Thank You to Our Rivals

By: Jeremy | March 24th, 2009

I cant say I was overly excited about the win against Bologna as we did not look that good. Acquafrescas well placed header was enough to give Cagliari a 1-0 road win and no matter what, three points are still three points. For a team fighting for its Serie A life, Bologna looked terrible, especially for a team at home. As usual, the difference maker was Marchetti as he stopped a couple of good chances from Bologna. This game was more about Bolognas poor performance then anything we did, but a win in a game like this, when you are not at your best and on the road, is a sign of an overall strong team. Oh to have that Genoa game back.

The biggest note of the weekend has to be the results of games involving teams who are trying to chase a final UEFA Cup spot. If a seventh spot is granted, as of today it is ours on goal difference over Palermo. Speaking of Palermo, we must give them a thanks for their loss, Lazio for their loss, Atalanta for their draw, and even Roma came up lame in an important game. These results throw us right back in to the race for that final european spot and to the top of a big group of teams chasing it. There is still plenty of time left to earn this spot, but we must step up as the teams we face will be a lot better then Bologna.

So what is next? We have a home game against an improved Catania club who has historically been weak on the road. Zenga has got that team overachieving, but we should be able to beat them at home. Allegri continues to amaze with his ability to keep the team motivated and they manage to come up with a key performance when everyone seems to think the team lost its edge and has become satisfied with safety.

We could still finish anywhere from 6th to 14th so the final results of the season are yet to be determined. Just when you think a club is falling back ie Cagliari or ready to emerge ie Palermo, results come that leaving you shaking your head. It seems like we will have another chance to play a game or two that really matter. The question is how well will Allegri be able to motivate the team to win these games that are important, yet at a time where distractions and complacency can kick in. If he can lead the team to results against teams like Bologna and Catania, the games against Roma and Fiorentina might actually mean something.

For all the ups and downs of this season for our club and many others, this is all we can ask for so lets keep moving forward and cheering our team. The season is not over even if we are smiling at the fact we will be playing in Serie A next year.