5 Things We Learned from Week 5 in Serie A

Jack Alexandros RathbornOct 4, 2011

A brilliant weekend of Serie A action to enter the International break is just what Italian football needed.

Calcio has been much maligned by out of date stereotypes for many years and it is a pleasure to watch what must be considered the best league in Europe when you combine competitiveness and quality.

Attention now turns to the Cesare Prandelli's Azzurri, and the boss of the Nazionale will be delighted to have witnessed such an exhilarating start to the season with a wonderful blend of styles throughout the league with normally conservative managers experimenting more.

So here are five things we learned from this weekend's action.

Cagliari: Ficcadenti's Continuity Is Enabling the Isolati To Prosper

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Massimo Ficcadenti has proven with Cagliari's good start to the season that football is not always rocket science.

Ficcadenti arrived at the Sardinian club this summer to replace, according to the fans, the unfairly dismissed Roberto Donadoni.

There was the nucleus of a good Serie A side that Ficcadenti inherited, and wisely, the former Cesena manager opted to tweak the Cagliari project rather than make wholesale changes.

This week, the fifth game of the season, Ficcadenti made the first change to his starting 11 after selecting the same team for the first four games.

Michael Agazzi has been imperious in goal after Cagliari finally sold Federico Marchetti to ensure that he was No. 1goalkeeper and remove any animosity in the club after last season's shenanigans involving the current Lazio goalkeeper.

In front of Agazzi has been a solid back four involving Michele Canini and Davide Astori who are supported by Alessandro Agostini and Francesco Pisano as full backs which have led to just four goals conceded and back-to-back clean sheets.

The midfield picks itself with capitano Daniele Conti, Davide Biondini, Radja Nainggolan and Andrea Cossu. The four have started all five games together and provide a solid base to assume the initiative in most games or soak up large amounts of pressure in others, depending on the situation.

Finally in attack, perhaps the Rossoblu's weakest area is so far ever-present Thiago Ribeiro, who has been signed on loan from Montevideo-based Rentistas, although he has made his name with three consecutive seasons on loan at Cruzeiro which ended this summer.

Ribeiro has settled very well into Italian football and Ficcadenti has mostly paired the Brazilian with countryman Nenê, although this weekend against Lecce Argentine Joaquin Larrivey stepped in.

It is not a weak attack as proven by the highly talented Moroccan Moestafa El Kabir who sits in fourth place at the moment. It is the type of attack that once Ficcadenti brings some continuity and settles on a partnership, then confidence will develop.

An impressive Cagliari side sit joint third going into this international break, and many sides could learn a thing or two about Ficcadenti's patience.

It seems that there is a direct correlation between the good results experienced by the Isolati and having just one place in the side that is not settled, Ribeiro's partner.

Parma: Serie A's Capocannoniere Giovinco on Track To Become World Class

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Sebastian Giovinco is relishing his role at Parma this year.

For the first time in his career he has been afforded the opportunity to be the main man, whilst also having the confidence to run proceedings as he so pleases.

An acrimonious fallout with his previous club, and still co-owners, Juventus, meant Giovinco sorts pastures new over a lack of opportunities.

It is true that until arriving at Parma, his talent has not been appreciated and that during his time with Juventus he was forced into a wide midfield role where as this season has shown, only a central role will really bring out the best in this precocious talent.

Compared to Gianfranco Zola, the Atomic Ant as he is known to his fans, has shown exactly why those comparisons were made at such a young age.

The difference being that Giovinco perhaps has the ability to be a more prolific goal scorer than the former Chelsea star.

Giovinco is currently the joint leader for the Capocannoniere with Genoa's Rodrigo Palacio with five goals in just four appearances, having missed one game this season through suspension.

As previously stated on this blog, Giovinco has disciplinary problems, but while he can be diligent in ensuring he is able to play whenever fit, this season could be the making of the Turin native.

With just four caps for Italy, Giovinco has yet to replicate the brilliant form for his country yet, so while the club scene takes a break it is worth keeping an eye on how he does in the internationals against Serbia and Northern Ireland as it is clear he could be the future for his country too.

Napoli: Partenopei Prove There Is a Party Without Cavani and Trounce Sorry Inter

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Napoli put on a clinic on Saturday night as they ruthlessly took advantage of some poor refereeing decisions to grab a win at rejuvenated Inter Milan.

Claudio Ranieri's Nerazzurri had started to turn their miserable start to the season around with away victories against Bologna and then CSKA Moscow in the Champions League.

Many Inter fans were interviewed on Italian TV before the match and in just two matches since the crisis made by Gian Piero Gasperini was forcefully ended by Massimo Moratti, optimism had grown.

Several were in buoyant moods after news had filtered through that Napoli's star man Edinson Cavani was injured.

This lead many to claim "No Cavani, No Party" which means in Italy that Napoli affectively had no chance without their talisman.

Before the adulation of Napoli begins it ought to be mentioned that Inter were dealt a raw deal by referee Gianluca Rocchi.

The referee had earlier wrongly booked Joel Obi for a tackle that did not even merit a foul, before the Nigerian was given a second yellow and his marching orders when he slightly nudged Christian Maggio as he burst in to the penalty area.

The tackle was actually outside the area, but the yellow was perhaps justified, but they were now down to ten men and had conceded a penalty.

In Cavani's absence Marek Hamsik stepped up to do the honours and struck a nervous kick, which Julio Cesar parried to his left.

You knew Inter's luck was out when Hugo Campagnaro superbly tucked away the rebound with a powerful finish inside the near post.

Any feeling of sympathy from neutrals was soon wiped away as Inter behaved appallingly as Cesar and Maicon decided to vociferously abuse the referee, before Ranieri followed up the verbal attack at half time to leave himself banned from the touchline for the second half.

Enough of the negativity though, Napoli were tremendous in ruthlessly taking advantage of mistakes that they forced Inter to make.

Giuseppe Mascara picked the ball up on the half way line and lifted a ball over the top for Maggio to chase and he forced Yuto Nagatomo to delay a clearance in waiting for Cesar before chipping the despairing goalkeeper.

Napoli would not relent and it was three before long as Ezequiel Lavezzi exposed the still disorderly defence to release Marek Hamsik to slot home the killer blow.

It was a marvellous display from the Partenopei as they proved that their side is not reliant on one player which will develop confidence for the remainder of the season as they continue to mount a Scudetto challenge.

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Milan: Rossoneri Need To Start Worrying After Dismal Display Against Juve

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AC Milan came away from the glamorous Sunday night game at the Juventus Stadium with plenty of doubts going in to the International break.

They have stuttered in to their defence of their title and one would have to say they have done so admirably given their injury predicament.

But Sunday night exposed a problem for the Rossoneri as they looked dysfunctional even with the return of two stars, Kevin Prince Boateng and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

The worry is not so much that they played poorly as the returning players were bound to take time to settle back in to Massimiliano Allegri's side.

The problem was that you feel that the side was not even executing a game plan and failing, thus enabling us to presume it will be fine after some perseverance on the training ground, no.

Instead we saw Boateng play as the trequartista and he failed to deliver any meaningful service to Ibrahimovic and Antonio Cassano who were left stranded for the entirety of the match.

Chosen for his athletic qualities, Boateng rarely stamped his authority on the game and it is arguable if Milan need that athletic influence in the midfield, more than say some craft and ingenuity.

Anybody can have a poor game but the concern for Allegri will be that when Boateng is not playing at his optimum he deprives the likes of Ibrahimovic, Cassano or the alternative from impacting the game as well.

When Urby Emanuelson was deployed as the trequartista against Viktoria Plzen, Ibrahimovic, in his first game back from injury looked superb as he was fed the ball time and again to wreak havoc on the Czech side.

It is implausible to think that it was Ibrahimovic's fitness that meant he had no impact against a fiery Juventus side as Cassano, also impressive in the midweek Champions League fixture, was a non-factor as well.

Boateng could still have a role to play but I would suggest he could be deployed as a right sided carillero in competition with Antonio Nocerino and Gennaro Gattuso as Allegri enjoys an athletic influence to his three-pronged midfield base.

There is two weeks to ponder this tactical adjustment and decide whether Emanuelson could make sense as a short term resolution or perhaps Aquilani could adapt to a more advanced role, before a major investment in January can transform this side.

Milan have been linked with £12 million ($18.5 million) move for Rafael van der Vaart which could have some legs, we will have to wait and see if Allegri is determined to persevere with the Ghanaian in that role or whether Milan reshuffle the deck.

Juventus: Bianconeri Have New Identity Under Fearless Conte

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Juventus had to bide their time, but eventually they broke down a stubborn, if not uninspired, Milan side to earn a deserved victory and enter the International break top of Serie A.

Juventus utterly dominated this huge match as the Juventus Stadium greeted their long time rivals with a fervid atmosphere that froze the Rossoneri, it would seem, for the game's entirety.

Antonio Conte had reservations about selecting Fabio Grosso with Paolo De Ceglie sidelined with injury.

The solution was to move Giorgio Chiellini to left back after his impact at centre back seems to be overrated after enduring a torrid time away at Catania the weekend before.

Leonardo Bonucci was brought in to partner Andrea Barzagli and Juventus looked a lot more solid with their capitano ensuring the left side was not to be exposed as it has been so far this season.

Conte will be delighted with the result as Milan failed to make Gianluigi Buffon make one save in the entire match.

Moreover Conte has shown his flexibility in the last two matches which could be crucial in the Old Lady's quest for another Scudetto as the seek to get closer to a third star on the famous Bianconeri shirt.

Conte has selected just one striker since Mirko Vucinic's suspension with Alessandro Matri playing against Catania before Vucinic's return on Sunday night.

This has allowed Arturo Vidal to finally start a game and Juventus look tough to beat with Andrea Pirlo and Claudio Marchisio forming a formidable centre midfield.

The latter claimed two late goals to finally dispatch Milan with a fortuitous deflection breaking the deadlock before a blunder from the, up to that point, brilliant Christian Abbiati, who failed to hold a long range strike.

Juve controlled proceedings from the opening minute and Conte seems to have stumbled upon a formation that will match up better against the higher quality opponent whereas the adventurous 4-2-4 will prove handy in breaking down stubborn defences at home.

Juventus sit merrily on top of Serie A after five games and now must deal with the expectations that the Scudetto is a reasonable target.