5 Things We Learnt from Week 8 of Serie A Football

Jack Alexandros RathbornOct 26, 2011

A midweek round of calcio crammed in was a real treat for the fans.

The league is really starting to take shape and now just one team remain unbeaten, Juventus, after Napoli dispatched a Di Natale-less Udinese.

The champions, Milan, ominously closed in on Serie A's throne by easily storming past Parma and are now just two points off Juventus.

The league continued to show its competitiveness with Vincenzo Montella continuing his good work with Catania, earning a point at the league's most in-form side, Lazio.

Newly promoted and taking their six-point deduction in their stride, Atalanta fought back to earn a draw against Inter Milan, who continue to stutter.

The plot continues to thicken and there are plenty of stories that have developed during this midweek round of fixtures.

Juventus: Alessandro Matri Is the Penalty-Area Striker To Drive Juve to Scudetto

1 of 6

Alessandro Matri has burst into a hot streak.

Matri, who was dropped from the side a week ago, has come back into the side last weekend in a 4-4-2 and continued to start Tuesday night in a 4-3-3 with Antonio Conte pushing Mirko Vucinic out wide.

Matri is a predator and has scored three goals in his last two games, all inside the penalty area.

Juve need this, with Vucinic, Simone Pepe, Claudio Marchisio and Andrea Pirlo all looking to get on the ball in the buildup to their attacks.

Matri is capable of being the one man who will consistently be able to finish those attacks and he is a confidence player.

The former Cagliari striker needs game time to be able to deliver consistently, as his sporadic game time during the first few games proved.

Conte seems to want to alternate between a 4-2-4 and a 4-3-3 formation depending on the opposition and for Juve to seamlessly transform from one to another, they need a spine to their side that remains consistent no matter what formation is selected.

The defence can remain ever present in both formations and Pirlo and Marchisio will always start, whether it will be a two-man center midfield or two of the three-man center midfield.

The front three or four seem to be rotated each game with Milos Krasic's form being erratic, Simone Pepe in a good vain of form but not necessarily guaranteed a start and then other wide players like Eljero Elia, Marcelo Estigarribia and on occasion Vucinic, another struggling for form, pushing for starts.

Conte could benefit hugely by maintaining Matri as the ever-present in that attack and would reap the rewards in goals.

AC Milan: Antonio Nocerino Is Going To Become the Bargain of the Season

2 of 6

Adriano Galliani will be smiling tonight as he goes to bed.

The Milan vice-president and CEO has pulled off a masterstroke by stealing Antonio Nocerino from Palermo on deadline day as Maurizio Zamparini ludicrously allowed the former Juventus midfielder to join the Rossoneri for a paltry €500,000.

Nocerino is just 26 so he will have plenty of years at his best to come in Serie A and may just have secured himself a permanent place in the starting 11 for Milan.

Allegri has had his hands tied for most of the season with his midfield (as well as the rest of the squad) being ravaged with injuries.

Massimo Ambrosini, Gennaro Gattuso, Mathieu Flamini, Kevin Prince Boateng and Clarence Seedorf have all spent long spells on the sidelines.

Nocerino has been a major beneficiary and perhaps only signed for Milan due to the injury crisis, since signing approximately seven weeks ago he has started all but one game, his debut against Lazio just one week after signing.

Nocerino is not a prolific scorer from midfield with just 12 goals in his career until joining Milan, but since then he has scored four goals, including a hat trick Wednesday night in the 4-1 victory over Parma.

Not the most technically gifted player, Nocerino adds great work rate and tempo to the midfield.

The price at which he was signed, a fee that works out at €100,000 per season, is a drop in the ocean for a side that is challenging in the Champions League and if he becomes a big part of this successful team, it will surely become a marvellous signing for Milan.

Atalanta: German Denis and El Tanque Will Fire La Dea to Survival

3 of 6

German Denis joined Atalanta this summer after being discarded by Udinese, after scoring just four goals in 25 appearances in his spell with the Friulani.

The Argentine was lethargic and clumsy during his spell with the Zebrette, but after signing from Napoli he is entering a renaissance in his career.

At 30 years old, he may just be finding his best form of his career given that he has equalled his goal tally with his last club in just five games with the Bergamo side.

His goals have already earned the newly promoted side seven points with winners against Palermo and Lecce before his equaliser tonight against Inter gave Atalanta a vital point.

He has erased the points penalty already just through his goals with the club in 12th position on nine points; without the penalty the club led by Stefano Colantuono would be joint second in the league.

Denis is a hero already with the club and has been called up for the Argentine national team for the World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Venezuela.

El Tanque's form is red-hot and Atalanta will comfortably survive this season in Serie A.

TOP NEWS

Real Madrid CF v Girona FC - LaLiga EA Sports

Bleacher Report1w

Real Betis V Real Madrid - Laliga Ea Sports

Bleacher Report1w

Lazio: Djibril Cisse Is Not Worth the Hassle

4 of 6

Djibril Cisse started his Lazio career superbly with an unstoppable header at the Giuseppe Meazza to stun Milan, making it 2-0 to the Biancocelesti, eventually resulting in a 2-2 draw.

Cisse ran his socks off, scored the goal but was otherwise wildly frustrating by being completely unproductive whenever on the ball, normally shooting wildly into the second tier of the stadium.

Since then he has gone five games without a goal despite Lazio's terrific form, winning three games in a row before a 1-1 draw against Catania on Wednesday night.

His performances have been erratic and his attitude does not seem to be what it should be.

He stormed off after being substituted before the hour mark, later apologising for his behaviour through his Twitter account.

Personally I feel he lacks quality and that his main attribute is speed, which could be easily replaced by numerous other players.

A €6 million fee seems fair but a four-year contract for a player who relies on his pace so much and has a record of serious injuries seems like poor business.

Napoli: Ezequiel Lavezzi Is Still the King of Naples

5 of 6

Ezequiel Lavezzi proved on Wednesday night that he is still the main man for this superb Napoli side with a superb goal.

El Pocho is not a serial scorer but works tirelessly and creates numerous chances with clever creativity.

His technique is marvellous, as was his opening goal in the 2-0 victory over then-top-of-the-league Udinese, when he let Edinson Cavani's looped pass drop over his shoulder before thumping a volley beyond the despairing Samir Handanovic.

Napoli have a vital schedule looming as they will match up against two of the most in-form sides in Europe—Bayern Munich and Manchester City—in the Champions League, which will ultimately prove crucial in their quest to qualify for the knockout stages before the last game away to Villarreal.

In the midst of these huge matches, Napoli will aim to stay in touch with the front-runners for the Scudetto and Lavezzi can play a pivotal role in stepping up to score the goals, as Cavani seems to be going through a lean spell in front of goal, while Marek Hamsik continues to be frustrated with his inconsistency.

Lavezzi is loved by the fans and Walter Mazzarri sees him as the key player for the side. He can give himself legendary status alongside countryman Diego Maradona this season with Napoli capable of storming the Champions League and legitimately challenging for the Scudetto.