Inter's 17th consecutive win isn't news, just like the umpteenth Totti's mistake from the penalty spot. Today we want to talk about three teams that have been punished after Calciopoli scandal, and now are trying to get into Europe by its main door: Champions League. Now it's Lazio seating on the fourth step, but Milan is just one point behind and Fiorentina is some distance from them but maybe is in very good shape and don't mind if they are six points under. Reasonably, they are fighting for just one place, but we see that Palermo is in a bad moment and there are still 14 games to play. Will the Sicilians resist in the Top Four? We'll see...

Another remark we should do is that all the people saying this year Serie A is not so good, are a little bit wrong. Take for example the table as it would be if all those teams weren't penalized. At least for the top 6, it should be: Inter 66, AS Roma 52, Fiorentina 46, Palermo 44, AC Milan 44, Lazio 40. Top teams are all there, except Juve that is still paying for its scandals, so it's not Inter's fault if they are too strong. We should talk anout no history for its strenght, but not that the level is lower than the past for the reason Juve is not there.

Anyway, yesterday night AC Milan won without deserving, for the second time three points came during the extra-time, once again Ambrosini's header has been decisive: without him now Milan would be sixth with 31 points, 35 less then Inter. Ronaldo played badly, but had to carry the weight of the attack as Oliveira has been replaced by Cafu after 10', due to Oddo's sending-off. Mach 11th is going to be the moment of truth for Ancelotti: that day his team will play against Inter for the derby. Anyway, choosing Ronaldo -that cannot play Champions League- Milan has shown how important is fourth place to them.

Lazio forward Tommaso Rocchi is the man of the day. His beautiful goal in Cagliari has been applauded by all the viewers, and he had a standing ovation by the opposite fans, and this doesn't happen every day, especially in Italy, where fair play is just a pipe-dream. Now Lazio on Wednesday is going to play Catania at the Stadio Olimpico, it won't be easy, though Catania is in deep crisis and needs some point after the unsuccessful match against Inter.

We think Fiorentina is Serie A third best team, after Inter and Roma (according to Mutu, they are second, after Inter). They have a good coach, a fantastic pair of forwards, Luca Toni and Adrian Mutu, a technical skilled player as Liverani and some good youngsters (Montolivo, Pazzini and Donadel). Sporting director Pantaleo Corvino confirms their interest to young players: today Fiorentina has signed Arturo Lupoli (Arsenal forward, now at Derby County on loan) for the next five years. So, Neapolitan forward will be back to Italy since July, as he left Parma some years ago, "stolen" by Arsenal.

So, as from now until the end of may, at least we'll see an exciting fight for Europe: giants are back!

It happens that a team wins 13 consecutive matches breaking all records, and leads a league with 11 points advantage, and this team is Inter Milan. It also happens that main Italian bookmaker, SNAI, decides to suspend bets on Inter due to its evident superiority. Matchpoint, another bookmaker, keeps Inter quote, but it has been lowered to 1,01, meaning that if I bet 100 Euros, I win just a one euro coin.

Inter numbers are impressive: 54 points in 20 matches, best attack and best defence. Though we think that such a result should be underlined and maybe celebrated, we understand that when you are too strong and kill the competition, a lot of people might hate you. Anyway, this doesn’t justify some “whispering campaign” against Inter, lead by journalists we like to define “Moggi’s widows”. You've got to know that sport journalists are one of the categories whose image have been destroyed by Calciopoli. Last summer we could listen to wiretaps with some of main sport journalists asking Moggi and Co. what they should have written or said. Well, they are still in their place, just a couple of them were suspended by the Association of journalists for a short period. And they still are good friend of Moggi.

Last Sunday Inter won at home vs. Fiorentina. The Viola scored after 5’ with Luca Toni, and that was the only shot on goal they did in the whole match. In five minutes (19’ to 24’), two goals by Stankovic and Adriano put Inter back in control. In the second half, Inter slowed down the rhythm of the game and scored with Ibrahimovic, whose goal has been disputed by the Florentines, who stated that the ball was not completely in goal. Viola coach Prandelli and sport director Corvino after the match said none of Inter goals, especially the last one, was valid. Immediately Moggi’s widows put some poison into Inter’s win, assuming what Prandelli and Corvino said, without considering that the referee denied a couple of penalties to Inter.

In general, media like Turin newspaper Tuttosport (who is leading this campaign) and TV program Controcampo, would like to show that always the leading team has favours, and the same happened to Juventus or AC Milan during last years. And they would like also to let us know that the doubts we had in the past about Calciopoli are the same they have now. "If everybody is guity, no one is guilty", is their slogan. The problem is that they forget –or pretend to- all the stuff that came out in May 2006. A player gets a yellow card and won’t play against Inter the following weeks as he will be disqualified? Inter is doing something wrong as Juventus did, they say. But in one case we know about phone calls between Moggi and the referees chiefs, where Moggi asked to give some players a yellow or red card, now it is different.

Let’s just put an eye on some statistics of current season until now, they are self-explanatory:

Inter: 51 yellow cards, 4 red cards, penalty kicks: 3 in favour, 4 against
AS Roma: 45 yc, 1 rc, penalty kicks: 5-5
AC Milan: 37 yc, 1 rc, penalty kicks: 3-2
Palermo: 51 yc, 4 rc, penalty kicks: 5-1
Fiorentina: 47 yc, 2 rc, penalty kicks: 1-0

And here you have Ibrahimovic's 3-1 goal

Second half of Serie A starts this weekend, and everybody is waiting for an Inter false step. This championship is a sort of dictatorship. This time is Fiorentina trying to trip the Nerazzurri at San Siro, and it would be a revenge of the match played in September when Inter won 3-2 with Cambiasso’s and Toni’s doubles and the goal of Ibrahimovic. Mutu and Ujfalusi are disqualified but Mancini is distrustful and says Toni can support by himself the attack of the Viola. Inter will have Adriano-Ibra as forwards, Crespo still a little bit out of form and will seat on the bench. Last time in San Siro, on September 2005 for day 5, Inter won 1-0. It could be Inter’s thirteenth consecutive win: here in Italy, 13 is a lucky number, not like in Anglo-Saxon countries.

Roma travels to Livorno and it won’t be easy: Spalletti has to think up a new midfield, as De Rossi, Pizarro and Cassetti won’t play. The Tuscanian coach is thinking of Chivu as midfielder, let’s see. Livorno away is a hard nut to crack, especially after what happened this week: the heavy defeat in Bergamo (1-5), the president who sacks coach Arrigoni and players’ riot that makes Spinelli change his mind (we already talked about this, here). It’s obvious today the Amaranto of Livorno will do all their best to prove Spinelli’s decision was wrong.

The Sunday night game is at Stadio Olimpico in Roma, where Lazio and Milan will play for a place in UCL qualifying rounds (ok, maybe it’s too early, but we think this could be the duel for forth place). Here main issue is the decision taken by Lazio technical staff not to put Massimo Oddo in the players’ list for the match. The reason is: AC Milan probably will sign him already in January, so Lazio coach Rossi doesn’t want him to play against his next club. It’s absurd because it sounds like questioning his professionalism, especially foe the captain, meaning that he is respected by the club more than any other player. “Oddo won’t play because he asked to go away, not because is dealing with Milan” Delio Rossi says. Should we believe? He already asked to go away, even before other matches, but he always played.

Here you have the complete list of today’s matches (3PM CET), in brackets the first round result:
Inter-Fiorentina (3-2), Livorno-Roma (0-2), Catania-Cagliari (1-0), Siena-Chievo (2-1), Udinese-Messina (0-1), Empoli-Sampdoria (2-1), Parma-Torino (1-1). This evening (8.30PM CET) Lazio-Milan (1-2). On Saturday, Atalanta won away at Ascoli (3-1), draw without goals between Reggina and Palermo.