Serie A, Week 8: Napoli came back with a bang

This weekend had it all: Juventus strolling, Napoli exploding, Zemanlandia, and a few quieter performances that could well help shape the table later in the season.

Saturday started off with a bang, with Empoli hosting Cagliari and Serie A getting it’s first full taste of the power of Zemanlandia it’s gotten in some time. Cagliari has been slow to fully adjust to Zdenek Zeman’s all-attack-all-the-time tactics this season, but in this match they ran rampant over their hosts, as Empoli could only try to slow them down en route to four first half goals.

Marek Hamšík never performs in the big games. He never shows up when Napoli needs him the most. He may wear the armband, but he’s not a real leader. Yes, you’ve read that somewhere online, or heard it during one of the Napoli games. It’s a popular theory, but it’s also a wrong one.

Hamšík has had a rough year. He struggled in finding out how to fit into the new system required by Rafa Benítez, and an injury last season did nothing to help. But, despite going eleven months without a goal at the San Paolo, Hamšík remained captain of his side, and his new manager kept his faith in him. Even the fans, who have created quite a hostile atmosphere in recent weeks, never turned on the man they call Marekiaro.

There wasn’t a whole lot to keep the attention in the first half between Milan and Fiorentina. As seems their wont this season, Fiorentina were able to keep hold of the ball, but they simply weren’t able to do much with it. On the other end, both Sulley Muntari and Ignazio Abate forced the Fiorentina defense to work early on, but neither in such a manner that drew gasps of astonishment.

In the 22nd minute, however, Stephan El Shaarawy sent in a sharp shot, forcing a terrific one-handed save from Neto. It was offside, but at least everyone had woken up. Or Milan had, anyway. Three minutes later, they took the lead. Cristian Zapata got on the end of a corner in from Jeremy Menez, heading across the face of goal. Nigel de Jong popped up, scoring his second goal of the season.