It must be something in the water. Three games into the Serie A season, and all three of Sicily's representatives have taken up residence in the top half of the table, with two of them - Palermo and Messina - in first and second respectively. Welcome to the post-Luciano Moggi era - Palermo finished seventh last time out before Calciopoli punishments to Juventus and Lazio gave them a helping hand up to fifth place and a Uefa Cup berth. They were the only Sicilian side to finish in the top nine last season, and Messina would actually have been relegated had it not been for the scandal.
But it's not just the standings which impress - Palermo have been playing some breathtaking attacking football on their way to the top. Already they have 11 league goals, over a fifth of their entire season's haul last time out. West Ham actually got off lightly, it would seem, but here's the caveat - they've also already conceded seven. So much for catenaccio.
The strikes are coming from all angles too, with five different players [Giovanni Tedesco, Fábio Simplicio, Eugenio Corini, Amauri and Andrea Barzagli] on target during their latest outing, an eight-goal thriller against Catania which gave them three wins from three so far. Both keepers took turns to gift the opposition goals before Palermo eventually emerged 5-3 winners, despite a very late dismissal for Simplicio. Sadly his indiscretion was matched off the pitch, where fans clashed in the city centre, leaving 50 injured.
I Rosanero now look down on the rest of Italian football for the first time in over 100 years, having previously shared top spot but never held it outright. President Maurizio Zamparini deserves massive credit, having made a number of shrewd signings this summer to cover the loss of World Cup winners Fabio Grosso and Simone Barone, just as he did last year when Luca Toni departed for Fiorentina. Five of Palermo's starters this weekend [Amauri, Mark Bresciano, Simplicio, Mattia Cassani and Marco Pisano] joined in the most recent transfer window.
Their next game will be away to Empoli this Sunday, while Catania must brace themselves for another all-Sicilian clash at home to Messina, who beat Reggina 2-0.
But Sicily's success was not the only big story from round three, as reflected by Italian sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport's conflicted front cover. Reports of Roberto Mancini's managerial demise look horribly premature after Internazionale turned in an inspired performance to hand Roma their first defeat at the Stadio Olimpico for 13 games. Gazzetta sub-editors settled for an Inter headline and a Palermo picture.
Despite only winning 1-0, Inter were a vastly different proposition to the lifeless ensemble who staggered to defeat at Sporting Lisbon and drew so meekly with struggling Sampdoria. Luis Figo and the increasingly portly Adriano - allegedly now tipping the scales at 100kg - were left out in favour of Olivier Dacourt and Hernán Crespo, while Javier Zanetti was brought forward to play on the left of a remodelled and dominant midfield.
It took a moment of individual magic from Crespo, who weaved past Mexes on the edge of the box before nutmegging Roma keeper Doni from a tight angle, to secure the win, but it could have been more comfortable if Zlatan Ibrahimovic had done better with a second-half penalty. The win was also all the more significant for the fact Inter had already beaten Roma, considered one of their main title rivals, this season in the Italian Supercup.
"[Mancini] had three games to win over [Inter owner Massimo] Moratti, but he only needed the first," acclaimed Gazetta journalist Umberto Zapelloni today, before launching into a direct a plea to the Inter manager to spend a little less time complaining. "Now try for a bit not to talk about surrounding movements, secret operations designed to destabilise your squad; give up the hunt for imagined guilty parties, don't shout and rage in the face of the fourth official. Instead enjoy an Inter side that is beginning to take form. You will enjoy yourself a lot more."
The sentiment is widely shared, but Mancini's anxiety levels will increase if city rivals AC Milan can keep up their current pace - having started the season on -8, they are now on +1 after a 1-0 win over Ascoli, and will expect to continue a perfect start at Livorno this weekend.
Roma, for their part, should bounce back without too much trouble against an out-of-sorts Parma, while Inter face the even more straightforward prospect of Chievo at the San Siro. But we all know Inter don't do straightforward.
Results
Atalanta 0 - 0 Empoli
Cagliari 2 - 2 Livorno
Chievo 0 - 1 Lazio
Fiorentina 1 - 0 Parma
Messina 2 - 0 Reggina
Milan 1 - 0 Ascoli
Palermo 5 - 3 Catania
Roma 0 - 1 Inter
Sampdoria 3 - 3 Udinese
Torino 1 - 2 Siena
