10 Things We Learned From Serie A This Weekend

By: chris | March 3rd, 2008

10 things we learned resized The Sans-Mutu Viola Are Just Fine

You know, just in case a huge offer for Mutu swoops in this summer and it like quadruples his wages and la Viola can’t possibly refuse that much money. But that would never happen, no siree.

In case the purple-tainted apocalypse does arrive, however, Papa Waigo and his short shorts seem to be filling in mighty fine on the scoresheet, and P.Diddy Osvaldo seems to have illusions of Batigol, which is always welcome in Firenze. There’s Giampaolo Pazz, as well. The immediate future, Mutu or no Mutu, is looking mighty fine.

Alessandro Diamanti is a poor man’s Fabio Quagiarella.

The guy comes off the bench and all he does is score spectacular goals. Or at least that’s all he’s done in the last two weekends. Maybe he’ll be enough to save the Azzurri from Lithuania again. Or maybe just get a start for Livorno. One of the two.

Kaka’s contract has a clause stating Milan must play his kid bro, Digao.

Ricky signed an extension late last week and on Saturday Diggy makes his Serie A debut. Think that’s a coincidence? Absolutely not.

Four points against Juve and Palermo will get you unemployed ASAP.

Reggina canned Renzo Ulivieri this morn after a goalless stalemate with Palermo, because, well, the maroon ones are still peeking out towards safety. They did lose to Lazio midweek, but 4 points against those guys has to count for something, right?

That’s three gaffers this season for Reggina now that Nevio Orlandi has taken over with the job security of a surgeon with Tourette’s.

Catania is a whole lot of things, good is not one of them.

I think only a couple months ago Catania was sitting pretty in or near a European spot. Now? Swan diving towards the relegation zone. Home-away form aside, this happened last year as well, after being in 4th in February, and wound up missing relegation on the last weekend. If this continues, well, they’re gonna go down.

The NFL has infiltrated calcio.

Both Antonio Cassano an PD Osvaldo we handed yellow cards for their goal celebration this weekend, sending Osvaldo off and Cassano’s being the introduction to his send off. That’s not cool. No one wants the No Fun League here.

Keepers could use some lessons.

Julio Cesar: Poor clearance on the lone goal.
Luca Bucci: Slapped the ball directly to a waiting Alberto Aquilani for the opening goal.
Rubinho: Knocked Bobby Freshwater’s skyscraping header into the roof in a 1 goal loss.
Luca Castellazzi: Who knows what the hell happened on that Gianluca Comotto goal. Whatever it was, it probably could’ve been saved.

Any more?

People feel bad for Parma.

Alberto Aquilani, Christian Panucci and Mirko Vucinic all didn’t celebrate their goals. (Panucci because it was an OG.)

The South is in danger.

The current relegation zone:

18. Catania
19. Reggina
20. Cagliari

With the south already grossly underrepresented, this wouldn’t help matters; while Bologna, AlbinoLeffe and Chievo sit 1-3 in Serie B currently. So that’d just add insult to injury.

Francesco Totti is better than Alessandro Del Piero.

Discuss.

[Originally posted on Italy Offside]