As a familiar question posed itself to Serie A - the one that asks "Who can challenge Inter Milan?" - Italian football experienced a strong sense of deja vu over the weekend. There was the spectre of an old face, that of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, returning to the city of Milan; of the Old Lady, Juventus, grimacing; and outside the wealthier citadels, of a division where the battles are likely to be tight.
In the capital, frustration. It took just 23 minutes of the new campaign for Francesco Totti, the captain of Roma, the runners-up in league and cup last season, to show a flash of bad temper. He scuffled with a pair of Cesena midfielders and gesticulated at the referee to show how his captain's armband had been ripped in what he adjudged was an unfair tackle. Totti and his team, who drew 0-0 with feisty, freshly promoted opponents, had a frustrating opener at the Stadio Olimpico. They would hope that is not an omen for things to come.
Down south, worse for Juventus. Serie A's highest summer spenders became the most conspicuous of its losers, beaten 1-0 at Bari. "It's not a good way to kick-off," said Alex Del Piero, the Juve captain, "but it has been a hard week with new players coming in." Juventus had not lost a match on day one for 28 years. More than half the side were newcomers since the last, lacklustre season, so a period of initiation under Gigi Del Neri, the new head coach, is to be anticipated. Losing the core of his first-team squad for the next 10 days for international duty, however, will hardly help accelerate that process.
Genoa, the upstarts of the transfer market, can reflect on immediate dividends, a 1-0 win at Udinese, earned late through Giandomenico Mesto's fine, airborne volley. Eduardo, the new Genoa goalkeeper produced some excellent saves, though Luca Toni, the new centre-forward had an abbreviated debut, taken off injured before half time. Elsewhere, it was a good opening night for Edinson Cavani, the celebrated summer arrival at Napoli, who took seven minutes to put his name on the scoresheet in the 1-1 draw against Fiorentina. Cavani's goal was controversial, as his header appeared not to have fully crossed the goal-line after crashing down off the crossbar: Yet another case arguing for the use of goal-line technology on such decisions.
But the happiest man parading a new club jersey in Italy over the weekend was the one who spent Saturday night in Spain, negotiating his exit from Barcelona, and Sunday night as a spectator, watching his new club at San Siro. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, it seems, has animated the title race without kicking a ball. He cannot help but have been impressed as AC Milan, under the orders of Massimiliano Allegri for the first time in a competitive match, destroyed Lecce. Seated in the grandstands, the Swede saw encouraging touches from Ronaldinho, a dynamic Clarence Seedorf, a pleasing late cameo substitute appearance from new boy Kevin-Prince Boateng and two excellent goals from Alexandre Pato within the first half an hour.
With Thiago Silva and 37-year-old replacement Pippo Inzaghi, who had twice hit the woodwork, contributing further, Milan enjoyed a fabulous weekend, all the better for having seen Inter lose in the Uefa Super Cup two days earlier. Ibrahimovic, once of Juve, and a great success with Inter - with whom he won three league titles between 2007 and 2009 - thought he might rub that in, with a reminder for the champions: "Remember Inter won nothing until Ibrahimovic arrived there", he said, immodestly. "Ibra" would like Milan to believe he can have the same galvanising effect on them.
sports@thenational.ae
