SERIE A HALFWAY REPORT CARD

[Blue Mastiff]

With the league so tight and teams taking points from each other this could very well be the 1st season since 2004–05 Serie A where the league went to 20 clubs where a team could win the title with 80 points or less.


halfway mark and milan on 40 double that and would take them to 80.
one of the best games of serie a i have seen with the 4-4 draw vs udinese.
cum in my pants when ex Napoli striker german denis put the black and whites 4-3 up with only injury time to play but alas it was short lived with dikbrains equalising.
San Siro witnessed only the 20th 4-4 draw in Serie A history. There have been a total of 35 goals in the last six editions of Milan-Udinese, but this was the first stalemate since 1997-98.
milan will lose more than 3 games in the second half starting off with a tricky trip to lecce.
cassano looks odd in a milan shirt but will he make the difference.


napolis second half of the season never has gone to plan but with cavani missing 7 goals to reach the expected 20 goal bomber a side needs we could surprise.
even though naps look good away from home their home form will be crucial to their climb up the ladder. tricky games away to roma, palermo, milan and last away fixture vs juve await.
cannavaro extends his contract for a further 4 years and are looking at signing a defender before the january window. there is no talk of signing another striker and everyone hopes that lavezzi and cavani play out the remainder of the season. there could be times where they could be rested with sosa, dimitru and lucarelli at mazzaris disposal. napoli host fiora and if we are to stay with the pacesetters this one is a must win.


expect the same with lazio. their 1st home loss with their flying eagle vs lecce was very much unexpected, but face a tricky test at home vs sampdoria. macheda returns back to his youth roots but will he ajust to the serie a. looking forward to this game. i extremely hate lazio so im not going to bother anymore finger time to their cause. may they experience a slow death.


roma have not lost at home all season but struggle away where they have only won 2 in 10. a bit of transfer talk within the camp and a little unrest with big name players. Claudio Ranieri has never conquered Marassi between Serie A and Coppa Italia, managing eight draws and two losses during his career but still think their ace in the pack is their tinkerman. i have always had high praise and feel he has not got the slaps on the back that he deserves. he always puts quality sides on the park and i expect them to improve their 9 5 5 halfway record with a away victory vs cesena.


juve juve juve!!! Juventus have lost their last four Serie A visits to the San Paolo, not winning since a 2-1 on September 30 2000. Juventus’ new direction appeared clear-cut. Out went Fabio Cannavaro. In came Leonardo Bonucci. The players sold in the summer were on average 29; the players signed 25. Those in departure had cost €52m in wages; those in arrival would cost €29m. When cast in that light, Toni’s acquisition seems inconsistent.
Though the centre-forward helpfully joins on a free transfer and agrees to slash his annual pay packet by €750,000, he still turns 34 in May and becomes the club’s seventh highest earner with a contract worth €3.75m until June 2012
In terms of age and expense, Toni is to all intents and purposes incompatible with Juventus’ project, at least if these were the criteria on which a club legend like David Trezeguet was adjudged to no longer have a future in Turin. Far from being finished, the Frenchman has scored eight goals in 15 starts for promoted side Hercules, his victims being high profile too, namely Valencia, Sevilla, Villarreal and Real Madrid.
In the same space of time, Toni has found the net just three times in Serie A and one of those was a penalty. His others came against Lecce and Bari, two teams in the relegation zone.
The stallions have conceded 7 goals in 2011 where they were one of the strongets defences last year and now host Bari at home where another loss in 2011 could spell curtains for their title challenge.

Palermo continue to intrigue me. Being away from the mainland they are the quiet achievers and with players such as Ilicic, Pastore & Miccoli they can be a handful on any given day. Thier home form will decide where they finish on the league ladder but they will be a pest for the glamour clubs of serie a for the rest of the season. They travel to cagliari where i have been impressed with ex nap coach Donadoni and i think will collect all 3 points come next weekend.

Inter has 2 games in hand vs cesena and fiorentina. lets for the exercise add 6 points on thier total so they would be on 35 points. for the reamining 19 fixtures they would need to win 15 to reach the 80 point mark. Hence my first statement that with the league so tight and teams taking points from each other this will be the 1st season since 2004–05 Serie A where a team will win the title with 80 points or less. Their second to last game vs Napoli away will be the most crucial game of their season if these 2 sides remain on the top of the pile.

If past seasons have anything to do with come last day of the season it will be your usual Milan, Roma and Inter. Juventus will be a surprise to me should they take out the title but dont be surprised should i purchase airplane tickets for the remaining 2 games vs inter and juve if my beloved NAPOLI are still in touching distance to the holy grail. Its free to dream.

[Juventino]

Should Juventus not win (which we won't) I'd love to see Napoli take it out. Scenes would be amazing!

[El Pibe D'Oro]

Should Juventus not win (which we won't) I'd love to see Napoli take it out. Scenes would be amazing!

Do you have some Napuletani blood in you Juventino????

Anyway, I think Milan will win it, we dont have the strength in numbers, however no one gave us much chance at the start of the 86-87 season either.

Great wrap up Mastiff.

[Juventino]

Nah, just a bit from Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi (provincia Avellino).

[Ga Pala]

Thoroughly enjoyed that wrap up Blue Mastiff. keep up the reports theyre gold !

[David Puddy]

It seems that the winter break came at the wrong time for Juve, after we were undefeated for so many games in 2010, it seems we have lost all momentum, along with big injury blows to Quags, Iaquinta and the suspension to Melo.
I still have faith in Marrotta and DelNeri, although it is clear that Marrotta is admitting he made a mistake by selling Trez by signing Toni, although the big Italian scored a legitimate goal on debut which was disallowed.

[El Pibe D'Oro]

It seems that the winter break came at the wrong time for Juve, after we were undefeated for so many games in 2010, it seems we have lost all momentum, along with big injury blows to Quags, Iaquinta and the suspension to Melo.
I still have faith in Marrotta and DelNeri, although it is clear that Marrotta is admitting he made a mistake by selling Trez by signing Toni, although the big Italian scored a legitimate goal on debut which was disallowed.

I read with interest somewhere that Quagliarella has returned to Napoli with immediate effect.

Can anyone clarify.

[INTERISTA]

It seems that the winter break came at the wrong time for Juve, after we were undefeated for so many games in 2010, it seems we have lost all momentum, along with big injury blows to Quags, Iaquinta and the suspension to Melo.
I still have faith in Marrotta and DelNeri, although it is clear that Marrotta is admitting he made a mistake by selling Trez by signing Toni, although the big Italian scored a legitimate goal on debut which was disallowed.

I read with interest somewhere that Quagliarella has returned to Napoli with immediate effect.

Can anyone clarify.

Hes injured

[El Pibe D'Oro]

It seems that the winter break came at the wrong time for Juve, after we were undefeated for so many games in 2010, it seems we have lost all momentum, along with big injury blows to Quags, Iaquinta and the suspension to Melo.
I still have faith in Marrotta and DelNeri, although it is clear that Marrotta is admitting he made a mistake by selling Trez by signing Toni, although the big Italian scored a legitimate goal on debut which was disallowed.

I read with interest somewhere that Quagliarella has returned to Napoli with immediate effect.

Can anyone clarify.

Hes injured

Thank you einstein. But I read that as a result of the injury he has been sent back to Napoli. Sidenote, Juve paid 4 million for a one season loan - ching ching.

[getborn]

It seems that the winter break came at the wrong time for Juve, after we were undefeated for so many games in 2010, it seems we have lost all momentum, along with big injury blows to Quags, Iaquinta and the suspension to Melo.
I still have faith in Marrotta and DelNeri, although it is clear that Marrotta is admitting he made a mistake by selling Trez by signing Toni, although the big Italian scored a legitimate goal on debut which was disallowed.

I read with interest somewhere that Quagliarella has returned to Napoli with immediate effect.

Can anyone clarify.

Hes injured

Thank you einstein. But I read that as a result of the injury he has been sent back to Napoli. Sidenote, Juve paid 4 million for a one season loan - ching ching.[/quote]


I read he has returned, id imagine he will now do rehab under the supervision of the Napoli staff as we own his contract.

Although we made 4 million from the loan there is now in all likelihood that chance that he will not be bought in full by Juve, especially if they purchase someone before his return and in turn we would be stuck with him which im not sure would be wise after the way he left...

[El Pibe D'Oro]

I read with interest somewhere that Quagliarella has returned to Napoli with immediate effect.

Can anyone clarify.[/quote]

Hes injured[/quote]

Thank you einstein. But I read that as a result of the injury he has been sent back to Napoli. Sidenote, Juve paid 4 million for a one season loan - ching ching.[/quote]


I read he has returned, id imagine he will now do rehab under the supervision of the Napoli staff as we own his contract.

Although we made 4 million from the loan there is now in all likelihood that chance that he will not be bought in full by Juve, especially if they purchase someone before his return and in turn we would be stuck with him which im not sure would be wise after the way he left...[/quote]

He will be flogged off to someone - the way he was playing it wont be hard.

What is hard to understand is that he scored 13 goals in a WHOLE season with us last year, yet he banged in 9 before xmas with Juve.

Anyway, apparently he is rooting Manuela Arcuri - check her out

http://www.superficialgallery.com/Celeb ... play_media

I wouldnt be too worried about my knee if I were him.

[getborn]

I read with interest somewhere that Quagliarella has returned to Napoli with immediate effect.

Can anyone clarify.

Hes injured[/quote]

Thank you einstein. But I read that as a result of the injury he has been sent back to Napoli. Sidenote, Juve paid 4 million for a one season loan - ching ching.[/quote]


I read he has returned, id imagine he will now do rehab under the supervision of the Napoli staff as we own his contract.

Although we made 4 million from the loan there is now in all likelihood that chance that he will not be bought in full by Juve, especially if they purchase someone before his return and in turn we would be stuck with him which im not sure would be wise after the way he left...[/quote]

He will be flogged off to someone - the way he was playing it wont be hard.

What is hard to understand is that he scored 13 goals in a WHOLE season with us last year, yet he banged in 9 before xmas with Juve.

Anyway, apparently he is rooting Manuela Arcuri - check her out

http://www.superficialgallery.com/Celeb ... play_media

I wouldnt be too worried about my knee if I were him.[/quote]


send him to rubin kazan if you ask me.

[vigilante]

good round up big man but what about the smaller sides or don't they register??

napoli in with a chance to get some silverware for the first time since the coppa italia final 96/97 (you know i'd mention it somewhere hahaha http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fs2foE5y ... re=related )

as long as the title stays up north and inter and juve don't win it i'm a happy man

[Owusu_1]

No way, if Napoli won the Scudetto I'd be pissed off, they are bottle of shiraz scum.

[El Pibe D'Oro]

No way, if Napoli won the Scudetto I'd be pissed off, they are bottle of shiraz scum.

Just like your mob.

Now queue the usual Napoli rubbish jokes.

[Juventino]

As I've said, no Juve title win means I'd love to see it go to Naples. Just look at the other contenders -

Milan - Ugh
Inter - good god no way
Roma - Ugh
Lazio - Meh, second choice.

[makaveli]

Agreed, if Juve dont win i hope Napoli do. Any one but Inter really though

[Napoli]

Agreed, if Juve dont win i hope Napoli do. Any one but Inter really though

Anyone but for both the Milan's...