Who will be the last to be enrolled in the quartet?

"SKATING"

These Sicilians are the main opening of the season. In Italy, it often happened that the club, which performed in the first round, then quickly deflated in the second. Recall Verona, Bologna, Livorno. It happened before the flight. But what’s going to happen to the Catania is hard to imagine.

If Luigi Del Neri once achieved success with Chievo with very average performers, then under the leadership of Pasquale Marino, mostly players of level B gathered at all. However, after sonorous blows from recognized favorites - 0: 7 from Roma, 0 each : 3 from Fio and Milan - the Sicilians did not stick up, quickly came to their senses and gave an adequate rebuff to their direct competitors. After all, Lazio and Sampdoria were beaten: 3: 1 and 4: 2.

Fabio Caserta, the 28-year-old midfielder of the team, already had his eyes on the same Lazio and Sampdoria. Perhaps 3-4 million euros will force the club's president Antonino Pulvirenti to part with the leader, that is, in fact, to withdraw from the champions race. In this case, hope will have only for the inexhaustibility of the scoring fuse of Jonanta Spinesi. The one with 11 goals takes second place in the scorer race.

In addition, the “Catania” second place from the end of the conceded goals. The team marking in the European Cups, in the second round the team is obliged to correct this indicator.

To people far from Italian football, the scenario in which the “Rossazurri” will nevertheless fall into the top four may seem anecdotal. However, if this eventually happens, it will be an excellent measure of Serie A level this season.

LAZIO

In the first round, the Romans failed a few truly enchanting matches. The grand defeat of the "Roma", of course, stands apart. It was after him that the team of Delio Rossi began to be considered as a very real contender for getting into the Champions League.

However, the overwhelming advantage in that confrontation does not negate the standings, where Roma is 16 points ahead of Biancheloles. If Lazio played in most matches like in a derby, then Roma would not have been the main pursuer of Inter in the champion race. To catch up with “Catania” in the next rounds, the wards of Russia, of course, are capable of it. But keeping the fourth line until the end of the tournament is much harder. Stability - in this sky blue add and add.

Optimism and rumors about Oddo moving to Milan are not reinforcing. Massimo is a team leader in every sense. And it is not known whether young Marco Mott, who is expected to succeed, can compensate for his departure. Another option - the transfer to the defense of Valon Behrami - also does not look ideal.

Concerned and the center of defense. Neither the tall Stendardo and Cribari, nor the Civilla station wagon belong to the top-level defenders. You have to rely only on their teamwork. And Claudio Lotito has few funds for the qualitative strengthening of this position.

The advantages include the incredibly confident game of Stefano Mauri and the obvious progress of the Argentine opornik Christian Ledesma. Mauri, who came from Udinese a year ago, has always been considered a capable left midfielder, but the current game has clearly raised his stakes. Mauri especially showed off over his former club. On November 12, Udinese took away five unanswered goals from Rome, most of which involved Mauri in one way or another. Rossi tore Stefano from his native flank and invited him to act across the entire width of the field. So Mauri became the criterion of most attacks and, in fact, the central figure in the Lazio midline. The challenge of the 27-year-old midfielder to the national team was probably even taken with understanding by Roma’s typhos.

Ledesma has long been considered one of the most promising defensive midfielders of Serie A. But in Lecce he could hardly grow to the status of “one of the best”. In Lazio, he seems to have succeeded. Thanks to Christian, the departure of Dabo and Liverani turned out to be practically painless. If “Lazio” does not get into the next Champions League, then Ledesma will take part in this tournament for sure - as part of another team.

SAMPDORIA

In the team of Bazzani, Bonazzoli and Flaki unexpectedly shot another striker - Fabio Quagliarella. On account of the 23-year-old striker, who came in the summer from Ascoli, 9 goals. And its transfer value has already been dealt with by Milan and Roma. If the Genoese retain the player they own together with Udinese, this will be an important argument in the fight for fourth place.

Interestingly, after the defeats of “Roma” and “Palermo”, the head coach of the “clutch” Walter Novellino was on the verge of dismissal. But a series of convincing victories dispersed the thickened clouds and brought the team to the coveted 4th place. It, however, was lost after the mentioned loss to Catania.

The instability of the results is, of course, due to a serious personnel update last summer. The loss of Aimo Diana and Max Tonetto violated the harmony of the game. However, the newcomers - Terlizzi, Bonanni, who received a call to the national team of Del Vecchio and, naturally, Quagliarella - are gradually taking on leading roles. So the chances for the Champions League at Sampdoria are hardly less than those of competitors.

"UDINEZE"

Excellent scouting helped the Udins to collect a scattering of young talent from all over the world. However, the subject of special pride of the club's Franco Soldati club patron is the attack line: Yakvinta, Di Natale and Asamoa Gyan. True, all three are regularly mentioned in the press as a possible strengthening of more affluent clubs. A year ago, Soldiers sold the “Palermo” David Di Michele, and this reduced the power of the attack. If the team really marks the Champions League, then the leading forwards, as well as Sally Muntari, the demand for which is great, should be held back at least until the summer.

Last season, Udinese has already performed in the main Euro Tournament. And then the team simply did not have the strength to fight on two fronts. Not long Udins were even in the relegation zone. Therefore, if the success of season 04/05 is repeated, it is advisable not to repeat the mistakes of a year and a half ago. In particular, do not let the leading players go under the hammer.

The reserves for strengthening lie in the remarkable potential of summer recruits: Roman Eremenko and Jose Montiel. They are potential stars on the makings and are quite capable of becoming defining figures in Udinese. Giovanni Galeone regularly gives chances to both, but it’s too early to talk about the adaptation of geeks on the Apennines.

FIORENTINA

Humanly, “violets” are very sorry. The second season in a row, Tuscans objectively are among the best clubs in Italy. Not in vain, after all, Cesare Prandelli, and not Lippi at all, was recognized as the best coach of Italy last year. However, the notorious events deprived the team of the current Champions League and put more than a serious obstacle to the next such tournament.

If you forget about the penalty points, then the place of "Fiorentina" - just the fourth. But in order to take it officially, the Prandelli team needs to make a titanic effort. The lag behind the forthcoming “Catania” (8 points) is not as scary as nine other clubs, stretching along this distance even closer to the Sicilians.

The “violets” have a brilliant selection of players in the base zone, competent extreme defenders, a brilliant pair of forwards, the young playmaker Montolivo is progressing, but not everything is in the center of defense. Dario Dinelli claims a minimum. But the Danes, Peru Kroldrup, obviously didn’t benefit half a year at Everton, actually spent in a hospital bed. It is possible that the Tuscans will try to acquire a new central defender.

Separate conversation about the sniper Adriano Mutu. The Romanian returned to the coach, under whose wing he spent the brightest - Parmesan - career period, and again revealed himself in all the variety of powerful talent. If in Parma he composed a harmonious duet with the Brazilian Adriano, then in Florence Prandelli combined Muta with Luca Toni. This tandem now has no equal in series A - they have already won 19 goals! With such an attack, appearing in the Champions League is not at all embarrassing.

"MILAN"

Return the points to the Milanese - they will still remain outside the treasured four. It would seem that there is a crisis. But we will not be so categorical. That the Rossoneri camp was brewing a generational change, it became known not a year or two ago. This process Carlo Ancelotti was not just putting off, but was somehow reluctant to conduct it. However, in the season when no one is demanding the fight for the scudetto from the team, the steering of Milan decided to gradually upgrade the squad. Yankulovsky, Brocky, Kaladze receive playing time much more than before. They are not young players, but it is more important for Ancelotti that the team learn to play confidently without Maldini, Kafu and Kostakurty.

Every day we learn about the interest of Rossoneri in the next forward. This is also extremely relevant in anticipation of the second round. Given the disqualification of Borriello and the depressing statistics of Oliveira, Ancelotti can only rely on a pair of Gilardino - Inzaghi. In the recent Berlusconi Cup, young Obameyang scored the decisive ball. But he is unlikely to be able to consistently perform in series A.

Quagliarella, Ronaldo, Yakvinta - any of them, if they were in Milan, would be a very serious help to the team, which still claims the last ticket to the Champions League.

TOURNAMENT TABLE

NOTES. 1. In the indicators of “Milan”, “Lazio”, “Regina” and “Fiorentina” the fines imposed on the basis of “mujigate” are taken into account. Lazio has 3 points in liabilities, Milan - 8, Regina - 11 and Fiorentina - 15. 2. Siena is fined one point for delaying payment of taxes on players' salaries.

SNIPERS : Totti (Roma) - 12, Spinesi (Catania) - 11, Mutu (Fiorentina) - 10, Rigano (Messina), Cuagliarella (Sampdoria), R. Bianchi (Regina), Tony (Fiorentina) - 9 each.