Maybe, with a fair wind...? Italian football 2017-18

[Kevin S]

Milan are trying to splash the cash this summer and have convinced goalkeeping sensation Donnarumma to sign a new contract. Montella did a decent job last season so with the financial backing they might be challengers... Or Juve will make it seven in a row.

Napoli look like they'll keep hold of their attacking talent but unless they strengthen at the back they'll be too leaky to stop Juve.

Roma did very well last time out but you get the sense that that *was* their fair wind and it still wasn't quite enough. Salah has gone, too.

Inter might be competing for CL places, Lazio and Fiorentina less likely.

Juve's to lose, of course.

But speaking of fair winds, Benevento will be lining up in Serie A, along with SPAL. What do we know of these two?

[Kevin S]

Also, Serie A will be using video assistant referees (VAR) this season, and UEFA now give the top four leagues in coefficient terms a fourth Champions League place, with Italy being the beneficiary.

Teams on a European adventure this season:
Champions League - Juventus, Roma
Europa League - Atalanta, Lazio
Qualifying - Napoli v Nice in CL playoff round, Milan v CS U Craiova in EL 3QR (playoff round to come)

[Kevin S]

Couple of games in and SPAL are undefeated. The top four are basically who we suspected.

Team	Pts
Inter	6
Juventus	6
Milan	6
Napoli	6
Sampdoria	6
Torino	4
Spal	4
Lazio	4
Bologna	4
Chievo	3
Roma	3
Verona	1
Crotone	1
Sassuolo	1
Genoa	1
Benevento	0
Cagliari	0
Udinese	0
Atalanta	0
Fiorentina	0

[Kevin S]

I seem to have found a kind of Serie A equivalent of that Europa League goals show on BT Sport, which is flitting between various matches tonight.

[Kevin S]

Napoli equalise then immediately go in front away to Lazio.

[Kevin S]

Inter drew with Bologna yesterday, their first dropped points of the season. Juve on 100% and currently lead 10-man Fiorentina 1-0. Napoli similarly are on course to maintain a winning record, with Lazio imploding they are now 3-1 up and top of the live table on goal difference.

[Kevin S]

No fair wind for Benevento yet, though. They lost 4-0 to Roma earlier and are rock bottom with zero points after five matches.

[Kevin S]

This was quite tidy.

https://twitter.com/weekendfootball/status/910596478523101184

[Kevin S]

Giornata 5
Milan 2-0 SPAL
Atalanta 5-1 Crotone
Cagliari 0-1 Sassuolo
Genoa 1-1 Chievo
Juventus 1-0 Fiorentina
Lazio 1-4 Napoli
Udinese 2-3 Torino
Hellas Verona 0-0 Sampdoria
Benevento 0-4 Roma
Bologna 1-1 Inter

Sassuolo had to hang on grimly at the end for that win, but it's an important one that lifts them up to the middling teams.

15 Napoli
15 Juventus
13 Inter
12 Milan
11 Torino
10 Lazio
09 Roma
08 Sampdoria
07 Atalanta
06 Fiorentina
06 Cagliari
05 Chievo
05 Bologna
04 Sassuolo
04 SPAL
03 Udinese
02 Genoa
02 Hellas Verona
01 Crotone
00 Benevento

[Kevin S]

Breaking news... From football-italia.net:

Benevento captain fails drug test
Football Italia

Benevento captain Fabio Lucioni risks a four-year ban from football after testing positive for doping.

According to ANSA, anabolic steroid Clostebol was found in Lucioni’s system during a drug test for Benevento’s 1-0 defeat to Torino on September 10.

Consequently, the defender is facing a suspension of between one and four years.

The 29-year-old joined the Stregoni in 2014 and helped the side win promotion to Serie A for the first time ever last season.

[ursus arctos]

They've lost their last two matches by an aggregate score of 10-0

[Kevin S]

The Napoli president thinks Serie A should be cut to 16 teams and one relegation spot because the current format 'lies to the small teams.'

He's got a point. Though I think 18 with two up/down might be better.

[ursus arctos]

It's only been five matches, but the three promoted teams:

- are 14th, 19th and 20th;

- have won a single game (SPAL over Udinese);

- have an average of two points (Hellas and Benevento have only two between them); and

- have an aggregate goal difference of 5-32

[Amor de Cosmos]

I hope SPAL stay up for a couple of years. They were my Serie A team when I followed Italian footbal as a kid. It's nice to see them back.

[ursus arctos]

I also have a major soft spot for them.

We need more top flight clubs with names like Società Polisportiva Ars et Labor

(though they actually lost the right to that in the bankruptcy, and are now officially S.P.A.L. 2013)

[denishurley]

Barely related Ursus, but Blackburn Rovers' motto is Arte et Labore

[Kevin S]

Giornata 6
Somehow last season the appearance of Federico Chiesa passed me by, but the 19-year old son of Enrico has scored two in five matches for Fiorentina this season including the opening goal against Atalanta last night.

The three teams in Champions League action this week - Juve, Napoli and Roma - played their matches on Saturday. All three of them won, with Juventus putting four past their city rivals Torino, who had made a good start to the season.

Yesterday Inter continued to keep track of the leading pair - just - after an 87th minute strike sunk Genoa. However, Milan were dominated by Sampdoria and lost 2-0, with Lazio leapfrogging them following a comfortable win over struggling Hellas Verona.

At the bottom, Benevento lost what would have been one of their more winnable looking matches so far, going down at last season's 17th placed side Crotone.

Risultati
Cagliari 0 - 2 Chievo
Crotone 2 - 0 Benevento
Fiorentina 1 - 1 Atalanta
Inter 1 - 0 Genoa
Juventus 4 - 0 Torino
Roma 3 - 1 Udinese
Sampdoria 2 - 0 Milan
Sassuolo 0 - 1 Bologna
Spal 2 - 3 Napoli
Verona 0 - 3 Lazio

Classifica
18 Napoli
18 Juventus
16 Inter
13 Lazio
12 Milan
12 Roma
11 Torino
11 Sampdoria
08 Atalanta
08 Bologna
08 Chievo
07 Fiorentina
06 Cagliari
04 Spal
04 Crotone
04 Sassuolo
03 Udinese
02 Hellas Verona
02 Genoa
00 Benevento

Clasifica marcatori
10 Dybala (Juventus)
08 Immobile (Lazio)
06 Dzeko (Roma), Icardi (Inter), Mertens (Napoli)
04 Callejon (Napoli), Quagliarella (Sampdoria)

[CY_Boaby]

What's to be made of Juventus President Andrea Agnelli being banned for a year and found guilty along with other Juve board members over the sale of tickets to the ultras who have links to the mafia? Whilst I'm certain Juventus won't be the only club in Italy who do this, it's all rather depressing to see them deny any wrongdoing, appeal it to death until there's nothing left to appeal and them claim to be the victim, just like they did with Calciopoli. The fact he's also the President of the European Club Association (ECA), who's predictable silence implies they see absolutely nothing wrong in all this, just confirms what we already know about the morals of Europe's elite clubs.

[Gangster Octopus]

You just don't understand ultra-ticket culture.

[CY_Boaby]

Well spit it out lad, enlighten me.

[Satchmo Distel]

Giving tickets to ultras to stop them rioting or racist chanting. What could possibly go wrong?

The prosecution wanted Juventus to have to play two games behind closed doors. I think that would have been reasonable. The club meanwhile closes ranks, as per usual.

[ursus arctos]

Atalanta come back from 2-0 down to draw with Juve after Dybala has his late penalty saved.

Napoli now clear at the top as the only team with 21 points from seven matches.

[Kevin S]

Giornata 7
And then there was one. As noted, Napoli continue to blaze the trail at the top with their seventh win from seven - a club record-best start - putting three past Cagliari. Juventus contriving to drop points from being two goals up at Atalanta allowed Inter to join them on 19 points following a win at still-pointless Benevento. I suppose the hosts would be glad at "only losing 2-1", perhaps. Despite their heavy defeat at the hands of Napoli in their fifth game, Lazio have had a strong start to the season and this continued as they tore Sassuolo apart 6-1 after going a goal down, and stay ahead of their city rivals Roma in fifth, who secured a win away at Milan. I wonder if that top five is going to be set for the season now? There's a few sides who could break into that echelon, but they'll need to perform more consistently than they have done so far (see, for example, a Sampdoria side who were starting to look the business going down 4-0 at Udinese...)

Risultati
Atalanta 2 - 2 Juventus
Benevento 1 - 2 Inter
Chievo 2 - 1 Fiorentina
Genoa 0 - 1 Bologna
Lazio 6 - 1 Sassuolo
Milan 0 - 2 Roma
Napoli 3 - 0 Cagliari
Spal 1 - 1 Crotone
Torino 2 - 2 Hellas Verona
Udinese 4 - 0 Sampdoria

Goal Collection

Classifica
21 Napoli
19 Inter
19 Juventus
16 Lazio
15 Roma*
12 Torino
12 Milan
11 Bologna
11 Chievo
11 Sampdoria*
09 Atalanta
07 Fiorentina
06 Cagliari
06 Udinese
05 Spal
05 Crotone
04 Sassuolo
03 Hellas Verona
02 Genoa
00 Benevento

* una partita in meno

Classifica marcatori
10 Dybala (Juventus)
09 Immobile (Lazio)
07 Dzeko (Roma), Mertens (Napoli)
06 Icardi (Inter)
04 Callejon (Napoli), Quagliarella (Sampdoria)

[Kevin S]

Sassuolo appear to have defenders who run around in panic at the sight of a pacey attacker, and even contrived to score an own goal when one player kicked his clearance into a team-mate, with the ball bouncing back into the net. Domenico Berardi must wonder what's happened to this team.

A bit of advance notice that on Saturday 14 October, when matches resume after the internationals, BT Sport has a double header in the evening: Juventus v Lazio followed by Roma v Napoli. Tasty.

[Kevin S]

Immobile has scored two to give Lazio the lead after going a goal down at Juventus.