It’s been an intriguing season in Italy so far. Here’s Joe Sharratt with the story so far.

As the build up to the 2010/11 Serie A season began it was very much a case of one self-obsessed, megalomaniac in, and one self-obsessed megalomaniac out. The landscape of Italian football was shaping up for a much quieter year following the departure of treble-winning Internazionale boss Jose Mourihno to Real Madrid, before the red-and-black half of Milan did the decent thing and convinced the brooding genius of Zlatan Ibrahimovic to come and tip Serie A’s normalcy quota firmly back towards the bonkers.

But Milan didn’t stop there. Soon the equally unpredictable Robinho was being added to the ranks of a team that was already shaping up to be one of the most top-heavy in recent history. Subsidence at the San Siro seemed a real possibility with so many bodies in one half of the pitch, and everyone was asking just how on earth Rossoneri new man Max Allegri was going to fit his latest additions into a side that already boasted forwards of the ilk of Alexandre Pato, Ronaldinho and Pippo Inzaghi. The cynical Italian football fan, of which there are plenty, might have drawn a connection between Silvio Berlusconi’s continuing drop in the approval ratings and this sudden influx of expensive talent. The remaining few just thought Milan were desperate to seal their first Scudetto since 2004.

For all their attacking prowess however, Milan failed to hit the ground running, and the shock of the Serie A season so far came in just their second game, as they were soundly beaten by newly promoted Cesena through goals from Erjon Bogdani and Emanuele Giaccherini. Back-to-back draws followed before Milan eventually hit their stride, thanks mainly to the impact of Ibrahimovic, who by the winter break had scored nine times. Ably supported by Robinho, and to the surprise of some, Kevin-Prince Boateng, Milan improved as the weeks went by, and as the league broke for the holiday season, the Rossoneri sat top, three points clear of fellow title contenders Napoli.

Napoli’s success is in no small part down to the performances of their own talismanic striker. The loan signing of Uruguayan centre-forward Edinson Cavani from Palermo has proved to be a masterstroke of management by Walter Mazzarri, who having managed to hold on to stars such as Marek Hamšik and Ezequiel Lavezzi over the summer, is reaping the rewards of Cavani’s fine form as Napoli look likely to improve on their sixth placed finish of last season.

Joining Napoli in the chasing pack, to the surprise of many, is Lazio, who flirted with relegation throughout the 2009/10 campaign, before being rescued by Edy Reja, who somehow salvaged a mid-table finish last season and has guided the Eagles to third place this time out. Lazio’s surge up the table can be attributed to the form of Brazilian dynamo Hernanes, who has turned in a series of stunning performances, and the resurgence of forwards Mauro Zarate and Sergio Floccari, who have blossomed under the watchful eye of Reja. Though few believe Lazio can take the title this season, Champions League football is a real possibility for Reja’s men, a belief reinforced by their demolition of Internazionale at the beginning of December.

That defeat was a bitter blow for Inter in what has been a difficult season for the Nerazzuri as Massimo Moratti has struggled with the conundrum of how to solve a problem like Mourinho. It quickly became apparent that Rafael Benitez was not the answer, as despite winning the World Club Cup and the Supercoppa Italiana, Rafa’s Inter struggled domestically, and could only finish second in their Champions League group behind debutants Tottenham Hotspur. The gap between Milan and Inter under Benitez grew as large as thirteen points, and despite the return to goal scoring form of Samuel Eto’o, Benitez’s position became untenable. Replaced over the winter break by Milan legend Leonardo, and currently sitting seventh in the table, the Nerazzuri face a real struggle to rescue anything from their season, despite making a winning start under their new manager.

Over in Turin there’s been plenty of change as well, as Andrea Agnelli became the latest in the Agnelli dynasty to take the reins at Juventus. The new man wasted little time in appointing former Sampdoria manager Luigi Del Neri, who set about trying to restore the Old Lady to her former beauty. Despite a slow start, Juventus lost only once between September and the mid-season break, with new recruit Fabio Quagliarella proving what a talent he is with a series of stunning goals that lifted Juventus up to fourth at the interval.

Liverpool misfit Alberto Aquilani has impressed too, and the form of summer signing Milos Krasic has been another highlight as the tricky and pacey winger has contributed goals and assists in abundance. With his mass of blonde hair and his slippery playing style, there is no doubting that Krasic is the heir apparent to Juventus legend Pavel Nedvĕd, and though Juventus have lost both their matches since Serie A resumed post-winter break, this year represents a real opportunity for them to restore some of their former glory.

Roma had high hopes for this campaign and had reason to believe they could improve on their second place finish of last season. But a terrible start complicated by the ongoing peril of their financial situation led to huge pressure on manager Claudio Ranieri, who to his credit rallied his troops and had led the Giallorossi to fifth going into 2011. The form of loan signing Marco Borriello has been key, who scored the winner against his parent club Milan a month ago, one of nine the striker has notched up so far.

Palermo and Sampdoria were both expecting big things this season too, and whilst the ever improving Javier Pastore has fired Palermo into contention for a Champions League spot, Sampdoria have been rocked by the departure of their own superstar as the temperamental Antonio Cassano left the club following a bust up with chairman Riccardo Garrone. Hanging on to remaining forward Giampaolo Pazzini and winger Stefano Guberti will be crucial if Sampdoria are to make a push for a European place. As for Cassano, he wasted little time in signing for Milan, who clearly felt they needed another striker. Or maybe Berlusconi needed another shot in the arm. Who knows?

Of the mid-table pack it’s the small but loveable Udinese who seem most likely to make a late burst towards a top six spot, if of course club legend Antonio Di Natale remains with the Bianconeri and can keep finding the back of the net to add to the thirteen goals he already has this season. Marco Di Vaio is playing a similar role at Bologna, though a European place may be beyond them, where as for Fiorentina and Genoa anywhere from top six to relegation remains a possibility for two hugely unpredictable teams.

At the wrong end of the table Cesena have fallen away since their superb victory over the champions in waiting in the second round, and now face a real battle to escape an immediate return to Serie B. Fellow new arrivals from the second tier Lecce and Brescia also face an uphill struggle, and it’s the only the disastrous form of Bari that looks likely to prevent the relegation of all three promoted sides. Parma and Chievo Verona will be hoping the goals of their aging stars Hernán Crespo and Sergio Pellissier will be enough to keep them safe. Catania are struggling too, though if Maxi Lopez can hit form his goals should carry the Sicilian club to a middle table finish.

Wherever your loyalties lay there’s plenty of entertainment to be had in Serie A. Whether or not Milan can close out the title, or will implode under the weight of so many egos leaving a rejuvenated Juventus, Lazio or Napoli to snatch glory remains to be seen. But one thing is certain; the end of Interazionale’s five year spell of dominance has certainly stirred up plenty of interest in Serie A.

Be sure to check out Joe’s newly launched blog Five in Midfield – definitely worth a peep.

(photo via albertizeme on Flickr)