Some of the quotes that have been in the news this week have been just too interesting to not post, so here goes:

Antonio Cassano

I didn’t really want to move to Genoa [Sampdoria] because I had been told that it was a dead city. Instead however I discovered that the locals are very friendly and there are lots of nice women around. This latter factor is fundamental for me.

Are we allowed women in the build-up before matches? Well you simply have to organise it. You take a room upstairs and then quickly you meet up with them.

For me the Scudetto in three-to-four years is possible. I said to the President I will reduce my salary and with some effort we can achieve some fine satisfactions.

Francesco Totti

The way I see it, there is a psychological factor because right now everyone is afraid to make a mistake against Inter and referees get nervous. I don’t want to attack Inter, because Inter as a club have nothing to do with it I think, the players are good and they win on the pitch. But I still think there is something behind it. They get small helps.

Unfortunately, that has always happened, like with Juve a while ago, now with Inter. I don’t think Inter are doing what Juve used to do though. When the scandal broke and we read the phone conversations, we realised what had been going on.

I don’t think Inter have done the same, they win on the pitch, then the referees can make mistakes because it’s hard not to make any errors for the full 90 minutes. But when the mistakes always favor the same team, you start to think.

Fabio Quagliarella

We [Udine] are a strong side and we can do even better because at the moment we have ups and downs. Are we good enough to get fourth place? We showed that we are by the way we played in the first half of the season. We just need to believe in our own abilities.

We had a good first half [against Juve], but then Juve had two shots and scored two goals. We hit the post and had other chances, but that’s the way that the top sides are and we got punished. When you take a lead you must be able to keep it. My main complaint is that I am suspended now due to a booking that I didn’t deserve. Giorgio Chiellini elbowed me and I went down, but not because I wanted to get him sent off - it was because my jaw hurt.

Napoli are my heart’s team, but I have never had an offer from them. There was some contact with Milan, but nothing concrete, especially since I came to Udine. Inter? Anyone would do well playing alongside Zlatan Ibrahimovic because he is an extraordinary player and I know that the Nerazzurri have kept an eye on me. I like the Italian giants and Spain is attractive, but when I heard that Manchester United were in the frame, I was very flattered. Nonetheless, I want to reiterate that Udine is a great place and I am happy here. I am in no hurry to leave. I have five years on my contract and I won’t be talking about anything until the summer.

Alberto Paloschi

[On his first, first-squad goal for Milan] When I scored I blacked out, I only saw the arms of the fans going up behind the goal and I didn’t know what to do anymore. It was a good goal, Inzaghi told me he tried to stop Loria with his body to allow me to score. Sincerely I did not expect to come on the pitch so quickly, I thought I would play in the last five minutes, it’s a great feeling and I still can’t believe it happened.

…and the reaction in the stands.

Hey - it might not be a Nerazzurri loss, but the rest of Serie A will take it, as Roma now close the gap by two points, leaving only five between the Giallorossi and ArgentInter.

So thanks, Udinese!

Looking at ArgentInter’s form as of late, the words “turning point” come to mind; two draws (granted, against worthy opponents) preceded by a shaky victory against a side that sits at the bottom half of the table do not exactly inspire confidence. If we weren’t talking about the league-leading Nerazzurri here, you can bet your behind that the word “crisis” would be tossed around by the Italian media for sure. Of course, Mancini believes the cards are stacked against him, but the rest of us are just muttering “welcome to the club.”

After the next Coppa Italia fixture against Juventus, things will get a bit easier on Inter, as they face Empoli, Catania and Livorno in succession. When that’s over, however, that’s when things get interesting. ArgentInter will have to travel to Anfield where they face a rabid ‘Pool (a contest that’s sure to wear them down like no other) and then return home and square off against Sampdoria, and three days later… Roma.

Elsewhere in Serie A, Rolando Bianchi was on the field for all of five minutes before being booked and subsequently sent off in Lazio’s draw with Torino.

The Duck bagged his first brace for the Rossoneri, as Ancelotti lined him up in front of Seedorf in Milan’s win over Genoa. With Seedorf going buck-wild for Milan as of late, one wonders if Ka-Pa-Ro shouldn’t be shelved in place of See-Ka-Pa. (Yeah, my head hurts from that too.) Oh… and FatRon’s hurt again. [sarcasm]What a great investment![/sarcasm]

Cagliari showed that they’re more desperate than Napoli, in what I’m going to call a slight upset, though Napoli’s Hamsik definitely deserves honorable mention for his third goal in two matches. Oddly enough, Cagliari started out without Foggia again, bringing him on for Acquafresca in the 56th minute. Something’s going on behind the scenes there, although I’m not sure what; chances are, it’s related to chair throwing enforcers. Anyway, congratulations to Cagliari for their first three-pointer since freaking September.

First off, let me say that I’m conscious of the fact that I bitch about Inter a lot, but contrary to what my actions may suggest, I don’t want to make this a “look at what ArgentInter did this week” blog, and I don’t enjoy writing about them… especially when they’re pulling wins out of their collective ass, as was the case this week. Unfortunately, as it turns out, it just seems like they’re always doing something morbidly newsworthy, whether it’s fielding a team of players from everywhere but Italy, or rolling through Italy’s best at the feet of Zaltan The Great (a.k.a. Calcio’s JarJar), or sneaking by more win-worthy squads on the wings of luck. One way or another, they’re attention getters.

This week, it was so bad that their own coach admits that they got off easy, something I haven’t seen him do for a while… if ever. Anyway, you can judge for yourself. Maybe you’ll do a better job than me of spotting the “penalty” at the end:

The good news is, if Inter are going to play like that, hilarity is sure to ensue when they face Juventus on 1/23 and 1/30 (Coppa Italia), and Udinese on 1/27. Three consecutive tough matches might be a bit much for Lady Luck to handle, yes?

Ah… Udinese. Some uncharacteristically poor finishing up front cost them (and handed Milan) three points this week, so hopefully they’ll be raring to go come InterTime, although Udinese will have to contend with Catania this week (Coppa Italia again) as well. (What a brilliant backheel by Kaka on that assist!)

Edit: Siena upset Palermo this weekend, 3-2. (Back in October, I said that Siena could be friggin’ nasty, and it looks like it’s still true. Here’s to hoping they don’t get relegated.)

The following video has highlights from two matches: Palermo-Siena and Reggina-Cagliari

Regarding Reggina-Cagliari, you know things are bad when you make Reggina look awesome. Where the hell was Foggia? I’d hate to write a team off halfway through the season, but folks… let’s just say I think one of our relegation spots is definitely spoken for.

Would somebody please tell Alex Del Piero that silence is golden… please? First he makes presumptuous demands of the nazionale, then he’s calling out his goals Babe Ruth-style, and now… now he’s pointing the finger (while saying he’s not pointing the finger, of course) and making some stupidly obvious statements.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but this doesn’t sound like a very leader-like way to talk, does it?

Maybe some players have given more than others.

What? Sorry, but I don’t think any professional should ever say anything of the sort, no matter how true.

And how about this? Can you say Captain Obvious?

Inter are stronger than the other sides in Italy. They have a deep squad and they have consolidated the players that they have.

I guess that explains how Inter got to the top of the table, right? They’re stronger? Also, having Hernan freakin’ Crespo as a backup is a slight bonus, right?

Perhaps Alex is preparing the Juve faithful for a crash-out against Inter in the Coppa Italia, now that both sides are through. Who knows. If Juve are going to give Inter a hard time, I’d rather see them do it during the Scudetto hunt.

Oh yeah… about that whole Scudetto hunt thing - The most interesting matches this weekend are Inter - Parma (on the outside chance that Lucarelli comes in at some point, though it’s highly improbable Update: Parma’s coach isn’t ruling the big man out! LINK), Roma - Catania (because Roma have a pretty thin back line at the moment, though the last time Catania visited Stadio Olimpico, the Giallorossi put on a show), and Milan - Udinese (because of the versatile “Di Natagliarella” attack facing off against the Ka-Pa-Ro samba trident).

Regarding that last one, as much as I’d love to see Milan crank it up a notch and climb into a Champions League spot eventually, I am not crazy (in case you haven’t guessed) about their current Brazilian obsession. In contrast, I really like both Quagliarella and Di Natale, and I’d like to see them open it up against someone… anyone (except Roma).

About Milan’s strikers: You might remember that two posts ago, I said that Gila needed to look for another job. Well, although Gila’s agent denies it, it’s probably true. Gazzetta dello Sport say that Gila wants to either play or bounce, and Corriere dello Sport are saying that a Milan-Fiorentina (Gila-Frye) swap is in the works, although I’ve heard something else debunking that one.

If you’re a Napoli fan, allow me to express my condolences.

If you’re a Napoli fan and you’re a resident of la citta di Napoli, I don’t even know what to say, quite honestly. How about… “at least you’re not Gilardino,” would that work?

On the other hand, if you are Alberto Gilardino, why are you reading this? You should be updating your resume, packing your bags or turning in your red and black shirts, because FatRon and The Duck just took your job. For real.

If anyone’s wondering “what the hell’s he talking about,” you must not have heard about Napoli’s loss at Milan.

Note that I just said “Napoli’s loss at Milan.” That should indicate that Milan are finally back to their winning ways at San Siro. In addition, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that it also indicates the beginning of a late Milan surge, similar to the one we saw late in the season last year. Mark my words; Milan are going to shoot right up the table, and this Brazilian trident of Kaka supporting FatRon and The Duck will be largely responsible. One can only hope that they’ll take some points from Inter along the way. Unfortunately, the next derby isn’t until week 36.

Speaking of Inter (aren’t we always?), they were fortunate to get past Siena this week. Actually, you may recall that there were a few matches earlier in the season where Inter barely escaped with points… before they started kicking Serie A’s collective a$$ convincingly. If we’re back to LuckyInter, I might just start to not censor my curses.

Anyway, here are the highlights from the Milan match, in case you’re curious about this Duck character:

…And here’s Inter squeaking by Siena. I won’t hold it against you if you don’t want to watch:

This guy is addicted to maligning the Azzurri. I mean… he tried to quit cold-turkey at the beginning of the month, but like a crack-fiend, he just couldn’t hack not getting his fix; the lure of the bliss that he clearly gains from talking trash on Italy and Italians was clearly too much for him. He gave in.

I’m not even going to paraphrase or respond to his comments; I think it’s enough this time to point out that he couldn’t resist taking one of his feeble, meandering stabs at our ragazzi, despite (supposedly) intending to refrain from doing so. (If you really want to read what he said this time, go right ahead.)

On some level, I wanted to ignore his words completely (to avoid giving him any additional satisfaction), but it’s not like Domenech actually reads this.

Dear Inter - Step off, fools!

I don’t know whether to laugh or be disturbed by the fact that Inter would even think they can touch Alberto Aquilani.

While it’s true that there aren’t many ‘franchise players’ (to borrow a term from American sports) in Serie A these days, Inter should know that Totti, Aquilani, and De Rossi are as Roman as the Colosseum.

Perhaps Inter’s success on the peninsula has given way to delusional thinking, or perhaps Blatter’s comments have them desperately scrambling to Italianize. In either case, they should look elsewhere.

Actually, never mind transfers… they should be focusing on this weekend’s Derby della Madonnina. If someone can take down ArgentInter, it’s the world champions, although The Great Zaltan will feature for the Nerazzurri.

Here’s to Rino Gattuso and the other six Italians on the field running through The Swede and his Argentne minions. Forza Milan!

[I’m going away this weekend, so please excuse today’s brevity/format!]

Alright, we’re still not quite halfway through the Serie A season, but we’re getting there.  Of course, that means we’re terribly close to the January transfer window, and as a result, rumors are flying all over the place.  There’s a ton of news (both real and speculative), and I’m going to do what I can to pluck out some of the more interesting (or alarming) pieces. Here goes:

• A while ago, I posted something about a well-known German being considered by Juve. Now, it appears as though Juve may be considering an equally well-known Englishman. Interestingly enough, both are from Chel$ea.  The Channel 4 article claims that “just” £700K is stalling negotiations.  Just? Am I the only one that thinks that’s a lot of money?  Tuttosport seems to think it’s basically a done deal, money aside.
• Boy… it seems that Milan want somebody… anybody from Barcelona. First they’re talking about Zambrotta, then they’re talking about Ronaldinho, then they’re talking about both. Now Eto’s name is being thrown into the pot. My question is, what the hell will Barcelona want in return?  I haven’t read a thing on that. *cough*GiveThemRonaldoForFree*cough*
• This next one is being filed under “F’n alarming.” Lippi is being linked to the vacant England coaching position, and Corriere Della Sera is stating that he’s already “said yes.” In the past, Lippi has shunned talk of a trip to England, stating that it would be impractical due to the language barrier.  Here though, it seems like he’s wanted badly. I mean… Mourinho and Capello visited the FA, but the FA is sending a guy out to Lippi.  Please, England… with all due respect, kindly look within your own borders.
• This isn’t a transfer rumor [collective sigh of relief], but I found it interesting: Quagliarella says he’s not going to celebrate if he scores in this weekend’s Udinese v. Sampdoria match.  I think it’s a fair gesture, but it’s also easier said than done.
• OK. This last one has slid under the radar of plenty of news outlets… either that, or they just don’t care: Real Madrid wants Mutu and Vucinic.  It sounds to me that Roma aren’t in too much danger of losing Vuci; Lecce and Roma co-own him, and Lecce is being pretty good about warning big-brother Roma about Real’s prying eyes.  Mutu, on the other hand… 17M plus Diarra? Hmmm…

Boy… Di Natale’s gonna be expensive!

Regular serieAmerica visitors may remember my two posts (#1 & #2) about a Roma - Di Natale connection. Well, there’s more to report on that front. Apparently, Udinese’s sporting director, Pietro Leonardi, says that Di Natale isn’t for sale at the moment.

There are two feasible interpretations of his comments, but no matter how you slice it, Mr. Leonardi is a smart cookie: If his statement about Udinese not being willing to give up one of their “best talents” is genuine, then he obviously realizes Di Natale’s value and is wise in his desire to keep him. If it’s just talk (and I think it is), my guess is that Leonardi is attempting to dangle a carrot just out of Roma’s reach, in order to better justify an astronomical asking price for Di Natale, once negotiations actually begin.

FatRon is hurt… again.

Well, it’s the eve of Milan-Juventus (easily the most talked about match this week… to the point where it’s almost annoying), and FatRon is hurt. Again. That’s OK. FatRon would’ve been laid out by Chiellini anyway, I think. Unfortunately, Ron’s absence leaves Gilardino to get knocked around… and frustrated, I’ll bet.

On a related note, the Corriere dello Sport had an interesting headline today:

Milan, goodbye Ronaldo, hello Amauri - The Rossoneri are ready to give up on El Fenomeno and already have their hands on the Palermo hitman

Amauri, huh? That won’t be cheap. (Although the connection has been reported elsewhere, so who knows.) What’s up with the Brazilian obsession, Milan?

And introducing… The California Kid

Now this one, I can’t believe.

Apparently, an 18 year-old high schooler from California has been offered a contract with Cagliari. Yes, that Cagliari.

What does Cagliari want with a high school kid from California? Your guess is probably better than mine; I’m certainly scratching my head over it. I can’t even get over the fact that they were scouting in North Carolina. Did they make a wrong turn or something?

Anyway, this kid (David Bingham) is passing up a full ride at UC Berkley (That’s no joke, David!) for the opportunity to (possibly) have Kaka / Totti / Zalayeta / Quaglia / Gila / Rocchi / Mutu / etc. fire missiles at him. I’m not going to criticize his decision, as passing up one sweet deal for another is never easy. Remember the name Bingham; we’ll have to watch this California Kid.

Aaaaannnd we’re back to our scheduled programming. So, what’s going on, you ask? Well, here’s my best attempt at a round-up:

First off, two matches were played already:

Genoa 0-1 Roma

• There are actually two things to talk about here. First off, Cristian Panucci (a.k.a. The Old Man) - the guy responsible for the Azzurri’s game-winner in Scotland - saved the day here as well, this time with a header in the 89th minute. Whatever you’re doing, Old Man, can you please get your teammates to start? Thanks.
• Speaking of which (and this brings me to our second talking point), Roma need to start taking vitamins or something. As Chris at Offside pointed out before the match, to say that Roma has caught the injury bug would be a gross understatement. Injury bear is more like it.

Inter 2-1 Atalanta

• Everyone, your attention please! ArgentInter fielded an Italian today, when Materazzi came on for Dacourt in the 88th minute. [crowd]Oooooohhhhh! Aaaaaaaaaahhhh![/crowd] Thank you. That is all.
• Actually, that’s not all. I have to point out that Inter got lucky… again. With all of the non-Italians on the team, I’m starting to wonder whether or not there’s a lucky Irishman in the mix somewhere. They are that lucky. If one of them starts riverdancing, or if someone mentions a pot o’ gold or charms of any kind, (is that how they pay for The Great Zaltan and the Argentinian Superstars?) we’ll know something is afoot. Seriously, Atalanta should have at least drawn level. Actually, if you read between Mancini’s words, you can tell that he soiled his pants during the match.

Elsewhere in the Lega Calcio:

• FatRon is set to return against Cagliari… maybe. Ugh. In the same match, Pasquale Foggia of Cagliari may play the role of trequartista. If there’s any action from the home team, expect Foggia to be involved. Unfortunately, Gattuso will probably scare the poor kid off of the pitch.
• I fully expect Fiorentina to leapfrog Roma and slip into second place, as they face Reggina tomorrow. If not, the Viola could go on an untimely slide, as they were upset by Udinese back in Week 12.
• I think Juventus will have a hard time with Palermo, but will come away with the win in the end. Juve will be without Lanky Chiellini, but they’ll be looking to pick up the pace after drawing in their last two matches.
• Catania are visiting Napoli this week, and although they’re a solid side (relatively speaking), they’re 0-5-1 on the road. That said, I am expecting a win for Napoli.

It sure is nice to have calcio back, isn’t it? I know it was only a couple weeks, but it feels like we were caught in an international wormhole or something. (Speaking of international stuff, the draws for World Cup 2010 qualifying groups are set to take place tomorrow; it’s going to be a busy day.)

• He’s Inter’s only Italian starter, and may be Serie A’s most infamous defender.
• He leveled the score with a righteous header in the World Cup final.
• He was the recipient of the most famous headbutt in sporting history.
• He talks to his leg.

Wait… what?

Everyone knows that Marco Materazzi has a touch of the pazzo, but did anyone know (until now) that he speaks to his leg? Well… in all fairness, he may not speak to his leg anymore, but he did while recovering from his thigh injury, apparently.

Leg-talking or not, many will be happy to see Matrix back in action when Inter face Atalanta (with no Atalanta fans in attendance) this weekend. Even more will be happy that The Don now has another rock-solid defender at his disposal (assuming he’s the same ol’ Matrix).

Welcome back, Marco!

Poor Montella! Poor Sampdoria!

I can’t think of anything worse that could possibly happen to Samdoria. With Cassano typically either hurt or acting like a complete jacka*s (or both), I saw Vincenzo Montella as the blucerchiati’s only hope. Now, due to an injury picked up last week, he’s headed for a surgery that will sideline him for two months.

Sorry Montella. Hopefully, you’ll be back on track in January.

Totti In… No… Totti Out

I haven’t been posting much about Totti’s injury, mainly because it’s been misinformation since day one. Whether it’s mind games from Spalletti or honest confusion, I don’t know.

First, we were told that Il Capitano’s injury was minor. Then, for weeks, we were told that he’d return against the next opponent, only to be let down as each match approached.

Anyway, he’s out again for the Genoa match, and I’m not even going to mention his name again until he puts on the maglia Giallorossi and steps onto the pitch ready to play.

So there.

Everyone Loves Pirlo

Maybe it’s because Andrea isn’t a vocal guy, and others feel the need to make sure his presence is known. Maybe it’s because he is the second coming of the Codino (well… sort of). Whatever the reason, the big guns of calcio have been keen on pointing out the greatness of Andrea Pirlo as of late.

Most recently, Gianni Rivera has made a case for Pirlo, and not long ago, the normally reclusive Roberto Baggio (only like… the greatest Italian footballer ever) has given Pirlo his endorsement.

I’ll say one thing, if there’s a dead-ball specialist in Serie A, it’s Pirlo for damn sure: