Are results a priority?

The 2006/07 Serie A has now reached a crucial stage when teams have to play under a great deal of pressure.

Inter are hot favourites for the scudetto as second-placed Roma, nine points behind, look to stay in touch just in case the long-time leaders slip up. Palermo and Lazio are poised to be involved in an epic race for Champions League places along with the revitalised Milan and, perhaps, outsiders Catania, Atalanta, Sampdoria and long shot Fiorentina.

At the wrong end of the table, at least six teams are still in the mire of relegation. Needless to say, for them avoiding the drop is now a priority. Nothing is yet decided though and until May anything can happen.

Often enough, when a team starts concentrating too much on positions in the league standings we see a general deterioration in performances.

Many contend that focus must be maintained on specific tasks at hand rather than allowing thoughts to drift beyond control and then face the consequences.

Maybe this is why we could witness a series of unexpected results as the season draws to a close. These are facts which are repeated year after year.

Roma have been playing some terrific football this season. With a place in the top four almost assured, they have little to lose and are the only side with a realistic chance of catching up with Inter.

Roma are playing entertaining football without too much pressure on their shoulders. Definitely, Luciano Spalletti's men are the example which the rest of the Serie A should follow.

But here comes the million-dollar question... is it better for a team to play badly and score points rather than play attractively to draw more spectators to the stands?

This is a dilemma facing most coaches not only in Italy as the season is in its half-way point. There's so much to lose these days and this may also be the main reason why, for instance, Milan have found themselves in a difficult situation.

In the past two years, they finished second in the standings behind Juve following some effective all-round play.

Effective it certainly was, but surely not entertaining.

Lack of sparkle

The same applies to Marcello Lippi's World Cup-winning team.

The Azzurri were very efficient in Germany but rarely made the pulse quicken especially in the final against France.

This year, we have the likes of Lazio, Palermo and Atalanta who are trying to play open football. But, as the pressure increases, they are likely to revert back to what Italian teams know best - cautious play.

Admittedly, at this stage of the campaign, injuries and suspensions start taking their toll, too. These mishaps, inevitably, make certain teams even more vulnerable and prone not to go all out for goals.

I am pretty sure that most fans would rather see their team to be successful first and, if they can achieve that while playing a good style of football, then all the better. If a side provides great entertainment but end up losing more points than winning, I do not think their followers would be up in raptures.

Serie A statistics...

3 wins in a row revived Milan's assault for a Champions League berth. On Sunday, they had to sweat for a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Reggina. Milan's sixth win in seven home league meetings with Reggina coincided with the team's eighth consecutive game without defeat (four draws and four defeats). The only time, the southerners left San Siro undefeated was on December 19, 1999 (2-2).

4 penalties were awarded by referees last weekend. Italy defender Marco Materazzi made Inter's 23rd win in 66 Serie A visits to Turin more emphatic by converting a last-gasp penalty. David Suazo enabled struggling Cagliari to return to winning ways after scoring a 16th-minute penalty against Ascoli. Chievo had to come from behind before edging Catania in Verona. Chievo's winning goal was grabbed by Sergio Pellissier from the spot. Alessandro Parisi drew a lifeline for relegation-haunted Messina as he scored a last-minute penalty against Roma. Now, all sides had at least one penalty in favour. On the other hand, Fiorentina are still to have a penalty against. Meanwhile, four players - Ferdinand Coly (Parma), Christian Abbiati (Torino), Carmine Coppola (Livorno) and Alessandro Parisi (Messina) - were sent off.

5 th straight home league win for Atalanta against Livorno. On Sunday, the Bergamo side were in a class of their own as they trounced Livorno 5-1. Atalanta's first success after three winless games in a row (a draw and two back-to-back defeats against Udinese and Inter) coincided with Livorno's seventh successive game without a win (three draws and four defeats). For the interest of statistics, these two sides have never shared the spoils in seven league meetings in Bergamo. Livorno's latest of two wins there dates back to October 25, 1942 (2-0).

9 th successive undefeated game (five wins and four draws) for Cesare Prandelli's Fiorentina as the Viola held on to a useful goalless draw against in-form Sampdoria at the Luigi Ferraris Stadium. Despite not being up to their best, Fiorentina went on to register their 19th draw in 49 Serie A visits to Genoa.

12 th league win on the trot - a Serie A record - for undisputed leaders Inter as they handed Torino their fifth home defeat of the term. Inter's win on Saturday was never in jeopardy albeit Torino had their moments in the game too. This was Inter's sixth victory in their last six visits to Turin. For the record, Torino's most recent home success over the Nerazzurri dates back to February 27, 1994 (2-0). Also, these two sides have last shared the spoils on November 3, 1991 (0-0). Roma were not able to keep up with Inter's pace as they could only share the spoils with minnows Messina. Roma were always in the driving seat and deservedly took a 39th-minute lead through winger Mancini. Although Luciano Spalletti's side created several scoring chances, for some reason or another, they failed to seal victory. When Roma were well on their way to record their fourth straight win, the unexpected happened... Messina equalised from the penalty spot. This draw left Roma nine points adrift of leaders Inter.

26 goals were scored on the last day of the first round. Only 10 goals were scored before the change of ends whereas foreigners contributed with six goals. Neither own goals nor hat-tricks were registered. Total number of goals scored so far is 483. Only one away win was registered (Torino-Inter 1-3). Home teams grabbed 18 of the overall 26 goals. Cristiano Doni, of Atalanta, was the only player who notched a brace last weekend. No fewer than four players - Stefano Fiore (Torino), Nicola Ventola (Atalanta), Davide Matteini (Empoli) and Francesco Cozza (Siena) - came on as substitutes and scored. Despite not being on the scorers' sheet for Roma for the second league day running, Francesco Totti still leads the scorers' list with 12 goals (three from penalties). Totti is closely followed by Catania's Jonathan Spinesi on the 11-goal mark.

47 years passed since the last time Palermo and Udinese shared the spoils at the Renzo Barbera stadium. On Sunday, the southerners proved to be a cut over the northeasterners after cruising to a 2-0 win that enabled them to consolidate their third place. Scoring a goal in each half, Palermo, shorn of their best striker in Carvalho Amauri, made sure of beating Udinese for the sixth time in 10 home encounters. Palermo's third straight home win coincided with Udinese's fifth setback in their last six away outings. Chievo came from behind to beat fourth-placed Catania by the odd goal in three. It was a must-win game for both sides. Chievo had more of possession albeit they found it difficult to break down Catania's tight defence. Against the run of play, Catania took the lead on the stroke of half-time. But Chievo did not take long to beat Catania and hand them their second consecutive away defeat, following the 0-3 reverse at Milan.