So far there have been three matches played this weekend, and all three of them have been pretty exciting. Genoa – Inter Milan ended in a 1-0 win for Inter, Roma – Lecce was exciting and finished 2-0 for Roma, and AC Milan – Juventus was the shock result, a 2-1 win for Juve.
Roma – Lecce
Roma – Lecce was an extremely enjoyable match. Both sides went out to score goals, and there were plenty of opportunities for everyone. Roma were more dangerous though, Vucinic was having the game of his life as he waltzed around players to create chances for himself and his teammates. Both sides had their crossbars hit after the first half, and although no goals were scored, it was a very entertaining match.
In the second half Roma finally found the back of Lecce’s net with Burdisso heading in a cross by Riise. But neither side stopped there, and Vucinic finished off one of his many opportunities to give Roma a two goal lead. But in the build up of the goal, a very strange event happened which resulted in the expulsion of two players.
Lecce’s Ruben Olivera tripped Totti who was running towards Lecce’s goal, and the Roma captain got up and shoved the Uruguayan. The referee Gervasoni ran over right away to stop a potential fight, and he gave both players direct red cards. At first they were both incredulous, but Ruben Olivera walked off to the dressing room. Totti protested a little longer, and then when he realized that the referee wasn’t going to let him continue to play, he ran over to where Olivera went to presumably pick a fight with the Lecce player. Totti was eventually dragged off the field by force.
The match ended 2-0 for Roma, with the giallorossi creating plenty of opportunities which they should’ve put away. But Lecce were very dangerous as well, and with a little more luck they might’ve managed to score a goal.
I think that a player like Totti, who earns millions a year should never act in such an immature and idiotic way, but what are your thoughts? I really want to hear what people have to say about this match, and this incident. So please comment below with your thoughts!
AC Milan – Juventus
AC Milan – Juventus was also an exciting match. There were plenty of players who were unable to play for both sides, and when Chiellini had to pull out during pre-match warm-up, it seemed like this would be AC Milan’s perfect night. Delneri started with Bonucci and Legrottaglie in the middle of defense, with De Ceglie and Motta on the left and right of defence. In the middle Felipe Melo played alongside Aquilani with Martinez and Marchisio supporting the attacking duo of Quagliarella and Del Piero.
AC Milan on the other hand were missing Ronaldinho and Thiago Silva, so Allegri had Nesta partnered up with Papastathopoulos in the middle with Antonini and Bonera playing on the outside of the defence. In the midfield AC Milan played with Gattuso, Pirlo, and Kevin-Prince Boateng, and the attacking trident was Ibrahimovic and Pato with Robinho acting as a “trequartista”.
The game was exciting right from the start, and Ibrahimovic slipped a sublime through pass for Pato, and then hit the top right corner of the woodwork with a precise shot. Juventus seemed scared and unable to create as AC Milan pressured from the start in search of a goal. But little by little the tables turned, and eventually Juventus were creating dangerous opportunities from counter-attacks. And the shock goal arrived in the 24th minute for the bianconeri, an unsavable header by Quagliarella which nestled beautifully into the top left-hand corner of Abbiati’s goal.
After this, AC Milan were creating less and less, Ibrahimovic was isolated up top as Robinho could only conjure up useless tricks, and Pato run in a straight line. Bonera and De Ceglie crashed into each other, with the AC Milan defender getting the worse end, he was taken off right away, and De Ceglie was substituted as well after a few minutes of useless limping around on the field. The second goal arrived in the second half, it was a mistake by the AC Milan defence which let Sissoko slip right through them and one on one with Abbiati. But the Malian midfielder literally missed the ball when shooting (very comical), but he somehow managed to pass it back to Del Piero who thundered in a low shot.
Juventus were organized and compact, taking advantage of AC Milan’s general disarray as the bianconeri created plenty of opportunities. But eventually AC Milan began to push forward by crossing in high balls for Ibrahimovic and the substitute Inzaghi to reach. The big Swede got on the end of one of them, and imitated Quagliarella’s goal to bring the score to 2-1. But AC Milan weren’t able to create much more, and Delneri’s side held out to grab three vital points.
What are your thoughts on this match? Did anyone expect Juventus to win? Share your thoughts below by commenting!

Milan Lose To Organized Juventus 2-1

Milan Lose To Organized Juventus 2-1 - World Soccer Talk

<div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" class="alignleft" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/600px_Giallorosso_con_colori_di_Lecce.png" alt="" width="219" height="150"></figure></div>Serie B champions Lecce have once again made the jump to Serie A, two years after finishing nineteenth and being relegated.&nbsp; Prior to that they spent two years in Serie B, preceded by three years in Serie A.&nbsp; As you can see, Lecce has made a habit of bouncing up and down the ranks, making every season dramatic for the Giallorossi fans.&nbsp; This season, the club looks to establish a foothold in Serie A, but does the club have the players to do so?
Management: Luigi De Canio is entering his second full year with the club after coming on board late in the 2008-2009 season to try and save the club from relegation.&nbsp; He was unsuccessful and was initially let go, only to re-up with the club a few weeks later.&nbsp; He is known as a “salvation specialist” as he helped Siena and other Italian clubs avoid relegation in the last decade.&nbsp; He is known for getting the most out of young players, and will not be over-matched in Serie A.
Transfer Market: The club’s goal in the transfer market so far has been to acquire players who, even if they lacked a large number of Serie A minutes, have enough top flight experience to add quality minutes to the club.&nbsp; Their best signing then may have been former Juventus midfielder Ruben Olivera.&nbsp; The Uruguayan national has eight Serie A goals in 42 matches, and adds&nbsp;needed talent&nbsp;in the Giallorossi attack.
All told, they have three players on loan from the Serie A Big Three.&nbsp; They were also able to take on loan Schalke 04 defender Tore Reginiussen.&nbsp; The Norwegian, who can also move up to the midfield, was the victim of a numbers game in the Bundesliga club and wanted to play more minutes.&nbsp; He does have eight caps with the Norwegian national club.
Key Players and Formation:&nbsp; A major concern for Lecce fans is the starting keeper Antonio Rosati.&nbsp; The 27 year old has his only Serie A experience with Lecce but has appeared in 37 matches for the club since 2002.&nbsp; Fortunately for him, the defense in front of him has some quality players.&nbsp; Inter loanee Giulio Donati, who was recently called up for Italy’s U-20 match against Hungary, will likely pair with Reginiussen, U-21 and former Fiorentina defender Davide Brivio, and Brazilian Gustavo.&nbsp; If this is the starting backline, then all four starting&nbsp;defenders will be new to the club this year.
Captain Guillermo Giacomazzi anchors the midfield for the Giallorossi.&nbsp; He is the record-holder for more Serie A appearances with the club and has 27 career goals for the Apulia-based team.&nbsp; If Olivera is moved forward then taking his place in midfield will be another Uruguayan and Schalke product Carlos Grossmuller, who has twenty-five career goals.&nbsp; Another midfield option is career Serie B player Gianni Munari or the youngster Andrea Bertolacci.&nbsp; Although 19, the Roma loanee has eleven caps for the various Italian national youth clubs.
Expect Olivera to be moved forward in De Canio’s formation as the lack of quality forwards is a concern heading into the 2010-2011 season.&nbsp; The most talented player is Daniele Corvia, who had seventeen goals for the club last season.&nbsp; His previous season high, however, had been six.&nbsp; Brought in to bolster the attack is Ignacio Piatti, who has experience in Serie A, Ligue 1, Turkey, and Argentina.
Outlook: The combination of a poor attack and a poor keeper leads to relegation, and unless the club addresses these issues in the transfer market I would not expect much from Lecce.&nbsp; There is some talent on this club, however, and they will battle to stay in Serie A the entire year.&nbsp; They have reinforced the squad, but need additional help to achieve salvation once again.

Serie A Preview &#8211; Will the Lecce Yo-Yo Stop This Season?

Serie A Preview - Will the Lecce Yo-Yo Stop This Season? - World Soccer Talk

Serie A Preview – Will the Lecce Yo-Yo Stop This Season?

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Milan Lose To Organized Juventus 2-1

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Serie A Preview – Will the Lecce Yo-Yo Stop This Season?