5 Things From Serie A: Sept. 26, 2010

Things have been shaken up this weekend, mostly thanks to Roma. And although the giallorossi won 1-0 against Inter Milan, they’re still down at the bottom of the table in 18th place, while Inter is at the very top of the table sharing first with Lazio. While this last-gasp win might help Roma gain a bit more consistency with their results, it doesn’t mean that Inter’s winning run will stop altogether. Apart from that win, there were plenty of other things to note from this weekend of Serie A action, here are five of them.

1. Teams getting into their stride with wins

While the obvious subject would be Roma, who won 1-0 against Inter Milan, they’re not the only team which began to enter its stride with a win. AC Milan defeated Genoa 1-0 with Ibrahimovic scoring a stunning lob over Eduardo, the Genoa keeper. Along with AC Milan, Fiorentina and Napoli also won with the Viola winning 2-0 over Parma, and Napoli traveled to Cesena and won 4-1. Juventus also got a big win against Cagliari, 4-2 for the Bianconeri, a big scoreline which should motivate them for their midweek Europa League fixture, and then when they’ll have to face Inter Milan the next week.

2. Young talent is prospering

For me, this point has to be mentioned, mainly because the Serie A is full of young and talented players from around the world. This weekend we saw Adem Ljajic score from the penalty spot yet again for Fiorentina in their 2-0 win over Parma, and the young Serbian had a fantastic match. Along with him we saw Cavani score two beautiful goals for Napoli when they defeated Cesena 4-1, the first was a twist and turn dribble which he finished with a low shot, but the second was a work of art. Lavezzi served him a through pass on the edge of the left side of the penalty box, and the Uruguayan decided to hit it first touch, using the inside of his right foot to curl and loop the ball into the far corner. Krasic also had a fantastic game this weekend, it was his hat-trick which sealed Juve’s 4-2 win against Cagliari. The 25 year-old has shown that he is a fantastic player, and is already being called the next Nedved.

3. Udinese finally get their first point

When Francesco Guidolin left Parma to join Udinese, I thought that his new team would certainly prosper under his guidance. But things have been very different, in five games they lost four times, and recently just managed to draw against Sampdoria. One point out of a possible 15 is a terrible record, and the 0-0 draw which they played out shows that they need to find a way to score goals. While I believed that Udinese could’ve challenged for a Europa League place this season, it seems like their goal will have to be to stay in the Serie A. And if Guidolin doesn’t find a way to grab a win next week at home against Cesena, his bench will be very hot.

4. Edy Reja working his magic at Lazio

Eduardo Reja in my books is one of Serie A’s best managers. He took Napoli back to the Serie A, and when he was kicked out, the club took a nasty dip in results. This season he has returned with Lazio, and already you’re seeing the manager’s prowess considering that his side is sharing the top of the table with Inter Milan. He’s been able to get the most out of Hernanes and Zarate, as his side has claimed 10 out of 15 points so far. This is a notable improvement compared to Lazio’s last season, in which they ended up 12th, with 46 points. It’ll be interesting to see if Reja can keep these results going, and reach fourth place, bringing Champions League football to the blue side of Rome.

5. Are Inter Milan ready to face Juventus?

Inter Milan have just lost to their biggest rival from last season, and this loss comes with plenty of detrimental effects to morale, form, and ultimately, results. And while Inter Milan lost to Roma, Juventus had little trouble winning with Krasic scaring the entire Cagliari defence. So is Rafa Benitez’s team ready to face Juventus? While you could say yes, considering that they’ve recovered from losses like this before, but you must also look at what Inter faces this midweek. Werder Bremen will be coming to the San Siro, the German team which knocked Sampdoria out of the competition and got a 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur last Champions League matchday. So if Inter gets distracted against Werder Bremen, then Juventus could be facing a wounded animal, we’ll just have to wait and see…

What were your thoughts on this weekend’s matches? Can Inter defeat Juventus next week? Share your thoughts below!