Serie A 2010-2011 Thread

Benitez will suck the life out of Inter. I think Juventus and their history and new hungry players will be the most likely to take advantage of this.

L r dd wrote:Benitez will suck the life out of Inter. I think Juventus and their history and new hungry players will be the most likely to take advantage of this.

Maybe, but Inter still have a comfortably better side (on paper). I think Juve look a better bet than Roma or Milan though. Hopefully it will be an interesting season like the PL.

Calidad wrote:Maybe, but Inter still have a comfortably better side (on paper). I think Juve look a better bet than Roma or Milan though. Hopefully it will be an interesting season like the PL.

Actually depends on how the transfer market ends... if Roma manage to secure Burdisso and a decent fullback, I would consider them as Inter's biggest challengers. Juve are on a rebuild, its always difficult to win something when you change so much... on top of that, I suspect they are mentally very fragile right now... the players lost a bit of confidence during the fag end of Ciro's reign, when they started losing too often. And then the Juve management let Zac lose on them, who methodically sucked their souls dry of every last bit of self belief... Zac does have that effect It takes time to rebuild from there....

But must admit, Juve ve done well in the summer... they needed a overhaul, and they achieved it... if they can stay near Inter by December, anything can happen...

Roma leading 1-0 in the Super Cup with around 40 mins gone...Riise scored in the 21st minute. is this a one-off tie or over two legs?

1-1 now

Inter leading 3-1, looks like they are destined to match our record, two goals by eto'o(some sort of record he will be setting)

Messiah wrote:Inter leading 3-1, looks like they are destined to match our record, two goals by eto'o(some sort of record he will be setting)

These cups are just mickey mouse trophies, mate... who cares? The supercup, euro supercup, "world club" cup, whatever... nice to haves, and i hope Inter give some youngsters a chance to play at these....these are like glorified friendlies, are they not? What really matters is the league and the CL, and to a lessor extent the Coppa. Rest is just for fun.

It was a nice win tho... Good for Eto'o to score, we need more goals from him...

bluenine wrote:

Messiah wrote:Inter leading 3-1, looks like they are destined to match our record, two goals by eto'o(some sort of record he will be setting)

These cups are just mickey mouse trophies, mate... who cares? The supercup, euro supercup, "world club" cup, whatever... nice to haves, and i hope Inter give some youngsters a chance to play at these....these are like glorified friendlies, are they not? What really matters is the league and the CL, and to a lessor extent the Coppa. Rest is just for fun.

It was a nice win tho... Good for Eto'o to score, we need more goals from him...

Its a mickey mouse cup when you win them by them self, but in the context of achieving 6 cups in a year, they are huge.

Messiah wrote:

bluenine wrote:

Messiah wrote:Inter leading 3-1, looks like they are destined to match our record, two goals by eto'o(some sort of record he will be setting)

These cups are just mickey mouse trophies, mate... who cares? The supercup, euro supercup, "world club" cup, whatever... nice to haves, and i hope Inter give some youngsters a chance to play at these....these are like glorified friendlies, are they not? What really matters is the league and the CL, and to a lessor extent the Coppa. Rest is just for fun.

It was a nice win tho... Good for Eto'o to score, we need more goals from him...

Its a mickey mouse cup when you win them by them self, but in the context of achieving 6 cups in a year, they are huge.

We think differently here. To me, the treble has significance. Those are real competitions. The "6 cups" thing is just media made up hype, to include such glorified friendlies.... I hope Inter focus on the real trophies, and use these "supercups" to practice/test reserves.

bluenine wrote:

Messiah wrote:

bluenine wrote:

Messiah wrote:Inter leading 3-1, looks like they are destined to match our record, two goals by eto'o(some sort of record he will be setting)

These cups are just mickey mouse trophies, mate... who cares? The supercup, euro supercup, "world club" cup, whatever... nice to haves, and i hope Inter give some youngsters a chance to play at these....these are like glorified friendlies, are they not? What really matters is the league and the CL, and to a lessor extent the Coppa. Rest is just for fun.

It was a nice win tho... Good for Eto'o to score, we need more goals from him...

Its a mickey mouse cup when you win them by them self, but in the context of achieving 6 cups in a year, they are huge.

We think differently here. To me, the treble has significance. Those are real competitions. The "6 cups" thing is just media made up hype, to include such glorified friendlies.... I hope Inter focus on the real trophies, and use these "supercups" to practice/test reserves.

Yeah I don't give much for these trophies either, especially not the one match cups like the super cups. The World Club cup could be something special but it has to be rearranged. For a big club the only tropies that should matter is the league and Cl(perhaps Europa League). The others are just for the seasons where things don't work out and you have pretty it up.

Tarun wrote:Here goes my prediction for the top 7 for European qualifications:

1. Inter
2. Roma
3. Juventus
4. Milan
5. Sampdoria
6. Palermo
7. Genoa/Napoli

Would be tough for any other Serie A club in the league at the moment to displace Inter at the top. Their confidence is high & they have quality & depth. A problem for Inter could be a 'relative' lack of motivation as they are coming off a historic treble. But in Benitez Inter has a good coach and they would continue to be a dominant force in the foreseeable future.

Roma look good for the title race & who knows if Adriano can be their new hero. Will be interesting to see if the guy can reinvent himself at Roma with Totti, Vucinic and Menez supporting him. Simplicio is a good addition & it will be super if they are able to sort the Burdisso issue in their favor.

Marrotta has made some good transfers for Juventus so far. The issue always was to find the right system to play rather than force the players to adapt to one. With Del Neri's 4-4-2 to be the way ahead and acquisition of players that suit the formation, seems like we are on the right track. There are no big name signings but they are good players who will fit into the formation well. I liked what I saw of Pepe, Martinez & Motta till now, if the recent qualifiers can be considered as an example. We are still hunting for a LB and possibly a striker & with that I think we have a decent squad that can challenge for a top 4 position. Our pivot will still remain the form of players like Chiellini, Amauri, Marchisio, Del Piero & Buffon (the latter 2 for the leadership they bring) and the newcomers will have to add to it. I continue to be skeptical about Melo but also believe that Diego will be able to show his quality this time around.

Milan - I don't know what to make of them! I will let it pass!!

I think Doria will continue to do well. They still have players like Pazzini, Cassano & Palombo.

I am kind of undecided on the 7th spot & think that both Napoli & Genoa are good for it. I have high hopes from Genoa this time around. They have bought very well & they are a highly motivated side. Their consistency has been suspect but I think by adding good players to their ranks they might be able to overcome that

Too high.

LRD, Inter will win it no danger.

You are paying too much attention to the manager - the players are the most important thing in deciding where the trophies go and Inter's squad is still clearly the best.

I think Milan will be Inters main competitor for the title next to Roma since we have improved from last season eventhough we havent had any major signings.

For example, our main dip in form came from when Nesta went out injured, now we have Sokratis who is likely to earn a starting spot soon and Yepes who is much more reliable than Favalli and Kaladze previously. Also we have Amelia who looks to me like he is the best goalie we have so far, better than Dida. Then in midfield we have new young players that will be given a chance, unlike last year when we kept rotating between already well known players (Pirlo, Seedorf, Ambro, Gattuso) and then you have Boateng and Flamini who should give us more energy in midfield, something we definetly lacked from last year. In attack I am hoping we sign a good finisher instead of Borriello although looking at Pato's physique he seems like he is ready to become a contender for top scorer if he remains injury free and Ronaldinho has lost alot of weight. Mangerially, Allegri seems to be a better tactician than Leonardo who was good at creating team harmony, and Allegri is working well on the physical situation of the players so I expect them to give 100% not like the inconsistency we had under Leonardo.


I cant see Roma doing anything special this year, their only improvement is a big risk in Adriano who even if he does find his form will only add a little to their team since they still rely a lot on Totti who is their link to attack. As we saw in the super cup Roma lack the personality to dominate a whole encounter, they could lose a tie any second, their team is not dominant enough for me and they will rely only on a good string of victories but will find it hard to come out of tough patches.

Juve have added many players to their squad, so many of them are young players which is a big plus but to say they will do something big is an exageration, they still have to go through the integration season first like Milan did last year where players discover their true identities. Too many changes took place there so it will take them some time before they begin to gel and by that time it will be catch up with Inter meaning mission impossible for them.

As for the favorites Inter, I can say they have little to improve on but they will most likely win it and dominate again probably with more attractive football than under Mourinho. I think its good that they have a new coach after that unbelievable season for them, sometimes its difficult to find that same will power in the following season so a new coach and especially someone like Benitez can keep that motivation and add something new to it aswell. Also they have exciting talents like Coutinho who will have to fight it out with well known names such as Stankovic and Pandev and it will be nice to see what he can add to the league.

Cheb Hamouda wrote:I think Milan will be Inters main competitor for the title next to Roma since we have improved from last season eventhough we havent had any major signings.

For example, our main dip in form came from when Nesta went out injured, now we have Sokratis who is likely to earn a starting spot soon and Yepes who is much more reliable than Favalli and Kaladze previously. Also we have Amelia who looks to me like he is the best goalie we have so far, better than Dida. Then in midfield we have new young players that will be given a chance, unlike last year when we kept rotating between already well known players (Pirlo, Seedorf, Ambro, Gattuso) and then you have Boateng and Flamini who should give us more energy in midfield, something we definetly lacked from last year. In attack I am hoping we sign a good finisher instead of Borriello although looking at Pato's physique he seems like he is ready to become a contender for top scorer if he remains injury free and Ronaldinho has lost alot of weight. Mangerially, Allegri seems to be a better tactician than Leonardo who was good at creating team harmony, and Allegri is working well on the physical situation of the players so I expect them to give 100% not like the inconsistency we had under Leonardo.


I cant see Roma doing anything special this year, their only improvement is a big risk in Adriano who even if he does find his form will only add a little to their team since they still rely a lot on Totti who is their link to attack. As we saw in the super cup Roma lack the personality to dominate a whole encounter, they could lose a tie any second, their team is not dominant enough for me and they will rely only on a good string of victories but will find it hard to come out of tough patches.

Juve have added many players to their squad, so many of them are young players which is a big plus but to say they will do something big is an exageration, they still have to go through the integration season first like Milan did last year where players discover their true identities. Too many changes took place there so it will take them some time before they begin to gel and by that time it will be catch up with Inter meaning mission impossible for them.

As for the favorites Inter, I can say they have little to improve on but they will most likely win it and dominate again probably with more attractive football than under Mourinho. I think its good that they have a new coach after that unbelievable season for them, sometimes its difficult to find that same will power in the following season so a new coach and especially someone like Benitez can keep that motivation and add something new to it aswell. Also they have exciting talents like Coutinho who will have to fight it out with well known names such as Stankovic and Pandev and it will be nice to see what he can add to the league.

Good post, mate. Some good arguements there.

IMO Abbiati is better than Amelia. And mostly based on last season, Storari is better than both of them. So I don't think Milan did very well in GK transfers. Boateng & Papa definately add to your team, but is it case of too little too late? If you consider it from a different angle, Milan overachieved last year with that team... your fullbacks are still not upto scratch, and your are still heavily dependent on Dinho/Pato to perform. Your fiurst XI may be able to compete with anyone, but a few injuries could still derail your campaign. Milan need a "morale boosting" signing, and a top fullback or two - say if you get Ibra and a top fullback, then you would compete with Inter on equal footing or thereabouts.

Re Roma, you can never tell. You are spot on re their personality, they can self destruct anytime like in the supercoppa. But with Simplicio & Adriano improve an already decent attack... they need some defenders (at least Burdisso and a Motta replacement), if they get that who knows? They could win the scudetto or fight relegation

Agree re Juve and Inter...

What's the story re. Burdisso...why aren't Inter letting him go to Roma if he's nowhere near starting for you?

fcb wrote:What's the story re. Burdisso...why aren't Inter letting him go to Roma if he's nowhere near starting for you?

Coz Roma are looking for a steal, and are not ready to pay the asking price. For someone with Burdisso's experience and considering his form last season, Eur 10m is not an excessive ask. Why should Inter give our title rival what is a key player for them on a cheap?? Inter are doing the right thing if you ask me.

Ahh ok, thought it was something more than just a difference of opinion on the fee.

bluenine wrote:

Good post, mate. Some good arguements there.

IMO Abbiati is better than Amelia. And mostly based on last season, Storari is better than both of them. So I don't think Milan did very well in GK transfers. Boateng & Papa definately add to your team, but is it case of too little too late? If you consider it from a different angle, Milan overachieved last year with that team... your fullbacks are still not upto scratch, and your are still heavily dependent on Dinho/Pato to perform. Your fiurst XI may be able to compete with anyone, but a few injuries could still derail your campaign. Milan need a "morale boosting" signing, and a top fullback or two - say if you get Ibra and a top fullback, then you would compete with Inter on equal footing or thereabouts.

Re Roma, you can never tell. You are spot on re their personality, they can self destruct anytime like in the supercoppa. But with Simplicio & Adriano improve an already decent attack... they need some defenders (at least Burdisso and a Motta replacement), if they get that who knows? They could win the scudetto or fight relegation

Agree re Juve and Inter...

I know Amelia was crap last year and I was unhappy that we went for him, but judging from pre season he looks to be the best one, making big saves and he also starts the attack well. I always felt bad for Storari but I always felt the goal looks way too big when hes standing between the posts.

I think our main problems as you mentioned are full backs and finisher, but I think if Nesta is playing we can have Sokratis at Right back Zambrotta on the left and a back four of those 2 with nesta and Thiago is solid enough (at least for the time being until we get a true Right back). Then we have to wait to see if we can get another striker like Ibra, if so then we are talking about a seriously dangerous attacking trio, but im pessemistic about this transfer so I hope we give Huntelaar more playing time I think hes being unrightfully blamed for many situations which he shouldnt be, hopefully allegri will bring the best out of him he seems to be an easier figure to deal with than Borriello who has more ego.

Then we must not forget that the midfield should become much more energetic this year, not only because of Boatengs arrival, but because Allegri made it clear that Flamini will play a key role, he will be given more space, so with this confidence and should Flamini respond in the correct manner I expect us to win the ball deeper into the opponents half, unlike last year when we always seemed to needing every player to defend. This is important because it will give the space necessary for Pirlo to create and as we all know by now that if Pirlo ticks then Milan play great.

As for Roma I forgot they signed Simplicio, he is a good player but I still think Roma need more than just new players, they need to change their attitude, sometimes they seem to run out of gas too quickly!

Anyone know if Serie A will be shown in the UK this season?

I remember reading 2 games a week on ESPN somewhere on this board.

Six wrote:I remember reading 2 games a week on ESPN somewhere on this board.

Yeah, they have renewed last seasons package. Which means 2 or 3 live games every match day, and 1 coppa game every matchday. Its awesome!!

This weekend's fixtures:

Bari	-	Juventus
Bologna	-	Inter
Chievo	-	Catania
Fiorentina	-	Napoli
Milan	-	Lecce
Palermo	-	Cagliari
Parma	-	Brescia
Roma	-	Cesena
Sampdoria	-	Lazio
Udinese	-	Genoa

ESPN are showing Roma-Cesena tonight, Fiorentina-Napoli tom night, and Bologna-Inter on monday eve!!

At the mo, its Udinese 0-0 Genoa at HT of the first game of the season!!!

Genoa leave it late to take the lead at Udine as Mesto scores the first goal of Serie A 2010-11.... 5 minutes to go

0-0 in the Roma game.

A lot of possession and getting themselves into decent positions for Roma but not many clearcut chances so far.

Dropped points for Roma. Didn't watch the majority of the 2nd half but I hear it was similar enough to the 1st. Though Cesena had a great chance to snatch the 3 points.

0-0 it finishes.

Caught a few bits and pieces of the game...whenever I switched to it, Cesena seemed to be on the counter and were in good positions to score, but then someone or the other made an awful decision on the final pass/shot.

New signing Chevanton is unavailable while Olivera is serving a suspension.



3 points for Milan then.

Bari leads Juve 1-0 at the end of the first half!!!

Tarun wrote:Bari leads Juve 1-0 at the end of the first half!!!

deja vu.... Bari seem to have continued where they left off last season, and so far, so have Juve....

bluenine wrote:

Tarun wrote:Bari leads Juve 1-0 at the end of the first half!!!

deja vu.... Bari seem to have continued where they left off last season, and so far, so have Juve....

FT Bari 1-0 Juventus

New coach, new players, same form...

bluenine wrote:

bluenine wrote:

Tarun wrote:Bari leads Juve 1-0 at the end of the first half!!!

deja vu.... Bari seem to have continued where they left off last season, and so far, so have Juve....

FT Bari 1-0 Juventus

New coach, new players, same form...

...first game