Talking Points

Lots to discuss after another pulsating weekend of world soccer action. Italy was all over the news, this time for some good reasons. Well, mostly good ones. An enticing Milan derby had all Serie A fans tuned in and, thankfully, a final verdict in the Moggigate scandals was dished out earlier in the week so fans could concentrate on the on-field action once again. Across the Mediterranean, one of Italy's young stars plying their trade in Spain was in the news for the wrong reasons - Antonio Cassano, full of talent but short on smarts, was suspended indefinitely by Real Madrid. A coach who's fairy-tale World Cup was ended by Italy's national team also made headlines - Jurgen Klinsmann is in talks with United States soccer federation officials. And finally, an issue that everyone always seems to be talking about - diving - is on the tongues of many a soccer fan this week after Eidur Gudjohnsen's flop in the Nou Camp this weekend. Jose Mourinho, who always has something to say about damn near everything, weighed in on the subject - no surprise there. Enough previews - let's get on to the action.

Big games have a way of getting weighed down by expectations. Derbies have a habit of getting ruined by overwhelming passion and massive tension. Italian soccer frequently is marred by ultra-defensive play and boring 'catenaccio'. So, what happened on Saturday at the San Siro but the season's best match thus far, an offensive feast of some of the world's best attackers battling back and forth, with little to no defense to note. Catenaccio? What's that, some type of pasta? Inter, disappointing in Europe but excellent domestically, came in to the match hoping to complete an impressive trifecta of three away wins against their main rivals for the title. The Nerazzurri had already defeated Fiorentina and Roma; now it was Milan's turn. The Rossoneri sprung some surprises with their line-up, choosing to employ Chelsea's tactic of fielding a team heavy on central midfielders: Gattuso, Ambrosini, Pirlo and Seedorf all made the starting 11, with only Kaka and Inzaghi up front. Right from the start, the strategy backfired. Pippo was isolated up front and the Brazilian playmaker was unable to make his mark on the match. At the other end, Inter was scoring the types of back-breaking goals that Milan used to specialize in. First, a header by Crespo from a free-kick gave them the lead. Minutes later, a long-range wonder-goal by Stankovic doubled their advantage, followed by the Serb nearly ripping Mancini's head off his neck with an unrestrained goal celebration (seriously, you could see the fear of God in Mancini's eyes as Stankovic was shaking him like a naughty little kid). Milan was reeling as the match headed to the half. A triple-change at the interval by Ancelotti was a bold move, but when Ibrahimovic scored on a counter to make it 3-0 it also appeared to be a futile one. Not so fast. Inter has shown a bad habit this year of being unable to close out matches, such as when they let Fiorentina rally from three goals down to make it a nervous one-goal nail-biter. So, cue the Milan rally. Goal off a deflected Seedorf shot. Here come Milan. The onslaught is on...wait, nope, Materazzi rams in a header and it's back to a three-goal cushion. But the big Italian gets sent off for his goal celebration (weren't we just discussing that last week?) and Milan are a man up for the final half-hour. A header by Gilardino makes it 4-2. Then in the 90th minute Kaka lobs Julio Cesar for to cut it to 4-3. Wow. At this point, the match was no more than an offense-defense drill, with wave after wave of Milan attacks raining down on Inter's exhausted, shell-shocked backline. Oliveira had a close-range header to score an improbable equalizer, but it trickled just wide. Inter, despite their second-half woes, had held on. In the sports world, there's a tendency for hyperbole. Every match has to be the greatest this or the best that or the most intense or...it's always something, but in fact it really rarely is. Well, you'll have to forgive me for saying that this is the best match I've seen all year, the most attack-minded Serie A game in recent memory, and the most entertaining derby in years. If you don't believe me, look no further than the outpouring of joy and unbridled expression of happiness and elation seen from the Inter places at the final whistle. Guys like Zanetti, Maicon, and Ibrahimovic acted like they'd just won the World Cup. Not quite, but it was a massive hammer blow to the hopes of Inter's title rivals, as well as the perfect way to head into this week's big Champions League showdown with Spartak. Oh, and I'll take the catenaccio with bolognese sauce.

In Spain, Real Madrid is continuing their impressive resurgence under Capello (who, in turn, should thank Robinho), but leave it to their little headcase Antonio Cassano to ruin the good vibes at the Bernabeu. After being granted a new lease on life in Madrid and the chance to play under his father figure Capello, you'd think that the boy would've learned. Um, no. Cassano went ballistic after Real's 3-1 win over Gimnastic, insulting Capello and demanding more playing time (despite the fact that the team has been infinitely better with him on the bench and Guti and Raul playing just behind Van Nistelrooy). On Monday, Real suspended him indefinitely while they conduct an investigation, whatever that means.

Real's main rivals, Barcelona, won in part thanks to a con-job on the ref by Eidur Gudjohnsen. The former Chelsea man took a dive in the box and won a penalty, prompting his former coach Jose Mourinho, speaking ahead of this week's Barcelona-Chelsea rematch, to say that the Icelandic striker has apparently learned how to dive in Barcelona, a city renowned for its theater scene and acting talent. More on Mourinho in a sec, but first let's touch on the issue of diving. We've said it before, but if players can't police themselves to stamp diving out of the game, then it's up to the authorities to start handing down harsh penalties (suspensions, etc) against the offending parties. As for the controversial Portuguese coach, whether you love him or hate him, he's right that diving has to be stopped. Mourinho is a shockingly polarizing figure, one who is always at the center of controversy, but he has succeeded in creating a 'us-against-the-world' atmosphere at Chelsea. So far, it's worked. Whether it's taking shots at former players or criticizing the medical services at Reading or claiming conspiracies in the refereeing...Mourinho has his players thinking that the world is out to get them. Of course, he's wrong, but he's made a team that's already tasted success in recent years only hungrier and hungrier for more. The Barca match should be a dandy - let's just hope that the actors stay in the theaters, not on the pitch.

Speaking of Hollywood, the U.S. soccer federation appears ever closer to naming Jurgen "Tinkerbell" Klinsmann their new head coach. It would be a fantastic move for the Americans, as well as a match-made-in-heaven for Klinsi, who now lives in southern California. Now whether or not he can find an American Ballack and an American Klose is another story...

That's all for now. Back later in the week for full Champions League analysis...