Serie A Discussion

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After watching his Napoli side bounce back from their midweek defeat in the Europa League by brushing past bottom of the pile Parma, coach Walter Mazzarri underlined the consequences of commitments on the continent.

“I think if we weren’t in the Europa League we would probably have three or four more points,” he declared to SkySport.

“We played a great game today with a number of players who don’t usually get as much space.

“If we are to remain competitive on all fronts it is important that we can count on the entire squad.

“Unfortunately playing on Thursday evenings, it simply isn’t possible to fight it out at the top of the standings in the league.

“We returned home on Friday at six o’clock in the morning. When you have European duties it is normal fatigue starts to take its toll.”

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Lazio coach Edy Reja was understandably unhappy after his side's 2-0 home defeat to Roma in the derby.

"The morale is low among the players. This derby was decided by a few key incidents. Although Roma complained about the choice of referee before the game beforehand, they cannot now. Mauri was held back by Riise - it was there for all to see," he told Sky Sport after the game.

"They won the match thanks to two penalties, both of which could have been avoided. Then there was the chance for Foggia in the second half when he hit the bar."

"The players on the pitch said they could do more playing against twelve men but we must now stop talking about that."

Lazio remain top of Serie A despite their defeat but they have seen their lead cut to two points after Milan's victory over Bari.

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Sampdoria continued to struggle without Antonio Cassano as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Catania in Genoa. However, Samp remain in the top six.

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Relegation candidates Udinese continued to stretch the gap between themselves and the relegation zone as they drew 1-1 with Cagliari in Udine. Daniele Conti gave the Sardinians the lead as early as the 12th minute but Antonio Floro Flores restored parity a minute before half-time. There were no goals scored in the second session.

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Napoli bounced back from their 3-1 defeat to Liverpool in the Europa League on Thursday in style as they won 2-0 against Parma. Star striker Edinson Cavani scored both the goals, his first coming after 19 minutes and his second four minutes from the final whistle. Walter Mazzarri’s side are now level on points with fourth-placed Juventus.

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As Roma ran out 2-0 winners following the recent Derby della Capitale against Lazio, suspended captain Francesco Totti underlined his content by issuing a statement on his official website.

“It was a great game which Roma deserved to win,” Totti declared.

“I am delighted for Leandro Greco who made a positive entry into the game. He grew up in the Roma youth ranks and is a born and bred fan.

“Watching the game from home I was really able to enjoy this victory.

“I would like to dedicate praise to all my teammates who brought home an important win,” concluded the message from the no.10.

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As Roma moved back towards the chasing pack following a 2-0 victory in the Derby della Capitale, coach Claudio Ranieri praised his men for a splendid performance.

“I am happy as we played a great game, the boys were splendid,” Ranieri declared to SkySport.

“Our physical condition hasn’t improved it’s just that mentally we are now back on top of things.

“Since the Brescia game, in which we undeservedly lost, it has been a different side.

“We must continue on this path because in just three days there will be another vital encounter.”

Roma host Fiorentina on Wednesday evening during a midweek round of Serie A fixtures.

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In a game which will be remembered for some controversial refereeing inside the penalty box, Lazio’s Christian Brocchi reminded the competition that his side remain top of the standings despite a 2-0 defeat to Roma.

“It was the usual Lazio today,” Brocchi declared to SkySport.

“We all know that in a derby anything can happen and there is little use in dwelling on this setback.

“Personally I don’t think we played a bad game.

“In the first half the side created numerous chances even if the rhythm of the game was a little low.

“Unfortunately the decisions cost us today. I’m still shaking my head as to why the foul on [Stefano] Mauri wasn’t given.

“We must now look back on what has been achieved up until this moment and not think about this defeat. Let’s remember Lazio is still top of the pile and nobody has done better than us so far this season.”

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As Sampdoria failed to keep up with the chasing pack following a 0-0 stalemate with Catania, coach Mimmo Di Carlo refused to get downbeat despite the ongoing saga surrounding Antonio Cassano.

“We had a good group before and we still do now,” he declared to SkySport.

“It normal that with the things that have happened in recent weeks I am now forced to restructure things in the forward line.

The coach was then probed on the status of star player Antonio Cassano who is still unavailable following his fracas with president.

“As long as Cassano remains out of action there is little point in me commenting on the issue.

“Given our position in the standings we must remain united and keep pushing as we are well in the chasing pack.”

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Palermo defeated mid-table rivals Genoa 1-0 in a hard-fought clash in the Stadio Renzo Barbera this evening.

A solitary strike from Mauricio Pinilla just before half-time was enough to give his side victory and restore the Sicilian's flagging Champions League hopes. The away side fired an early warning shot across Palermo bows when Rafinha drove forward and crashed a shot wide of the upright with barely 30 seconds on the clock.

Genoa continued to force the play in the opening stages and ex-Palermo man Luca Toni, who was booed remorselessly throughout by the home fans, wrong-footed Salvatore Sirigu with a deflected strike, but the goalkeeper scrambled back across goal to make the stop.

Palermo then took control from then on in and Pinilla could, and maybe should, have had as many as five goals before finally opening the scoring. First, he met Mattia Cassani’s low cross with a first time effort which Eduardo did superbly well to touch onto the post. He then passed up a glorious one-on-one chance in the 19th minute when he raced onto Javier Pastore’s slide rule pass and attempted to drag the ball around Eduardo. The Genoa stopper read the move and threw out a hand to deny Palermo’s diminutive Chilean.

Amazingly, it was Pinilla who glanced Pastore’s inviting cross down into the ground and against the post five minutes later.
Toni had a couple of efforts well saved by Sirigu as the Rossoblu attempted to force their way back into the game. But it wasn’t long before we were back with Pinilla and another missed opportunity. This time the 26-year-old darted to the front post to connect with Josip ilicic’s cut back, but put the ball wide with the goal at his mercy.

In the 41st minute, he contrived to head a Cassani cross straight into Eduardo’s hands, and then demonstrated his deep frustration by karate kicking the upright.

However, that tension was completely released when he broke the deadlock less than 60 seconds later. Pinilla darted on to Pastore’s delightful flick and made no mistake at the sixth time of asking, curling the ball beyond Eduardo’s to make it 1-0.

Rossoblu coach Gian Piero Gasperini decided that alterations were required to change the pattern of play and break Palermo’s stranglehold on the game. At half-time he replaced Rudolf Gergely with Miguel Veloso, and then threw on young forwards Richmond Boakye and Mattia Destro in the 65th minute. The changes had the desired effect and Genoa began to assert themselves. However, for all their possession, they struggled to create any chances of note.

Giandomenico Mesto and Domenico Criscito were both off target with powerful efforts mid-way through the half, but it wasn’t until the 80th minute that they manufactured a proper shot on target. A neat move in and around the edge of the box ended with Toni shifting the ball out from his body to take a shot at goal, but Veloso snatched the chance away and side-footed a weak effort of his own straight at Sirigu.

Boakye had a glorious chance to grab a point in the fourth minute of stoppage time but the 17-year-old Ghanaian's age was all too evident as he failed to compose himself and screwed his shot wide. With that went Genoa’s final chance of the match and Palermo held out for a deserved 1-0 win.

On Wednesday, Genoa welcome Bologna to the Luigi Ferraris and will be in desperate need of all three points, while Palermo make the mammoth journey north to face Milan in the Giuseppe Meazza.