Franchi, my dear...

The time fast approaches when I make my annual voyage to old Firenze to watch the boys in purple give me heart failure. After twice taking in the Fiorentina-Milan game (one win, one defeat) it is time to face up to Lazio. It is the battle of two of the teams penalised at the start of the season, although the Laziali got off a lot more lightly than us.

Much of the day will be spent in nervous anticipation. A meal nearby and then into the ground far too early. Three points would be a great tonic, my overall record at the Franchi is not too bad, especially given I generally pick one of the tougher opponents. I've seen more wins than losses which is a pretty decent return for a club that has given its fans as much heartache as the Viola.

Still, I fear Lazio's form is better than ours and if they can sneak in front that wee Rocchi man can hurt us on the break. On the other hand, in front of the Fiesole many a better team than Delio Rossi's side has been defeated. Here's hoping - I'll say 3-1 with goals from Toni, Montolivo and lucky mascot Jorgensen.

A change of look

I thought it was time for a bit of a change as I never really liked the old look. Inspired by the confirmation that Cannavaro had been crowned Balon d'or - take that Frenchies - I finally found the energy to shift things around. I'd still like to customise it a bit more (especially the banner) but I'm not sure if my blogging skills are quite up to it. Anyone who has any advice it will be gratefully received.

Anyway, it is time to go and watch the second half of Brescia v Milan in the Coppa Italia. Yes, I am that sad...

Bad night at the Barbera

The scene was set, the beers were in, the television primed and ready to go. The build-up impressive, the supporters choreography cracking and the general buzz outstanding. Then play got under way in the Palermo v Inter match.

It is hard to explain why I was so disappointed in this would-be clash of the titans. It was clear from the outset, with a cagey 3-5-1-1 formation that the Rosanero were scared. For most of the first half either Inter were very good or Palermo stood back and watched them, depending on your viewpoint. Still, it took a howler from Inter old boy Alberto Fontana to give the Nerazzurri the lead. Then, amazingly, the well-kept-quiet Amauri scored a scorcher with the outside of the boot to level matters.

That should have sparked a cracking second half but instead Inter took control again with Guidolin's men still surprisingly submissive. It was no surprise when Patrick Vieira thumped home the winner. The only shock was that a late header against the post could have salvaged an ill-deserved draw for the home team.

It looked to me like a medium-sized team struggling to cope with being in a league winning position. It was almost as if they would have been happier being a bit further down the table. All hope of Inter not winning the Scudetto is now officially in Roma's hands who scored goal of the week through Francesco Totti at the weekend.

At last, some good news for Milan

In a season of shaky form and dodgy results at last the Rossoneri have received some good news. Ropey Brazilian goalkeeper Dida is out for three months injured. Without being too harsh on old Duda, apart from one great season he has always looked prone to error. In comes big Kalac for the time being with Marco Amelia lined up for a January swoop along with a decent striker, surely.

This is a big weekend for Serie A with Palermo and Inter going head to head on Sunday night. I'd like to see the Rosanero win it, mostly just to keep the league open. However, a 1-0 Inter sneak job would not surprise me. Hope it's a good game. Main beneficiaries could be Roma who have an easy looking trip to Sampdoria although it is a ground where they have not historically done well. My old Viola have yet another Tuscan derby, this time away to Siena - a week before I watch them in person taking on Lazio.

Finally, I made some money backing Fenerbahce to beat Palermo last night. If there is one thing you can guarantee it is that an Italian team won't let you down to lose in Europe when a big league game is round the corner. Especially when they field their boys team.

Not only in Italy...

Bremen, Germany - The Champions League reaches its closing stages with Chelsea needing just a draw to get through. Or, indeed, a defeat would actually still see them qualify - as long as it is by a single goal. And those three points for the Germans would allow them to take on Barcelona needing just a draw to get through themselves. The final result? Miracolo, 1-0 to Werder...

Jose Mourinho, the world's greatest wind-up merchant, said before the game that he only played to lose against his children. In that case, it was a masterstroke by Bremen to find 11 of his infants out there.

Grande Capitano!

It might seem all I do is moan and groan here about the lack of recognition for Italian football. So, it is only fair to spend a few words in tribute to Fabio Cannavaro winning the Pallone d'Oro.

I don't think anybody who watched the World Cup could deny he was our most influential player (close-run thing with Buffon). His timing was amazing, his leap for such a small guy and his sheer guts and determination so typical of the team. I think his defining moment was when he won the ball and drove forward for the second goal against Germany in the semi-final.

Here's hoping he can get out of Madrid soon, come home to Napoli and Serie A and end his career in style. Grazie Capitano!

Inter - the new Juve?

With the Bianconeri safely shunted down to Serie B somebody had to take on the role of pantomime villain in the top division. After watching their late show against a battling Parma side, could it actually be Inter?

How ironic it would be after all their bickering and moaning and dossier compiling over the years if the Nerazzurri were to turn into their arch-enemies. The first thing they have done is sign up a couple of Juve's more objectionable players - Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Patrick Vieira. Ibra's goal celebrations are the kind of thing that would make even a mild-mannered father of two (never mind me!) leap up and try to slap his face through the television. While Vieira's mastery of the elbow, shunt, kick and trip are second to none.

Now, however, Inter also seem to have added the 'Culo' factor so long thought to be the reserve of the residents of Turin. Up pops Julio Cruz after a good save by De Lucia to give them three points they scarcely deserved. And Maicon's celebrations, goading the Parma fans, were something we could all have lived without.

Maybe you always need a baddy. Maybe a team that wins a lot just becomes dislikeable. Inter should win the league this season by a mile but I am becoming more and more convinced that I would really rather they didn't. It used to be "Tutta l'Italia contro la Juve" but I suspect most of Italy - especially juventini - would like to see Inter contrive to lose out somehow this year.

A strange night

All credit to Roma for overwhelming the Viola in the second half on Sunday night but it was a strange night from a purple perspective. We started off so well that even the absence of Toni was hardly noticed. But in the second half we were a different team.

A lot of the honour has to go to the Giallorossi who came out transformed but just the same I was disappointed with my boys. Reginaldo looked a bit out of his depth and we were a bit unfortunate with deflections that ended up at Taddei's feet but it was still a worrying display. Still, I guess Atalanta this weekend is more what I should be worried about and the pursuit of points to get us off this darned zero...

Kaka - simply the best?

Following his virtuoso performance against Anderlecht on Wednesday night the question has to be asked. Is Milan's Kaka the best player in the world at the moment?

OK, his World Cup displays were poor but the whole Brazil team was unimpressive there and many players played out of position. With the Rossoneri, he has been breathtaking for a while and last night was outstanding. He is one of the very few people in the game who really makes you sit up and take notice - and he does it very regularly. The way he spins round a marker in particular is truly outstanding.

I can't think of anyone playing better at the moment. Is there anybody else out there who can?

Blatter must go ... and faith in calcio restored

Even in the great anti-Italian world of Sepp Blatter he has hit new depths. The FIFA chief has apparently apologised to Australian fans for their country's elimination at the World Cup. He says the penalty on Grosso was a refereeing mistake (fair enough, though softer have been given) and that the Socceroos would probably have gone through in extra time (very debatable and conveniently ignoring the fact that Materazzi hardly deserved his straight red).

App

Apparently FIFA have now issued a statement saying he has been misreported but, let's face it, it is hardly out of character. I don't remember any apology to Spain and Italy after the crazy decisions in 2002.

On a happier note, I watched two cracking adverts for the Italian game at the weekend. The Milan derby was an absolutely gripping spectacle - not just for the seven goals but for the sheer drama. Then I watched my beloved Viola go down 3-2 in another memorable match at home to Palermo. We scarcely deserved to be held to a draw, never mind lose. Still, pazienza, we are playing well. Great game. Maybe it's going to be a good Serie A season after all...

Tonight is the night...

The verdict is set to be delivered tonight on any reduction of the points penalties inflicted on Milan, Juve, Lazio and Fiorentina. It is a totally unsatisfactory situation but it will have a major impact on the league table.

Juve's Serie B procession could be made a lot easier, Milan might come back into the Scudetto hunt and Lazio and Fiorentina might have a better chance of avoiding relegation. It proves, once again, that the game would be a whole lot better if everything could be decided on the pitch.

Still, I won't be complaining if the Viola get back into positive figures.

A grim affair?

Well, is it or isn't it? I can't make up my mind whether this is the most exciting title race for years or the most boring. The weekend has me leaning towards the latter although that would be pretty unfair on Palermo's historic win at Milan.

There have probably never been so many teams so closely piled together at the top of the table so, in some ways, that makes for excitement. But if you watched Udinese against Inter and a couple of Roma's recent struggles you would be hard pushed to work up much enthusiasm. Is it just me, or do we maybe miss Juve?

I mean, no offence to them, but seeing Udinese, Livorno, Siena, Atalanta and the rest up at the top end is refreshing in some ways but it doesn't exactly smack of quality does it? I tend to think the quality of football has been diminished by taking away one of our great sides and handicapping another three big sides with whacking points penalties. Perhaps it is just the sour grapes of a Viola man who is now working out that his team would be in third place without its points handicap (admittedly that would probably be fourth if Juve were still in things).

So, an open question - is this an exciting, open league or has the whole Calciopoli thing dragged down the standards significantly? Or maybe both?

Tonight, we are all Amaranto

Ladies and gentlemen, for those of us brought up north of the border and with all that following football up here entails, tonight is a special one. All Italo-British clashes are emotional occasions for me but a clash with the boys from Ibrox is particularly keenly felt.

I don't care about the whole religious thing and am not particularly fanatical about the other half of the Old Firm. However, personal experience makes it impossible not to hope Lucarelli and Company give the Rangers a roasting. I have visited Ibrox a few times and been called an "Effing Tally" often enough to want the boys from Leghorn to win this one in style.

What are the chances? Rangers come to the game in truly awful form while Livorno could hardly be playing better. In addition, I saw somewhere that the boys in Blue have only managed one draw and nine defeats in ten previous visits to Italy. Although, these UEFA group games leave me cold, I have to say. Four matches to knock two teams out of a five side group - how dull is that? That old mad dog Aldo Spinelli was right when he said the UEFA Cup meant something when he was President at Genoa but it has become a joke now.

Still, despite my natural aversion to all Tuscan teams outside of Florence I will be at the Armando Picchi in spirit tonight. Then it's time to turn my attentions to the battle of the minus signs on Sunday when Fiorentina take on Reggina.

Back and angry...

Let me vent my anger over the latest issue which is blighting Italian and world football and really starting to bug me - namely face-clutching. I watched a bit of the Siena v Messina game on Saturday night and they were at it there. I recently saw Willy Sagnol get Fabio Grosso sent off with a similar action. And it seems to go on as a matter of routine in almost every match staged across the continent at the highest level.

You know what I am talking about. Somebody gently brushes a player with his left pinky somewhere within three feet of his nose. Then the player "struck" goes down as if his cheekbone was fractured in 12 places. The red/yellow card is brandished and the "offender" suffers while the "victim" is back up and playing in seconds.

It is something which annoys me on a number of levels. At the very least it slows up play as any decent referee has to stop play for a supposed head knock. It is a pathetic attempt to land a fellow pro in trouble. But most of all there appears to be no sanction against anyone who is clearly play-acting. "Simulation" to try to get a penalty often earns a yellow card, I think this kind of feeble falling down should also earn a card to try to cut it out. Otherwise, I seem to be seeing it about three or four times in every match these days.

Phew!

OK, so it wasn't vintage by any standards but it was still good to get the ball rolling with three points against the Ukraine. And what a strike from Toni, quite similar to the one he belted in for the Viola a week earlier. Didn't understand the use of Del P (I feel his day is done at Nazionale level) or Iaquinta (I feel his day should never have come at Nazionale level). Still, it put me in a better frame of mind for Georgia.

Cracking result for Scotland but not sure whether it was good or bad for overall Italian qualification. The bottom line, however, is always to focus on your own results. Another win on Wednesday night and we would be right back in the hunt for a top two spot. Anything less than a win, however, would undo the positive feelings I have right now.

I have to confess here and now that my vision of the Ukraine game was severely impaired by my own stupidity. I forgot that my wife had invited friends round for whom I cooked a lovely meal (stuffed peppers followed by linguine with king prawns). However, it meant my overall game view was very limited. And I may have done even worse for Wednesday having booked to go away on holiday with the family. Chances of holiday park showing Georgia v Italy over Croatia v England or Ukraine v Scotland? Less than nil. I will be with the boys in spirit and regularly checking on ceefax, WAP or with my cousins...

What have we done to make them so disrespectful?

OK, OK, I know the World Cup is over but just the same you would think it would have earned Italy some RESPECT!

Firstly you have Paul Hartley saying that the Azzurri might have won the World Cup but everybody knows France are the better team. Bite the tongue, I told myself, take it on the chin. Silly wee Hearts man.

But then you get Oleg Blokhin saying he expects to beat Italy this weekend. Now that's taking things too far. Did he miss the Mondiale? Has he forgotten the beating his boys took? Does being champions of the world count for nothing? (I don't know what the blogging equivalent of grabbing your balls and pulling a Sylvester Stallone type pose is but I am doing it now).

I demand RESPECT for the Azzurri and I demand it now. We are four times world champions, a couple of times finalists, always near the top of the Euro tree. We are right up there side by side with Brazil. So give us some RISPETTO!

...And let's beat Ukraine and Georgia please!!!

Back to Del Piero...

More than one quizzical eyebrow has been raised at Roberto Donadoni's call-ups for the crunch Euro qualifying clash with the Ukraine. Alberto Gilardino and Antonio Cassano are the biggest name casualties from his first competitive clashes - seemingly sacrificed to make room for Luca Toni and Alex Del Piero.

The move smacks a little bit of uncertainty from the new boss. Why call up Cassano in the first place only to dump him this time? While Gilardino is crying out for somebody to show a bit of faith in him having been questioned at both club and country level for no good reason. It is surprising to see Del P back in the squad while nobody doubts Toni deserves his spot after the cracker he scored on Sunday. Still, judgment reserved until after the game.

On the league front it is Palermo and Roma who go into the national break on top after Inter's slip up at Cagliari. Neither side sparkled at the weekend but it is shaping up like an amazingly exciting campaign. The door is open for a real surprise Scudetto winner, is anybody prepared to take the chance?

Povero Toro!

I would freely admit I have a soft spot for Torino. Maybe it is their dislike of Juve, maybe it is their tragic history (Superga, Gigi Meroni etc) or maybe it is just the colour of their strips. Whatever it is, it never seems like a proper Serie A season without them.

But, boy oh boy, did they take one hell of a beating on Saturday night. 4-0 going on 8-0 by Lazio. They held on reasonably for a half but once they went behind, the floodgates opened. Maybe their President, Mr Urbano Cairo, will be having a few regrets about sacking the Coach who got them promoted a few days before the season started to bring in Alberto Zaccheroni. If you too thought that Zac's day was done it was proved in spades in front of the long-suffering Granata support.

The team clearly don't want to play for him because, although they are bad, they are not that bad. They desperately need a striker and a way to get the best out of undoubtedly talented players like Rosina and Fiore. Otherwise, they might pass Juve coming up as they head straight back down to Serie B.

We are not alone...

So, we stood and took it for most of the summer about how we were the most corrupt league in the world, the shame of our top teams, the scandal that was Serie A. Well, ladies and gentlemen, it's time for a little payback.

Tune yourselves in to Panorama tonight and find out how many Premiership managers like a bung. That is to say, a little sweetener of cash for their pocket to clinch major transfer deals. It appears we are not talking, as in Italy, the simple use of influence but rather the more grubby subject of cold, hard notes. The results of a full inquiry are expected out early next month.

What can we expect? Managers banned, teams relegated, points deductions? Probably not. More likely the sound of the old carpet being lifted and a judicious bit of sweeping...

Some surprises - and Inter...

In the end it was only Inter who let down Italy in Europe in the Champs League. I made the mistake of watching their clash with Sporting Lisbon not Roma's impressive 4-0 victory over Donetsk. It was drab, dull and uninspiring as Inter have often treated us to in Europe. The Giallorossi, by all accounts, took their time to break down their opponents but when they did - they did it in some style.

As for Milan, they looked pretty good and I was particularly impressed by Gourcuff or however it is spelled. Oliveira looked less stellar but luckily for the Rossoneri old Pippo was in full swing.

Now bring on the UEFA!