10 Things We Learned In Serie A This Weekend

By: chris | January 22nd, 2008

The whispers of Calciopoli are returning.

Only they’re not just whispers anymore. It’s getting a little hard to ignore that every single week, Internazionale FC is getting calls which go well beyond questionable, and have become flat out suspicious. Awfully reminiscent to Juventus of 2 and 3 years ago.

This weekend it was a blatant non-call for Parma on Corradi in the first half, and as a commenter said in the first half, “Inter will receive a penalty later on in the match.” This was no great prediction. Everybody knew it was coming. It came. After a wrongfully given red to Parma resulting in a spot kick, Inter scored twice to take an undeserved 3-2 victory.

Last week it was Siena. Same thing. Unexplainable penalties for Inter and non-calls for the opposition. Just before the break, Cambiasso tripped Kaka’s ankles with his hands in the box, and neither the ref nor linesman called for a penalty. Inter won by a goal. As Parma coach Mimmo Di Carlo so accurately said, “As usual, Inter needed help to win.”

Whether or not it’s cheating remains to be seen. But there is certainly a bias - conscious or subconscious - at the very least, based on the number of calls going for and failing to go against Inter, which is just as wrong. Yet another black eye on a league which so desperately needs these embarrassments to go away.

(This makes it 7 penalties for Inter already, 1 against.)

Someone got to Mimmo Di Carlo.

“Looking at the situation calmly, I can see that it was a bit of an exaggeration to talk about subconscious bias,” he admitted on Rete Sport.

Which translates directly to “I got a phone call on Monday from Lega Calcio and they told me to shut my fucking yap or else I’d be in line for some serious sanctions so I have to play the politically correct calcio game and never ever mention Calciopoli-type accusations again.”

Serie A is not Serie B.

And Juve won’t be winning any legitimate trophies this year, at least according to Claudio Ranieri.

“There is real gap now and you couldn’t close it in six months or even a year. You could say that we missed the train for the Scudetto, but in reality we just need to focus internally and build a base for next year.”

The scoreless draw with Samp, who blows boiling hot and icy cold in front of the net week to week, puts them 12 points behind Inter and 5 behind Roma. Second is the best they can hope for.

Woof. Palermo. Woof.

Yes, Siena is probably better than people thought they were. That still doesn’t excuse Palermo from handing over 3 goals to them in Sicily. Palermo is still a favorite to make the UEFA Cup, but I’m not sure that’s much consolation. Zampa’s not happy. Nobody saw that coming.

Simone Loria knows headers. Or fantastic accidental goals.

I want to give the man credit, he does have 4 goals as a defender already this season, but logic tells me he didn’t entirely mean for the ball to do that. Loria came in for a header around the 16 yard mark a few yards wide of the goal post. He got launched by a defender and the ball floated into the only spot he could have put the ball and had it go in the net. Standing O regardless.

(2:30)

Marek Hamsik is going to make Napoli an assload of money, and it’s increasing by the week.

Marek cost Napoli €5.5m this summer, which is a drop in the bucket compared to the amount of money one of the big fellas from The Artist Formerly known As G14 opens up their checkbook for the Slovakian sensation a year or two from now. He scored both goals for Napoli this weekend, one of which came in the 94th minute down to 10 men (off a deflection, but whatever), to take a point from Lazyo. Kid’s a stud.

Reggina likes Franco Brienza.

Every time I’ve seen Brienza recently (which isn’t all that much, but work with me), he’s been fairly impressive. But no one at Palermo felt the same way, and basically gave him a firm seat on the bench before shipping him off to Reggio Calabria. So what does he do? Score in his debut. That’s all.

Ronaldo needs a stylist.

He’s not exactly known for good decisions when it comes to his hair, but come on. Cornrows?

Fiorentina goes down easily in the penalty box.

Two this weekend makes it 4 penalties in the last 3 games alone. A lot of people are lumping them together with Inter, but I can’t see it. Nobody could be so arrogant as to cheat after being originally in Calciopoli. We’ll just say they go to ground a little easier in the box than most - especially Adrian Mutu.

(Mutu’s second penalty was hugely questionable. We’ll give him the benefit of the doubt….again.)

Serie A beware…Alberto Aquilani is back.

He didn’t look fantastic, but he got on the field for an extended period for the first time since the first week in October, and that in itself is a huge victory. Roma has its phenom back. Look out.