Humble Pie Anyone?

What a weekend in the world of football. The gap is really and truly closing in terms of competitiveness within some of the world’s major leagues. As the newly promoted teams cut their teeth in the leagues they have been pulling off some shocks. Most notable of these would be the AC Milan loss to Cesena and Barcelona’s loss to Hercules.

Ac Milan went into this game as Scudetto favorites based on their performance in week 1 of Serie A. their 4-0 trouncing of Lecce was enough to get more than a few mouths talking up their chances. Their quality summer shopping and the return to form of one Ronaldinho would send shivers down any team’s spine. Well any team but Cesena. Cesena’s most notable entry on the pitch was Stephen Appiah. Appiah was his usual reliable self in midfield, assured on the ball and pulling the strings pretty much how we have come accustomed to seeing Pirlo do for Milan. His supporting cast though, was more than capable of their respective tasks. Out of a team that boasted the likes of Ibrahimovic, Pato, Robinho and Ronaldinho on the pitch, it was only Inzaghi that showed any promise on the night. The well organized Cesena defense and midfield were faultless on the night. Not to be outdone their attack wasn’t half bad either. The attacking trident of Erjon Bogdani flanked by wingers Ezequiel Schelotto and Emanuele Giaccherini were way too much for the Milanese defense to handle. 2-0 the final score in this encounter with the world waiting to see if Cesena can build on this impressive display and whether or not Milan really do have the class to shake this defeat off and continue to chase their Scudetto dream.

Barcelona’s defeat at the hands of Hercules was a shock but also was a well deserved win for Hercules. Real Madrid ‘reject’ Royston Drenthe ran circles around the Barcelona midfield. His combination play with David Trezeguet was a thing of beauty. Trezeguet, though having some aging legs, showed why he should still be respected on the football pitch. His hold up play was instrumental in the dismantling of the Barcelona rearguard.

Both Barcelona and ac Milan need to improve on all fronts if they are to live up to expectations this term. Barcelona’s lack of bite when Xavi is missing is all too apparent. With respect to Milan, their star studded shopping spree should have made them untouchable. Instead all it did was put them on a very unstable pedestal. Well onto the next week where we shall see how these teams respond.