Southern Italian Round-Up On Saturday evening at the Stadio Sant’Elia, former Cagliari striker Alessandro Matri never expected a warm welcome just six days after leaving the club for his “dream move” to Turin. As he embarked on the flight home after the game, he had stuck a dagger right into the heart of the tifosi that once idolised him as his two goals helped La Vecchia Signora to a 3-1 win to put a temporary halt to the current crisis that has engulfed the Turin [...]

Palermo President Maurizio Zamparini is a superstitious old soul. Before Wednesday night’s game at the Stadio Renzo Barbera against Juventus, he did what he always does when his nerves get the better of him - jumped straight in his car and drove around the city unable to face watching his team in action. He should have stuck around, as his players bounced straight back from their heartbreak of last weekend against Inter to get their push for a European spot next season [...]

As the transfer window closes in the peninsula, clubs have played their final hand in an attempt to push for Serie A glory, a place in European competition next season or just survival at Italy’s top table. Serie A Weekly now marks your card with its definitive guide to all the transfer activity from Italy’s premier division. Part one of our round-up focuses on Bari to Inter BARI - In: Glik (Palermo - loan deal), Okaka (Roma - loan deal), Rudolph (Genoa - loan deal), [...]

It was another super Sunday for Neapolitans as their Uruguayan talisman Edinson Cavani recorded his second treble strike of the season in the 4-0 destruction of Sampdoria to leave Il Vesuviani just four points behind leaders Milan. The game was effectively sown up by half-time thanks to a double salvo from Cavani. His first goal came after 17 minutes as he bulldozed his way through the heart of the visitors defence to dispatch a clinical left foot strike into the bottom corner of the net. His [...]

Bari are staring down the barrel of the Serie A rifle after becoming the latest victims of the Ezequiel Lavezzi and Edinson Cavani show. A goal in each half from Napoli’s version of Batman and Robin was enough to ensure that Walter Mazzarri’s men left Puglia with all three points to leave Bari cut adrift at the foot of the table.  In a game that will not live long in the memory, the difference between the two teams was clear, Napoli converted two of [...]

Touché Roma losing 5-1 to the islanders from Sardinia in your first meeting this season, you now turn tables with a 3-0 clean sheet result Saturday in Rome. Opening Goal awarded from penalty spot To open the scoring at the Stadio Olimpico fans would witness the referee point to the spot after Daniele De Rossi was pulled back by Michele Canini when attempting to get his head to ball on a Francesco Totti cross from the left. Designated taker Totti [...]

As Andrea Lazzari looks set to follow ex-boss Allegri to Milan, Qasa Alom explains why this might be a bad move for all parties concerned. Highly rated managers often have a tendency of taking former players with them to bigger clubs; Jose Mourinho took a fleet of players with him to Chelsea after winning the Champions League and subsequently brought R. Carvalho to Madrid too.  However is Massimiliano Allegri’s desire to bring his former disciple Andrea Lazzari necessary? I think [...]

It’s been a fabulous week to be a Lecce supporter, a fantastic win in the capital in week 19 against Lazio was backed up with a courageous performance on Sunday evening against league leaders Milan to earn a 1-1 draw and instill some new found belief in their fight for Serie A survival. For 49 minutes of Sunday evening’s match it looked like the Salentini were hopelessly out of their depth. Milan dominated possession with only the heroics of goalkeeper Antonio Rosati keeping the score-sheet [...]

Magnificent, sensational or as the Italian’s like to say strepitoso or resounding, just some of the words  that best describe Napoli striker Edinson Cavani’s display at a packed San Paolo on Sunday evening after his treble strike  destroyed woeful Juventus. Even by his own high standards, this will go down as Il Matador’s finest hour in a Napoli shirt since his 20 million euro move from Palermo in the summer. Two headed goals, the first, after 21 minutes following fine work by Christian Maggio on the right, the [...]

Napoli were involved in the biggest fixture of week 18 as Walter Mazzarri took his team to the Giuseppe Meazza to face Inter. The Partenopei ‘s title aspirations will be severely tested over the first four days following the winter break with a home fixture against Juventus to come on Sunday evening. Unfortunately, they failed their first test miserably as the home side ran out comfortable 3-1 winners. To sum up, the Neapolitans were never really in the game and after Thiago Motta had delivered [...]

There was some question of Rodney Strasser‘s goal being scored from an offside position today. You decide yourself, goal video is embedded below. After not having an opportunity to watch events live I tweeted the offside question. No doubt difficult this to catch by officials but of  little concern now for the neutral as all 3 points go down in the record books to Milan who by the way continue to hold a firm grasp on first in this season’s [...]