The boy was a bit special
Fabrizio Miccoli (Palermo)
The ‘Pocket Striker’ was a giant when he tore Milan off their pedestal in spectacular fashion. He could’ve comfortably had a hat-trick were it not for Christian Abbiati’s acrobatics and when he did get it in the net, there was no stopping that rocket. His constant aggression, determination and lightning pace summed up why Palermo totally outplayed the Rossoneri, ending a run of eight wins and three draws.
A day to forget for
Ronaldinho (Milan)
Up until this weekend he had been the most decisive player in Serie A, as his goals earned Milan an extra 11 points. With Kaka suspended the pressure was on him to deliver and, apart from the final 10 minutes, he didn’t. It was back to the static Dinho who can’t be bothered to run if not in short bursts and his ludicrous run-up for the penalty was misplaced arrogance at a time his side needed to take the lead.
Master tactician
Sinisa Mihajlovic (Bologna)
He may still be looking for his first win on the Bologna bench, but a fourth consecutive 1-1 draw this time feels restrictive, as they had the chances to get all three points at Marassi. This was no mean feat, as Genoa had a 100 per cent home record after eight straight wins in all competition, but Mihajlovic has injected a passion and actual creative movement that were sorely lacking under Daniele Arrigoni’s reign.
Golaccio!
Sulley Ali Muntari (Inter)
Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s influence is rubbing off on his Inter companions, as this goal was a delight from start to finish. Julio Cruz’s backheel found the on-rushing Douglas Maicon for a cross-shot that was going behind Muntari, so the Ghanaian channelled the spirit of Ibra for another heel flick from six yards.
Mamma mia!
Mauro Camoranesi is not known as much of a hitman, so it was particularly impressive to see him score a goal despite playing for 45 minutes with a dislocated shoulder! So much for those wimpish Italians and/or Argentines, eh? He could barely move his arm and after netting had to run away from a potentially agonising embrace from his Juventus teammates, but he kept going amid a snowstorm and we commend that level of commitment.
Quote…unquote
Marco Amelia can now officially put all those hours of gaming down as ‘research
“It was like playing against Ronaldinho on the Playstation! He did the same run-up, it was very strange!”
Understatement of the week from Pasquale ‘four consecutive defeats’ Marino
“We are not going through a good period of form.”
Walter Zenga requests an anti-doping test on the refs
“I get the feeling there is an abnormal refereeing approach to our team.”
Claudio Ranieri is keeping schtum on the Scudetto
“Every time we said we were targeting the title, we then lost!”
Promises, promises, Sinisa Mihajlovic, who stayed on his bench for a fourth 1-1 result on the trot
“If it means not having another draw, then I'll run on to the field myself and score an own goal!”
What we learned this week
Jose Mourinho might not have instilled the desire to win every game, but Inter certainly can pick which matches to focus on, as their performance was a world away from the sluggish side that lost to Panathinaikos midweek. Already six points clear thanks to Milan’s woeful away form, once again their consistency in Serie A is staggering. Juventus are not out of the race yet, while even Roma could have a say in the final months if they keep up this renaissance.
Udinese cannot deny a crisis when losing at home to bottom of the table Chievo and Antonio Di Natale really should keep his hands to himself. The low-Flying Donkeys’ victory has tightened it all up at the foot of the standings with the bottom five teams crammed within a four-point radius.
What’s in a number?
Alessandro Del Piero scored his 250th goal in a Juventus jersey. 159 of them were in Serie A, 20 in Serie B, 43 for the Champions League, 19 Coppa Italia, two UEFA Cup, one Intertoto Cup, two European Super Cup, three Italian Super Cup and one Intercontinental Cup strike.
Chievo manage to keep their first clean sheet of the campaign, so now only Bologna have conceded in every match, and end their club record run of six straight defeats. They grabbed their first goal in 526 minutes of football – and it wasn’t even one of their players who scored it. Udinese may have a fitness issue, as they have dropped eight points by letting in second half goals.
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