Are AC Milan a serious contender for a Champions League spot?

A dreadful start to the campaign saw AC Milan languishing in the lower regions of the Serie A table for the majority of the opening half of the 2012-13 season, however their recent upsurge in form has seen them climb to fifth in the league, and they sit just six points adrift of the all-important third Champions League qualification spot.

'The Pharaoh' has been in amazing form for AC Milan all season

The Rossoneri lost five of their opening eight games; however a sequence of just one defeat in their 10 league matches has ensured the pressure of head coach Massimiliano Allegri has been relieved, for the time being at least! The turning point in AC’s season came about when the side trailed Napoli by two goals, before a Stephan El Shaawary double rescued a point. That unlikely point was then back upped by a solid victory against the Champions Juventus the following week, thanks a Robinho penalty. 

To read the rest of the piece go to: http://forzaitalianfootball.com/2013/02/are-ac-milan-serious-contenders-for-a-champions-league-spot/#.UQvwyYdEj_A.twitter

Alessio Cerci: From bad boy to wing wizard

Having made his debut for Roma at the age of just 16, much was expected from Alessio Cerci, however as of yet he has failed to deliver.

However, could 2013 be the year Cerci fulfills his undoubted potential? A good first half of the season has culminated in Cerci putting in two goal scoring performances that have landed Torino six points since the start of the year.

To read the rest go to: http://forzaitalianfootball.com/2013/01/alessio-cerci-from-bad-boy-to-torinos-wing-wizard/

Can Lazio finish in the top three?

15 points from 21 represents a very good start for the Biancocelesti and they currently occupy the third and final Champions League spot in the Serie A table; however with 31 games left to play, can they really qualify for Europe's elite club competition for the first time since 2007?

Every team needs a few individual match winners and Lazio have a handful they can call upon when needed to influence those close games, which could be the difference between a third or another fourth placed finish.

The Brazilian midfielder Hernanes has been quality so far this campaign for Lazio and brings goals to the party as well as being the main source of creativity in the middle of the park.

Despite being 34, Miroslav Klose is still banging the goals in, with five in just seven Serie A games this season. And if the German international can get 20 league goals, then Lazio have a real chance of finishing third.

The returning Mario Zarate offers something different, and if he can find the form that made Inter bring him in on loan last year, then he will play a huge part in Lazio's Champions League push.

Another reason why third is certainly up for grabs is the fact Champions League mainstays in Inter and AC Milan are no longer a certainty to qualify, with the latter making a horrible start to their Serie A campaign, which when coincided with the fact they've lost not only quality but experienced players in the last transfer window, the Rossenari's top three spot is up for grabs.

Udinese finished 3rd last year; however have had another selling summer and have won just once in seven games this campaign, giving Lazio a nine point buffer over the side that qualified for the Champions League last year.

Like I touched upon, two of the three Champions League qualifiers from last year have seen their squad's heavily weakened whilst Lazio's has been improved in a quiet transfer window for the club, with only one notable departure.

Lazio's first eleven is more then capable of finishing in the top three; however whether they've the strength in depth to challenge for third is questionable! For me the likes of Roma, Napoli and even Fiorentina all have stronger looking benches then Vladimir Petkovic's side.

Considering the fact all of Lazio's five league win's have all been sown up on before the hour mark, means that they've not had anyone to bring on to change the game, which was highly evident in their home defeat to Genoa.

Aside from Napoli away from home, Lazio's start has been a favorable one (Facing just two of last season's top 10 in Napoli and Chievo), meaning they've still to play many of Italy's big guns.

This isn't the first time Lazio have found themselves within a realistic chance of a top three spot, and in the previous two campaigns they've blown good opportunities to do so.

For two consecutive seasons the Biancazzurri lost six of their last 12 games, in doing so missing the chance to overhaul Udinese for the final Champions league spot on both occasions.

Like in those two seasons, Lazio have started the season in brilliant fashion, and you'd think they will have learnt from their previous mistakes and will be more competitive come the tail end of the season.

Napoli have started incredibly well and probably will secure Champions League football, meaning the likes of Inter, AC Milan, Roma and even Fiorentina will be left to fight it out for the one remaining spot along with the Biancocelesti.

You'd only really say that champions Juventus are realistically secure of a top three spot, meaning Petkovic's side have an incredible chance of finishing in the top three this season.

Cavani inspired Napoli ease past Lazio

An Edison Cavani hat-trick fired Napoli joint top of the Serie A table, as they thrashed Lazio 3-0 at the San Paolo.

Napoli opened the scoring after 19 minutes as Cavani let fly from 25 yards; however it needed a deflection from the unlucky Michael Ziani otherwise Federico Marchetti would have dealt with the effort.

If Marchetti was unfortunate with the first, he should have done better with Cavani’s second as the Uruguayan scored from a tight angle, despite the Italian goalkeeper getting a good hand on the shot.

Napoli killed the game off with 63 minutes gone as Cavani finished well into the bottom left of the goal.

Lazio were poor throughout; however with the game scoreless Miroslav Klose appeared to have given his side the lead, only for it to be ruled out for handball, which to the German strikers credit, he did admit to when asked about by the referee.

Matri's volley extends Juve's long unbeaten run

Second half substitute Alessandro Matri rescued a point for Juventus in the top of the table Serie A clash with AC Milan.

Milan were left to feel aggrieved as a Sully Muntari header, with the Rossoneri leading 1-0, was wrongly not given, despite the ball being a good couple of yards over the line.

Antonio Nocerino, via a huge deflection, had opened the scoring early on, and despite Milan's first half dominance, Juve improved in the second half and probably deserved to draw level, which they did through a Matri volley. A late red card for Arturo Vidal, meant Juve had to hold off some Milan pressure, which they did, to ensure the Serie A title race stayed in the 'Old Ladys' hands.

Juventus started the game well, with Stephan Lichtsteiner twice getting into dangerous positions down the Juve right, without really threatening Christian Abbiati in the Milan goal.

Muntari did brilliantly to win the ball back from Giorgio Chellini, and the Ghanaian international found Urby Emanuelson whose shot was deflected wide for a corner.

The resulting corner came to nothing; however Leonardo Bonucci gifted Milan the ball with a poor pass across his own box and Robinho found Nocerino whose long range shot hit the hapless Bonucci, with the deflection giving Buffon no chance.

The games real talking point occurred in the 26th minute when Muntari's header was incorrectly adjudged not to have crossed the line, therefore preventing Milan from opening up a deserved two goal lead. Buffon did brilliantly to save the initial Thiago Silva header; however Muntari beat his marker to the rebound as his header crossed the line, despite Buffon's best efforts only for neither the referee or the linesman to see the clear goal.

Milan's injustice only spurred the Italian champions on and Mark Van Bommel, Silva and Robinho missed good chances to extend their lead.

Juve's best chance in the first half came and went as Vidal smashed wide when well placed on the edge of the Milan box.

Milan were comfortable in the first half, with Robinho, frequently dropping deep, in particular shinning in a different looking Milan, who despite the lack of several first team players, were in control of the match.

The second half was brought about with a flurry of changes, Milan replaced Pato with Stephan El Shaarawy, whilst Antonio Conte subbed off Marcelo Estigarrbia and Marco Borriello with Simone Pepe and Mirko Vucinic respectively.

The second half began in tame fashion, with neither side threatening to score the games vital second goal.

Emanuelson picked the wrong choice when Milan countered with a three on three attack, as the Dutchman tried to find the sub El Shaarawy instead of the easier option in Robinho and Juve cleared.

Juventus missed a great chance to level as Chellini crosses into space as Fabio Quagliarella shoots straight at Abbiati from close range.

With time starting to run out, Conte's side started to control the game and the sub Matri thought he had brought his side level, only to look up and see the linesman's flag raised. Replays showed the call was a very tight one, with the striker possibly just the wrong side of the last defender.

Matri put his earlier disappointment behind him to volley home an equaliser with just eight minutes left. Chellini, up from the back, crossed well and Matri held off Silva to volley past Abbiati to stun the San Siro.

Vidal stupidly saw red late on for a cynical hack on Mark Van Bommel; however neither side threatened a winner as the game finished 1-1 to extend Juve's unbeaten run to 24 Serie A matches.

European round up

Spain
Barcelona lost for the first time this season, as Getafe stunned their illustrious rivals with a defensively strong performance in a 1-0 victory. Defeat for Barca, means they now trail Real Madrid by six points after Jose Mourinho's side won the Madrid derby 4-1.

A Valera header won the game for Getafe, as Barcelona without Andres Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas and Carlos Puyol failed to break down their opponents.

Just hours before two Cristiano Ronaldo penalties helped Real extend their lead at the top of the table. Atletico had opened the scoring through Adrian just 15 minutes in; however their joy was short lived as Thibaut Courtois, the man on loan from Chelsea, was sent off in conceding a penalty.

Ronaldo levelled from the spot, and after that Real really made their extra man count, as further goals from Angel Di Maria, Gonzalo Higuain and a second penalty from Ronaldo. The second penalty award saw Atletico go down to nine men as Diego Godin was shown his marching orders for a second yellow card.

Inigo Martinez scored an incredible winner from his own half for Real Sociedad as they edged an incredible match 3-2 against Real Betis, whose poor run extended to nine games without a win.

Big spending Malaga take on the injury hit Villarreal tonight.

La Liga results
Mallorca 2 Racing Santander 1
Athletic Bilbao 0 Granada 1
Zaragoza 0 Sevilla 1
Levante 4 Sporting Gijon 0
Rayo Vallecano 1 Valencia 2
Espanyol 1 Osasuna 2



Germany
Bayern relinquished top spot of the Bundesliga as a second consecutive defeat saw the Munich giants slip to third. The Austrian Andreas Ivanschitz opened the scoring before Daniel Van Buyten scored his first of the game to level the game.

However Mainz were the better side, and two quick goals from Marco Caligiuri and Niko Bungert gave the relegation threatened side breathing space. A second Van Buyten goal wasn’t enough as Bayern’s poor form continued.

The surprise package Borussia Monchengladbach went top of the Bundesliga, all be it only for a short time, after a comprehensive 3-0 away victory against Koln on Friday. Last year’s champions Dortmund regained the spot on goal difference with a comfortable 2-0 home win against Schalke. Goals from Robert Lewandowski and Felipe Santana ensured they took full advantage of Bayern’s Sunday slip up.


Italy

Juventus extended their unbeaten start to eleven games with an impressive 1-0 away win at Lazio. Simone Pepe's 34th minute winner gave the Turin side their seven win of the season as victory saw them replace Udinese at the top of the table. Juventus face Napoli next in a re-arranged fixture as the game was postponed due to flooding recently, and the match will no doubt test Conte's side title credentials.

Flying in Europe, struggling at home, that’s the scenario Napoli are in currently. With just four wins in 11 games this league campaign, Walter Mazzarri's side are struggling, and were fortunate to leave the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia with a point, as Edison Cavani's late goal ensured the game finished 1-1. Atalanta have done brilliantly this year, and if they had started the season without a six point deduction, they would sit an impressive fifth place.

Elsewhere in Italy A.C Milan romped to a 4-0 win over Cheivo, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic scoring his 100th Serie A goal in the process. All four strikes came in a dominant first half. Thiago Silva, a double from Ibrahimovic and an Alexander Pato strike meant Milan went second for the first time this season. A.C's city rivals Inter Milan, won back-to-back league games for the first time this season as Luc Castaignos's 90th minute winner stole the points from Siena.

Serie A results

Udinese 2 Roma 0
Leece 0 Catania 1
Novara 2 Parma 1
Cagliari 1 Bologna 1
Cesena 2 Genoa 0
Palermo 2 Fiorentina 0

A.C held in dour draw

Fiorentina held A.C Milan to a goalless draw in Delio Rossi’s first game in charge of the Florence side.

The home side never threatened to steal the three points, as AC Milan dominated the game from start to finish and were unfortunate not to claim all three points, as Clarence Seedorf saw a legitimate goal disallowed for offside.

Rossi unsurprisingly decided against recalling Stevan Jovetic on his return from injury; however the exclusion of Adam Ljajic was controversial as Fiorentina fielded a defensive looking eleven.

A.C Milan controlled the opening proceedings of the match, without ever looking like scoring, as Fiorentina, marshalled well by the young Matija Nastasić, kept the title challengers at bay.

However 18 minutes in and Seedorf looked to given Milan the lead. Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s flick forward was perfect for the Dutchman, who finished well, only to be disappointed by an incorrect flag for offside.

Robinho missed Milan’s best chance before half time as the Brazilian blazed over after a spell of possession from the Rossoneri.

Half time came and went and still Fiorentina failed to threaten Milan. Massimiliano Allegri’s side were pleasing on the eye, however they lacked the creative threat of Antonio Cassano, as Ibrahimovic and Robinho were poor on the evening.

It took sub Pato to show the out of sorts duo how to finish, and the Brazilian was only prevented from breaking the deadlock by a fantastic save from Arthur Boruc. The former Celtic keeper did brilliantly to get fingertips to the smashed finish, which would’ve found the corner, if it wasn't for the world class reactions of the Polish international.

Fiorentina’s only chance of note fell to Manuel Pasqual whose long range effort went wide of Christian Abbiati’s post.

The result saw Milan slip up for the first time in five, and their missed opportunity allows Juventus the chance to overtake them again with victory over Palermo on Sunday.

The days other games saw Inter Milan record only their third win of a terrible Serie A season. The win saw them move to 16th as goals from Thiago Motta and Phillipe Coutinho, were enough to edge out Cagliari 2-1. Lazio's impressive goalless draw away to Napoli, ensured the Rome side stayed top of the Serie A table. Napoli were the better side; however the draw extends their poor form with just one win in five games. 

Prince Boateng hat-trick stuns Leece as AC come back from the dead.

AC Milan had started the defence of their Serie A title in limp fashion with just eight points from six games and 3-0 down away to relegation candidates Leece at half time, their poor start looked set to continue. Enter Kevin Prince Boateng and the most unlikeliest of revivals.

The former Portsmouth man stunned the hosts with a hat-trick as Milan won 4-3, with the forgotten man Mario Yepes heading the winner in the 83rd minute.

Guillermo Giacomazzi headed Leece in front with the slightest of touch from a Carlos Grossmuller free-kick. Christian Abbiati, who probably should have done better with Leece's opener, conceded a penalty mid way through the first half fouling Daniele Corvia, after dropping a simple corner at the Italian's feet. Massimo Oddo, ironically on a season long loan from AC Milan, stepped up and smashed the penalty home. Grossmuller incredibly made it three just before half-time, stabbing home a lose ball.


Boateng started the comeback just four minutes into the second half with an exquisite slashed finish. A Milan corner was only half cleared and after the ball found its way to Boateng, the Ghanaian, smashed home brilliantly.

If the former Spurs midfielder's first effort was good, his second was brilliant. Teed up by the controversial Antonio Cassano, Boateng let fly with another cracking effort, giving the Leece keeper simply no chance.

Boateng amazingly levelled an amazing game in the 63rd minute, in doing so completing his hat trick. Christian Abbate saw his effort blocked and the ball fell kindly for Boateng whose shot narrowly crossed the line.

The Colombian Yepes amazingly won the game for AC in the 83rd minute with a back post header. Cassano was again the creator, as his lofted cross was met well by the former PSG defender and his bullet header won the game for the Rossoneri.

Elsewhere in Italy, unbeaten Juventus were held to their fourth draw in the opening seven games as Genoa got a deserved 2-2 away to the 'Old Lady'. A late Andrea Caracciolo strike ensured the heavy spending Genoa left with a share of the spoils.

Thiago Motta ensured Inter got only their second victory of the season as they overcame Cheivo 1-0 at the San Siro. Roma bounced back from their derby defeat with a solid if not spectacular 1-0 home success against Palermo. The Argentine Lamela scored the only goal of the game after just eight minutes.

Despite their loss of key players at the start of the season, Udinese continued their fine start to the season with a comprehensive victory over Novara. Two Antonio Di Natale strikes and one from Maurizio Domizzi were easily enough.

Other results

Fiorentina 2 Catania 2

Cagliari 0 Napoli 0

Parma 1 Atlanta 2

Siena 2 Cesena 0

Bologna 0 Lazio 2

Napoli romp ends Ranieri's short Inter honeymoon

Napoli moved top of the Serie with a controversial yet stunning 3-0 victory over Inter Milan in the San Siro.

A Marek Hamsik inspired Napoli were undoubtedly fortunate to take a lead in at half time, as Hugo Campagnaro smashed home after Hamsik's dubious penalty was saved. The controversial moment of the game occured after Joel Obi 's foul on Christian Maggio, which was a good yard outside the area, saw the Nigerian collect his marching orders for a second yellow card offence.

The second half however was a difference story as Napoli outclassed Inter's ten men, and further goals from Maggio and man of the match Hamsik meant Claudio Ranieri's honeymoon spell with Inter had well and truely ended.

Both sides came into the match on the back of their first Champions League victory of the season, however both inconsistent in the League. Another theme the two had in common was the absence of their key player as Inter were without Wesley Sneijder and Napoli missing their talismanic striker Edison Cavani.

Diego Forlan came the closest early on as Inter Milan dominated the early proceedings. The Uruguayans' shot went marginally wide of Morgan De Santics post, with the keeper beaten.

The returning Maicon was a threat down the right hand side, with the pace of the full-back on occasions ensuring the Brazilian got in behind the Napoli back three, however his composure when in the danger zone was poor and twice failed to find his team mate when well placed.

Inter continued to dictate the play and Giampaolo Pazzini had a goal disallowed for offside. The Italian striker reacted quickest to a De Santics parry from an Estaban Cambiasso drive, however the former Fiorentina man was, marginally offside.

The games turning point however happened on 41 minutes when Obi was adjudged to have fouled Maggio inside the box. The decision was highly controversial as the foul was clearly committed outside the penalty area. To rub salt into the Inter Milan wound, the unfortunate Nigerian was also shown a second yellow card for the incident.

Hamsik saw his spot kick saved by Julio Cesar, however the rebound fell nicely for Campagnaro who smashed past the Brazilian keeper.

A number of Inter players' frustrations boiled over as they surrounded the referee minutes after the decision and Cristian Zanetti and Julio Cesar picked up yellow cards for dissent. Cesar in particular crossed a line, as he had to consistently be held back by team mates and his actions where fortunate not to result in a second Inter red card.

Inter replaced the injured Cristian Chivu with Yuto Nagatoma at half time, and the Japanese full-back was at fault for an out of the blue Napoli second. Inter despite being down to ten men came out of the traps the quickest, however a long ball caused confusion between the duo as they both left the ball for each other and Maggio got in between the duo to loft the ball brilliantly over Cesar's head.

The goal ensured Inter Milan had conceded the most goals in Serie A this season.

With Napoli now in complete control, Zuniga incredibly missed an open goal from inside the 6 yard box to kill off the 2010 Serie A Champions. A one two between Zuniga and Hamsik saw the later released into the Inter box, the Slovakian unselfishly squared it for Zuniga who somehow contrived the blaze over with the goal gapping.

Napoli were demonstrating perfectly how to keep at bay ten men, and after a spell of five unchallenged minutes of possession, Ezequiel Lavezzi expertly thread the ball through for Hamsik who smashed by the helpless Cesar for an incredible third.

The full time whistle meant Napoli have beaten both Milan sides already this season, scoring three on both occasions.

The result enhances the belief Napoli have a genuine chance of winning the Scudetto as well as confirming Inter's place in the bottom half of the table.

Serie A week one round up

The Italian Serie A season got off to a brilliant start with no less then 35 goals in the 10 games, including a home defeat for A.S. Roma and a late win for Palermo against Inter Milan.

Last week I predicted Roma to be AC Milan's closest rivals and I don't expect that to change despite their poor performance to go with the result against Cagliari. The team has brought in many new faces and with a new coach the team will take time to gel. The game itself saw Cagliari open the scoring mid way through the second half when Jose Angel's poor headed clearence hit Daniele Conti in the penalty box, giving Conti time to turn and smash the ball past Maarten Stekelenburg in the Roma goal.

Barely a minute later Angel's day turned for the worse when the Spaniard was sent off for serious foul play. The game went into injury time with Cagliari leading 1-0, and they doubled their lead in the third added minute through a solo goal from substitute Moestafa El Kabir, who beat Stekelenburg with a good finish. Daniele De Rossi finish from a saved free-kick saw Roma half their defeciet, however with the full time whistle straight after the goal, no undeserved hope was aroused.

Andrea Pirlo starred on his Juventus debut as the Old Lady easily overcame a poor Parma side. Full back Stephan Lichtsteiner opened the scoring on his league debut, after Pirlo's beautiful chipped past found the former Lazio man who finished well when one on one with the Parma keeper.

Alessandro Matri was guility of spurning many oppourtunites, however it didn't matter as Simone Pepe doubled Juve's lead with a drilled finished on the hour mark. Another debutant in Arturo Vidal, made it three with a half volley from outside the box. The former Leverkusen man started on the bench, but is expected to be a key player for Antonio Conti's new look Juventus side.

The best goal was saved till last however, as Pirlo once again showed he still has his incredible passing range with a beautiful lifted ball into Claudio Marchisio who superbly lifted the ball over Nicola Pavarini to make it four. A late Sebastian Giovinco penalty failed to dampen the magnitude of how one sided the encouter was.

Elsewhere in Italy, AC Milan drew 2-2 with Lazio on Friday night, with all four goals coming in an action packed first half. Miroslav Klose and Djibril Ciise stunned the hosts with an early goal apiece, both well taken finishes. AC Milan were fortunate they were still in the game before Antonio Cassano ensured Zlatan Ibrahimovic couldn't miss from a yard. Four minutes later, the creater of the first goal levelled the scored when Cassano headed home from a corner.

Palermo edged a classic against Inter Milan 4-3. Diego Milito had opened the scoring for Inter, before Fabrizo Miccoli levelled. The Argentine again gave Inter the lead, only for Abel Hernandez to draw Palermo level for a second time. With the game heading towards an entertaining draw, there was three goals in the last five minutes. The former Benfica man Miccoli doubled his account for the game as Palermo took the lead for the first time, before Pinilla put the game out of reach of the 2010 Champions. A late debut goal from Diego Forlan couldn't save Inter as they lost their first game of the 2011/12 season.

Udinese started life without the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Cristian Zapata and Gokan Inhler with a comfortable 2-0 away win against Leece, with captain and club hero Antonio Di Natale unsuprisingly amongst the scorers. Manchester City target Alessandro Cerci scored Fiorentina's second in their easy 2-0 home win against Bolonga.

Preview to Serie A and review of 1st La Liga week

Serie A

Champions AC Milan start the defence of their title tonight against a strong Lazio side. AC Milan had a strong transfer window bringing in the likes of Philpe Mexes, Taye Tawio and Alberto Aquliani aswell as completing permanent deals for Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Kevin Prince Boateng. Lazio brought in expierenced forward Miroslav Klose as well as  Djibril Cisse, and the duo are both expected to start tonight in a new look strikeforce having lost the former Birmingham City striker Mauro Zarate to Inter Milan.

The league's big spenders Juventus and Roma both start the new season with new managers and new optimism. Despite Italy only having three Champions League participants for the 2012/13 season, these two will be confident of challenging the likes of Napoli for the key third spot. Juve have brought in the likes of Mirko Vucinic, Eljero Elia, Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal in an attempt to force their way back into Europe's elite competition, however for me I don't think they will have enough about them to do so.

The other big spenders in Roma however have a better chance, with not just exicting additions but clever and needed ones. The obvious loss of Mexes and Vucinic to their rivals will be huge, but new manager Luis Enrique has brought in no less then 17 players, and if the team can gel quickly then I can see them challenging Inter Milan for a second place birth. Fernando Gago, Bojan Krkic, Miralem Pjanic, Simon Kjaer, Pablo Osvaldo, Erik Lamela and Gabriel Heinze were all added in an highly exiciting window for the Rome side.

Inter Milan for me this year will struggle to really live with AC Milan at the top of the league with the choice of manager a suprising one. Gian Piero Gasperini's failed at Genoa despite big name signings, and the move is in similar fashion to AC Milan's move for Massimiliano Allegri, which was an obvious success. The loss of Samuel Eto'o is a huge one with Diego Milito really struggling to find the form of the treble winning season. Giampaolo Pazzini and Mauro Zarate are very hit and miss players, and much pressure will be placed on new signing Diego Forlan to replace Eto'o's goals.

My top 7 prediction
1) AC Milan
2) Roma/Juventus
3) Inter Milan / Napoli
4) Napoli / Inter Milan
5) Juventus/Roma
6) Udinese
7) Lazio

La Liga

The La Liga kicked off a week before the recent international's and somewhat unsuprisingly the dominant duo of Real Madrid and Barcelona won 6-0 and 5-0 respectively and already take their position at the top of La Liga.

You don't have to be a football genius to realise that these two will top the table come June and their infatic start to the season only goes to show the dominance the duo have over the rest of the Spanish League.

Athletico Madrid began life with Sergio Aguero, Diego Forlan and David De Gea in uninspiring fashion with a 0-0 draw at home to Osasuna. The amount of transfers in and out of the club obviously have dictated their start and it will take them a while to gel properly, with Falcao and Arda Turan good additions to the club.

Malaga the huge spenders in La Liga started life with a 2-1 defeat away to Sevilla. Manuel Pellegrini's side were poor in the first half and Alvaro Negrando exposed Malaga's centre half uncertainty for the first goal before a lovely finish doubled their lead. Despite a good second half showing, they only had new signing Santi Cazorla's wonderful free kick to show for it. The club were scheduled to play Barcelona on the first week of the season, meaning they would've had a doubly as hard start, however with Granada and Real Mallorca up next, expect to see them improve in not only performance but points. Sevilla in comparison to their opponents have had a relatively quiet transfer window with Manu del Moral and Martin Caceras their two big deals.

AC rescue point in lively opener

First half goals from Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Antonio Cassano rescued a point for the Italian Champions in a enthralling start to the Serie A season.

Early strikes from both of Lazio's new look centre forward pairing Miroslav Klose and Djibril Ciise looked to have given Lazio a shock victory at the San Siro, however a Ibrahimovic tap in and a Cassano header earned a share of the spoils for the Serie A champions.

Alberto Aquliani making his debut for the Rossenari should have given his new side the lead when well placed early on, however it was the Rome side who grabbed the early incentive via the German Klose.

Stefen Mauri did superbly to get a ball into the box under pressure from Luca Antonini, and Klose, with a superb first touch took the ball away from Alessandro Nesta, engineered some space in the Milan box to finish past Christian Abbiati. The finish was by no means world class, but the Italian keeper couldn't keep it out, and the goal gave Lazio a lead against the run of play.

The goal spurred Lazio on, and for 10 minutes AC Milan were all over the place, and Ciise, who was a consistent threat could have doubled Milan's trouble, only to put wide.

However Ciise's goal wasn't long in waiting as he headed home brilliantly to give Abbiati no chance whatsoever in the Milan goal.

An injury to Gennaro Gattuso saw Mark Van Bommel enter the fray and be it the change or the position Milan found them in, the Rossoneri responded brilliantly with two quick fire goals.

Their first goal was one of real quality, as Cassano, who had a quiet time with AC last year, played a superb one-two with Aquilani, before squaring the ball for the Swede Ibrahimovic who had the simplest of tasks to tap home from within the six yard box.

Kevin Prince Boateng, who on the whole had a quiet game for Milan, saw his shot from the edge of the area well saved by Albano Bizzarri, however from the resulting corner AC drew level. Aquilani's corner wasn't the best and Cassano at the near post headed past Bizzarri into the far corner. With neither post being marked by a Lazio player, the flicked header saw Cassano score his fifth league goal in the red and black of AC Milan.

The fourth goal of the match was the end of the chances in a brilliant first half in which neither side covered themselves in glory defensively, especially Milan who at times were very poor in allowing Lazio so frequent chances.

The second half failed to live up to the drama of the first half, with AC Milan dominating, however failing to have the cutting threat needed to get the winner.

Infact it was nearly Lazio that stole the points mid way through the half when the former Liverpool forward Ciise used his pace to get beyond the Milan defence and knock the ball past Abbiati only for Alessandro Nesta to somehow prevent the French striker from his second and Lazio's third.

Nesta prevents Ciise from giving Lazio all three points

Both Ibrahimovic and Boateng saw tame long range efforts easily saved by the impressive Bizzarri. The draw represented a fair result and both sides will probably be happy with a point.

Milan will need to improve defensively with two hard away games in both Europa and domestically up next in the form of the European Champions Barcelona and the Edison Cavani spearheaded Napoli, who will be boosted by the addition of Inter striker Goran Pandev for the visit of AC. Lazio themselves have Europe to contend with the visit of FC Vaslui, however a more difficult challenge awaits in Genoa who were very active in the Summer transfer window.

Both Cassano and Aquilani were key in Milans two goals