Let the games commence...

Ah, it has been a long summer. Too long. There has been the Ashes, I suppose. And there was that thrilling finale to the British Open with the elderly Tom Watson so cruelly denied. But - just the same - give me this Sunday my Serie A.

In fact, things start on Saturday. Fiorentina head to Bologna to try to pick up their form after a shaky display but good result at Sporting Lisbon. Later in the day we get a chance to see how the new Milan is shaping up. They face a tricky wee trip to Siena. This is the post-Maldini, Kaka and Ancelotti era. It hasn't looked great so far but the crunch comes with competitive matches.

Reigning champs Inter have a pretty straightforward looking debut at home to Bari on Sunday. Pick of the days fixtures are last year's revelations Genoa at home to last year's disasters Roma and a potentially red-hot Palermo v Napoli match. Should be plenty to debate following those matches.

It is also the dawn of a new era for UK-based Calcio fans. We get ESPN covering Serie A for the first time this weekend. Initial signs look quite good. I enjoyed their coverage of the Scottish Premier League clash between Dundee Utd and Hearts the other night. Here's hoping they get some cracking matches to get the ball rolling.

Too many issues to handle

It was the kind of weekend that provided topics of conversation by the bucketload in Serie A and beyond. Let's kick off, however, with the best stuff - a cracking match between Palermo and Parma. The Emiliani have been resurgent under Claudio Ranieri and fought tooth and nail against the struggling Sicilians. The lead switched back and forward with alarming regularity, Di Michele had a candidate for miss of the season, Palermo had a man sent off and the diminutive virtuosi - Morfeo, Rossi and Gasbarroni - had a field day. There are three names who it is worth paying the admission for alone. Felt a bit sorry for Palermo at the end as they were jeered by their fans but Parma are fighting brilliantly for survival.

I should probably have kicked off with Inter's Scudetto win but, for months, it has only been a matter of "when" not "if". We all have our take on just how much this title is worth. Certainly the elimination of Juve and handicap to Milan played a big part. Still, up until defeat by Roma you could not have asked the Nerazzurri to do any more. They will want to prove their credentials by winning again next year. Are they up to it? I remain to be convinced.

Finally, Milan go into battle for Italian honour against Man Utd on Tuesday. The Rossoneri have hit a run of form in Serie A in contrast to their opponents. A little bit of restored pride must be top of the agenda after the Roma debacle. I don't know if the old boys can do it, but I so hope so.

As a little extra, great smash and grab win for Fiorentina over Lazio. The Champions League may be gone but even UEFA Cup qualification would be amazing.

At last someone goes for Inter

After a season of largely watching Inter stroll to the title it was both nice and surprising to see Palermo have a right good go at them at the weekend. It was a real turnaround for the Rosanero who have been in freefall since losing Amauri to injury. They were back to their best in a first half which saw them go 2-0 up and have what looked like a perfectly good third chalked off for a dubious foul.

Credit to the Nerazzurri, too, however. They turned up the heat in the second half and when they got one back they were always going to get two. It was just a surprise that they didn't push on to get the winner. Perhaps they had Wednesday's clash with Roma in mind.

The Palermo performance makes the Champions League placings situation a little less clear. I had presumed they would drop out making way for, most probably, Milan. However, it now looks like Inter, Roma and Lazio could yet be joined by the Sicilians. That might yet leave the Rossoneri looking at the UEFA Cup along with the likes of Fiorentina and Empoli. So, while the Scudetto might be over by Wednesday night there are still a few issues to be deciced.

Guidolin loses it

My weekend viewing was spoiled immensely by the antics of Palermo boss Francesco Guidolin during their home tie with Fiorentina. Adrian Mutu scored a cracking goal against his team after Roberto Guana fell to the ground injured. This was bound to happen with the new directive to players only to stop when the referee halts play. Maybe Mutu was a bit sneaky, we'll never know, but equally none of the Palermo players stopped playing.

However, Mr Guidolin went bonkers. He was eventually sent off and continued his tirade against Cesare Prandelli and most of the Fiorentina players. Apparently they should have let Palermo equalise, in his opinion. In truth, the Viola did take their foot off the gas anyway and the Sicilians did draw. But their manager's antics left a bitter taste. I have always liked him in the past but, this time around, he got it badly wrong. Especially when his own team has been guilty of such actions in the past...