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September 20th 2009 19:32
Although injuries are starting to decimate their starting eleven, Juventus are keeping good form in the standings, winning their fourth game in as many weeks to stay atop of the Serie A.
The bianconeri didn't waste time to put the odds on their side, scoring the first goal inside the opening ten minutes. Like his first goal of the season where his head connected with Diego's free-kick, Iaquinta opened the score with another great header, this time from Camoranesi's cross. Marchisio then gave home side a comfortable cushion, scoring Juve's second goal in the 26th minute.
Since both goals happened inside the first half-hour, the rest of the match was pretty dull in comparison. One man who shined who shined throughout the whole 90 minutes was goalkeeper Buffon. He may have lost the title of best goalkeeper in the past two years to the likes of Manchester United's Van der Sar, Real Madrid's Iker Casillas and Inter's Julio Cesar but if there's anything the past two weeks have shown us is that Gigi's still got it. His place among the elite goaltenders is there for him to reclaim.
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Juventus line-up: Gianluigi Buffon; Zdenek Grygera, Nicola Legrottaglie, Giorgio Chiellini, Fabio Grosso; Christian Poulsen, Mauro Camoranesi (Luca Marrone, 80th), Sebastian Giovinco (Paolo De Ceglie, 80th), Claudio Marchisio; Vincenzo Iaquinta, David Trezeguet (Amauri, 80th).
September 15th 2009 03:21
After three weeks of competitive play, AC Milan are already showing signs of slowing down with a disappointing 0-0 draw against Livorno. Juventus kept up its winning streak by defeating Lazio 2-0. However, Inter isn't too far behind them after winning their encounter against Parma. The big shock comes in when one looks at the table and sees Genoa (!) sitting atop of the Serie A thanks to their goal differential. The full results follow.
Udinese Catania: 4-2
Siena Roma: 1-2
Palermo Bari: 1-1
Livorno Milan: 0-0
Lazio Juventus: 0-2 (Read my recap HERE)
Inter Parma: 2-0
Genoa Napoli: 4-1
Fiorentina Cagliari: 1-0
Bologna Chievo: 0-2
Atalanta Sampdoria: 0-1
September 14th 2009 03:53
Italian footballers have always been accused as being the biggest divers in the game. Although that reputation certainly has its part of truth, it's hard to blame those players after witnessing a game as physical as Saturday's encounter between Lazio and Juventus.
There's not really much to say about this game since it looked more like all-out war than the usual managerial chess match. The first half was a goaltending duel as both Muslera and Buffon denied opposing forwards with excellent saves. The Lazio goalkeeper had more work than his counterpart but still managed to keep the game scoreless.
While goalkeepers shined at both ends of the pitch, the middle of the pitch was battlefield with tackles flying everywhere despite the numerous warnings by the referee. One of the casualties of this tackle-fest was Juventus midfielder Diego who was unable to finish the first half after picking up a thigh injury. The Brazilian has been Juventus' shining star in previous games and his loss was definitely a blow for the bianconeri.
Still, the Old Lady marched on and it was defender Martin Caceres who opened the score for the home side in the 71st minute. Once they got that precious first goal behind them, Juventus slowly took control of the game until Trezeguet killed the game with his first goal of the season in the 93rd minute.
The win puts Juventus firmly in second place ahead of their main rivals. If they continue to play like that, I don't think that anyone will doubt the return of the Old Lady at the top of the Serie A.
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Juventus line-up: Gianluigi Buffon; Martin Caceres, Nicola Legrottaglie, Giorgio Chiellini, Fabio Grosso; Mauro Camoranesi (Tiago, 68th), Felipe Melo, Diego (Sebastian Giovinco, 44th), Claudio Marchisio; Amauri, David Trezeguet.
The Calcio's second week was not without any action as the first derby della Madonnina went in favor of Inter Milan who easily (almost too easily) discarded their city rivals to the score of 4-0 (3-0 at halftime). But it was Juventus who stole the show as Diego put on another fantastic display to help his new team defeat Roma 3-1. Full results follow.
Atalanta Genoa: 0-1
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Much has been said about Real Madrid and Manchester City's spending frenzy and the Ibrahimovic-Eto'o swap between Inter and Barcelona during the summer. One club which has been quietly adding players to its roster is now turning heads in the Serie A. Coming off of a good season where they finished second, Juventus added depth to its line-up by getting Fabio Cannavaro back as well as adding Brazil's Felipe Melo and Werder Bremen's Diego in midfield. After watching him play in the past two games, I think it's safe to say that Diego is one of this year's most underrated acquisitions.
After last week's display where he put his own stamp to the game with an assist and some nifty ball control, the Brazilian midfielder was at it again, scoring two goals in Juve's victory over AS Roma. Both goals came at key moments of the game. After an overly physical opening twenty minutes, the bianconeri struck first on a defensive mistake by Roma. Cassetti failed to properly control the ball inside the centre circle which led to a breathtaking run by Diego from the halfway line all the way to Julio Sergio's box where he skillfully struck the ball with the outside of his boot to beat the goalkeeper at the far post
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The big surprise of Serie A's opening fixtures was Inter Milan's draw against promoted club Bari. Although Eto'o scored on his debut, the draw was a big blow considering Milan and Juventus' victories. As usual, here are the highlights from all the games (except the one that ended in a 0-0 draw).
Bologna Fiorentina: 1-1
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Juventus is one of those teams who had a disruptive pre-season this summer. New arrivals and various injuries didn't leave much time for new manager Ciro Ferrara to really get the line-ups he wanted, nor for the players to get the appropriate amount of PT. The bianconeri's lack of fitness showed in their opening game of the season where an early goal was enough for them to defeat ChievoVerona.
The one player who stood out in that game was Juventus midfielder Diego. Acquired from Werder Bremen during the summer, the Brazilian is already a fan favorite at the Stadio Olimpico thanks to a dazzling first half performance. Showing great poise and technique, Diego attracted the ball and fouls like a magnet. It was his free-kick that connected with Iaquinta's head in the 11th minute to put the home side ahead. However, his magical touch on the ball was also a negative quality as he often tried to do crowd-pleasing passes and moves instead of keeping it simple
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It's the dawn of a new era at the San Siro. The departure of superstar Kaka, manager Carlo Ancelotti and defender Paolo Maldini (who retired) brings a lot of question marks in all categories of Milan's play, be it offense, defense, or coaching. Will Ronaldinho return to form to fill the gaping hole left by Kaka? Who will replace Maldini's leadership in center defense? And will new manager Leonardo successfully put his own stamp on this aging team who's seen it all with Ancelotti? Although none of these questions can be answered after just one game, there is one thing the Milan tifosi can count on this season: barring injury, Alexandre Pato will be a force to reckon with as he looks to secure himself a spot on the Brazilian squad for the upcoming World Cup. The young striker showed his value to the club on Saturday as he scored the two goals in Milan's 2-1 victory over Siena.
From the opening minutes of the game, Siena were decidedly playing with fire, using an offside trap that wasn't as reliable as they wanted. Milan left-back Jankulovski was the first to find the flaw in Siena's uneven backline as he evaded the trap in the 18th minute only to lose his one-on-one against Gianluca Curci. Ten minutes later, it was Pato who beat the offside as he received a lovely pass from Ronaldinho right at the edge of the box. Faced against Curci, Pato took his time and lodged the ball inside the far post for Milan's first goal of the season
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It's been a while since I commented on Serie A games. The Milan derby was a perfect opportunity to get back to the Calcio.
The first thing that struck me while watching the game is how porous and focus-less (is that even a word?) the Rossoneri's defense is. Inter knocked a the door early in the game with a free-kick from midfield that somehow found Zlatan Ibrahimovic's header inside the 18-yard box with no one marking the striker. Fortunately for Milan, Ibrahimovic's header went way over the bar, keeping the game scoreless. Milan's back-four was caught again at the 17th minute, but Ambrosini's last-ditch tackle prevented Stankovic from placing a perfect shot against Abbiati
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Ever since David Beckham arrived at the San Siro, Milan have played better football. Although their recent success can also be attributed to Kaka's decision to stay, there's no denying the fact that Beckham has brought a new dimension to Milan.
The English midfielder made his present felt less than thirty seconds in the game with a powerful shot saved by Genoa's goalkeeper. With two dead-ball specialists in the home-team, Genoa had to be careful when giving away free-kicks. At the 15th minute, Pirlo's free-kick rattled off the crossbar, and that was simply a warning of things to come. Since Milan had most of the posession during the first half, all Genoa could do was run after the ball like mad dogs. Beckham's long-range passing allowed the Rossoneri to use the entire width of the field, and Pato's pace frustrated the visitors' defenders
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After Kaka's comments in the press about how playing with Ronaldinho requires him to make an adjustement in his play, the Brazilian midfielder was given more freedom in attack when Ancelotti decided to keep Ronaldinho on the bench for Milan's game against Catania. The result was a wide open game in which Kaka roamed freely behind Pato and Shevchenko. Unfortunately, Shevchenko used this opportunity to play in a selfish manner, desperately trying to get his first goal of the season. Him and Pato don't seem to work well together. In the end, Kaka gave the win to Milan at the 64th minute when his header took a slight deflection off a defender to beat Catania's goalkeeper.
AC Milan's line-up: Christian Abbiati; Gianluca Zambrotta, Kakha Kaladze, Paolo Maldini, Marek Jankulovski; Gennaro Gattuso, Emerson (Giuseppe Favalli, h-t), Mathieu Flamini; Kaka; Andriy Shevchenko (Luca Antonini, 80th), Alexandre Pato.
To any casual follower of the game, AC Milan's defeat at the hands of Palermo on Sunday was the result of a piss-poor performance by the Rossoneri who didn't look particularly interested in the outcome of the game. To a certain extent, it's true. For once in a long while, the defensive brigade led by Paolo Maldini lacked discipline in their own zone, leading to panicked sequences where they looked like an amateur club trying to keep its head above the water. In front, both Ronaldinho and Pirlo were completely invisible. The Brazilian in particular didn't put any effort in his play until it was already too late. But one has to also commend Palermo's coach, Davide Ballardini, for having a solid gameplan which contained Milan's dangerous midfield.
First, Milan's architect, Andrea Pirlo, had someone shadowing him for the entire game, forcing the Milan defenders to turn to either Ambrosini or Flamini to build the attack. Unfortunately, neither of those two players are reputed playmakers. Ronaldinho constantly had two men on his back, but that was just a waste as he returned to his early season passivity. He even missed a penalty at the 26th minute with a pathetic shot that didn't have any emotion nor strength. At the other end, Palermo took advantage of an unstable Milan defense with three goals in the second half (Miccoli at the 49th, Cavani at the 58th, and Simplicio at the 79th). Most of Milan's defensive woes came from bad positioning by Flamini who often got in the way of Zambrotta and Bonera. It wasn't a great game for the French midfielder who looked a bit lost on the field. Milan finally scored at 82nd minute when Ronaldinho put more effort into his second penalty kick. But it was too little too late for the Rossoneri
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Summer talk in Italy has been monopolized by the two Milan teams with AC Milan picking up a disgraced Ronaldinho from Barcelona while Inter put ex-Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho under contract. Here's how the teams stack up after ten weeks.
1. AC Milan (10-7-1-2 | 22pts
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Casual observers and fans alike have always criticized Italian football for being dull. There are not enough goals, the action is too slow, it's too defensive, nothing's happening all excuses for their disdain of something they can't quite grasp. Yes, Serie A football isn't as open as the Premiership, neither is it as technically exquisite as Spanish and Portuguese football. Instead of those things, you find a highly tactical environment where the match is turned into a game of chess, each team tinkering and probing to find their opponents' weaknesses. Sometimes, it does look boring. I have to admit, a game tied at 0-0 with most of the action happening in the midfield rather than either end doesn't attract me much. Yet, there are also those games that can stay scoreless and still leave you fully satisfied. The Milan Derby is one of those games. This year's edition ended only 1-0 in favor of the Rossoneri, but it was one of the best games (tactically-wise) that I've seen so far in this season.
Ronaldinho was the star of the game on Sunday. He scored the winning-goal with his head, no less and seems to have found a nice complicity with Kaka. Ancelotti must feel pretty good about that. Indeed, there was never time in pre-season for the two players to hit it off since Ronaldinho was in the Olympics with the Brazilian national team and Kaka's knee was still bothering him. Consequently, the Rossoneri had a rough start to their season, losing their first two games due to subpar performances. Now though, the Brazilians ('Dinho, Kaka, Pato) have found their groove, and this win against Inter could prove to be the springboard needed to get them going
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