Serie A 2011, Week 12: Zlatan Ibrahimovic Scores 100th Serie A Goal, Milan Win 4-0 Over Chievo

Perhaps it’s time for a shake up of the forward line, but who?

Castaignos’s rise to fame internationally began after he took part in the 2009 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship in Germany. The striker was considered one of the most important players as the Netherlands finished runners-up, losing out to the hosts. Castaignos finished joint top goal scorer, with three goals, alongside Germany’s Lennart Thy.

Seriously....go hang Christmas lights or something.

It was almost as though the script was already written before Atalanta - Napoli even kicked off. On one hand you’ve got Germán Denis, former Napoli player who is now leading the Serie A goalscoring charts. On the other is Edinson Cavani, who looked to have found himself back in form with his winning brace against Manchester City midweek. Of course each player was destined to score, and of course each did.

Denis’s goal also came just when Napoli are typically at their most vulnerable -- just after Ezequiel Lavezzi came on to replace Goran Pandev. This season the partenopei seem unsettled just after substitutions, even if they’re like-for-almost-like (let’s face it -- Pandy is no Pocho). Atalanta took advantage of that vulnerability, with Denis easily cutting apart the defense and putting the ball in the back of the net himself.

But just two minutes later, Pepe, whose mind seems more on his golf game than on this match, managed a one on one with the Lazio keeper, only to pull back a bit and miss an opportunity served for him on a platter. Juventus are almost certainly going to rue these missed chances. Despite the fuss over Hernanes looking a shadow of his former self this season, the Brazilian has been amazing in this match, threatening near goal and forcing Gigi Buffon into at least one great save.

The rest of the match, you ask? Well, Lecce decided to show off exactly why they remain in the relegation zone, forcing Mariano Andújar into just one save -- the rest of their shots went wide, or skewed into orbit, or quite possibly both. All in all, though, it was a fairly entertaining match, even though much of the action took place away from the goals.

One of the reasons this match was incredibly frustrating to watch was Luca Banti’s over-reliance on the little whistle hanging ‘round his neck. Greco kicks out at bianconeri ankles? Whistle. Toto trips over a blade of grass? Whistle. Ball comes too near goal? Whistle. If it hadn’t been for an impressive Udinese display in the final ten minutes, I would have attempted to go back in time and re-obtain all the minutes wasted watching this pitiful play.

Having rounded off the twentieth-century with their second Scudetto, Lazio have had a tricky opening decade to the twenty-first. Juventus, completely dominant in the early part of the decade have had well documented travails since. Today, though, these two sides sit first and second in Serie A and while it is too early to dismiss or promote the title chances of either it is fitting that these two clubs should be welcomed back to the big-time with a top of the table encounter: the top table has been the poorer for their prolonged absences.

The Romans are slightly fortunate to remain level with Juve (both teams have 22 points, Juventus’ superior goal difference means they sit top) after hanging on somewhat for a valuable draw in Napoli’s Sao Paolo in which goalkeeper Federico Marchetti was superb. Lazio’s defensive display in Naples, partly excused by Napoli’s superb counter attacking potency (as showcased against Manchester City this week) was mitigated further by the absence of top scorer Miroslav Klose through injury. The German, along with Djiblril Cisse (who, with one league goal, has been slightly less successful since his summer move), will face a late fitness test. A pass would be welcome, as Lazio are definitely without suspended playmaker Stefano Mauri.

Game Date/Time: Friday, November 25, 2:45 pm ET, 8:45 pm local

Venue: Estadio Fruili

Late in Inter Milan’s 1-1 draw against Trabzonspor in the UEFA Champions League, defender Lucio appeared to pick up a slight knock, but played through the rest of the game. Now, according to Football Italia’s Serafino Ingardia and Italian website AGI.it, Lucio will be out until early in the new year. Though he’s now 33 years old, Lucio is still one of the best central defenders in Europe, and he’ll be a huge loss for a struggling Inter Milan side.

The good news is that Inter recently got Walter Samuel back, but they are still dangerously thin in the center of defense.Ivan Cordoba is still out, while Christian Chivu is much better at left back than in the center of defense. The luxury of multiple fullback options could cause Chivu to move inside, but Andrea Ranocchia could also come into the defense. Once a promising youngster, Ranocchia is now 23 years old and has disappointed in recent performances.

I’ll be honest: I’m not entirely sure why Udinese and Roma are playing on Friday. But hey, it means three days of Serie A rather than just two, and that’s certainly something to be thankful for (perhaps they arranged it this way so that Americans who hide inside on Black Friday will have something to do?). It sure seems Sunday will be a let-down after Friday and Saturday. The two matches with the most potential would typically be Milan and Palermo, but both face opponents who go on the road with no ambition other than to achieve a goalless, soulless draw.

Friday, though, should be fun. The giallorossi are coming off a 2-1 win over Lecce, while Udinese finally fell last weekend, 2-0 to Parma. The Stadio Friuli continues to be a fortress, however, and despite Francesco Guidolin trying his best to keep expectations down, it seems unlikely that Roma will be unable to escape the northeast with anything more than a point.