Serie A produced 43 goals over 10 matches this weekend, proving that the attack minded signings acquired by some of Italy’s top teams are starting to integrate into their new squads. The game with the most goals was Fiorentina’s 5-2 victory at Genoa.
Giuseppe Rossi struck twice, building on his performance from last weekend. He’s now managed to score three times in two appearances thus far. The Italian-American mentioned that he would like to get back into the Azzurri squad prior to the start of this campaign. If he can keep up this pace, he’ll be one of Cesare Prandelli’s regulars in no time. He was featured in almost every game during Prandelli’s first year in charge, surely he’ll be on the team sheet if he travels to Brazil for the World Cup.
The main storyline of the day was Mario Gomez. The former Bayern and Stuttgart forward also earned a brace on Sunday, making up for his dismal showing against Catania on Monday. The German international appeared to have finally blended into the style of play within the peninsula, which is a good sign for Viola supporters.
However, it is Genoa that he faced. They are a relegation candidate and are notoriously quick in firing their coaches, meaning the team is usually in shambles. Still, it just takes one showing to gain confidence up front. Gomez is an accomplished striker, scoring 75 goals in 115 league games for Bayern, he’s definitely raring to snatch another 20-30 goal season.
The one worry for Fiorentina, yet again, was their defence. Alberto Gilardino was threatening Vincenzo Montella’s back line all match, and eventually got a goal, cutting the visitors’ lead to two. Marvin Compper hauled down the Italian in the box, leading to Francesco Lodi, who was brought in from Catania, burying the penalty. At that point, it was 4-2, but Gomez’s penalty all but clinched the three points for the Viola.
The defensive issues will be one of the main focuses for Montella over the next few weeks. It wasn’t heavily relied on last season, but with all of these new attackers coming into Serie A, every back line will be constantly under siege, including Fiorentina’s.
Other Talking Points
- Staying with the new acquisitions, Gonzalo Higuain netted once in Napoli’s 4-2 win over Chievo on Saturday. The Partenopei have now scored seven goals to start the campaign.
- Just like the Supercoppa, Juventus crushed Lazio by scoring four times. Miroslav Klos did bag a consolation, but the Biancocelesti still lost 4-1. Carlos Tevez now has three goals in as many games as he got on the score sheet yet again.
- Roma earned their second win in a row by defeating Hellas Verona 3-0 at the Stadio Olimpico. New boy Adem Ljajic scored the third to seize all three points for the Giallorossi.
- Mario Balotelli was the hero in AC Milan’s first win of the year. He finished an opportunity in the 62nd minute to make it a 3-1 victory. Marco Sau cut the lead in half just past the half hour mark, but it was all for not.
- Rodrigo Palacio and Yuto Nagatomo earned their second goals of the season in Inter’s 3-0 drubbing over Catania on Sunday. The Nerazzurri are off to another quick start under their new coach Walter Mazzarri, but can they keep it up?
Other results: Atalanta 2-0 Torino; Bologna 2-2 Sampdoria; Sassuolo 1-4 Livorno; Udinese 3-1 Parma