Round Eight Review: Lazio steam ahead, Milan cling to their heals

Another round, another win for Lazio who continue to pick up three points much to the delight of their fans. This time Cagliari were the victims thanks to a superb Sergio Floccari strike and a Stefano Mauri tap in after some good work from Floccari once again. It was not all plain sailing however, far from it. Alessandro Matri showed why he is becoming one of the most lethal finishers around with a well taken header after a Radu error. Indeed, Matri was a constant pain for the Lazio defence and probably should have scored for Cagliari in the first half but balloned wide instead. One of Matri's former clubs, Milan, also registered a win in Naples although again not in convincing fashion. After a fairly balanced start it was Milan who took the lead through Robinho's second Serie A goal in as many games. Massimo Oddo, on for Antonini after a clash of heads, played Robinho into space for the Brazilian Ace to fire home with his left foot. It was Oddo again who turned provider, this time for Ibrahimovic in the second half who headed home the Italian's cross totally unmarked when Napoli were down to ten men. Despite this the closing stages of the game were dominated by Napoli and an absolute piece of genius from Lavezzi got Napoli back in the game, but it was too little too late in the end. The same could be said of Inter, who left it too late to push home their domination of the latter stages against Sampdoria in a 1-1 draw. In the end only Samuel Eto'o, yet again, could save them from their first home defeat in the league since early 2008 against Juventus.

Fiorentina, expected to battle for the champions league places, removed themselves from the bottom of the division with a hard fought win over Bari. Parma replaced them at the bottom soon after but could not remove themselves from the position after a turgid 0-0 draw with Roma. Previously rock bottom Udinese, for the first few weeks of the campaign, secured their third win on the go this time taking Palermo's scalp. Mario Pinilla was again on target for Palermo but this turned out to be only a consolation in a 2-1 reverse in Udine. 

One side that has been no where near the bottom this season is Chievo, and this remains to be the case after a 2-1 home win against Cesena. In fact this win now puts Chievo into fourth spot in the table and light years away from the relegation battle that most thought they would be in, for the time being. Another unexpected side flying high are Lecce, the perennial yoyo club that I personally thought would be rooted to the bottom of the table from start to finish this season. Not so however, as they showed character in coming from behind against Brescia at the Via Del Mare to take another three points in casa. Experienced hitman Davide Di Michele scored the winner to move Lecce up to 10th in the table. They remain level with Genoa who, after massive investment over the last few years, were under pressure to win this home game. They delivered a 1-0 win against Catania with Marco Rossi on target. Finally, Bologna picked up another credible point against Juventus this time, with the Old Lady missing a penalty as well during the match. Perhaps the worst part of this for Juve is the expected two match ban for Milos Krasic for diving during the game, the second game in succession. Currently, he will miss the big game against Milan this weekend.

So another round which has done little to unravel the tight an unpredictable nature of this table. Just five points separates 20th place from 5th at the moment, making it difficult to judge who is at risk of relegation and who is on course for greater things.

Player Profiles: Eto'o, the unstoppable Lion

14 goals in 12 games so far this season. You read it right, 14 goals in 12 games. At the beginning of the season, if you had told any Inter fan that they would have been without Diego Milito the period that he has been out injured then they would have wondered where the goals were going to come from. Don't get me wrong, Eto'o was outstanding for Inter last season, sacrificing himself down the left channel for the benefit of the Inter Juggernaut that went on to win everything possible. He weighed in with big goals as well, away at Chelsea, at home in a showdown with Roma. This season however, he has become the focal point of Inter. Everything he touches seems to end up in the back of the net, football's equivalent of King Midas on current form. 

From the hatrick against Werder Bremen to the superb strike against Cagliari last weekend, Eto's has given Rafa Benitez a real problem, because what will happen when El Principe returns? Does he push Eto'o back out onto the wing with the freedom to cut inside, or does he completely change Inter's shape and revert their 4-3-3 to a 4-4-2? The latter would be a mistake, as their power as a counter attacking unit when necessary is on full display when they operate under the way that Mourinho played. That being said, they have already shown under Benitez how good they can be at retaining possession and cutting teams apart with sharp, smart attacking play. Eto'o is at the forefront of that at the moment, and there is no sign of the goals drying up. Considering his record at Barcelona that can be taken as par for the course.

Euro Round up: Dismal week for Italian clubs

A dismal week in Europe for the Italian sides has done little to enhance their qualification chances for the next phase. Inter were the only side to win and even they made a real mess of it when all was said and done by conceding three times after having a 4-0 lead thanks to a superb first half performance. There was no such luck for city rivals AC Milan,  outclassed in Madrid against Real by 2-0. It could have been more, and frankly Milan coach Allegri got it all wrong by playing a side with little balance in it. Robinho probably should have started from the beginning as should have Kevin Prince Boateng as his work ethic and defensive coverage would have helped Milan a lot more than Seedorf and Ronaldinho who contributed next to nothing all night long. If their defeat was bad, Roma's was diabolical. A 3-1 reverse at home to Basel put a serious dent in them securing qualification in a relatively straight forward group. They'll need to set the record straight in Basel in two weeks time to put their noses in front before welcoming Bayern to Rome.

In the Europa League both Napoli and Juve secured draws, but not in credible fashion. Napoli dominated against Liverpool but just could not find they way through, while Juve came from behind to draw in Salzberg. Both sides are well positioned to qualify but must pick up a win in the next round to get themselves on the road for the next phase. Sampdoria however crashed to a pathetic defeat away to Metalist. They took the lead but the home side leveled before they were reduced to ten men. Despite this, Metalist took the lead through a stunning overhead kick. Samp had no answer. Palermo also had no answer in a much tougher test against CSKA Moscow. Last years Champions League last eight side cruised past ten man Palermo 3-0. 

So, a poor week in Europe but all clubs still have the chance to make it to the next phase. Objectively, perhaps only Palermo are in trouble as their trip to CSKA next round will be very difficult, but it remains a must win for them.

Video tribute: Milos Krasic

He's been lighting up Serie A so far this season, so take a closer look at Milos Krasic.

Calcio comment: Del Neri proving his worth at Juve

It's taken a while, but Juve seem finally to be seeing the fruits of Luigi De Neri's work. In many respects it is not surprising that Juve stuttered and spluttered around at the seasons birth. After all, the manor of the total destruction of their campaign last season is not a memory easily washed away. We saw this in week two against Sampdoria, when they conceded three at home in a 3-3 draw with defensive errors. Again, we saw this against the Lech Poznan where the opening 30 minutes provided the viewer with a guide of how not to defend. But, slowly and surely these errors, lapses of concentration have weathered away and Juve have benefited significantly from that. The goals have continued to flow, but for now the direction is only in the back of the oppositions net. Four goals against Cagliari, Udinese, and Lecce in recent weeks have confirmed that Juve know exactly where the back of the net is. Much of that has come down to the brilliance of midfielder Milos Krasic, and there is the slight danger that Juve have become over reliant on the great Serb despite being only seven rounds in.

With that in mind, it comes as a big bonus for the Juve faithful to see Alberto Aquiliani blossoming in central midfield as his strike from distance at the weekend brought back memories of some of his thunderous strikes that he hit when being a key cog in Roma's midfield seasons ago. Sill, caution is required and no doubt etched in the memories of Juve fans especially after last season. Champions League football remains the target, and thats something Del Neri achieved with his 4-4-2 formation at Sampdoria last season. But maybe, just maybe they can do better than that given their impressive form in recent weeks. Salzberg up next for Juve, and one game at a time has to be their mentality.

Round seven: Lazio continue to fly at the top, Inter, Milan and Juve close behind

Another round, another win for Lazio as their continue to nullify their opponents into submission. This time it was Bari, and this time two goals on the break made the difference as Stefano Mauri hit two assists for Hernanes and Sergio Floccari push in the goals for the Rome club to bring back three points. Inter and Milan however remain in close proximity to wrecking Lazio's fairytale as both recorded wins. A stunning Samuel Eto'o strike condemed Cagliari to defeat while a brace from Alex Pato gave Milan the points to keep pace with the leaders at the top before their difficult trip to Naples next Monday night. Dark horses Juventus however sent out another message as they recored another 4-0 victory, this time against Lecce. Alberto Aquilani's fierce drive gave Juve the lead before Melo and Quagliarella made the points safe. The best was saved till last however as Del Piero rolled back the years with a majestic finished in the second half. 

Leading the chase behind the top sides are Napoli and Palermo. The former stuttered to a draw against Catania and probably should have gone down to a defeat their but for Morgan De Sanctis. Palermo however again showed their potential with youngsters Pastore and Illicic on the score sheet again in a 4-1 win against Bologna. Sampdoria seem intend on joining this party, and thank to a mad 90 seconds at the Marassi they overturned a 1-0 scorline against Fiorentina to take the points. Reto Ziegler and Antonio Cassano were the heros there. 

Elsewhere Udinese picked up their second straight win while Parma stopped the rot of defeat by taking a point away at Cesena.

Round seven preview: Season resumes.

Round six brought some showpiece clashes with Juventus heading to Milan to take on Inter and Napoli defeating Roma in the Derby Del Sud. This time however the clashes are maybe not so grand but they are equally important. Juventus entertain Lecce on Sunday afternoon, and after taking a point from the San Siro last time round they will look to take three here. However, if this season is anything to go by then Lecce will be confident of at least hitting the back of the net in Turin. Sampdoria did it three times, Cagliari twice and Lech Poznan thrice as well. Juventus need to sent a message here, it's time to score but learn to defend as well. It'll be a game I will be watching on Sunday and I think it will be a lot of fun. 

The Milan club's have tricky games to contend with. AC take on Chievo at home in the early kick of on Saturday. It's never been an easy game for them over the years, and the flying Donkeys have started well this season and sit just a point behind Milan as we stand. Still, Milan will be confident of a win I feel. Alex Pato is set to play after scoring for Brazil midweek while Zlatan Ibrahimovic will look to continue his fine form in front of goal by adding to his total this season. For Inter a trip to Sardinia awaits them. Rafa Benitez likes to go there on Holiday, but will he like it so much after 90 minutes here? Roma lost 5-1 here, but Inter have had success on this ground witha 2-0 win last year evidence of that. There's no Diego Milito or Estaban Cambiasso but Thiago Motta looks set to return along with Javier Zanetti.

Elsewhere league leaders Lazio head to Bari, a very difficult place to play. Few teams came away from there with anything last season but confidence is high in the blue half of Rome with numerous players in their camp recently receiving international call ups. For Roma they host Genoa and their battered confidence will need to be swept aside in order for them to get a win here and get their season up and running. City rivals Sampdoria take on Fiorentina, both having underwhelmed so far this season. However, defeat for the Viola could be the final straw and see Mihajlovic removed from his post. This is not the case for Walter Mazzari of Napoli who leads Napoli into Catania with the possibility of them being top come the end of this round in some shape or form. Edison Cavani is in red hot form while Marek Hamsik is as well. Catania are strong at home but that may not be enough here. Delio Rossi additionally seems to have saved himself from the axe of Palermo president Zamperini, for the time being. Wins in Florence and Turin put paid to that, but unless they start winning home games they can forget about Europe this year. Bologna await Palermo and it won't be easy by any stretch with the visitors defeated just once this season so far by Lazio. Finally, Brescia entertain Udinese.

Calcio tribute: Manuel Rui Costa

It's time to take a look at one of Calcio's best straneri who played in Serie A for 12 years for Fiorentina and Milan, moving to the latter for £30 million. Manuel Rui Costa, without question a world class player who supplied ammunition for Batistuta, Shevchenko and Inzaghi over the years.

Calcio comment: Tight Serie A season ahead

Last year, of course, earned the title of the epitomy of a tight season. Once again Inter and Roma were involved as the Scudetto changed hands three times on the final day of the season in the last campaign. But, especially after Sampdoria were victorious in Rome against Roma in the last rounds of the campaign, Inter's victory had an air of inevitability about it. They were, and are, the best side in the division and in Europe after their Champions League heroics last season and remain a tough nut to crack for any side .  Indeed, despite Mourinho's much heralded arrival in Madrid for myself Barcelona and Chelsea remain the threats to their European crown. However, it seems as if this year their historic challengers to the Scudetto, Juventus and Milan, have perhaps awoken from their slumber. Milan have transformed their attack with Zlatan Ibrahimovic being the reference point up front and Robinho providing pace down the flanks and if they can keep Alex Pato fit then they have an attack that can damage any defence. There's more balance in the midfield as well with Mathieu Flamini beginning to play more of a role and Kevin Prince Boateng able to weigh in both defensively and from an attacking viewpoint. The crux for the Rossoneri will however be the ability for Andrea Pirlo to leave his creative mark on the game. Last season was not his finest it is fair to say but in the last few rounds the metronome has started to show the passing range that he is famed for. 

For Juventus, it seemed as if the lack of confidence, and frankly quality, that dogged them last season has not gone away. The home defeat against Palermo highlighted the lack of idea's that blighted Juve last term, while the inability to defend without question returned againt Lech Poznan and Sampdoria at home in Serie A. A corner, to some degree, seems however to have been turned. A credible win over Cagliari showed that Juve have no problem scoring goals while a comfortable draw at Manchester City, second in the EPL, began to show a Juve growing in confidence and the influence of their news players, most notably Milos Krasic and return to form of Felipe Melo. It was however the 0-0 at Inter that perhaps highlights the potential of this Juve side. Chance for chance it was a game that Juve probably should have won and that alone should inspire confidence that Del Neri can drill into the squad. However, its not so much confidence, quality or individual ability that will top Inter Milan, it is the simple word of consistency. It's one thing to rise to the challenge against the Barcelona's of this world, but it's quite another to bring your A game against the likes of Lecce and Chievo. That's exactly why Milan and Juve have to do this weekend else they can forget about the Scudetto. However, I think this year they both have the tools to achieve the kind of consistency that can result in a title win, making for an exciting, tight and tense season ahead.

Round Six: Inter and Juve draw, while Lazio take advantage

Inter Milan v Juve had everything in the end but the goal as two giants of the Italian game took a point from the derby d'Italia. Inter started well but it was Juve who turned the screw as the game went on with Milos Krasic sending a delicious cross across the box which Julio Cesar just diverted out of the reach of Vicenzo Iaquinta. Indeed, Juve went close again in the second half with Fabio Quagliarella put clean through on goal, but the pressure of Lucio bearing down from behind seemed to do enough to put the former Napoli man off his stride and fire his shot straight at Julio Cesar. It was not all Juve however as Diego Milito had a chance that perhaps he would have buried this time last year when he was full of confidence. 0-0 was probably fair in the end but certainly not indicative of the quality of the game that had been witnessed by the 80,000 packed into the San Siro. 

With Inter stalling again Milan took advantage for the second consecutive week as they won in Parma with Andrea Pirlo on the mark with a 30 yard strike. It's been a while since he punched one in from that distance but it was well worth the wait. Napoli as well were victoriuous and join Inter and Milan in second place. Marek Hamsik was again on target for the San Paolo outfit as they came out winners in the derby del sole against bitter rivals Roma. For Roma there inconsistent start continues as they slip into the relegation zone at this early stage. Palermo too continued their inconsistent start, this time however with a win away in Florence by 2-1 with Javier Pastore on target again. Dellio Rossi's men don't seem to be able to win at home in the league but have made up for that with two consecutive away wins against Fiorentina and Juve no less.

The same cannot be said of Lazio who go from strenght to strength, winning for the fourth time this season to take them up to 13 points and into first place in the division thanks to a 1-0 win over Brescia. Stefano Mauri was on target after Brazilian International Hernanes skimmed past the Brescia defence to put Mauri clean through just before half time.

Elsewhere Udinese finally registered three points at home to Cesena with a last minute goal while Bologna continued their solid start to the season with a 1-1 draw with Sampdoria. Chievo and Cagliari dug out a 0-0 draw while Lecce again surprised Serie A by picking up their 8th point of the season beating Catania at home. Genoa join Lecce on eight points, with a Luca Toni late strike sealing their first win at home this campaign.

Calcio Tribute: Sinisa Mihajlovic

 With Lazio top of the table after week six all things calcio takes a look at one of the clubs former legends, Sinisa Mihajlovic. People should have learned not to give away a free kick when this guy was around.