Is it too early to say “Juventus crisis, begone”? One thing is certain: in the lowest moment of their season so far, the Bianconeri have really stepped it up when it counted. Coming from five consecutive winless matches, there is nothing like beating Real Madrid and winning a derby that will recharge your batteries in a major way. Something which the newest Juve family member knows full well: after providing his team with the match-winning-goal against the Merengues, he obliged again on Saturday; what would the Old Lady do without Amauri?
As for Torino, there seems to be no light yet at the end of their tunnel. Saturday marked the Granata’s fourth consecutive loss, leaving them just one point above the relegation zone.
Without the shred of a doubt, the Serie A team which most benefited from their Summer 2008 make-over is Lazio. When the Biancocelesti win, they win big (their average is 2.6 goals/match at the moment). When they lose, they equally lose big. Delio Rossi does nothing by halves and today was no exception, as the three goals conceded by Torino demonstrated.
And speaking of goals, there’s someone at Lazio that has taken quite a knack at scoring them. Pre-season Serie A excitement (in goalscoring terms at least) revolved around the “usual suspects”: Ibrahimovic, Ronaldinho, and Del Piero just to name a few. Well, with Zlatan keeping his counter low (2) and Ronnie & ADP yet to score in the domestic league, the topscoring charts are lead by one Mr. Mauro Zarate. With 6 goals in 5 matches (and plenty more to come), the ex-Velez striker (on-loan from Al-Sadd of Qatar) is the symbol of a rejuvenated Biancocelesti side, the surprise lone leaders of Serie A after matchday 5 (waiting for tonight’s AC Milan-Inter Milan derby).
(From Gazzetta dello Sport): Far from being impressed with the 4-point difference in the standings (or with Zarate & Carrizo’s pre-match declarations), Torino threw themselves forward with the clear intention of scoring goals today. Ignazio Abate in particular (back after his Beijing 2008 injury) was roaming free on the right wing, repeatedly pushing down the side and making Radu’s head spin in the process. On the receiving end of Abate’s crosses, Bianchi and Abbruscato provided a constant danger for the Lazio backline, but fortunately for the visiting team Juan Pablo Carrizo was keeping guard.
Then at the 30 minute mark, the match got flipped right on its head. Torino had until then, played better, yet the team taking the lead was Lazio: through on the left wing, Zarate’s run continued inside the box, where some good dribbling work attracted the attention of three Torino defenders. Eventually, the Argentine striker managed to poke the ball towards Goran Pandev, whose instep finish inside the left post left Matteo Sereni no chance. 1-0 Lazio.
A tough blow for Torino, but certainly not devastating. The Granata came back with guns blazing in order to immediately get the equalizer, and they almost did through Elvis Abbruscato just two minutes after the first goal, his chipped shot over Carrizo hitting the crossbar and going wide. Eugenio Corini was keeping busy as well, his trademark free-kicks providing assists for Saumel and Di Loreto’s headers (narrowly wide on both counts). Thus despite a good Torino display, Lazio finished the half in the lead.
In the second period however, the fire in the Granata hearts slowly seemed to lose vigor, all the while Lazio started to pick up momentum. Stefano Mauri had a golden chance to make it two in the 60th, hitting the post straight in front of Sereni, but it was eventually through Zarate (yet again) that Lazio doubled their lead. The Argentine striker obtained the ball 30 yards from goal, took a few steps, and slammed an outswinging blast straight into the top-right corner. Yes, goal-of-the-week stuff. Again!. 2-0 Lazio.
Two goals down, Gianni De Biasi decided to risk it all: Amoruso & Ventola entered the field for Corini & Abate, transforming Torino into a 4-striker formation. Was it enough?
Not really. The final 15 minutes were filled with excitement and highlights-reel moments, but essentially all in Lazio’s favor. First, goalkeeper Matteo Sereni got sent off for bringing down Brocchi inside the box, and since Torino had run out of substitutions goalkeeping duties were left in the hands (litterally) of Nicola Ventola. Little could he do to prevent Mauro Zarate from scoring goal nº6 in the Serie A, putting the Biancocelesti comfortably in the lead. 3-0 Lazio.
Minutes later, Torino were left with 9 men as Pratali earned a second yellow for a foul on Radu, at which point the referee also sent off manager De Biasi for excessive protests. And I guess the consolation goal scored by Nicola Amoruso (penalty kick for a foul of Lichsteiner on Dzemaili) changed very little in a very bad day for Torino, who in light of their next match vs. Udinese will have to do without two important players. Lazio meanwhile, can (at least for the moment) enjoy the view at the top of the Serie A. 3-1 the final score.
Excessive self-satisfaction: that was really the only flaw of Inter Milan Sunday. With the score up by three, Abbruscato’s goal, a crossbar, and two great saves by Julio Cesar reminded the Nerazzurri matches last for 90 minutes. Other than that, José Mourinho’s really dominated their Torino opponents, and deservedly closed the game with a 3-1 victory.
Speaking of José, the Inter manager will undoubtedly be happy with all the positive things emanating from Sunday’s match. Everyone played their part: Mancini, Maicon, and Ibrahimovic in the role of the “energizer bunny”, Vieira and Cambiasso the “midfield iron wall”, Julio Cesar the “attentive/miraculous keeper”, while a certain Adriano (yes, believe or not) seems to be (almost) back to his usual self. Only thing left to work on for the Portuguese manager: the aforementioned self-complacency aspect. Plenty of time for that.
(From Gazzetta dello Sport): As any host team should, Torino showed the way in this way, leading the early attacking proceedings into the Inter box. The men of Gianni De Biasi has evidently received specific instructions from their coach, pressuring their opponents high up the field and closing down any space that they could. The Inter forwards were left a bit isolated because of this, and Mourinho repeatedly had to instruct Maicon and Chivu to push up the wings in order to support the offensive effort.
The first chances of the game therefore, were all in favor of the home team. First, Alessandro Rosina sent a left-footed long-ranger inches wide, while Rolando Bianchi seemed to be getting the upper hand on Materazzi, as he connected with a few aerial balls first (sending them wide of the mark). The early chances were however an illusion for Granata supporters, because the scoreline changed as soon as Inter came knocking on Sereni’s door. 24 minutes in, Amantino Mancini exploited a good through ball by Adriano, and sent a cross from the right straight into the net. Of course, Pisano’s unfortunate deflection helped fool the Toro keeper, but it was still 1-0 Inter.
Things really went from bad to worse for Torino, because not even two minutes after conceding the first, the home team conceded a second (an absolutely slamming shot by Maicon from 25 yards, straight into the top-left corner) and then lost Rosina to injury. 2-0 Inter, couple with a big slap in the face for De Biasi.
The Torino coach had to resort to desperate measures in the second half, inserting Simone Barone for Eugenio Corini (also picking up an injury) and sending his team forward, attacking with their heads down. Risky business, but necessary when your team is trailing by two goals. Of course there’s always the risk you’re going to concede a third one on a counter-attack, which is exactly what happened in the the 51st. Zlatan Ibrahimovic was there to finish a play that Maicon started and Mancini continued, or in other words 3-0 Inter.
Game over right? Almost. There were still 40 minutes left in this match, which if you were wearing a black & blue shirt seemed almost like a tedious inconvenience at this point. Mourinho even made attacking substitutions at this point (Quaresma & Balotelli on for Mancini & Adriano), and Inter let their guard down in defense for a little while. Elvis Abbruscato was thus sent free to a winning close-range deflection, while Diana and Bianchi were allowed to unload on the Inter keeper (forced to some great saves in the process). Abbruscato even blasted the ball onto the crossbar, which gave the Torino crowd a bit of pride back.
Italian sports newspaper Gazzetta dello Sportpublished today the salary list of all the athletes involved in the Italian Serie A league. According to Gazzetta, the 2007-08 season saw a big increase of money expenditure for the transfer market: over 666 million Euros (devil’s number… a coincidence?) says the Italian newspaper. However, player salaries are very much on the rise as well, and total to about €368 million.
The title of King Midas goes to the 25-year old Brazilian midfielder Kaká, who earns €6.0m a year. Francesco Totti is a close 2nd(€5.5m), followed 3 Inter players (Patrick Vieira, Adriano, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, all with €5.0m). Cagliari was found to be the “least generous” club. Just think that with Totti’s salary, Cagliari could pay its entire team (€4.97m).
Two goals down, Gianni De Biasi decided to risk it all: Amoruso & Ventola entered the field for Corini & Abate, transforming Torino into a 4-striker formation. Was it enough? 
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The first chances of the game therefore, were all in favor of the home team. First, Alessandro Rosina sent a left-footed long-ranger inches wide, while Rolando Bianchi seemed to be getting the upper hand on Materazzi, as he connected with a few aerial balls first (sending them wide of the mark). The early chances were however an illusion for Granata supporters, because the scoreline changed as soon as Inter came knocking on Sereni’s door. 24 minutes in, Amantino Mancini exploited a good through ball by Adriano, and sent a cross from the right straight into the net. Of course, Pisano’s unfortunate deflection helped fool the Toro keeper, but it was still 1-0 Inter.
The Torino coach had to resort to desperate measures in the second half, inserting Simone Barone for Eugenio Corini (also picking up an injury) and sending his team forward, attacking with their heads down. Risky business, but necessary when your team is trailing by two goals. Of course there’s always the risk you’re going to concede a third one on a counter-attack, which is exactly what happened in the the 51st. Zlatan Ibrahimovic was there to finish a play that Maicon started and Mancini continued, or in other words 3-0 Inter.
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Italian sports newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport 
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