5 Things From Serie A: Nov. 7, 2010

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.