Well another weekend of Serie A has past and like tomato stains on a wife-beater, the weekend is followed by a strong espresso, a spot at the bar and some stronger Serie A chat. So order your drink and get loud.
The weekend’s winners: Catania, Bari, Inter, Palermo, Milan, Napoli, Parma and Atalanta while Juventus tied vs Fiorentina while Sampdoria tied vs. Lazio.
Juve`s draw to Fiorentina was a great example of many different things.
First, how not to trap the ball. Is there a worse first touch than Juve forward Iaquinta`s? He has to have the worst first touch in all of professional football. No doubt. So terrible that the announcer on Saturday actually thought that an errand (terrible) first-timed shot was a pass to teammate Amauri, who scored on the play. Wow. Iaquinta might have the morons up in the booth fooled but for those who watch him play regularly, it remains a mystery why no coach in Italy can fix his clumsy feet. Smaller shoes perhaps?
Second, the game was a great example of the frustration of many fans who watch their teams get rewarded a corner only to see their team deliver a terrible ball from the corner flag. Why is it that we allow professionals to get away with this? If you job is as a professional footballer and you are one of the more accurate passers on your team (obviously, since your coach/captain has designated you the corner kick taker), how come you can’t get the ball within ten feet of goal? How come your leg strength isn’t up to snuff to get the ball to curl into a dangerous position? If I was rewarded a dollar for every terrible corner kick taken during a regular Serie A match I would have more dollars than Berlusconi has 18 year old girls. Trust me, it’s a lot. Just ask his soon to be ex-wife.
Third, this game provided another glaring example of the terrible officiating in Serie A. The referring is without a doubt, the worst in professional European football. You might hear me ragging on this issue many times however it truly is the root of all that is wrong (on the field anyway – off the pitch, that’s an entirely different story) with Serie A. After reading the biography of Italy’s best ever and maybe the world’s best ever referee (at least well recognized) Pier Luigi Collina, I know recognize the true value and importance of a referee. He has two main and equally important jobs. The first is to ensure that the game is played by the rules. The second and most overlooked job of the referee is to manage the different types of personalities on the pitch. Collina was a master at this. During all his big games, the world cup finals, the derby matches and the Champion’s league games you will notice him never contributing to the already tense atmosphere and he always made sure fouls or other such situations never escalated. This ensured that players played with respect towards him and most of all each other.
For instance, when a player has is elbows up while going for a head ball, this is a penalized offence. The referee, in some circumstances will issue a yellow or even red card, depending on intent and severity. Collina would always talk to both players involved first BEFORE issuing a card. Nowadays, you often see referees issuing cards as they run up to the location of the foul, without conferring with the players. This adds to the tense situation and creates a negative atmosphere. I could go on and on about the Serie A referring disgrace.
Lastly, this game was a great example of what great Serie A coaching is about. It is obvious that Ceassare Prandelli is an excellent tactician. Look at how Prandelli schemed (with the help of usually offensive Santana) to render the usually offensive Grosso’s left-sided attack a liability for Juve. Or how Jovetic, despite having no service, was used to keep the Juve defence honest. Their talent is never deep, their budget is never endless and despite this, Prandelli always has them over performing.
As I mentioned in last weeks espresso, Napoli have that initial kick in the pants that comes with a coaching house cleaning. Napoli played well and especially Quagliarella looks to perform well to guarantee an Azzurri place.
Speaking of Azzurri, where the hell is this talk about Totti returning to the Azzurri fold? Why do Italians, especially those in Italy, love Totti so much? Have they seen him play in any of the big tournaments he’s played in? Did they blink and miss in participation in the Euro faster than it took Totti to spit in Christian Poulsen’s face? How about the world cup in Korea or in Germany for that matter?! What the fudge…Italians complain about how Del Piero doesn’t contribute his share at a national level…they should look at Totti’s track record. The best is during all this bogus talk about his return to the Azzurri, he’s contemplating season ending knee surgery. Sounds promising! Pah-leeze.
A player that is playing like his old self and could earn an Azzurri call up is Nesta of Milan. He has been great right from the start of the season. The problem is I happened to watch the Roma Milan game and saw the dive he did as Burdisso slide for a ball is Nesta’a position. Nesta fell to the ground like he was shot by a Mafioso while he dribbled the ball ever so slowly in the box, trying to bait an idiot defender into lunging for him. He succeeded however this cost him respect. Could you ever see the great Maldini or Baresi doing such a job? Despite this, even if he gets a call, he would probably wind up on the bench.
Milan’s win was unconvincing and should aide Galliani and co to try to spin doctor the win into the start of a turnaround. I won’t buy it and neither should you. Milan is all huff and puff but couldn’t blow a house of cards down.
Sampdoria failed to win at Lazio last weekend despite playing like an elite Serie A team. Yes, Cassano played well. Yes he dove like a dolphin in heat. Yes he looked silly complaining to the referees. However, it is obvious that his vision and passing is among the best in the world. Imagine what a talent he would be if a coach (besides Capello) could control his mental aspect. Ballotelli is turning into a Cassano Junior.
Ballotelli was everywhere during the Inter match. Elbowing, swearing, passing, shooting, yelling, diving and injuring himself. He scored too. His antics overshadowed the 5 – 0 drubbing an Eton’s and Mailto – less Inter placed on Genoa.
Watch out! Parma is creeping up the table slowly and seemingly, under-the-radar! Bovine and teammates are looking good. The might be able to finish in the upper half of the table and maybe compete for a Europa league spot.
Two things you shouldn’t miss.
1) Face punch Pazzini took. He calls for help right after and gets up. Why can’t other Italian players show that kind of strength. First they need to get off of Mama’s breast.
2) The Stankovic goal. Ok Amelia had a terrible mistake but look how good Stankovic hit it. It’s a one-timer with no bounce before contact. Great shot.
But there is no way I could end this issue with anything else besides Argentine great and current Argentina coach Diego Maradona doing what he’s been doing best lately. That is making himself look bad. After all the (deserving) heat he’s had on him for barely qualifying for the 2010 World Cup, he said the media could all “suck it” for counting him out. Later on on the team bus, after his media tirade, he demonstrated to the media what he meant. Diego, the internet is full of porn, did you really have to be that clear? (maradonna)
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