Champions League: No stopping Eto'o

Samuel Eto'o helped Inter dispatch of German side Werder Bremen with relative ease weighing in with a hatrick as inter steamrolled their way to victory by 4-0. It could, and should, have been 2-0 to Inter before Inter even registered their first of the night with Coutinho and Biabiany playing very well in the absence of Pandev and Milito. However, it was the Samuel Eto'o show as he scored twice before Sneijder applied a lovely finish to make it 3-0. Eto'o got his hatrict late on, playing with a photographers camera as he pracised yet another celebration. It was too easy for Inter, but there is still four games to play in this group and many points still to win. However, it remains a much better start than it was last year. 

Rivals AC Milan earned a credible draw against Ajax the night before. They came from behind thanks to a Zlatan Ibrahimovic's well taken strike. The same level of quality could not be said of Robinho. He timed his runs well but his finish when clear though on goal was poor, infact a sign of a man short on confidence. When he does get that back, then Milan will be a different proposition and they will need to be against Real Madrid in three weeks time.

Roma won their second game on the trot, with Mexes and Boriello on target against FC Cluj. Boriello's goal was absolutely superb in the end was the difference between the two sides. Roma face Basel next at home.

Round five: Roman rule

Round five of the season saw both Rome clubs land impressive results as Roma secured a later 1-0 win against European Champions Inter, while Lazio beat Chievo by the same scoreline to put themselves joint top of the division thanks to Mauro Zarate's first goal for seven months. Napoli and Milan however are not far behind, both securing good wins against Genoa and Cesena respectively. Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored an impressive lob while Edison Cavani scored two superb goals in Cesena to blow them away 4-1 in the closing stages.

Elsewhere Fiorentina picked up their first win of the season with a 2-0 win over Parma, with Lorenzo Di Silvestri on target with a heavily deflected goal while Udinese picked up their point of the season away at a somewhat stagnent Sampdoria. Bologna continued to build on their impressive start to the season picking up a hard earned draw in Catania with Marco Di Vaio scoring his fourth goal of the season. Bari, a revelation last season, continued to show no signs of a second season syndrome as they beat Brescia 2-1 at home to give themselves eight points from the opening five rounds.

In the evening game Milos Krasic scored a hatrick for Juventus as they beat Cagliari 4-2 on home turf in a highly entertaining encounter. However, Luigi Del Neri will be concerned about their defensive frailties at Alessandro Matri exposed their backline on two occasion's. Its not a bad defeat for Cagliari as they were the last side to be unbeaten in Serie A this season and they will look to bounce back against Chievo on Sunday.

Round Four: Every one loves a midweek game, except Juve

Juve were well and truly put to the sword tonight against a rejuvenated Palermo side led by the brilliant Javier Pastore who quite frankly is beginning to look unplayable. The Argentine International scored in the early going before playing a key role in the second as Juve had no response. Inter Milan meanwhile had litte trouble in dispatching of Bari by 4-0 with Samual Eto'o and Diego Milito both hitting a brace each. The Cameroon International was on fire once again down the left channel turning provider for Milito as well as Inter hit the top spot in the division. City rivals Milan however could consider themselves fortunate to take a point away from the capital city against Lazio, who should have been at least a goal to the good at the break. As it was Zlatan Ibrahimovic continued his good form giving Milan the lead but it was short lived as Hernanes fed Sergio Floccari who provided a clever finish to leave Abbiati stranded.

However, despite the big clubs providing entertainment the Serie A table has an unfamiliar look to it tonight with Chievo and Brescia just behind Inter on nine points. Brescia continued Roma's misery with a 2-1 home win while Chievo stunned the Napoli faithful with a 3-1 win in the San Paolo. Cesena however could not keep their unbeaten run going and succumbed to a 2-0 defeat in Catania with hitman Maxi Lopez on the scoresheet.

The Genoa clubs could only however pick up a point a piece midweek, with Sampdoria taking a credible 0-0 draw away from Cagliari, who look strong this season, and Genoa drawing 1-1 with Fiorentina. Udinese's woe continued as they suffered a 2-1 defeat in Bologna while Lecce contnued their positive start picking up their 4th point in a 1-1 draw with Parma. Hernan Crespo did however get on the score sheet for Parma, responding to Jeda's penalty kick.

The player: Mr wondergoal, Fabio Quagliarella

After his wonder goal against Udinese at the weekend for Juventus, take a look at the man who simply does not do tap in's in his breakthrough season with Sampdoria.

The player: Milos Krasic

Juve, it would seem, have found themselves a bargain. Milos Krasic was kept in limbo most of this summer, declaring that he wanted to join Juve from Russian giants CSKA Moscow, and in the process shunning moves to Manchester City, Manchester United and other big clubs. The attraction of the old lady was too much for him, and the chance to replicate the dazzling performances of former Ballon d'or winner Pavel Nedved, and his hero, was all the more reason to settle for Juve. But, Juve didn't seem to convinced at first, instead trying to lure Edin Dzeko away from Wolfsberg given the quota of one non-Eu player for Serie A clubs per transfer market. However, it now seems like money well spent, and worth the wait for Krasic as he has blossomed in his first few appearances for the old lady, especially in the game against Udinese where his two pin point crosses lead to a Marchisio volley and an absolute wonder goal from Fabio Quagliarella. Its the sort of service, and pace going forward, that was missing from the Juve midfield last season. Indeed with his long blond hair you could have almost been forgiven for thinking that it was Nedved playing out their on Sunday afternoon. Comparisons for the however do in reality have to stop there, such was the shear power, quality and ability of the great Czech. That's no slight on Krasic however, who has shown already that he can be a huge player for Juve this season, and in the ones to come.

Round four preview: Time for teams to back up their intent

Both Juventus and Lazio had highly positive results at the weekend, but now the real test comes for both these sides as a gauge to how far they can realistically go this season. Juve host Palermo on Thursday night in a game where they were well beaten last season. Despite that the odds have turned somewhat in their favour given Palermo's poor start to the season and Juve's improving form. Confidence will be high for the old lady as they build up to take on Inter Milan in week six's showpiece game. For Lazio Milan arrive in town, as the home side approach a game that rarely has been a happy hunting ground for them. Indeed, their last win against the Rossoneri at home in Serie A was in the 1997/1998 season. Milan are in need of three points while Lazio are in need of a big scalpe given the disaster that was last season. A new initiative at the club will involve the flying of an eagle around the Stadio Olimpico before the game, and as a Laziale I can only hope this brings them good luck.

Inter Milan will look to build upon their excellent win in Palermo against Bari at home in this round. But it will not be easy for them at all. Bari have already defeated Juventus this term and gave Napoli nightmares in round two. They took a point away from the San Siro last season and they will not be happy unless they do so again.

Last seasons runners up Roma are in real trouble as there stuttering start only got worse when they blew a 2-0 lead on Sunday afternoon. But with the quality within their squad it surely is only a matter of time before the winning habit returns, and Brescia will be their opposition on Wednesday night.

Elsewhere Napoli will look to keep their unbeaten record in tact against Chievo, while Fiorentina will look to register their first win of the season away at Genoa, something that will not be easy. Top of the table Cesena face a big test in Sicily away at Catania, so strong on home turf. However, Cesena have yet to concede a goal this season so will be tough to break down. Sampdoria will look to bounce back from their home defeat to Napoli last night, but the trip to Cagliari stands in their way. Bologna will look to build on their positive draw in Rome on Sunday, and will fancy their chances against rock bottom Udinese, the only team in the division to not have a point to their name as of yet. Finally, Lecce host Parma and after beating Fiorentina on home turf two rounds ago and will need to do the same here given the positive start of most of the so called relegation candidates. For Parma, if they are to realise a European berth then three points must surely be attained from Puglia.

Round three: Juve break out, Eto'o sinks Palermo and Napoli conquer Samp

Sampdoria and Palermo fans have an unfamiliar feeling running through their veins tonight. They are not used to being defeated at home, but both experienced exactly that tonight. Unbeaten at home all last season, Palermo were first too fall despite taking the lead against European Champions Inter, who without Sneijder, looke strong as they conquered the Sicilian capital. A brace from Eto'o did the trick as Diego Milito continued to stutter, but the return to form of Douglas Maicon was encouraging to see as the Brazilian looked dominant marauding up and down the right channel. Defeat then for Palermo on home turf, and this was also the case for Samp as Napoli, the dominant side on the night, came from behind to hit two goals in the last seven minutes of regulation play to take three points from Genoa. Antonio Cassano scored his third goal of the season on 78 minutes from the spot but a dominant Marek Hamsik blasted a left footed drive past Curci on 83 minutes to level the tie. Just two minutes later world cup star Edison Cavani scored his goal of the season as the near post to leave Doria fans stunned. It was a sweet moment for Walter Mazzari, the former Sampdoria manager.

Juventus continued the trend of away wins in this round with a thumping 4-0 win at Udinese that could be the tonic to turn their season around. Goals from Bonucci, Quagliarella, Marchisio and Iaquinta left Udinese rock bottom of the league. This is the exact opposite of Cesena, who currently sit top of Serie A after winning over fellow promoted team Lecce thanks to a solo Bogdani goal. Incredibly the promoted outfit have yet to concede a goal. Joining Cesena near the top are Lazio, who won their second game on the bounce again, like Inter and Napoli, coming from behind to complete a 2-1 win against Fiorentina away from home. A dubious penalty gave the Viola the lead but a deflected Ledesma strike and a debut goal from Libor Kozak after some excellent work from Hernanes was enough for Lazio to register three points. A big test awaits the Roman side next on Wednesday night in the shape of AC Milan. It will certainly be a game not to miss.

Speaking of Milan they continued to blow hot and cold in the early days of this season, stuttering to a 1-1 draw against a Catania side that were well worthy of a point. A stunning goal from Capuano gave Catania the lead but old stallwart Pippo Inzaghi was on hand to level the tie after a dream pass from Ronaldinho. But, this did not do enough to spark Milan into life as they limped along until the 90th minute mark. Roma continued to limp along as well, as they have yet to burst into the sort of form that took them within reach of the Scudetto last season. A 2-2 draw with Bologna was their result today, disappointing for them after leading 2-0 at one stage.

Elsewhere, Bari and Cagliari played out a 0-0 draw while Chievo lost their 100% record as Brescia registered their second win on the trot. Finally, Parma came from behind to halt Genoa with a late goal from defender Zaccardo after Luca Toni had scored his first goal for the Grifoni.

Champions League: Ibra sends Milan on their way

Zlatan Ibrahimovic weighed in with a brace to send AC Milan past Auxerre and on their way in the Champions League. They didnt secure a home win last season nor a clean sheet in this competition, but both those negative statistics were conquered tonight. A turgid first half gave way to a much better second as Ronaldinho ran the game from whistle to whistle, playing provider for both goals with the aid of Kevin Prince Boateng for the first as Zlatan did the honours. The first was a well taken tap in while the first was a superb shot angled past the keeper. They go top of their group along with Real Madrid.

Inter did not get off to a winning start but did secure a point away at FC Twente thanks to a stunning Samuel Eto'o goal. Jansen's freekick for Twente was equally as stunning but Inter only had themselves to blame for not taking the three points, especially given Diego Milito's own goal. They host Werder Bremen next in a game that even at this stage can be considered a must win.

Roma however lost 2-0 away in Munich, last years runners up. Thomas Muller and Miroslav Klose did the damage, but with four games now against Basel and FC Cluj Roma will still be confident of progressing given that their toughest game is now out of the way.

Euro Preview: Tough trip for Roma, Inter, Napoli and Samp go dutch

An exciting week of European action awaits the Serie A clubs as most have very winnable fixtures on their plates as they look to get an early foothold out of the group stages into the knock out rounds. First up is reigning European Champions Inter Milan who begin the defence to their crown away at Dutch Champions FC Twente, currently fifth in the Eredivisie after seven rounds. Inter will be without Dejan Stankovic but with Sneijder, Milito and Eto'o all fit there will be no excuses if three points are not brought back to Milan. On Wednesday night rivals AC Milan host french side Auxerre, currently 17th and without a win in Ligue 1 after five rounds. A response will be expected after the stuttering defeat against Cesena Saturday night. By far the toughest game however is handed to Roma who will look to a respond against Bayern Munich after a 5-1 beating by Cagliari. Quite how they plan to do that is anyone's guess, but if ever there is a game to reap confidence from with a good result then it is this.

In the Europa league Juve have a very winnable game against Lech Poznan at home, while Napoli host Dutch side Utrecht, a club famous for their own fans tearing down their Stadium when a new one was about to be constructed. Continuing the Dutch theme, Sampdoria travel to Eindhoven to take on PSV. The Dutch giants are not quite the side they used to be and a win here is achievable Sampdoria, especially given the form Cassano is in.

Round Two Review: Inter and Lazio register first wins, Juve, Milan and Roma struggle

A topsy turvey round of Serie A action has given us a topsey turvey table to look at and digest this evening. Inter kicked the round off and grinded out a win against Udinese in a performance that was reminiscent of many of their home wins last season. Udinese were difficult to break down but Lucio did just that after a corner was not cleared in the early going. However, the big Brazilian was at fault when Floro Flores headed past Julio Cesar to level the game in the first half. Inter began to turn on the style after the break with Sneijder pulling the strings and the pressure proved dividends when Inter were awarded a penalty. Eto'o missed but converted the rebound and it was enough to give them their first three points of the season.

Three points was exactly what Lazio achieved Sunday afternoon in dispatching of Bologna 3-1 without injured hit man Sergio Floccari. The first half proved a frustrating affair for the aquilotti as they struggled to break down Bologna who put everyman and their dog behind the ball. However, a well worked move between Brocchi, Rocchi and Mauri opened up the Bologna back line to allow Mauri to score. Rocchi added to this lead not long after with a wonderful lob, although former Laziale Gabi Mudingayi put a spanner in the works with a superb strike from 25 yards. This raised the tension somewhat but deep in injury time Lazio were awarded a penalty which new recruit Hernanes duly converted.

Three points however was something that Milan, Roma and Juve did not obtain in this round. Juve came close against Sampdoria in a 3-3 draw after taking the lead on two occasions but the away side showed why they finished 4th last season by showing character to level. Milan, despite showing character and endeavour especially through Alex Pato, crashed in a fairytale game for Cesena who absorbed everything Milan to take three points. It is fair however to comment that nothing went Milan's way in this one, including the two disallowed goals and penalty miss. They will need to respond against Catania next week. Roma however were destroyed, going down 5-1 in Cagliari to put an early dent in their title challenge. With one point in the bag it does however remain statistically a better start than last season for them.

Elsewhere Chievo stunned the Genoa tifosi by handing Genoa a 3-1 beating in the marassi, coming from a goal behind. Palermo could not register their first win of the season as Brescia picked up three points with Eder's strike being the pick of the goals in that one. Fiorentina crashed down South in Lecce 1-0 thanks to a Davide Di Michele strike that ensured all of last seasons promoted teams from Serie B picked up three points.

Tonight, Napoli face Bari in the hostile stadio San Paolo in what is sure to be a good game.

Round 2 Preview: Cesena's first Serie A home match for almost two decades

Ticket have been selling like hot cakes for Cesena v Milan on Saturday night as the host's entertain their first home game in Italy's top division since 1991. The compact but passionate Dino Manuzzi arena will see the return of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and the Serie A debut of Robinho as coach Allegri looks to accommodate all this attacking talent into the side. Before this however Inter entertain Udinese, a game that has been difficult for the European Champions in recent seasons. Wesley Sneijder poached a late winner last year, with a 0-0 draw being the result in the 2008/2009 season. Still, anything but a win would put Rafa Benitez under immediate pressure. The same pressure will already be on Juventus coach Luigi Del Neri, but a tough home match awaits them with Sampdoria arriving in town and his former players will be looking to prove a point. For Juve they will have to play much better than they did against Bari else it will be another frustrating afternoon for the Turin faithful.

Elsewhere Roma travel to Cagliari, where they blew to 2-0 lead in injury time last season, while city rivals Lazio host Bologna but it could be a quiet one in the Olimpico with a large portion of fans boycotting the new season ticket structure. Palermo travel to Brescia in what should be an entertaining game, while Europa League rivals Napoli host Bari in the evening match on Sunday night where Edison Cavani will look to add to his goal total this season.

Genoa, with an away win under their belt, host Chievo on Sunday afternoon where a no doubt packed Marassi will look to inspire their side towards maintaining their 100% record. Parma were also winners in week one but have a difficult trip to Catania to make. The home side were reborn in last seasons second half through the goals of Maxi Lopez. Always a tough proposition in Sicily Catania are sure to take some scalps there this season. Finally, much like Parma Fiorentina will make another very long trip down to Lecce. They are still without Adrian Mutu and Stefan Jovetic and it will be interesting to see if Lecce can take advantage of this. They will need to make the Via Del Mare a fortress if they are to hang onto their Serie A status.

Euro 2012: Italy off to a good start

After a dire first half against Estonia the Azzurri bounced back with a better second half performance to take three points in difficult circumstances. Difficult because this was a team with, as Cesare Prandelli said, little confidence and it showed when a defensive mix up and goalkeeping error by Sirigu allowed Estonia to take the lead. Frankly it didn't look good for Italy but they had dominated in possession with Pirlo, De Rossi and Montolivo running the game in midfield. Cassano and Pazzini had been largely contained at this point but that was to change in the second half when he headed home the equiliser from an inch perfect Andrea Pirlo corner. Cassano was again at the heart of the wining goal with a delightful backheel into the path of Leo Bonnuci, the talented Juventus defender who scored his second goal for Italy in just four appearances.

The three points is usually what matters but one can't help but feel in this case that the confidence from simply picking up a win will do wonders for them in the rest of the qualifying campaign and push them onto Euro 2012.

The player: Robinho

Its time to take a closer look at Robinho, AC Milan's new signing who will debut in Serie A this season and no doubt light it up with his trickery and pace.

At just 26, Robinho seems like he has been around for years. In many respects he has, clocking up mileage for three different clubs in three different leagues so far in his young career. His first port of call was the mythical Brazilian club Santos, home to the legendary Pele, where he played his first three years of his career. He registered almost a goal in every other game, hitting the net 46 times in 111 appearances. This sparked a move to Real Madrid at the tender age of just 21 where the spent three seasons, registering 25 goals in total. This was lower than his Santos total, but in a vastly more difficult league and setting.

His efforts were rewarded with a top ten finish in the prestigious Ballon D'or award, and with two La Liga titles in 2006-7 and 2007-08 in which he played a full roll, both with goals and assists. However, his efforts were not ironically appreciated by the club who tried to include him in a deal to ascertain Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo. When this approach was rejected, Robinho decided to leave anyway and eventually was purchased by Manchester City for £32 million, a figure that is still a British transfer record. However, this proved to be a mistake. He hit his biggest ever goal total in European football in his first season, with 14, but his second season was a disaster with it apparent that he would want to have been anywhere else. He was loaned out to old club Santos and fell into a rich vein of form additionally for the national side where he hit six goals in just seven games for the selection.

Its seems as if Milan have a very good player on their hands, one that will deliver in an environment where he feels comfortable and appreciated. With the large amount of Brazilian players on offer in the Milan side he is sure to feel right at home.

Calcio Mercato: Mega final day in Serie A

Wow, what a final day in the transfer market for Serie A clubs. AC Milan added to an already excellent mercato by signing up Brazilian forward Robinho, aged 26, for around 18 million euros. The forward, who led Brazil at this summers world cup, has considerable talent and will add yet another dimension to what looks like a formidable attack. Pato, Ibrahimovic, Ronaldinho and now Robinho. Thats not to mention Pippo Inzaghi who still is goal hungry. With Sokratis, Marco Amelia and Kevin Prince Boateng also arriving in Milan it is not hard to understand why there is a strong smell of optimism in the AC camp this season.

To fund these outstanding arrivals however something had to given, and Klass Jan Huntelaar finds himself on a way way ticket to Germany to join Schalke 04, and will find champions League football on offer there as well. Marco Boriello also makes way at the San Siro as he leaves for Roma as the capital club strenghtern their attack.

Elsewhere Genoa signed Milan defender Kakha Kaladze to take their spending to around 41 million for the summer while Parma added to their superb level of creativity with Antonio Candreva leaving from Udinese to join up with Seba Giovinco. Several of the relegation candidates also strengthened as well with Brescia signing Jonathan Zebina while Cesena added some creative impetus with the arrival of Luis Jimenez, finally released from his nightmare with Ternana.

Juventus also had something further to say in this mercato with Mauro Camoranesi moving to Stuttgart in Germany while defenders Leandro Rinaudo, from Napoli, and Armand Traore, from Arsenal, arriving in Turin. For rivals and European Champions Inter Milan however there was no last minute big hit transfer. Whether they will be tempted to add anyone new in January however remains to be seen.