over the next week or so, i'm going to take a look at where serie a, la primera liga, and the liga sagres are as they enter their winter breaks. i'll run down the tables, and say a few things about how the season is going for each of the teams. here's the italian edition...
serie a (17/16 rounds played of 38)
1) inter (39 points)
same as it ever was for inter. they couldn't lose the title if they tried, and are currently 9 points clear of their city rivals. however, the same fundamental problems from the last couple of seasons remain- there is no established left back (chivu is a centre back, i refuse to accept otherwise), there is not much of a link (when sneijder is injured) between midfield and attack, whilst quaresma and mancini have continued their woeful form. these issues are rarely damaging in domestic competition, but they will do for mourinho in europe.
2) ac milan (31 points)
after a terrible, terrible start, milan have (that awful home defeat to palermo apart), been playing much better. leonardo is no tactical genius, but he has accomplished something ancelotti couldn't- he's revitalised ronaldinho, and found a 4-3-3 system which allows the erratic brazilian to express himself. thiago silva has been a success at the back, and even dida hasn't been that bad. they're still aging, and will produce shocking performances from time to time, but are progressing.
3) juventus (30 points)
juve have had the ac milan season in reverse. they started well, and big summer signings diego and felipe melo looked settled. in the last month, however, juve have, well, regressed. the team plays with no width and no fluidity, and both brazilians look unhappy at their deployment within the (oft-changing) formation. the low point came on sunday with a pathetic 2-1 home defeat to catania, preceded by ultras pelting the team bus with eggs. at the moment it looks as if internal changes are afoot, but i'd be surprised if ciro ferrara lasted the season.
4) roma (28 points)
after a turbulent start which saw the departure of luciano spalletti, and an on-off takeover situation, claudio ranieri has steadied the roma ship somewhat. victory in the rome derby, as well as smooth-ish progression into the knockout stages of the europa league have ensured the fans have been (mostly) transformed from the baying mob of earlier in the season. totti, when fit, is playing well, and although the financial problems remain, roma look well placed for a return to the champions league places. which would, of course, aid the financial situation.
5) parma (28 points)
it's good to have parma back. by far the best of the promoted sides, their return to the upper reaches of the league has been unsurprising to those in the know. a combination of veterans (christian panucci and nicola amoruso have been particularly impactful) and young talent (most notably playmaker danielle galloppa) has put them in the hunt for europa league qualification. it's a far cry from the days of crespo and thuram, but parma have been the story of the season so far.
6) napoli (27 points)
having spent big in the summer, napoli president and film mogul aurelio de laurentiis endured two months of poor performances from his team, before replacing roberto donadoni with walter mazzarri, who he probably should have gone after in the first place. napoli remain inconsistent, but mazzarri's main accomplishment has been to allow players such as lavezzi and hamsik to express themselves. they'll do well to hold onto those two beyond june, but napoli should be able to consolidate their top-six position.
7) palermo (26 points)
perhaps the most trigger-happy owner in serie a, maurizio zamparini only gave walter zenga 13 games to gel his team before firing the much-travelled bald one, and bringing in ex-lazio boss delio rossi. it's a thankless task in truth, as palermo are probably not much better than 7th place, and much-hyped argentine javier pastore has thus far failed to live up to his tag as 'the new kaka'. sigh. expect zamparini to continue his managerial musical chairs come seasons end, when palermo fail to qualify for europe and superb young defender simone kjaer is sold.
8) sampdoria (25 points)
samp were rolling back the years at the start of the season, winning 5 of their first 6 matches, and sparking (foolish) talk of a return to the days of vialli and mancini. but they've only taken 5 points from the last 8 rounds, antonio cassano is telling the fans to eat shit, and coach del neri has just received the dreaded vote of confidence. that's more like the sampdoria we know and love. after an overachieving start, mid-table is a truer reflection of their abilities.
9) bari (24 points)
another promoted side rising above expectations. after parting company with antonio conte, the man who guided them to an emphatic serie b title, most (myself included) expected bari to struggle. but no. they are comfortably mid-table, and possess a fearsome defence, second only in goals conceded to inter. loanees andrea ranocchia and sergio almiron has also impressed, with the former surely heading to a big team come summer. but for now, bari can look forward to with securing safety sooner than anticipated.
10) fiorentina (24 points)
they might have beaten liverpool home and away in qualifying for the last 16 of the champions league, but mounting a european campaign has come at the expense of league form for fiorentina. they're only 4 points off the top 4, but have been lacked consistency, something admittedly down in large part to injuries. i expect them to be eliminated at the quarter-final stage, and then mount a charge to secure champions league football once again.
11) genoa (24 points)
the success story of last season, genoa have also been affected by a european challenge, having been eliminated from the group stages of the europa league. however, the main problem for them has undoubtedly been the loss of diego milito and thiago motta to inter, and the failure of replacements floccari and zapater to settle. having said that, the high turnover of players has meant that genoa have yet to hit their stride, and, like fiorentina, i expect a top-six finish.
12) chievo verona (24 points)
buoyed by survival last season, the flying donkeys have made a good start to their campaign. pellissier has again been key, and the bentegodi is fast becoming a tough place to get a result, evidenced by the recent 2-1 win over fiorentina. whilst they're in no danger of going down, it's hard to see how domenico di carlo can push his team much further up the table. but then that's what they said back in 2001.
13) cagliari (23 points)
massimo allegri continues to mark himself out, in my opinion, as of the finest young italian managers. having lost his main goalscoring threat in roberto acquafresca, he has nonetheless continued to guide his team towards mid-table security, and perhaps something more. alessandro matri has begun to mature into a solid forward, whilst summer signing nene is already attracting attention from the likes of bordeaux. for a club which, by size and attendance levels, should be in serie b, the prospect of european football is giddying, yet realistic.
14) udinese (18 points)
the over-reliance on antonio di natale has finally begun to be reflected in the performances at the stadio friuli. just 5 wins, and 19 goals scored, has resulted in pasquale marino losing his job, but it's hard to see how gianni di biasi can reverse the fortunes of an ailing team. as long as di natale and outstanding young winger alexis sanchez remain fit, relegation is unlikely, but mid-table is the best udinese can hope for.
15) livorno (18 points)
by far the weakest of the promoted sides, i expected livorno to be bottom at christmas. but an impressive 3-1 win over sampdoria has lifted them out of the relegation zone, and given their excellently left-wing fans something to cheer about. their main asset, antonio candreva, is a talented playmaker who has already made his debut for the national side, but even with his ability, i'd be surprised if livorno survived. which is a shame, because serie a needs fans like theirs.
16) lazio (16 points)
oh dear. the summer for lazio was marred by contract disputes between eccentric president lotito and 3 key players, and has yet to be fully resolved. on the field, lazio have been dreadful. dreadful. the loss of de silvestri, ledesma and pandev has been acutely felt, and the poor form of zarate has only augmented the problems for davide ballardini, who has somehow avoided the sack. lazio have the squad to turn it around, but lotito, and the fans, must have already written this season off.
17) bologna (16 points)
as expected, bologna have struggled after surviving on the final day last season. the goals have dried for marco di vaio, and it's hard to see how they will avoid relegation without the vital contribution of the veteran, despite the recent addition of the talented steven appiah. that is, unless the three teams below them continue their current form...
18) atalanta (13 points)
despite the additions of antonio conte in the dugout, and acquafresca up front, atalanta have scored just 15 goals in 16 games, the worst record in serie a. to be fair, the loss of luca cigarini cannot be overstated in terms of impact, but a team that finished 11th last season should be playing better, especially as the goal threat has improved. it's a disappointing first effort in serie a for conte, but he'll go on to greater things. i'm not sure the same can be said for his current club.
19) catania (12 points)
the twin losses of walter zenga and the form of giuseppe mascara have meant that catania are almost certain to be relegated. in retrospect, it's hard to see how zenga managed to keep his team up, especially given their woeful defence, which has shipped 26 goals thus far. if they don't go down, it'll be because they managed to harness the spirit of the win at juventus on sunday. however, i reckon a more potent spirit is that which saw them fall 1-0 at home to livorno.
20) siena (12 points)
poor siena. despite playing at the loveliest stadium in serie a, the football on show this season has been anything but. to be fair, losing the dynamic simone kharja and juan zuniga, without any replacements, doomed them from the beginning. massimo maccarone continues to plough a lonely furrow up front, but his goals won't stop the artemio franchi from hosting serie b football next season. which is a shame, because it really is lovely.
phew. once my fingers have recovered, i'll do the same for la liga and the liga sagres.
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