EURO BITES: Serie A - Inter top Serie A, Juventus' comeback is official and Roma fans give players carrots instead of applause
Salvatore Avallone rounds up the weekend news from Serie A as Inter Milan move to the top and carrots are dished out by Roma fans.
INTER’S 1-0 SPECIALTY GIVES THEM SERIE A LEAD
Inter has racked up a series of 1-0 victories this season that have led them to the top of the Serie A table. Saturday’s home game against Genoa was their eighth 1-0 win this year, although this time Inter deserved more goals after dominating the match. Inter’s defence, meanwhile, was made of steel – this was their tenth game without conceding any goals. The only difficulties for Inter this season seem to be the lack of playmakers in midfield and the disappointing performance of striker Mauro Icardi who was benched for the whole match against Genoa. Inter coach Roberto Mancini was satisfied, saying that his players “played well, all of them. It was important to get back to winning after the Napoli defeat.”
NAPOLI TITLE HOPES HIT AFTER THEY ARE STUNNED BY BOLOGNA
After 18 matches of wins and draws between the Serie A and Europa League, Napoli were finally stopped in their tracks on Sunday in Bologna, who took a 2-0 lead early in the first half. Napoli’s shaky defence was largely responsible for the three goals conceded, while there was no sign of the attacking flat that took them to the top of the Serie A table this season. Superstar striker Gonzalo Higuain grabbed a brace in the final minutes of the match, giving Napoli hope of a draw, but his magic was too late. Coach Maurizio Sarri declared that his team hadn’t “recharged their batteries after the Inter victory. Our approach to the match was weak and we committed a lot of errors.”
JUVENTUS COMEBACK IS OFFICIALLY ON
Friday’s match between Lazio and Juventus showcased a team in crisis against a team that is in the best shape in the league. It is official that Juventus is back on track, with no sign of the problems that plagued them at the beginning of the season. One of the most expensive newcomers in the transfer market this summer, Paulo Dybala, seems to get better each weekend - his strike from outside the box thrilled fans and secured Juventus’ victory. Defeat for Lazio fuels rumours about the possible replacement of coach Stefano Pioli, although nothing is yet confirmed about his future.
ROMA CONTINUES TO FALL SHORT IN TURIN
In a disappointing 1-1 draw in Turin on Saturday against Torino, Roma showed that their period of crisis is still here. Roma’s weaknesses were apparent in the first-half when they were unable to create any opportunities to score. A big week lies ahead with the challenge to qualifying from the group stage of Champions League followed by a head-to-head next Sunday against Napoli. The bad news continued for Roma and for coach Rudi Garcia in terms of individual players too. Gervinho, who was back on the field for the first time in two weeks after an injury, strained his thigh muscle again. Edin Dzeko, who was a jewel of the transfer market this summer, continues to disappoint too. Garcia commented: “The draw was our fault…we need more drive, more character.”
FIORENTINA RISES TO SECOND PLACE
After two draws against Empoli and Sassuolo, Fiorentina came back to form with victory in a 3-0 win against Udinese, a win which took them back up to second place on the Serie A table a point behind Inter. Given the importance of the match, Paulo Sousa decided to field his strongest forward line, with Josip Ilicic and Borja Valero playing behind Nikola Kalinic. A brave Udinese threatened but Fiorentina took the lead with a fortunate touch from Kalinic in the first-half, and cemented the victory in the second-half with a penalty from Ilicic and a header by Gonzalo Rodriguez. Sousa, at the end of the match, said: “Today was a difficult match, Udinese is in top shape. We played intense, focused football.”
FANS BRING CARROTS FOR THE ROMA RABBITS
Many of the most competitive Serie A teams have an animal as their mascot: Inter is a snake, Napoli a donkey, Juventus a zebra, Lazio an eagle. And it is no surprise that the symbol of the Roma football team is a wolf: the she-wolf that nursed Romulus and Remus, the founders of the city. But Roma fans, furious after the 2-0 defeat against Atalanta at their last home game, wanted to be sure that the players knew that they were not playing like wolves. To make their point, fans brought 50kg of carrots to the Roma training ground last Tuesday and displayed a banner that said “Buon appetito, conigli” – Enjoy your meal, rabbits. After this weekend’s disappointing draw against Torino, Roma players may have to get ready for some more veggies.