Serie A findings Round 13 – What we learned from this week’s fixtures (Part 1)
This weekend the Italian Serie A lived up to the expectations yet again with some mouth watering clashes. AC Milan registered yet another victory against Fiorentina – their fourth in as many games – while Rafa Benitez’s Inter continued their woeful form of late. The Nerazzuri were put to sword by a Sergio Pellissier inspired Chievo Verona.
Roma’s resurgence continued as they beat Udinese 2-0, while Juventus also recorded a similar score line against Genoa.
The games have provided plenty of talking points and Bettor.com gives its readers some insights in to the action over the weekend.
AC Milan’s over-reliance on Ibrahimovic
The Rossoneri managed yet another win at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, this time over Fiorentina, thanks to a Zlatan Ibrahimovic goal. The lanky Swede was anonymous for a greater part of the first half, but turned up to score a simply stupendous goal on the stroke of half time.
Ibrahimovic controlled a difficult ball with his right foot, flicked it up while holding off the challenge from Cesare Natali and executed a perfect overhead kick to stun Artur Boruc in the Fiorentina goal. Despite Milan failing to add any further goals, the Rossoneri held on to their precious lead for the rest of the game.
It might sound all rosy for the Italian giants, but their dependency on Ibrahimovic’s talent is no secret. The former Bianconeri and Inter forward is the leading goal scorer for Milan in all competitions, and has played in almost all of Milan’s league and continental matches. To his credit, the prodigiously talented forward has performed admirably.
However, judging by the amount of games he has played in, an injury is just around the corner. Ibrahimovic has admitted that his body is near a breakdown due to the time spent on the pitch. With Inzaghi’s season already over, and Pato consistently struggling with injuries, the Swede is the only natural striker available to manager Massimiliano Allegri. Should Ibra suffer an injury setback, Milan’s title push will be seriously jeopardised.
Silvio Berlusconi must dig deep in his pockets yet again, and sign a backup striker as early as January. Cagliari’s Alessandro Matri and Milan co-owned Alberto Paloschi are viable options.
AS Roma back in Champions League contention
AS Roma are truly a wonder. The club has made a habit of derailing their season early on, only to mount a stunning comeback. Perhaps consistency doesn’t suit the Gilarossi faithful.
Last season, the Romans made a disastrous start to their campaign and the poor run of form saw Luciano Spalleti lose his job at Trigoria. Claudio Ranieri was brought in, and the self-proclaimed Romanista, fought a tight battle for the Scudetto before ultimately running out of steam towards the end. Roma still managed a highly impressive second place in the league.
This season has been no different. Under Ranieri, the Romans made a woeful start to their campaign, picking up just five points from their opening six games. Many called for the manager’s head, but Ranieri stayed adamant. Ranieri was able to keep his job, and has fully repaid the faith shown in him by the club hierarchy.
The Lupi have gone undefeated in their last seven League games, with five wins and two draws. As things stand, Ranieri’s side are fifth in the league with 22 points, a point behind Juventus who occupy the last Champions League spot. Should the Gilarossi continue to play in this manner, there is no reason why they won’t be challenging for Scudetto honours towards the end of season.
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