The Serie A Couch-Potato-A-Thon

Hello there. Hope you're feeling well today.

In the laws of marriage the one, indeed the only moral excuse to spend a lot of the day where your backside is securely placed on a couch is if you've been busy for the other part.

On Sunday I had spent three and a half hours driving my daughter back from Epping to Bridgend. She had enjoyed her break with my mother wandering through London tourist spots but it was time to go home. The journey itself was thankfully dull apart that is from the three times where we were driving through torrential rain that was so bad I had the headlights on even though it was before midday and it was difficult working out where the lanes precisely were.

Still eventually we reached home. I had finished my main task du jour. After lunch I could relax without remarks. Time to watch football.

There were, as it happens a number of Serie A matches to watch. Two from last week two from this one, The first was A C Milan vs Torino. Though my Serie A team is Fiorentina I must admit to a sneaking sympathy with Torino. If only because they have to live with the success of the local rival Juventus, who seems to treat them with the disdain of an older brother.

As for A C Milan, well what's not to like about  a club once owned by shrinking soccer fan violet Silvio Berlusconi? Now taken over/or about to be by a "Chinese Consortium" including it appears state backed enterprises. The sort I would suspect that cost many European jobs through subsidies such as steel and/or low pay and/or poor working conditions all under a undemorcratic regime. Again what's not to like about a club bankrolled by that?

But to be fair it was the Milanese side that put on the style in the first half. Scoring two goals that were basically crosses that were put away in fiery style by the Columbian striker Bacca. Come the second half he scored a third through a penalty.

Bacca was, by any measure,smokin.

He was substituted, clearly to his disapproval, towards the end of the match. He received a well deserved applause upon leaving. Presumably this also enclosed the Torino players given that during the remaining few minutes of the second half they scored twice.

But then, at the last minute of extra time Torino was awarded a dubouis penalty. Sort of six of one and half a dozen of the other if you ask me. Anyway it was saved by the A C Milan goalkeeper Donnarumma. A seventeen year old yet so tall he could easily walk into a store and illegaly buy alcohol .

3-2 then to the Milanese and to be fair they deserved it. Just like the afternoon nap I took afterwards. Upon awakening I remembered. West Ham were playing Manchester City. Checked on the score. Hammers down 2-0. Not being a masochist I went onto the next game. Pescara - Napoli.

Pescara newly promoted. Napoli almost champions. On paper this should have been obvious. However when I write on paper things get inevitably crossed off. The football version of that was when Pescara scored two goals in the first half. First match I know but those goals were such free flowing team quality that I'm not sure I'll see similar this season.

Unfortunately for us underdog romantics Napoli made it level in the second half. Still if I was a Pescarian I would first not eat meat but continue to munch at fish and then would feel happy at what the season would hold given that performance.

Next up was Lazio - Juventus which was on paper the most exciting of the four but (you catch the drift now) turned out to be the most dull. Juventus won by a goal. The only thing that sent me to a state of frenzied apathy.

Then a break, as wife/daughter wanted to watch the new drama series on Queen Victoria. Not my cup of tea but it'll be a success judging how much the females in the house liked it.

I noticed Rufus Sewell was in the cast. That reminded me that he starred in the shortlived BBC TV series Zen based on the Michael Dibdin novels. Though set in Italy the British actors spoke in a British accent rather than talka likea this which was fair enough. Only to have the love interest played by an Italian actress with a genuine accent which rather spoilt the effect.

Anyway, that finished and to the final game. Inter Milan - Palermo.Inter another Milanese club owned by the Chinese and Palermo which is for sale. I'm assuming the Sicilian team will be sold to whoever makes the current owners an offer they couldn't refuse.

Inter dominated. They had chance after chance after chance in the first half yet they could not score. I can only recall one Palermo opportunity in this period. But, as football is always more capable of than any other sport I can think of, early in the second half Palermo scored.

It was a lucky goal. A shot that hit the heel of an Inter player and deflected to the net. Still a goal's a goal.

Inter eventually equalised and the score finished 1-1. But they are not a team at ease with itself. If Inter was a person I'd have arranged counselling long ago.

And so the Serie A Couch Potato-A-Thon was finished for day. Monday Ligue 1...in between cutting grass weather permitting.

Until the next time.