Round one review: Milan make their mark

Milan were the big winners in round one in every respect as their 4-0 demolition of Lecce and the failure of all of their other direct rivals to register three points would suggest. Milan were on fine form. Perhaps it was the galvanising though of Zlatan Ibrahimovic being in the stands, or of Robinho flying in to sign today. Pato weighed in with a superb brace, with Ronaldinho turning provider, while Thiago Silva tapped one in from close range. Pippo Inzaghi scored in yet another Serie A season on the 90 minute mark.

Roma and Inter both failed to capitalise in games against teams many would consider candidates for relegation. Cesena did anything but sit back at the Stadio Olimpico attacking Roma right from the off. Indeed, it was a game that they could have won in the final stages, as could have Roma however when Mirko Vucinic should have scored with a shot at his near post, but he was denied by a brilliant save. Inter, much like Roma, seemed flat in their debut but Bologna did well to hold on when all was said and done. Bologna keeper Viviano did brilliantly to deny Samuel Eto'o whose shot eventually cannoned off the bar.

Juve however were far from impressive with their new look side down South against Bari. Bari took the lead just before half time with an inspired drive from Massimo Donati, who turned his marker to leave Storari with no chance. Try as they might, Juve just could not conjure up much of any substance on the Bari goal. One drive from Fabio Quagliarella was all there was to right home about until Chielini's golden chance in injury time, a free header which he blew straight over the bar. Juve will look to respond against Sampdoria at home in round two.

Elsewhere Sampdoria got off to a good start against Lazio, despite being largely outplayed by the Rome club for the 90 minutes. Lazio were dominant in possession with new signing Hernanes impressing but a penalty and a defensive mix up gave Samp a 2-0 win on the night. Last seasons revelations, Napoli and Palermo both drew their opening games. Napoli will be more happy with their point, a 1-1 away to Fiorentina, while Palermo will see it as two points dropped in their 0-0 with Cagliari. Genoa, who have had a excellent mercato, were victorious away at Udinese thanks to a wonderful Mesto overhead kick late on in the match while Chievo continued to honour their flying donkey status with a decent 2-1 win over Catania, who were a much improved side in the latter stages of last season. Finally, Parma, who have added Seb Giovinco and Antonio Candreva to their side, beat newly promoted Brescia 2-0 with Valeri Bojinov on target.

Interesting. A bad opening defeat for Juve will have Luigi Del Neri under pressure already, while Milan with their new additions will surely compete for the Scudetto. Roma, much like last year, have started slow but with Marco Boriello joining today will have an array of options up front. Of course, much like any season, things will become much clearer when we reach game ten.

Return of the King

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has returned to Serie A, this time joining AC Milan. He has plenty of previous in this Championship with time at Juventus and Inter Milan under his belt before his year at Barcelona. This is a huge signing for Milan and he will join an already potent attack with Pato, Dinho, Boriello and Huntelaar in toe.

Ibra joins on a one year loan with an option to buy for around 24 million euros at the end of season. Despite his time at Barcelona being documented as less than successful he still recorded a total of 21 goals in all competitions last year, 16 in La Liga, 4 in Europe and 1 in The Coppa Del Rey. He also recorded 8 assists in La Liga. So, not bad for someone who has been documented as a flop.

However undoubtedly his best times have come in Serie A, with 80 league goals in just five season on the peninsular. He best total came in his last season with Inter Milan where he hit 25 goals just beating Diego Milito to the top scorers title. Indeed, the mere mention of Milito already conjures up thought of the upcoming battle for capocannoniere for which these two, amongst others, are sure to content for.

Welcome home Ibra.

Serie B: Dream start for new boys Novara and Portogruaro

Novara first shot to my attention when last season they set their division in Serie C1 on fire topping it from the early moments of last season. However, they really came to prominence when in the Coppa Italia they were drawn against seven times European Champions AC Milan at the San Siro. It was a game that I watched and the Curva Nord at the San Siro took on a familiar blue, but this time it was not the colours of bitter rivals Inter but that of Novara and pretty much the whole of their towns population. They lost the encounter 2-1 but only with a stonking Flamini goal separating the sides. Serie B promotion was ensured, with old Serie A favourite Nicola Ventola in toe, and one wondered what would come in a jump to the Cadetti, a notoriously tough division of which the parameters seem to change year by year. Take 2008/2009 Serie A relegated Reggina for example, who instead of mounting a challenge to get back into the top division could only muster a 12th place finish.

However, promotion to Serie A will not be of concern to Novara and Portogruaro, at least not yet anyway. But, both have so far taken to Serie B like a duck to water with Portogruaro beating last years promotion candidates Cittadella 2-0 on home turf. However Novara have made and even better start, securing a 1-1 draw away at Padova before beating Triestina 2-0 in casa just last night. Novara face Cittadella next in round three but it is Portogruaro who face a tough trip away at old Serie A favourite Vicenza next this weekend. Perhaps however they will get something of a nice welcome from the home Tifosi, give that they were directly responsible for stopping Vicenza's bitter rivals Hellas Verona from returing to Serie B last season.

Europa League; Italian clubs through / CL draw

Napoli, Juve and Palermo all came through the qualifying round of the Europa League in comfortable fashion when all said and done. Napoli dealt with the threat of Elfsborg away from home with a brace from Edison Cavani, and a well taken brace at that on his debut in a 2-0 win. Juve also wrapped up their qualifying campaign with a win over Sturm Graz with a stunning goal from Alex Del Piero on the day that Diego moved to Wolfsberg and David Trezeguet edged closer to the exit. Clearly their mercato has not finished and Guiseppe Rossi and Fabio Quagliarella have been mooted as the next arrivals. Palermo went through 5-3 on aggregate against Maribor. At one stage Palermo trailed 2-0 but Abel Hernandez hit a brace to ensure qualification to the next round.

Champions League draw
The draw was made today and all three Italian sides will be confident of going through, although some tricky ties remain in the way however. Inter take on Werder Bremen, Spurs and FC Twente, beginning away at the Dutch side before taking on Bremen at the San Siro. A difficult group but not as hard as last years ties with Barca, Kiev and Russian champs Rubin. Milan have the so called group of Death with Real Madrid, Ajax and Auxerre. But, the Dutch side are not what they were and the French minnows should be brushed aside. Indeed, it would not surprise me to see Milan top the group given their new arrivals, the impending deal for Zlatan and the guidance of the talented coach Massimo Allegri. Finally, Roma take on beaten finalists Bayern as well as Basle and FC Cluj. Bayern away is their first test in round one.

Serie A Season Preview: A closer look at the teams involved

It's time for a closer look at all the teams involved in this years beautiful Championship, with the big question being can anybody catch and conquer European and Italian Champions Inter Milan.

Bari
Coach: Giampiero Ventura
Last season: 10th
Bari came back into Serie A last year and played some superb football, made their home ground a fortress with the highlight being a 4-1 destruction of Juve and discovered two Italian centre backs that could be the foundations for the national teams for years to come. Coach Ventura remains but the defensive pair of Bonucci and Ranocchia do not. However, they will still be a tough proposition on home soil and the derby against Lecce will be a great spectacle. I'd be surprised if they went down, a lower midtable position is likely.

Bologna
Coach: Franco Colomba
Last season: 17th
Rhen Khrin is the exciting prospect Bologna have landed from Inter this summer. After two seasons of struggle it is hard to envisage anything else but a battle against relegation for Bologna this year. The goals of Di Vaio will help but this club needs more if they are to remain in the division long term.

Brescia
Coach: Giuseppe Iachini
Last season: 3rd, Serie B
It's a big welcome back to Brescia in Serie A and one wonders whether they can make the same sort of impact that Parma and Bari did last year. Eder, the dangerous forward from Empoli has arrived as has play maker Alessandro Diamanti from West Ham. Fabio Grosso and Mauro Camoranesi have been linked and if these two arrive then Brescia would seem to have quality and experience to survive in this division. Matteo Sereni takes up the gloves in goal.

Cagliari
Coach: Pierpaolo Bisoli
Last season: 16th
A slightly disappointing end to the Allegri ere saw Cagliari stumble over the finish line last season but key talents in Matri, Jeda, Nene and keeper Marchetti have remained and will be joined by old friend Robert Aquafresca. With no manjor departures Cagliari will likely remain a strong mid table side this season and be a difficult place for any Serie A side to visit.

Catania
Coach: Marco Giampaolo
Last season: 13th
Struggled at the start of last season but that superb win in Turin in Juve began the turning of the tide as along with the arrivals of Maxi Lopez and Sinisa Mihajlovic as coach the club from Sicily looked a different side. The 3-1 win over Inter was the season's highlight even surpassing their 2-0 derby win and with Maxi Lopez still adorning Catania colours this campaign its hard to see them leaving this division.

Cesena
Coach: Massimo Ficcadenti
Last season: 2nd Serie B
Will their fairy tale continue? Not in the division since 1991 so this season will be one of pleasure for their fans no matter what happens. Stefan Appiah is the big name to arrive in midfield but one struggles to see the huge level in quality after that. However, this is what most said about Bari last season and look how they responded to the critics. Will be an interesting club to watch.

Chievo
Coach: Stefano Pioli
Last season: 14th
The flying donkeys have become somewhat of a mainstay in this division over the last decade. The question is whether they can become anything more in this division this season. Stefano Piolo takes over from Domenico Di Carlo who gets his chance at Sampdoria. Hero Sergio Pellissier remains, Bogliacino arrives from Napoli, Guana from Palermo and Andreolli from Roma.

Fiorentina
Coach: Sinisa Mihajlovic
Last season: 11th
After an excellent campaign in Europe Fiorentina's domestic form went down the toilet. However, Sinsa Mihajlovic arrives and so does Gaetano D'Agostino as a slimmer fixture list should seem the Viola return to the right end of the table this season. No Stefan Jovetic or Adrian Mutu for some time does however put a lot of pressure on Gilardino. Likely to return to Europe next season however.

Genoa
Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini
Last season: 9th
A mammoth summer mercato will see Genoa line up with a lot of quality in their squad. Miguel Veloso and goalkeeper Eduardo arrive from Portugal while highly rated wing back Rafinha arrives from Schalke 04. Domenico Criscito is now a permanent Genoa player and Luca Toni joins him as well. Add into the mix the likes of Rodrigo Palacio and then its easy to see why Genoa are tipped for a very good season. Anything but a place in Europe will be seen as a failure.

Inter Milan
Coach: Rafa Benitez
Last season: 1st
A quiet mercato by their standards, with the sale of Mario Balotelli being the major news item. Rising star Coutinho arrives but the retention of Maicon can be seen as a big boost. The Italian and European Champions look immensely strong and will be top dogs to beat at home and abroad. Expect someone to arrive before the window shuts as well.

Juventus
Coach: Luigi Del Neri
Last season: 7th
After last years debacle much has changed in Turin. Defenders Bonucci and Motta have arrived with midfielders in Krasic, Pepe, Aquilani and Martinez joining Felipe Melo and Momo Sissoko in a strong central line. The big signing up front has yet to arrive and it remains to be seen whether Del Neri will try to tempt Pazzini out of Sampdoria or rejuvenate Amauri. Diego may still be sold, but expect Juve to be a much better side this season and at least get into the top four. If the team galvanises early then a Scudetto bid could be on the cards.

Lazio
Coach: Edy Reja
Last season: 12th
Another squad with big changes afoot. Sergio Floccari has been signed permanently while Cristian Ledesma has signed on. However, the capture of Hernanes has been a huge signing and if pre season is anything to go by then Lazio have signed a real winner here. Mark Bresciano joins as well and Andrea Barzagli, Davide Trezeguet and Roque Santa Cruz remain heavily linked. Should finish much better than their 12th of last season.

Lecce
Coach: Luigi De Canio
Last season: 1st Serie B
A classic Serie A yoyo club returns and without much investment in the side that won promotion last year it will be difficult for them to retain their status in the division. Defender Reginiussen arrives from Germans Schalke 04 and talented forward Chevanton joins from Sevilla but will it be enough? A relegation battle in likely in store and Milan away in week one is where it begins.

Milan
Coach: Massimo Allegri
Last season: 3rd
A new coach, and some new talent as well could ensure an exciting season for Milanistas across the globe. Allegri has shown his quality with Cagliari in recent seasons and is joined by talented defender Sokratis from Genoa and world cup star Kevin Prince Boateng from Portsmouth. Marco Amelia takes up the reins in goal after a less than great spell in Genoa. Also young players from the youth sector like exciting talent Alex Merkel are being pushed into the first team to good effect as pre season draws at Arsenal and Barcelona suggest. However, the big news could be Zlatan Ibrahimovic's arrival and that could push Milan from top four material to genuine Scudetto contenders. Keeping Pato and Nesta fit for the whole season would help as well.

Napoli
Coach: Walter Mazzari
Last season: 6th
Sixth place last season under Walter Mazzari was the result of a season of hard work and quality in the San Paolo and more of the same is expected this season. Indeed, the signing of Edison Cavani for 16 million euros and Cristiano Lucarelli has added firepower to an already potent attack containing Ezequiel Lavezzi, Fabio Quagliarella and Marek Hamsik. With Cristian Maggio and Juan Zuinga providing creativity down the flanks Napoli have an exciting team and should push for a European place with ease. Top four given the investment and ability should be the target.

Palermo
Coach: Delio Rossi
Last season: 5th

Much like Napoli Palermo had an excellent season last campaign and in many respects should have been filling fourth spot but for an inability to beat Sampdoria at home in week 37 of the season. However with Simon Kjaer and Edison Cavani moving on the pressure will fall on Javier Pastore and Abel Hernandez to fill the void, something which they did last week in the Europa League. Massimo Maccarone has arrived and should get the platform here to display his considerable talent they he showed at Siena. In reality a top four spot will be difficult but a place in the Europa League again is well within their grasp. Indeed, they should look to progress well in this years competition.

Parma
Coach: Pasquale Marino
Last season: 8th

Parma completed an excellent season last year with an 8th place finish with an impressive frontline of Bojinov and Biabiany. The latter has left but the former will be joined up front with Juve talent Seb Giovinco, who finally will get the chance to show his quality on a consistent basis. Antonio Mirante, formally of Sampdoria, lines up in goal with Gab Paletta coming into defence from Boca Juniors. Spanish midfielder Fernando Marques also comes into the Tardini lineup from Espanyol. There is a lot of quality in this side, whether or not a European place can be attained is probably just out of their reach.

Roma
Coach: Claudio Ranieri
Last season: 2nd
An outstanding season for Roma last year will have expectations set very high for their tifosi. They had the chance to win the Scudetto set up on a plate when they went clear of Inter in week 35 but then blew it against Sampdoria on home turf when Giampaolo Pazzini hit a double. However, their squad is strong and additions like Adriano and Simplicio add to the depth. Mirko Vucinic and De Rossi have remained and Jeremy Menez continued his impressive form from last season into the pre season. With Juve and Milan restocking this summer Roma will have more competition around them for their battle against Inter but they are capable of achieving consistent results and that is what wins titles. Likely to be there or there abouts once again.

Sampdoria
Coach: Domenico Di Carlo
Last season: 4th
Already out of the Champions League, a tough season could be in store for Doria. Compared to City rivals Genoa little has been spent, and while Cassano, Pazzini and Palombo remain, at the moment, there is little creativity or great quality outside of that. Andrea Poli is however growing superbly into his midfield role and Stefano Guberti and Daniele Dessena are perhaps the best signing they have made this mercato. However, if I was a Doria fan I would have been expecting more quality to arrive. The similarities with the 2008-2009 campaign are there to be seen and playing two games a week may well leave this squad overstretched, and out of Europe next year.

Udinese
Coach: Francesco Guidolin
Last season: 15th
A woeful season battling relegation was the story from Udine last year, where Di Natale was the sole shining light. 29 goals was a stunning output from the diminutive hitman and he remains, but midfielders D'Agostino and Pepe move on. However, German Denis has arrived from Napoli and given the right service he could well hit 10+ goals for the Friuli outfit. Exciting talents Alex Sanchez and Kwadko Asamoah also remain so it certainly is not all doom and gloom, and with Francesco Guidolin at the helm much better can be expected I feel.

Calcio mercato: Lazio tie Ledesma up for five years

Finally Cristian Ledesma has put pen to paper and signed a deal with Lazio that will tie him to the club for the next five years. Feuds with club President Claudio Lotito seem to have been put to one side as the deal has now been concluded to the benefit of both parties. Ledesma spent most of last season frozen out of the Lazio squad along with Goran Pandev as Lotito took a hard stance on the both of them regarding contractual issues. However, his return to the starting eleven, on Edy Reja's debut with the club, sparked an improvement in performance and results for the Rome based side and his contract renewal will be music to many Lazio fans ears as with Hernanes occupying the attacking midfield role Ledesma will provide the balance in the form of the regista that was missing for much of last season.

Additionally it seems as if Lazio are close to securing the loan of Roque Santa Cruz from Manchester City to complement an already potent forward line of Sergio Floccari, Tommaso Rocchi and Mauro Zarate.

Pre season: Lazio roll over Deportivo while Juve take Berlusconi cup

Lazio ended their pre season campaign in fine fashion with a solid win over Spanish side Deportivo la Coruna. Both sides had the honour of being league champions of their respective leagues in the 1999-2000 season and tonight they played out an entertaining clash at the Stadio Olimpico where new signing Hernanes was presented. Lazio took the lead through Mauro Zarate after Tomasso Rocchi, on the break, slotted across unselfishly for the Argentine to slot home. It didnt not take long however for Deportivo to level after a defensive mix up in the Lazio backline, where playing the offside trap backfired.

However, in the second half Lazio introduced Foggia, Hernanes and Sergio Floccari were introduced and they all made a positive contribution. Mauri made way for Hernanes, and the former had a solid game. Hernanes however showed his trickery to win himself a penalty which he duly converted in consummate fashion. Sergio Floccari made the win safe, smoothly controlling the ball and firing strongly past Deportivo keeper Felipe Ramos.

Juventus additionally had pre-season success tonight, winning the Berlusconi cup in a penalty shootout against AC Milan. Thiago Silva missed the only penalty in the shootout while Juve converted everyone. San Siro will however been more interested in the strong rumours linking Zlatan Ibrahimovic to the red side of Milan.

Super Cup: Inter 3-1 Roma

Inter came from behind after John Arne Riise gave Roma the lead at the San Siro to take the Italian Super Cup at a packed Giuseppe Meazza. It was a lead that was well deserved and well taked after a quality through ball from Francesco Totti gave Riise the time to fire past Julio Cesar. However, it did not take long for Inter to start winning all the battles in midfield and an error by Roma gace Goran Pandev the space to shoot past Lobont. Cambiasso and Sneijder were running this game now yet it was Lucio who got forward well in the second half to feed Eto' at the near post, and he made no mistake. Mistakes were however what Roma could not avoid as Taddei'sshocking give away allowed Sneijder to play Eto'o through once again to claim his second of the night. To say Lobont could have done better was an understatement and Roma fans will be looking forward to see Julio Serio in goal come the seasons start no doubt.

Elsewhere Juve have continued their summer revolution by adding Alberto Aquilani to their ranks.

Calcio Mercato: Krasic signs for Juve, finally

Juventus have made their big move on the transfer market by securing the services of Milos Krasic for a reported 15 million Euro's. The talented winger makes his move over from CSKA Moscow to Turin and could well make his debut next week in the return game against Sturm Gratz. Krasic has long been linked with a move to Juventus and in many respects this deal comes as no surprised.

It remains to be seen whether a left back or a forward arrive at Juve to complete the side for the season to come but with regards to the latter it seems as if Diego and Del Piero will occupy the secondary striker spot with Del Neri looking to rejuvenate Amauri and Trezeguet as the target men.

It will be interesting to see how Inter and Milan respond. Will Mascherano end up at Inter, will Ibra return to the other side of Milan? We'll know soon enough as the close of the market is fast approaching.

Euro Round up: Trio win in Europa League but Samp crash at Europe's top table

Champions League
Samp crumbled under the pressure of Werder Bremen's attacking game play in Germany last night to put their chance to reach the Champions League propper in serious doubt. 0-0 was the score at half time but Fritz soon put Werder ahead after the break with a stunning strike. Samp them committed suicide by giving away a penalty and a red card to allow Frings to step up and convert for 2-0. Almeida made it 3-0 almost immediately after and Samp looked dead. They would have been but for a last gasp well taken Giampaolo Pazzini header. 3-1 it finished and it remains game on at the Marassi. But Samp will need to make big improvements between now and next week.

Europa League
Good results for the Italian clubs tonight. Palermo blew Maribor 3-0 at home which included an absolute wonder goal from Javier Pastore in which he rode 3 challenges a then applied a consummate finish leaving their keeper with no chance. It should have been a similar scoreline for Napoli against Elfsborg but they could only manage a 1-0 win after Lavezzi rounded the keeper in injury time in the first half. However, as mentioned it should have been much more but wasteful finishing from Lavezzi especially put paid to that. Juventus left it late but came away with a win in Austria tonight. Leo Bonucci put them ahead in the first half with a strong header. However, Gratz pulled level again through a header with Marco Storari just getting his fingers to it, but it was not enough. Yet, Amauri however continued his impressive form so far this season by hitting another goal in Europe drilling home a strong header from a Del Piero corner.

Palermo 3-0 Maribor: Maccarone pen 35, Hernandez 37, Pastore 78
Napoli 1-0 Elfsborg: Lavezzi 46
Sturm Gratz 1-2 Juventus: Bonucci 15, Amauri 91

Sampdoria: Into the breach

Sampdoria will begin to taste the fruits of last seasons labour tommorow when they line up in the Weserstadion in Bremen to take on the mighty Werder. Werder have been responsible for playing entertaining football in recent years namely through attacking midfield sensations Diego and Mesut Ozil. However, today the latter completed a move to Real Madrid to potentially derail their campaign before it has even begun especially if the negativity of loosing their best player puts a downer on the dressing room. However, Bremen are a club that are familiar with European football in recent years. Champions League wins over Inter Milan and going toe to toe with Barcelona and Chelsea have been pleasures which their fans have witnessed in recent years.

For Sampdoria this is not the case, but they have at that level domestically as wins over Milan, Inter and Juve in recent season demonstrates. Whats more they have dealt with pressure to a certain degree as shown by holding onto fourth place last season amid strong competition right up to the finish line from Palermo and Napoli. They will need to call on this experience tomorrow night if they are to come away from Germany with a favourable result.

Unlike Werder however Sampdoria are in a position to call on their best players from last season. The mythical Antonio Cassano remains while Giampaolo Pazzini upfront seems to be the perfect foil for him. Palombo and Poli also line up in midfield with the creative Manini on the wings. However, despite reaching Europe no player of significance has arrived to help take them to that next level. The question is, will that be the problem tomorrow.

Boateng on verge of Milan move

AC Milan look set to add Kevin Prince Boateng to their armory tomorrow as reports across the boot acknowledge that he is on the verge of completing a move to the Rossoneri. He will add depth to an ageing midfield and could well play a key role alongside Mathieu Flamini this season, a player Allegri has said he wants to reinvigorate at San Siro.

If the move goes through it could be a successful one. A solid world cup from the Ghanaian, in which he bowed out at the quarter finals, had caught the attention of a number of big clubs in Europe and his aggressive nature and attitude could be just what the Milan midfield needs given Gattuso's inability to stay fit these days. Additionally, he will also add depth and that is what Milan have been so sorely missing in recent years to achieve the consistency in results that inevitably leads to a Scudetto, so much so that when Nesta was injured last season it was rumoured that the Milan management attempted to coax Paolo Maldini out of retirement for a short period. It seems that will not be the case this season. Yepes and Sokratis add strength to the back line in replacement of Kaladze and Favalli while Dida finally gives way in goal to Marco Amelia, although the wisdom of the latter purchase remains to be seen. With Antonini developing as well and Nesta and Silva on top form the defence seems strong and the arrival of Boateng and rejuventation of Flamini into a consistent first team player could have a similar effect on the midfield, giving Pirlo the space and time he needs to weave his magic.

Whether or not Milan add a forward remains to be seen, but if the rumoured deal for Zlatan Ibrahimovic takes place then Milan will be a much different proposition in the league and in Europe next season if it does. It is however the sort of marque signing Milan need, and time will tell whether they get him or not.

Tim Trophy: Inter sneak the trophy on penalties

Inter won an entertaining Tim Cup in Bari tonight. A stunning Wesley Sneijder goal from 25 yards gave Inter the lead and the win against Juventus in the first 45 minute match up. In the second game, Milan v Juve, Ronaldinho gave Milan the lead with an assured finish. However Diego finished off a neat Juventus move later in the half to tie the game at 1-1. Diego played like a man possessed throughout this 45 minute match up, perhaps sending a message to the Juventus management that he has a lot more to offer this side in the coming campaign. However, Juve lost this encounter on penalties 4-2 with Amauri missing one of the kicks for Juve.

The final encounter would decide this mini tournament in a packed San Nicola in Bari. Inter v Milan. It was tight, technical and chances for both sides were few and far between. However Serie A fans were able to catch a glimps of what is to come for both sides with Coutinho starting for Inter and the young and talented Alexander Merkel. Both showed some good touches but not good enough to seperate the two sides as it finished 0-0 and was settled only on penalties. Both sides blew a couple of pens over the bar, Stankovic and Inzaghi culpable here, but Ronaldinho's miss gave Inter the win. Encouraging for Milan however, given that the new blood impressed without Thiago Silva and Alex Pato.

Tim Trophy: Milan, Inter and Juve

Something different awaits tomorrow night from your usual fix of football. A three way tournament that always takes place at this point in August between Italy's three most successful clubs. Three matches in one evening, 45 minute half's and a lot of good football thrown in for good measure as well. This year it takes place in Bari as opposed to last years venue of Pescara if memory serves and the evening kick off time will provide the locals with the opportunity to see International stars play again. Indeed, many will be familiar with the players on show after seeing home town side Bari give a very good account against all three sides last year, demolishing Juve, holding Inter and just loosing out to Milan.

All three sides have something very much in common tomorrow night in the sense that their mercato's are still very much unfinished, you would assume. Inter have yet to add to their European Cup winning side while Juve still have yet to add the kind of player that can truly bridge the gap between them an Inter. Milan, who will be without Pato and Thiago Silva who have just returned from International duty, still seem to be seeking a forward. Time is running out though for all three clubs, no doubt though something will happen for all three.

Calcio Mercato: Cesena give their tifosi something more to cheer about

After giving their tifosi their first taste of Serie A since 1991 the Cesena management have attempted to strengthern their side to give themselves a chance of survival in this campaign. Ghana international Stefan Appiah has arrived and the former Bologna, Parma and Juventus player will bring with him bags of Serie A experience to help the newly promoted side. He will join former Chievo striker Erjon Bogdani, midfielder Fabio Caserta on loan from Atalanta and Greek under 21 International Panagiotis Tachtsidis who arrives on loan from Genoa. It will certainly be a season for the Cesena faithful to enjoy as they swap the journeys to the likes of Pescara, Cittadella and Triestina for the likes of the San Siro, Stadio Olimipco and San Paolo instead. There fairytale will begin away in Rome against Roma on the Saturday night game on August 28th. It will be fun to watch how they get on this season.

Calcio mercato: Final run in, so whose next to arrive in Italy?

There is only around 20 days left for this mercato to wrap up this business, and for some clubs, especially the big ones, it seems as if there is still a lot of work to do. Lets take a look at some of the players who have been strongly linked with a move to the land of calcio this summer.

Michel Bastos - Lyon
Bastos impressed at the world cup with his commanding running down the channels and seems likely to leave Lyon this summer. He is reportedly Juventus current major target as they look to complete an impressive defence with Motta, Bonucci, Chielini and Bastos providing the ironwork around Gigi Buffon.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic - Barcelona
There does not seem to be much space left in the Barca forward line for big Ibra to get a starting place anymore. With David Villa and Messi sure to start the remaining berth is between Pedro, Bojan and Ibra. Reportedly he contacted Silvio Berlusconi begging for a transfer to Milan midweek. His signing would certainly put more bums on seats in the San Siro next year such is his high reputation in Italy.

Javier Mascherano - Liverpool
Another player that wants out of his current club and a returning link up with Rafa Benitez seems likely given that Juventus Christian Poulson is on the verge of joining the Anfield based side. Inter have made a lot of money from their win in Europe last season and this seems likely to be the first major signing they make on the market. Strange though that we are still talking about them making their first major signing when approaching mid August.

Nicolas Burdisso - Inter
Formed a solid partnership at Roma with Juan last season and wants to continue that in the approaching campaign. Seems likely to join Roma but Inter want to sell at the right price and are waiting for Roma to meet it. Unlikely to see much action action at Inter so hopefully the player gets what he wants here.

Edin Dzeko - Wolfsberg
This one seems the most unlikely of the lot, but given the never ending links to Milan and Juve it seems worth commenting on. It seems clear enough that the player wants out and if reports are to be believed he was promised that he would be sold this summer last year. With no European action for the German side it would seem like a good time for the German side to sell. However their asking price seems ludicrous and Del Neri seems to be working on invigorating Trezeguet and Amauri for the coming year.

Calcio Mercato: Hernanes Signs for Lazio

Lazio have signing prodigious Brazilian talent Hernanes from giants Sao Paolo under the noses of Lyon, Milan, and Palermo amongst other ambitious sides. Hernanes was hot property last summer when a move to Milan or Barcelona seemed on the cards but Lazio prevailed instead this summer to finally add a creative talent to their midfield, an element that was so desperately missing last season. It does seem rather strange from an objective viewpoint that Hernanes has found his way to a side that finished 12th in Serie A last season especially given that he was ranked number one last summer in a report on the worlds best up and coming players ahead of Marek Hamsik, Karim Benzema, David Silva, Claudio Marchisio and Mario Balotelli amongst others. But that is exactly what has happened. Now we shall see whether all the hype was justified or not as the transfer market begins to heat up now into the late summer months.

Europa League: Juve 1-0 Shamrock

A fantastic Ale Del Piero free kick was pretty much the only highlight in this Europa League clash which was played in torrential rain. At times it seemed as if the ball when passed on the ground would never even move such was the ferocious nature of the conditions. It did not however stop the fans, especially the ones from Ireland, enjoying their night and the unstoppable drive from Del Piero was worth the admission ticket alone. Juve now join Palermo and Napoli in the playoff round before the group stages.

Giovinco joins Parma
Finally it looks as if the atomic ant will get playing time this season as he sets of to the Tardini to ply his trade on a season long loan with the option for Parma to buy half of his contract at the end of the season. With Valeri Bojinov already at Parma the former UEFA cup winners and Cup winners Cup winners have an exciting young forward line that will cause problems for Serie A defences this season.

Calcio Mercato: Genoa sign Rafinha

Genoa have made yet another coup on the transfer market signing highly rated Brazilian right back Rafinha from German giants Schalke 04. There mercato has gone beyond all expectation. After selling Thiago Motta and Diego Milito last summer Genoa's 9th place finish was seen as somewhat of a dissapointment. However, this mercato has been superb. Luca Toni, Portuguese International's Eduaro and Miguel Veloso and now Rafinha have arrived. Not to mention the highly talented Italy defender Andrea Ranocchia who has been loaned out to them from Inter Milan for this season. With European football being absent from Genoa's season the Grifoni all of a sudden look like a strong bet for having the time and ability to mount a challenge for the fourth spot alongside Napoli, Palermo, Fiorentina, Sampdoria and possibly Lazio as well if they can push through their deal for the highly rated and talented Brazilian midfielder Hernanes. But for now, well done Genoa.

One to watch: Philippe Coutinho

I remember a few years ago when Alex Pato made his debut for Milan, and in the same season Mario Balotelli appeared in the shirt of Inter. With both of them it was clear that their talent was a superb level, so much so that even at such a tender age they were able to make the difference at the highest level. Since then they have both made themselves household names, Pato because of his brilliance and Balotelli because of a combination of his ability and controversy. Stefan Jovetic and last season Abel Hernandez also have shown maturity beyond their years, and after watching Philippe Coutinho, just 18, play a hand in demolishing Manchester City 3-0 Saturday night I think its fair to say he is not far behind. Two years in the Brazilian Serie A with Vasco da Gama have given him playing time to adapt to the senior game, but time has been called on his loan and now he finds himself in the tough realms of European football.

However, if Saturday is anything to go by he seems to have taken to it like a duck to water. The youngster showed technique on the ball that left Manchester back line motionless at times, linking the forwards, in this case Pandev and Obinna, with the midfield and opening up pockets of space to exploit with consumate ease. Of course, this was just a friendly match but his ability suggests that he is destined for great things. The question is however, how much time will he get to show this in the coming season, and will it be at Inter. He does seem set to remain, and coach Benitez has already stated that he is the future of Inter Milan which suggests that he will have a role to play this season, even if it comes mainly from the bench. But it seems like the sensible thing to do, grooming the next set of stars at the San Siro as Ranocchia, Santon and maybe Balotelli follow a similar role.