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.

Why Brazilian-free, you ask?

Well, quite frankly, I think we’ve heard enough about these guys and what they might do. Honestly, if I read one more Ronaldinho/Adriano/Ronaldo/Amauri “article” (if you even want to call the little paragraphs I’ve been reading “articles”), I’ll make like Samir from Office Space and “throw dees piece of sheeet out dee window.” (That would be bad, as I do not have a spare laptop.)
I know, I know. There are recurring rumors published about non-Brazilian players too. I’ll concede that. It just seems, however, like the ones about the Brazilians have been in circulation for far longer. Subsequently, I feel like these guys need to stop partying in Sao Paulo for five minutes and make some *&$%ing decisions.

Alright. Enough about the Brazilians.

Let’s talk instead about big man Cristiano Lucarelli. Goal.com and Calciomercato.com are both reporting that Parma and Torino are the two sides that seem most interested, although Goal.com mentions a few other squads as well, Napoli, Genoa and Milan (yeah, right) among them. Both sites are also saying that we won’t know anything until after January 7, as that’s when the striker returns from holiday. Once he’s back, there are supposed to be meetings with both clubs. As for which of the two clubs has a better chance, Calciomercato.com seems to think that the big man would rather play for Torino, while Goal.com is calling Parma’s bid “serious.” Meh. Whatever.

If Project Lucarelli doesn’t pan out for Torino, they’ve supposedly got their eye on the truly promising young’n Rolando Bianchi, who’s currently with Manchester City. Parma’s backup, on the other hand, is Uruguayan striker Pablo Granoche, who scored five goals in seven matches with Serie B side Triestina. (Does anybody else think that maybe these guys should be looked at as more than just backup plans?)

A couple posts ago, I mentioned Maniche, the Portuguese international who apparently wants out of Atletico. Well, Channel 4 is now reporting that he’s still available, although Juve and Milan have been omitted from the list of interested parties, leaving just ArgentInter and Fiorentina. I feel like I’m watching a horse race on this one. Come ooooooooooonnnnnn purple! Come oooooooonnnnnn Viola! Better yet, it’s like the movie The Goonies, when the kids’ houses were going to be bought out by the evil developers, and they had to find the pirate treasure to fund… er… save the day. So… yeah. Fiorentina are like the Goonies, while ArgentInter are the evil developers. (Who’s Sloth? Bobo?)

Just yesterday, I mentioned Aussie midfielder Mark Bresciano (who currently wears Palermo pink), although it wasn’t in the context of a transfer rumor. As it turns out, Lazio are interested. Wait… did I just say that? Lazio? The same Lazio that still haven’t settled Rocchi’s contract (to my knowledge), and who might lose Pandev? They actually want to buy? All Lazio stone-breakin’ aside, I think Bresciano would fit in well… although that’s not saying much for Lazio, because I think this guy would fit in well anywhere, as he’s versatile and has a work rate that would make Gattuso smile.

Speaking of Lazio, they might want to think about calling back Pasquale Foggia, who’s been out on loan to (and getting into trouble at) Calgiari. Given Lazio’s lack of enthusiasm in renewing their best friggin’ player’s (Rocchi’s) contract, however, I wouldn’t be surprised if they let Foggia slip through the cracks… which Channel 4 thinks is a distinct possibility.