Milan, a perennial fighter which seems almost unstoppable in their ascent up the table. The nerazzurri are just two points behind Lazio, and they’re going to have to travel away to Cagliari this weekend, for a tough match.

It seems like Rafa Benitez will have to put out a bit of a weakened side due to so many injuries among his starting 11. Milito and Cambiasso are out for about 10-20 days, it’s doubtful whether Mariga can play, and it’ll be a push for Thiago Motta to play on the weekend, although the Brazilian/Italian will be fully fit for the midweek match against Tottenham in the Champions League.

So Benitez will probably have to start with Stankovic, and the rebellious Muntari, possibly giving Amantino Mancini a chance to start alongside Eto’o and Coutinho in the forward three. We’ll see how Inter do against Pierpaolo Bisoli’s side which has had four draws out of six matches this season.

AC Milan have a pretty simple match (or so it seems) against Chievo at the San Siro, and the rossoneri will really be looking for a big win to spur them into action. They’ve been slightly languid these past few weekends, and it was only thanks to a wondergoal by Pirlo which won their last game against Parma. There are so many stars in the offensive sector, but so much trouble scoring goals? And strangely enough, there’s been rumblings that maybe Kaka could make a wild return to AC Milan, although it’s beginning to seem less and less possible right now.

Chievo happen to be right behind AC Milan, just one point away from the rossoneri who are at 11 points. It’s been a great start to this season for Chievo under the new coach Stefano Pioli, and they’ll be looking to hold AC Milan to a draw, or maybe sneak a goal for an important away win.

Another team which has had a great start to the season is Brescia, who find themselves at 9 points, and they’ll play Udinese at home this weekend. It should be an easy game for Brescia, considering that Udinese are last in the table right now, with only four points! What an unexpected start for both of these teams which will play each other over the weekend.

Pazzini will be facing his former club Fiorentina this weekend, as Sampdoria host the Viola in an important match for both of them. Both sides have had a fairly bad start to the season, and they’re two points away from each other in the table, Sampdoria at seven, and Fiorentina at five. If they don’t begin to pick up some wins soon, it could be a dismal season for both sets of supporters who might  even see their clubs fight relegation. So it’ll be interesting if Pazzini can score against his former club to help Sampdoria gain some form before their midweek match in the Europa League, I guess we’ll just have to watch the match.

The most exciting game this weekend should be Roma – Genoa. A battle between two sides who haven’t really started well (Roma are second last in the table with five points…), but they’re both filled with plenty of talent. This season Roma have conceeded the most goals so far, 11 in six matches which is pretty impressive, so I certainly expect Genoa to score, but we’ll have to see if Roma can fight back at the Stadio Olimpico.

What are your thoughts on the upcoming matches? Do you expect Roma to win? Do you think that Lazio will stay top of the table? Share your thoughts below!