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!
