![\"fixtures\"](\"https:\/\/www.thehighertempopress.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/fixtures-1.png\")
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Heading into November, there were plenty of positives on show. \u00a0We sat comfortably in fourth and hadn’t conceded a goal since the middle of September (spanning\u00a0just over six matches). \u00a0We were also unbeaten in eight matches since the 2-0 reverse at Fiorentina in only the second game of the season. \u00a0Plus we’d even started scoring goals – yes, goals plural – again. \u00a0Huzzah.<\/p>\n
November provided fixtures that, on paper, would allow us to build on these positives. \u00a0Home games against\u00a0an Empoli side, punching above their weight in 7th place, and rock-bottom Pescara sandwiched a tricky looking game at high flying Udinese (2nd) and a trip to face promoted Cagliari (15th).<\/p>\n
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01.11.2015 – Serie A – Empoli (H)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Two changes of personnel from the Bologna win saw Paletta replace Bruno Uvini and Susic come in for Remo Freuler, but\u00a0the system remained the same.<\/p>\n Eighty minutes in and I thought the curse had returned. \u00a0At this point, I was gulping down water and eyeing up the corner flags. \u00a0We battered Empoli but couldn’t force a breakthrough.<\/p>\n Then, with seven minutes left, D’Alessandro got round his full back, whipped in a cross and\u00a0Paloschi<\/strong>\u00a0fired in via a deflection. \u00a0The relief was palpable – the Atleti Azzurri d’Italia had seen its first goal since Paloschi hit the fourth against Napoli \u00a0– covering nearly\u00a0300 minutes of football.<\/p>\n The unbeaten\/clean sheet streak also stretched to\u00a0another game – dare we set our\u00a0sights higher than mid table mediocrity?<\/p>\n 07.11.2015 – Serie A – Udinese (A)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Like ourselves, Udinese were flying. \u00a0The Bianconeri sat in second and had done so from the third game of the season. \u00a0They were also yet to concede a goal at the Friuli\u00a0in the league.<\/p>\n Despite Udinese’s impressive start to the season (including beating the Milan clubs in successive fixtures), our last two wins had left me giddy with confidence and I played the more open wide formation. \u00a0I hadn’t lost a complete grasp of reality and, as a result,\u00a0Besic was reintroduced to provide more steel in front of the defence.<\/p>\n For the first time this season, we were on the end of an FMing. \u00a0We faced 10 men for over a half, had 27 shots on goal, 19 of which were on target yet\u00a0we left Udine with a solitary point. \u00a0Duvan Zapata selfishly ruined our clean sheet run and fired them ahead from the spot. \u00a0The hosts went\u00a0down to ten when they lost Guilherme before half time due to two bookings.<\/p>\n I cranked things up at half time, increasing the speed at which we played and went more attacking. \u00a0Keeper Orestis Karnezis had kept them in it at this point and it was surely a matter of time before we got an equaliser and could push for the win.<\/p>\n Stefano Pioli’s side then had the temerity to soak up our pressure and hit us on the break. \u00a0Rodrigo de Paul. \u00a02-0. \u00a0Merda<\/em>.<\/p>\n Five minutes later the superb Augustinsson (check out his average ratings over the past few games) slung one to the back post and\u00a0D’Alessandro\u00a0<\/strong>headed us back into the game.<\/p>\n Tactically there was nothing I could do, we were more than on top. \u00a0So I played two wild cards – on came the hardworking Guido Marilungo and\u00a0de Luca<\/strong>\u00a0to try and unsettle the Udinese back four and it paid off with the latter getting a deserved equaliser after Augustinsson’s neat inside pass.<\/p>\n The clean sheet record had gone (and all the repetitive questions from the media regarding it, thank God) but we were still unbeaten and had started to nicely dominate games.<\/p>\n 22.11.2015 – Serie A – Cagliari (A)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n An international break intervened before we were back on the road (well, in the air on a flight to Sardinia) to face Cagliari. \u00a0IRL, I’ve been impressed with the squad that Massimo Rastelli has put together – Bruno Alves, Mauricio Isla and Simone Padoin are all excellent additions and I have major man-love for Davide di Gennaro and the dreamy Marco Borriello. \u00a0This wouldn’t be an easy trip.<\/p>\n Once I’d stopped nervously looking over at Borriello, hoping to catch his eye, I submitted a\u00a0team containing two changes from the draw with Udinese – Flavio Ferreira in for Tol\u00f3i and Susic for Kurtic.<\/p>\n With just over half an hour played, we’d made a mockery of my prediction that this game would be a tricky one. \u00a0Marco\u00a0<\/strong>D’Alessandro\u00a0<\/strong>drove in\u00a0his second in as many\u00a0games and\u00a0Paloschi\u00a0<\/strong>put us in control with a delightful near post finish after a D’Alessandro cross.<\/p>\n Borriello got the Sardinians back into the game and I let out a nervous whimper as he ran towards the benches, only for him to run past me and into the arms of Rastelli. \u00a0It’s always the handsome ones that break our hearts.<\/p>\n Despite my public rejection, we held on and secured\u00a0a vital 2-1 win, and with that jumped\u00a0up a place to third.<\/p>\n 28.11.2015 – Serie A – Pescara (H)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n We were now starting to really kick on – keeping the ball, creating chances and scoring goals. \u00a0Next up, the Delfini of Pescara headed to the shark tank of Atleti Azzurri d’Italia. \u00a0I fully expected a comfortable win.<\/p>\n I felt so comfortable that I left the so-far excellent Augustinsson out (he was knackered having already completed a fair part of the\u00a0Danish season with FC K\u00f8benhavn before joining us in August) – Davide Brivo replaced him. \u00a0Jasmin Kurtic also came in for the more defensive minded Besic.<\/p>\n Massimo Oddo set Pescara up in a pretty narrow formation (quite similar to Napoli’s) and I fancied our chances of racking a few goals up considering most of our goals came from the wide areas.<\/p>\n As it turned out, my side set out to make me look ridiculous by scoring from two central passes – firstly\u00a0Alberto Paloschi\u00a0<\/strong>fired in from David Timor’s lovely lofted ball over the top, before\u00a0Paloschi<\/strong>\u00a0repeated the trick in the second half, this time from G\u00f3mez’ through pass.<\/p>\n I expected more but Pescara comfortably controlled our few attacks; I can’t grumble too much about three points and another clean sheet for Sportiello and the gang.<\/p>\n Another month done and 10 more points in an incredible start to this topsy turvy Serie A season.<\/p>\n Juve already sat pretty at the top, ruining any chance of a Leicester-esque title challenge, but with Inter (5th), Roma (6th), Lazio (9th), Napoli (10th) and Milan (an incredible 18th) all struggling, it was perhaps a chance for the likes of ourselves, Udinese and Empoli to maintain our bids for European football.<\/p>\n Paloschi had displaced Pinilla as our starting striker and hit four goals in November to take him to a promising seven for the season. \u00a0Our full backs, Augustinsson and Svensson, ate, breathed and farted out assists and D’Alessandro was chipping in with both assists and goals. \u00a0If we could get the little wizard and captain, Alejandro G\u00f3mez,\u00a0providing\u00a0like his wing partner, I would be even more confident that European football was a formality for next season.<\/p>\n![\"empoli\"](\"https:\/\/www.thehighertempopress.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/empoli.png\")
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