La Prima Giornata: Review

Match of the Week:
Napoli @ Fiorentina 1-1: Cavani 7 (N), D'Agostino 49 (F)

Obviously a shame that Fiorentina had that call go against them. I'd like to wonder why they allow goalline referees in the Champions League but not Serie A. Anyway, it was a satisfactory result for both teams. Cavani gets credit for a goal which is espcially important considering how quickly Quagliarella simply up and left for Juve. Similar situation for Fiorentina as their new signing also scored and will hopefully fill the hole that Jovetic's injury left.
(My Prediction: 1-2 Fiorentina)

Standings...

(Skysports.com)

Genoa @ Udinese 1-0: Mesto 81 (G)

(My Prediction: 0-1 Udinese)

Cesena @ Roma 0-0

Its another slow start for Roma. While Cesena are due credit, its early results like these, where the team is apparently unmotivated, that have kept Roma from possibly two Scudetti over the past three years.
(My Prediction: 0-0)

Juventus @ Bari 0-1: Donati 43 (B)

This is probably the most surprising result of the week, tied with Inter's, maybe. You would think after all the reworking Juve did over the summer that they could at least score a goal? Credit to Bari though, as they performed just like last year as well. At home, they're a force to be reckoned with and it looks like things will stay the same for 2010/11.
(My Prediction: 2-2)

Catania @ Chievo 1-2: Moscardelli 14 (Ch), Ricchiuti 22 (Ca), Pellissier pen 83 (Ch)

Maybe this season I'll lighten the criticism of Chievo as whenever I call them out in my predictions, they seem to show me up. A strong, late win is a great way to start the season and considering their top striker, Sergio Pellissier, got on the scoresheet, maybe they'll be aiming for top half of the table.
(My Prediction: 2-1 Catania)

Lecce @ Milan 0-4: Pato 15, 28 (M), Thiago Silva 23 (M), Inzaghi 90 (M)

Milan's first half display was quite possibly the best 45 minutes of soccer that I have ever seen them play in my short 4-year history. As a Milan fan, I was hyped up going into the game from a number of things: a) the signing of Zlatan, b) having visited the San Siro this summer, I could only imagine the atmosphere of what its like on opening night, c) this was already a good team before, now every seriously contenders. While Lecce's defense did well at the start, Milan's attack was simply Barcelona-esq. I can only hope Milan keep it up, especially after picking up Robinho today.
(My Prediction: 1-3 Milan)

Brescia @ Parma 0-2: Bojinov 10 (P), Morrone 45 (P)

All the credit for Parma's victory seems to be going in the way of the Atomic Ant, Sebastian Giovinco. Having finally parted from Juventus, he came to play and had a hand in both goals. Brescia simply seemed overwhelmed, but having been promoted, they get a free pass.
(My Prediction: 0-3 Parma)

Lazio @ Sampdoria 0-2: Cassano pen 60 (S), Guberti 73 (S)

Nice reaction from Sampdoria after getting bounced from the Champions League. I wasn't sure whether to expect this or the kind of hangover they went through during last winter where they couldn't win a game for shit. Lazio, who knows. Still plenty of work to for both Roman clubs as it turns out.
(My Prediction: 1-1)

Cagliari @ Palermo 0-0

A bit of a disappointing result for two of last year's more exciting clubs, especially considering Palermo usually show up when playing at home.
(My Prediction: 1-2 Palermo)

Inter @ Bologna 0-0

As I mentioned before, this was the joint-most surprising result of the week. Maybe you could've seen this coming after Inter's loss in the UEFA Super Cup but against Bologna, who have already fired their coach? AND they had watched Milan send a big message to the league the night before. Obviously the season has barely begun, but against clubs like Bologna, these points could be precious in time.
(My Prediction: 4-0 Inter)

AC Milan sign Ibrahimovic

(I took this picture outside of the San Siro on July 30th)

Massive, massive signing that became official only hours after my first post today. Milan has finalized a 24 million euro deal with Barcelona for a year long loan, with Milan's option to buy at the end of the season, for Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The total length of the deal would end up lasting four years.



Apparently 16 La Liga goals and 4 Champions League goals in your first season isn't good enough for Barca. Those numbers are peanuts compared to what he did for Inter and what he'll be expected to do for Milan. With Milan's addition of an absolute monster of a striker, they're legit contenders for the scudetto, maybe even the favorites. With a new and exciting coach and Hunteelar, Jankulovski, and Kaladze expected to be cashed in for, Zlatan's signing revolutionizes the team. November 13th just got highlighted, underlined, and circled on my calendar.

La Prima Giornata

Late August has arrived and so another season of Serie A is about to begin. As always, there's a lot to look forward to in terms of the future of this league. My biggest concern, along with many others, is the UEFA coefficent, which determines how many Champions League spots each league is awarded. Well this is an absolutely crucial season, as the German Bundesliga is right on Italy's heels. What I want to know is if in fact Serie A is the 3rd toughest and most competitive league in Europe. I think we'll see that Serie A is still a top-notch league and that it will only get better with time.

Housekeeping: There is a Monday match this week (Bologna-Inter)! Make sure not to miss out.


A litter refresher to get you excited for this season

Match of the Week:
Napoli @ Fiorentina SUN 2:45PM EST Live on ESPN3.com and RAI
Two teams that will again set their sights on 4th place. Both teams have some proving to do as Napoli need to show that last season wasn't a fluke and Fiorentina to readjust under their new coach, Siniša Mihajlović. I'll be look forward to a lot of energy from both teams, as this already 3 big points against potential CL competitors.
(My Prediction: 1-2 Fiorentina)

Genoa @ Udinese SAT 12:00PM EST Live on ESPN3.com and RAI
This match has the honor of the first official match of the season. Unfortunately, its not exactly marquee. Genoa had a subpar season and Udinese didn't find safety until late. However Genoa tends to keep in interesting more often than not. And with Udinese reaffirming their starlet and capocannoniere, Antonio Di Natale, by rejecting a bid from Juventus, there's plenty of excitement to watch.
(My Prediction: 0-1 Udinese)

Cesena @ Roma SAT 2:45PM EST Live on FSC, ESPN3.com, and RAI
Newly promoted versus 2nd best Roma. Roma's gotten off to poor starts the past two seasons so look for Cesena to take advantage and make a name for themselves.
(My Prediction: 0-0)

Juventus @ Bari SUN 12:00PM Live on ESPN3.com and RAI
It should be fun to watch these two teams and what changes they'll be able to make from last year. For Juve, you can only go up after having the worst season in the club's history. But they're made several changes over the summer, including a new coach (Gigi Del Neri), shipping players out (Diego, Cannavaro), and bringing in new ones (Krasic, Quagliarella). Bari will be looking to maintain their breakout season after being promoted. Hopefully selling some of their standout players (Bonucci, Ranocchia) won't be too much to handle.
(My Prediction: 2-2)

Catania @ Chievo: SUN 2:45PM EST
A mid-table battle, it'll be interesting to see where both teams end up. Catania possibly ended last season as the hottest team in the league. I'd like to see how much of an influence Siniša Mihajlović had on that. Chievo is the dead fish of the league to me. Not battling for Europe, but also not threated by relegation. I just hope their they end up in either one of those races.
(My Prediction: 2-1 Catania)

Lecce @ Milan SUN 2:45PM EST Live on FSC and ESPN3.com
It should be no surprise that my focus is on Milan here. I'm feeling very optimistic about their chances this season, despite not making a splash in the market. That is of course unless they sign, who could be, the most dominant striker this league has seen since I've been watching, Zlatan. Lecce, as Serie B champions, should provide a decent challenge. Nonetheless, I don't think Milan have an excuse to lose this game.
(My Prediction: 1-3 Milan)

Brescia @ Parma SUN 2:45PM EST
I wouldn't expect anything from Brescia except to try to stay up in Serie A, much like Bologna. Parma though could fight for a Europa League spot.
(My Prediction: 0-3 Parma)

Lazio @ Sampdoria SUN 2:45PM EST
After a torrid season, Lazio should be recharged and aiming for the top half of the table. They should find hope in their good form at the end of last season. However I wouldn't be surprised to see Sampdoria terribly hung over from their Champions League playoff disappointment. They have the talent to get back to 4th, but who knows if they've got the heart.
(My Prediction: 1-1)

Cagliari @ Palermo SUN 2:45PM EST
I don't expect a lot from Cagliari this season, having lost coach Max Allegri to Milan. However, they still have potential to stay up. However, against a team like Palermo, who should be recharged after a great run last season, I don't think the Sardinians will be up for it.
(My Prediction: 1-2 Palermo)

Inter @ Bologna MON 2:45PM EST Live on FSC, ESPN3.com, and RAI
Had Inter won the UEFA Super Cup, they would feel as if they're on top of the world. Instead, hopefully they're looking at their loss to Atletico as a wake up call. Starting against Bologna though should be a good place to begin. Look for them to hoist the scudetto, again.
(My Prediction: 4-0 Inter)

Welcome Back!

It's been a long, amazing summer and now it's time to prepare for the 2010/11 Serie A season. The first round begins Saturday August 28, a bit late compared to the other big leagues. There have been some note-worthy changes in the scheduling of games:

1) There will be Sunday afternoon matches, creating an earlier third timeslot
2) A few Monday night matches will happen (alla EPL)
3) Teams with upcoming Champions League matches will play Fridays

All of this will be made clearer after the first round. Essentially, its a good step forward, in my opinion, to make Serie A more contemporary. I do have a major concern though when it comes to how games will be televised. As Fox Soccer rises, as does Fox Soccer Plus, and how they decide to prioritize EPL over Serie A. Since FS+ requires its own subscription (which I'm not willing to pay), some bigger Serie A matches, which would normally be broadcasted on FSC, could get the boot in favor of EPL matches. All of this is only speculation though, as we'll see how it really goes in the coming months. As a friendly reminder, here are my suggestions to check out weekly matches:

1) RAI: While requiring subsciption, they broadcast the most games and have the best coverage of Serie A.
2) Fox Soccer Channel: Available in most digital cable packages, FSC offers a solid amount of matches.
3) Fox Sports en Espanol: Its not uncommon when FSC delays Serie A matches that they will air live on FSE. Not a bad resource to forget about.
3) ESPN3.com: It's not TV, but its free with most internet providers and has at least 2 matches per round, up to four.
4) GolTV: Holds the primary TV rights to the Coppa Italia and Europa League.
5) Fox Soccer Plus: While they seemed to have aired live Serie A matches, I'm not willing to pay X-amount in subscription for one match per week.

As for Champions League, Fox again holds the rights this season so look to FSC, FS+, and FSC.com for broadcasts.

In the coming days, I'll be previewing the new season, transfers, favorites, and expectations. I'm also hoping to share some experiences I had in my very first trip to Italy. I got to see some of my favorite stadiums and took some great photos. Being able to finally see the cathedrals you watch on TV each week sheds a whole new light on the great game. I can't even imagine what its like to watch a real match over there.