Serie A Power Rankings: Round 17

Serie A returned to action for the 17th round of play following the holidays and it was a weekend that was full of electricity and incredible matches in one of, if not the world's most competitive league.

Of note from the weekend, no games ended in a draw for the first time since the game of November 5th and 6th, though that weekend two matches were postponed.

The weekend got off to a roaring start, as Saturday's two games ended with an aggregate score of 9-0, including a major upset, arguably one of the most famous home victories in recent history for the winning club.

All the results, bar one, were pretty straightforward, but with some movement, how do Italy's top 20 stack up?

Round 17: Lost 1-0 vs. Juventus (H)

Lecce fought hard at the Via Del Mare, but in the end, Juventus were too much for them.

With yet another loss to add to their unimpressive results, the Wolves stay at the bottom of the table and continue to look on their way towards relegation. They sit four points from safety and even when they play tough, other teams just prove to be too much.

Making matters worse, Rodney Strasser was forced off five minutes in with an injury that turned out to be a broken ankle. The 21-year-old on loan from Milan is sure to be out for several matches. He has been a regular lately, appearing 11 times and scoring once.

Round 18: 1/15 vs. Fiorentina (H)

Round 17: Lost 4-1 vs. Udinese (A)

Cesena went into the Friuli and can't be too surprised that they walked out losers of this game.

A first minute strike put them in an immediate hole and from that point on, the Udin club controlled the match.

Matters were made worse when Maurizio Lauro picked up a second yellow an hour in.

The one positive for Cesena: Citadin Eder, the Brazilian forward who was highly regarded during his time at Empoli, scored for the first time in his 15th match.

Round 18: 1/15 vs. Novara (H)

Round 17: Lost 3-0 vs. Fiorentina (H)

Novara were outplayed completely at home.

The boys in blue were down 2-0 at halftime and five minutes into the second half the match was over. The home side weren't helped by the zero shots on goal that they produced.

Simple calculations and logic prove that if you don't put the ball on frame, you will never score.

Next weekend's battle of 18 and 19 in the standings and these rankings will be an interesting one. Both teams are likely fated to drop down, both being six points from safety right now, but if we have a winner, it could make the race interesting for the rest of the strugglers.

Round 18: 1/15 vs. Cesena (A)

Round 17: Won 4-0 vs. Lazio (H)

It's unbelievable to say that Siena thrashed Lazio this weekend. It was the case, but still, Siena are a bottom feeder of the league.

They were up 3-0 after the first half, but two of those goals were penalty kicks from Emanuele Calaio and the second one led to the dismissal of Lazio's second-string goalkeeper.

When Lazio went down to 10 men just before half, they never really stood a chance at coming back. It was really just an unfortunate day for Lazio and doesn't really define Siena's season in any way, shape or form.

You don't get five or 10 points for beating a big club, you get three. Those three points keep them only six points above the relegation zone and while Cesena, Lecce and Novara still seemed destined to wave goodbye to Serie A, however, Siena need to continue getting good results to prove they belong in the top flight again.

Round 18: 1/15 vs. Parma (A)

Round 17: Won 2-0 vs. Catania (H)

Bologna pulled off the mini-upset as they knocked off eighth-place Catania, 2-0.

Two second half goals, including a 90th minute strike from captain Marco di Vaio, sank the Elephants and Bologna moved even farther away from the drop zone. The gap is now six.

They will be hoping most likely for a draw between Cesena and Novara next week as they travel to a very difficult environment.

Round 18: 1/16 vs. Napoli (A)

Round 17: Lost 3-0 vs. Cagliari (A)

Already down 2-0 at the Sant'Elia, Emiliano Moretti was sent off and minutes later Andreas Grangvist put the ball in his own net, capping off a miserable day for Genoa.

They were completely outplayed by a struggling Cagliari side that they should have done better against.

Genoa's recent form should be cause for concern. They have struggled of late as they continue to drop precious points and fall farther away from the European spots, not that they ever really had a chance.

Round 18: 1/15 vs. Udinese (H)

Round 17: Lost 5-0 vs. Inter Milan (A)

I don't even know if there's anything to say that can make this look at all like a glorified defeat for Parma.

They were miserable, they were outplayed and they will be having nightmares about the San Siro for a long time.

Parma won't be traveling to the San Siro anymore this season and they will be thankful for that. They lost both their trips to the Milan stadium and were outscored 9-1 combined between Milan and Inter.

The numbers are kind of deceptive, but Inter got only six shots on goal and five of them went in. Those aren't the kind of numbers that will make Antonio Mirante sleep better.

Parma are struggling as they have been for a while and they need to step it up.

Round 18: 1/15 vs. Siena (H)

Round 17: Lost 2-0 vs. Roma (A)

No surprise that Roma won this match, but besides the two penalties, the Flying Donkeys held off a Roma onslaught.

Chievo saw very little of the ball and were only able to get 10 shots off (two on goal), but prevented Roma from creating much from the 20 shots (eight on goal) that they had on 70 percent possession.

Nicolas Frey brought down Roma's Erik Lamela about a half hour in and Bostjan Cesar handled the ball in the box 12 minutes from time. Both instances led to the two Francesco Totti penalties.

Chievo were expected to lose this weekend but they actually fought fairly well. They have a chance at some quality points that they will want to capitalize on.

Round 18: 1/15 vs. Palermo (H)

Round 17: Won 3-0 vs. Genoa (H)

Cagliari have been inconsistent of late, but they were on point in their win over Genoa the other day.

Genoa controlled possession and allowed only two shots on their goal. They weren't completely dominant on attack, scoring on a penalty, from the run of play, and being credited a goal from an own goal.

It was a necessary win, winning for the first time in three matches and for the third time since October. They are in need of quality points, but the next four matches are nothing but hell for them. Juventus, Fiorentina, Milan and Roma are on the table. That's a bit of a heavy schedule.

Round 18: 1/15 vs. Juventus (A)

Round 17: Lost 2-0 vs. Bologna (A)

Catania had done well to get into the top half of the table, but discipline killed Catania as they fouled 29 times, leading to four yellow cards and a red card and fell to relegation-threatened Bologna.

The club could just get nothing going despite playing so well of late. Marco Biagianti was sent off after his second yellow card with 12 minutes to go.

At that point, Bologna already had a one-goal lead, but they found another one with the man advantage.

Catania have done well to get to where they are, but can they prove that they are no joke? They have two very difficult games ahead during which they may drop out of the top half.

Round 18: 1/14 vs. Roma (H)

Round 17: Lost 3-1 vs. Napoli (H)

This picture of Fabrizio Miccoli says it all.

His 89th minute goal meant absolutely nothing as Napoli were already 3-0 up and the woes for the Rosanero continue.

The club is winless in its last five matches and things are looking very dull indeed.

This definitely wasn't how Bortolo Mutti wanted to start his new managerial gig. This was his first match on the sidelines with Palermo after being fired last year after Bari were relegated.

He needs to right the ship to avoid suffering the same fate as Devis Mangia.

Round 18: 1/15 vs. Chievo Verona (A)

Round 17: Won 3-0 vs. Novara (A)

Stevan Jovetic netted twice, once from the penalty spot, and seemingly outcasted Riccardo Montolivo scored for the first time this season as the Viola easily handled Novara on their trip to Silvio Piola.

Fiorentina played well on both sides of the ball as they never allowed Novara to put a shot on Artur Boruc's goal.

It was a much-needed win for a side that has had trouble doing anything but picking up draws. It was only the third win for the club since October.

They have the chance to pick up 12 points in their next four games. They're going to need to capitalize.

Round 18: 1/15 vs. Lecce (H)

Round 17: Lost 2-0 vs. AC Milan (H)

The biggest surprise in Italy this year ran into the defending champions, and they paid for it.

Top goalscorer German Denis was held at bay by the Milan defense which is starting to find its form from last season.

This is a bump in the road for a great team, but La Dea need to rise up against the top teams in the league. They were completely outplayed.

They get another shot at a top team when they take on fourth-place Lazio this weekend. With the ugly situation that is the Lazio goalkeeper situation at the moment, Denis could probably snatch a couple goals.

Round 18: 1/15 vs. Lazio (A)

Round 17: Lost 4-0 vs. Siena (A)

Albano Bizarri was sent off, but that was after two goals already, including a penalty kick, and it only got worse for Lazio after that as they lost 4-0 to Siena.

Siena got off to a quick start with an 11th minute goal and Lazio let them break away with two first half penalty kicks. At that point, defeat was imminent.

It was an uncharacteristic by a team who had only lost twice in its first 16 matches prior to the game and it really shouldn't impact the club very much. They may be nervous going into the next match without possibly both their first- and second-string goalkeepers, as regular starter Federico Marchetti missed Saturday's match with an injury.

Atalanta may not be merciful if the duties fall to third-string keeper Juan Pablo Carrizo.

Round 18: 1/15 vs. Atalanta (H)

Round 17: Won 3-1 vs. Palermo (A)

Napoli took care of a struggling Palermo side in a victory at the Renzo Barbera.

Goran Pandev, Edinson Cavani and Marek Hamsik once again showed the incredible balance of Napoli's attack as each found the net.

Napoli continue to play well in attack but will find it difficult to climb back into Champions League contention as they are facing difficult competition in the deepest league in Europe.

The goalscoring prowess is clear, but Napoli must rely on a lot of factors to get back into European contention.

Round 18: 1/16 vs. Bologna (A)

Round 17: Won 5-0 vs. Parma (H)

Wow. Inter Milan have really picked it up of late and go into next week's derby on the back of a 5-0 thumping over Parma.

The first half was pure domination. Diego Milito and Thiago Motta scored within 20 minutes and Milito struck again on 41 minutes. The second half was just putting the icing on the cake. Giampaolo Pazzini struck for the fourth time this year and Marco Faraoni scored his first career goal in the dying minutes.

This was a big win in a couple of ways as Inter keep their Europa League spot ahead of the pressure from Napoli and Roma.

Now riding a five-match winning streak, Inter will head into the Milan Derby on fire. Then again, AC Milan are also on fire. The Milan Derby is going to be incredible!

Round 18: 1/15 vs. AC Milan (A)

Round 17: Won 2-0 vs. Chievo Verona (H)

They dominated possession and fired 20 shots with eight going on goal, but two penalty kicks were the difference as Roma blanked Chievo Verona.

Francesco Totti scored a penalty kick in each half, his first two goals of the season.

Roma were probably hoping for better out of the attack than just the two penalty conversions, but they got the three points.

It's going to be a difficult road without their top scorer, Pablo Osvaldo, who is out for two months with a thigh injury. Someone needs to step up and be that production in attack if they are going to keep pace.

Round 18: 1/14 vs. Catania (A)

Round 17: Won 4-1 vs. Cesena (H)

A straightforward win for Udinese, as they dominated Cesena at the Friuli.

Antonio Di Natale doubled up to pull even with German Denis and Zlatan Ibrahimovic at the top of the table in the Capocannoniere race.

Udinese fans were surely celebrating a big moment for one of their young stars. Midfielder Kwadwo Asamoah, considered one of the hottest young stars in Italy at the moment, scored his first goal of the season upon Udinese's return from break.

A trip to the Luigi Ferraris is up next as Udinese inch towards a rematch with Juventus.

Round 18: 1/15 vs. Genoa (A)

Round 17: Won 1-0 vs. Lecce (A)

Juventus kept pace with AC Milan, despite not playing their best match of the season.

Not that Juventus needed to play their best, as they were playing Lecce. Though Lecce have challenged a couple of tough teams, especially when they were up 3-0 on Milan before a 4-3 loss.

Alessandro Matri got the lone goal at the Via Del Mare, his seventh of the campaign, on 27 minutes and Juventus were able to hold on.

Their defense has been impeccable this year. Through 17 games, they have allowed only 11 goals. Only Udinese are better with 10.

Apart from a match with Udinese in the coming weeks, Juventus have a fairly easy schedule ahead until a February 26th battle of the two top teams in the league.

Round 18: 1/15 vs. Cagliari (H)

Round 17: Won 2-0 vs. Atalanta (A)

Atalanta have been one of the hottest teams in Serie A, but they ran into an even hotter one in AC Milan.

Milan continue to put a slow start behind them and are joint on top with Juventus.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic converted a penalty kick in the 22nd minute after Pato was fouled in the box. The 12th goal of the season for Zlatan puts him in a tie for the Capocannoniere title with Udinese's Antonio Di Natale and Atalanta's German Denis, who was held by Milan all game.

Ibrahimovic followed up the goal with a brilliant assist for Kevin-Prince Boateng with nine minutes left.

The brilliant numbers, like being unbeaten since a loss in Turin on October 2nd, will not matter next week as they face a team arguably hotter than them.

The first Milan Derby promises to be a thriller. Can Milan continue its current three-match unbeaten run against Inter in all competition?

Round 18: 1/15 vs. Inter Milan (H)