Serie A: 5 Things We Learned from Week 13

Jack Alexandros RathbornDec 6, 2011

As the season approaches the halfway stage, a clearer picture of how it will pan out is starting to develop.

Milan have reacted superbly to a slow start, Juventus are rising to every challenge and Inter are proving how much work needs to be done to rejuvenate this great club.

We have seen plenty of drama and the big matches are coming quickly as Serie A continues to provide the best package of quality and competitiveness in European football.

The pressure is on and this is normally the time of the year where Serie A clubs' presidents start to get trigger happy as managers are left by the wayside.

Hoping for that sudden rise in form is somewhat optimistic as this season has shown with two of the better sides in the league giving their managers support.

Francesco Guidolin has been allowed to do as he pleases with the Friulani as he has now added a ruthlessness to an already attractive, tactically unique side.

Also Edy Reja continues to work wonders with Lazio on a small budget and credit, for once, must go to the president Claudio Lotito. He had the opportunity to sack Reja as early as the second game, as it seemed that the team was not reacting to his tactics.

Lotito refused Reja's resignation and the Biancocelesti now sit four points off leaders Juventus after last night's 3-0 victory over Novara.

Without wasting any more time, let's delve in to the happenings of another action-packed weekend of calcio.

AC Milan: Allegri's Stroke of Genius, Deploying Ibrahimovic in Deeper Role

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AC Milan won their seventh of eight games last Friday with a 2-0 victory away at the notoriously tough Marassi, belatedly breaking down a stubborn Genoa side.

The Rossoneri have thrived in recent weeks due to the innovative idea of giving Zlatan Ibrahimovic a role with more freedom.

The Swede is now allowed to drift back in to the midfield area and get on the ball much more which, due to his physical dominance, acts as a fulcrum for his teammates to move off into the spaces.

Ibra's distribution can be frustrating at times, but he often creates through sheer genius, which is the reason behind Massimiliano Allegri's tactical switch.

Ignazio Abate, as well as Luca Antonini, now persistently drive in to the space further forward.

As do the athletic Kevin-Prince Boateng and Antonio Nocerino, who has discovered a knack for scoring goals mid-career.

Alexandre Pato is also the ideal partner for Ibrahimovic due to his willingness to drift out wide. Provided Milan don't possess natural wingers, they can often free up space in the middle for the midfield runners to dangerously move into, as the opposition wander out of position to mark the Brazilian.

Ibrahimovic makes this all possible though, due to exceptional close control and the strength to hold off opponents before rolling them and opening up the space left behind and out wide vacated by the players who have decided to press so deeply.

It is a difficult proposition for Milan's opponents as they decide to sit back and refuse to offer space in behind, like Chievo two Sundays ago. Ibrahimovic is more than capable of hurting you when driving towards your goal due to his inventiveness and array of skills that can manoeuvre the ball so spectacularly.

Milan do not face a particularly tough schedule before the winter break, so expect Allegri to rest his star man to save him for the crunch moments in the new year to really see whether this tactical adjustment can have a profound effect against Europe's elite.

Udinese: The Friulani Are Capable of Capturing a Champions League Spot Again

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Udinese visited Inter Milan this weekend, who despite their problems, represented a tough task for a side juggling the Europa League, in a energy sapping schedule.

The visitors, who have already played 20 games this season, looked fresher than ever as they displayed a clinic in counter-attacking football.

Dusan Basta and the incredible Pablo Armero covered an enormous distance over the 90 minutes as Yuto Nagatomo and Cristian Chivu were given the runaround.

Udinese have now given a great enough sample to prove that they are capable of withstanding the distance and challenging for the Champions League spots at least.

Currently third on goal difference behind Milan and just two points off the top, perhaps Francesco Guidolin has greater aspirations.

This is a team who have lost arguably their best player in each outfield category last season with defender Cristian Zapata, midfielder Gokhan Inler and attacker Alexis Sanchez.

The team have thrived in their absence with quality young talent filling the vacancies superbly and Guidolin instilling confidence due to his faith in his tactical philosophy as well as his selection consistency.

The only caveat in this side is in the Europa League and they have proven against Arsenal and against a very talented Atletico Madrid side that their performances can translate to the European stage.

If the Zebrette were able to advance to the latter stages of that competition, then it could have a detrimental effect on their league form.

So far, Guidolin has maintained loyalty to the league but has openly admitted he feels an obligation to serve Italy in Europe in the FIGC's quest to regain a fourth Champions League place.

Should they draw one of the glamour sides in Europe falling down from the Champions League, such as Chelsea or Manchester City, then it would be awfully tempting for Udinese to be ambitious and attempt to triumph.

Whatever happens, none of us should be surprised anymore as this side has consistently proven their worth to not only entertain us all with attractive football but their ability to get results with it.

The perfect combination.

Inter Milan: Rome Wasn't Build in a Day, Moratti Might Not Be Prepared to Wait

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Inter Milan continued their nightmare season at the weekend with the 1-0 defeat to Udinese in front of a despairing San Siro crowd.

It was inevitable this would happen, but Moratti hoped it could be avoided and Claudio Ranieri is finding that it was not just Gian Piero Gasperini's unique tactics that caused Inter's rapid demise.

The squad has an average age of 27.9, which is younger than rivals Juventus, AC Milan and Napoli, dispelling the myth that they are too old.

There is youth in the squad in abundance due to recent purchases, but Ranieri now faces the tricky task of integrating them into the side whilst also giving the Nerazzurri the best chance possible of claiming the third Champions League spot.

At this point, that's an unlikely achievement according to most.

But Inter fans should not despair, Ranieri is capable of turning the club's fortunes around and this season is not all lost either.

Of course, most Interistas would have targeted the scudetto as a feasible goal, but perhaps that would be beyond even the most optimistic of fans' hopes.

Despite Italy losing a Champions League spot, qualification for next season's tournament remains a distinct possibility.

If re-qualifying is the main goal domestically, then perhaps their current campaign in Europe's elite tournament will provide the opportunity to salvage something of substance from the season.

Ranieri has guided them to a top spot, guaranteed, with a game to spare. If they receive a favourable draw, then reaching the quarterfinals or the semifinals would be a satisfactory achievement when combined with a third place finish.

Currently 13 points off top spot, had they won against Udinese and claimed three points in the rescheduled Genoa match, they would be level with Napoli, just five points away.

Ranieri made an interesting tactical adjustment this weekend with a traditional 4-4-2 and it was encouraging in parts.

It would seem that Inter have the players to make this system work as Marco Davide Faraoni was superb down the right side and Ricardo Alvarez is a player with high potential that can flourish from a wide left berth.

Others who could fit in to these positions are the Brazilian Jonathan Moreira, Javier Zanetti, Yuto Nagatomo and Philippe Coutinho. Whilst they aren't perfect for the system it could be an effective way to rocket up the table in the immediate future and Massimo Moratti must surely give Ranieri funds to invest in January.

When Wesley Sneijder returns, he would relish a deeper role in a traditional 4-4-2 with more opportunities to spray long passes to the wide areas. He may even fit in as a second striker in order to feed off the knock downs and link up with Diego Milito or Giampaolo Pazzini. Diego Forlan could also operate in this role.

Patience will be the key, as Andrea Ranocchia needs to be given time to form a partnership with either Walter Samuel or Lucio for the long-term benefit of the side. Persistence with the formation will allow the players—a highly talented bunch—to eventually adjust and undoubtedly be in contention for third spot come the end of the season.

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Relegation Battle Becomes Clearer, Gap Beginning to Emerge

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The relegation battle became a little clearer this week as there were some big wins for sides ending dismal runs.

Firstly, Cagliari won for the first time in eight games and shot up to 7th place in the table. Despite their poor form in front of goal—just 12 goals in their 13 games and four goals in their last eight games—the Rossoblu should have enough to survive relegation.

They are riding a wave of injuries right now with Davide Astori, Moestafa El Kabir, Nené and Sebastian Eriksson all out long-term, which for a small squad is highly damaging.

New manager Davide Ballardini has shown some faith in Victor Ibarbo, the Colombia talent signed from Atlético Nacional, who has rewarded him with the winning goals away to Catania and given the Isolati something to build upon in the coming weeks.

Bologna also moved away from the relegation zone, up to joint 15th, opening up a four-point gap between them and the 18th-placed side. Marco Di Vaio may have rediscovered his form after a awful run of 18 games without a goal from open play.

Bologna possess a talented group of players and with a confident Di Vaio and creative talents like Alessandro Diamanti and Gaston Ramirez, the Rossoblu should not be in danger of going down.

The group that is left is Novara, Cesena and Lecce, leaving the question as to whether any of those can escape and bring one of the sides above them down in to the battle.

The obvious answer would be Cesena, due to the goals of Adrian Mutu who two weeks a go, against Parma, proved he is still a highly capable striker and will be able to win games on his own for Cavallucci Marini.

The only side that I can see being pulled in to the relegation battle long term is Siena, who have now lost four out of their last five, but their defence is solid and they possess the 6th best goal difference in the league, meaning they are capable of keeping games tight.

There are bound to be others who slump in form and enter crisis after short spells of poor form, which makes the relegation battle ever more fascinating.

AS Roma: Luis Enrique Has Bright Ideas but Several Flaws That Need Addressing Now

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Luis Enrique suffered his second loss in a row this weekend as his Roma side embarrassed themselves away to Fiorentina.

The Giallorossi lost 3-0 and had three men sent off: Juan, Fernando Gago and Bojan Krkic.

It is the latest result that has stunted any progress they were seemingly making over recent weeks and now sit 10 points outside the top three Champions League spots, which is surely the aim this season due to the massive outlay in the transfer market of a net €55m.

The idea of smooth, short passing to build the play is entertaining, but there are flaws in his system.

Luis Enrique does not appear prepared to play proper defenders in their positions and would seemingly rather implement midfielders there. Some are to blame for his side conceding more goals (17) than scoring (15), such as Simone Perotta as a right back, Rodrigo Taddei as a left back. They're playing out of position for the first time in their career.

The midfield has been expertly put together and he should be applauded for his versatility after he basically scrapped a Barcelona style 4-3-3 in favour of a 4-4-2 diamond with Daniele De Rossi, Fernando Gago and Erik Lamela as the trequartista there is perhaps one of the most exciting midfields in all of Europe.

There have been problems in the group though, as Pablo Osvaldo reportedly punched Erik Lamela, resulting in an internal ban for the newly capped Azzurri star.

Roma face the league-leaders Juventus next in a crunch game which will measure how far they have come and whether the glimpses of genius are just that—glimpses.

With Carlo Ancelotti rumoured to be asked about a return to the club he loves, Luis Enrique needs to prove he can mix it with the best in Serie A right now, given the investment and the talent at his disposal he is underachieving.