I say Milan has no real contenders, unless Inter incurs a change of trend from January onwards. Juventus don't really scare me at all. Napoli and Lazio are Champions League material at best, and Roma are way too unstable to race for the title.

Ditto. The Juventus of pre-Calciopoli is a distant relative of this Juve.

Well, we're not exactly that Milan either... no Maldini, no Kaka no classy full backs, younger/better Pirlo Rino etc etc. and you know the deal about our coach.

So it's a level playing field if you ask me.

Hey, not that I'm complaining. Much. Juventus still haven't recovered even 50% their past strength, I agree.

I'd rather have a close and interesting league (that we win on the last match day), but if no one's planning to show up, so be it. As long as our players don't start making things interesting by dropping needless points - which they haven't this season. All good on the Northern Front for me, LOL!

I love this anti-Milan talk in the Italian media. Every week they ponder the question as which is our most ideal opponent for the scudetto, every week it's a different team.

Who can stop Milan? Let's find out who may it be this week!

As long as Rafa is in charge at Inter, I'm not worried about them. I don't think CWC will be a turning point for them either. so I'd say only Juve. the likes of Roma, Palermo, Napoli and Lazio should be perfectly happy with a CL spot. the title is too much for them and they're not going to get anywhere near it!

But I don't get the logic in that. I mean, okay, we pretty much all here don't have a good opinion on Benitez. And it's perfectly normal to say "as long as Benitez is Inters coach, I'm not worried." But why not apply the same on Juve? I mean, honestly, Rafa is a better coach then Del Neri. What has he ever won? Who's the last coach that at the age of 60 won his first trophy? I really don't get why the same logic that eliminates Inter does not eliminate Juventus.

If Inter win in Abu Dhabi and get all their players back for the second half of the season, we'll have a worthy opponent. Rafa has got little to do with it.

I think the best transfer that Serie A clubs have done is bringing rafa to italy. It was a masterstroke of genius

Anyone else watching the Lazio-Udinese game? Been really good so far. 2-2 with about 25 to go.

(Thank you, Toto Di Natale!)

Did he score?

If Chievo and Lecce can pull something off I'll be forever greatful

Well, no, their goals were by Sanches and Denis. But he's the Udinese captain and this fish likes him.

Lazio take the lead for the 3rd time in the 88th minute.

Meh. But at least it's been a really good game. Certainly more entertaining than Milan-Roma.

Meh, we knew our lead would most likely be cut in half come today.

Anyway the positive thing is that we seem to walk over the small team while struggling against th good ones, Thankfully that's what you need to win the league, Roma have won all their big games, but have lost too many points to count in the smaller games, Inter are way off the pace at this point to worry about and Juve are unstable, they tend to drop points in mtches you don't expect them to.

Exactly. Losing to the other top 4 or so teams really doesn't matter so long as we win the rest of the games.

Penalty Chievo, Chiellini probably should have gone - only yellow though.

Storari saves it.

Juve lead through a nice finish from Quagliarella.

Giandonato sent off for a last man foul, Juve have 40 minutes to hold on.

CHIEVO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 1-1!

+1 to Pellissier. Equalizer in the 92nd minute.

Donkeys 1-1 gobbi

EDIT: Cavani has a thing for scoring at the last possible moment, it seems. Scores in the 95th to give Napoli the win.

The Donkey Brigade wish the board a happy Christmas.

Damn you Cavani!!!

To be honest, it was a screamer of a goal! I have always liked Cavani, and he has really turned his game up since signing for Napoli (don't quite like that club, though). So much so that they have even created and named a pizza after him:

Cavani is a beast!His work rate is amazing,just watch when he played against Palermo,he took the ball from his half then took it to the attack.

Exactly. I've started to watch Napoli matches because of him (that's really something). Love the guy! Palermo are poorer without him, sure they pocketed 19 million, but for my money he's twice the player that Pastore guy is. If not more.

Bah. Genoa-Samp postponed on account of snow. I am a disappointed fish.

So I can watch OM-Lyon or Real-Sevilla.

So, the various media outlets in Italy (gazzetta, mediaset, sky italia, etc) seem to think that Spaletti and Zenga are the frontrunners to succeed Rafa Benitez. And that the announcement may be made sooner rather than later.

i would think spaletti could do alot!!! beter then zenga..

Well, Zenga is their legendary keeper.

But, I don't see Spalletti coming. Why would he end his lucrative contract with Zenit at this point?

For a more lucrative contract with Moratti?

Benitez have said some stupid things ;0

Anyway,Serie A this season is looking really competitive,most competitive league in the world I say

Aww, I want Rafa to stay till the end of the season. And even a few years more beyond that. He is doing a splendid job already (most inter fans I know hate him, LOL). It surely would be a sad day if he leaves. The man is pure entertainment for rival clubs. Not just for his coaching skills, but being an annoying prick in general.

So happy we did not sign him! Best move Galliani ever made, or should I say never made!

well ligue 1 has been the most fun to watch (outside of serie A) this year IMO

+1

+1000000000

Lafa Benitez is a legend

lol lafa defeatez hahaha

Benitez should be sacked tomorrow and Leonardo will be Inter's new coach, at least till June.

Link

this is bad news

Disappointing...

I don't think it's Benitez, Mourinho overachieved with Inter.

Benitez isn't that bad, look at Liverpool when he was there, look at them now

Liverpool aren't really doing any worse than season than they were last season at the same stage. I just think Benitez is poor. He needs to spend a tonne of money and have a group of top players to do anything remotely well.

Benitez last tasted success was in Istanbul, since then he has been drawing blanks to-date. I am not complaining, as it amuses me to see la merda in their rightful place on the table, but I find it difficult to comprehend that the reigning Champions League, Serie A, and Club World Cup holders sit 8th in the table with a 13 points gap from top spot ... Now I don't know if a team which can conquer all that can be conquered in one year go to such lows, but I believe Benitez has been doing the same for sometime now; first with Liverpool and now the merda.

So how does it feel that a former Milan legend is now Inter's coach?

Opinion seems to be divided on the issue, Danny (see the Leonardo thread).

This fish, well, tends to be more in the 'he's an effing traitor' camp. But, really, it's part of the periodic tit-for-tat that goes on between us and them. Moratti's seriously annoyed about Ibrahimovic coming to Milan so...

He betrayed Milan, forget Berlusconi for a second here ... He betrayed me, and all the Milanista faithfuls who cheered him on when he first came to Milan ... The Milan family even brought him back for his final season and when he eventually retired, gave him a job and brought him to the center circle of this club.

He could have gone to Roma, Valencia, Madrid or even Juventus ... But not to Moratti, not to la merda, and definitely not playing the derby where he will be focused on taking 3 points from the hand that fed him!

The upcoming Derby will be played on Milan's turf ... You will see exactly how it will feel like then

+1.

And this isn't just some player we're talking about. This is a man who's been in the inner circle of management for many years. He knows everything about how our club runs. Who our contacts are...how our sponsorships work...how our finances are drawn up...how the minds of our players/management work. Maybe even details of our medical lab and the mindset of our players.

If all we lost was his 'scouting' talent, I wouldn't be so upset.

In fact he's got all the info about our club and he's going to use it AGAINST us FOR a direct rival....both in our league and CL.

If he wanted to get a new job, he should have left Italy at least for a few years and worked abroad. Sacchi, Capello etc. are all coaches whom you can argue left post a tiff with Berlu, yet the showed respect to the club.

Professionalism? Bullshite. To show respect to your organization that made you who you are is IMO showing you to be more of a professional, than if you just jump ship to direct rivals at the first sign of a pay cheque. Don't tell me Leo needed the multimillion dollar salary crap.

I suppose the consolation is he's a lousy coach. I'm not sure I'm that worried about him having 'inside knowledge' about us given he couldn't use it when he was our coach.

i think i saw it said that Leonardo has never had the status of Baresi or Maldini in Milan, which i agree with, it is still a bad thing i believe as you are never forced to do something. Did Moratti do this to mess with Milan? I am not sure, talk is that the Zlatan transfer fueled it, and now we are also after Milan Mario, it would not surprise me if we get him in Gennaio or summer. At least Inter will not get Kakà at the moment which has also been mentioned.

The fact that he was treated like **** and him being out of work means I won't hold anything against him.