Cagni's great achievement...

Before the season got underway, Empoli were among those teams touted as possible relegation candidates. But, with 16 games to go, they are virtually home and dry and looking beyond at different targets than mere survival.

Empoli are one of the most modest yet refreshing sides in Serie A. This time last year, they were in deep trouble until the wily Gigi Cagni took over from Mario Somma.

Last season, Empoli took the Serie A by storm but faded as the competition intensified. Their position took a nosedive in the standings and Somma lost his job. The change in coach revitalised the team though as Cagni led Empoli to a safe position.

Many thought Empoli would repeat the story of 2005/06 this time round but the side from Tuscany had other ideas and stunned the big teams on their way to their current fourth placing in the standings. This season, Cagni made sure Empoli kept the good work going ever since their 2-1 away victory at Sampdoria on the opening day.

On the way, they collected some other notable scalps, too, including a home draw against Milan and a double over high-flying Palermo.

Empoli's form has astounded the critics. In his comments on Sunday, Cagni confessed that, with 16 games to go, he was almost happier that his side is out of trouble rather than that they're in a good position to qualify for European football.

"The important thing is not that we are fourth in the table," he said, "but that we have picked up 32 points. Eight to 10 points more means survival.

"I do not want to belittle our achievements but we have to be realistic and admit that sides like Milan, Fiorentina and Lazio have yet to show their best."

But, Cagni is already preparing to pull off another major shock by beating Roma at home on Saturday.

"Fourth place is a bonus for us," Cagni said. "This is an extraordinary moment for the club. We are already thinking of our next match.

"Roma are a great side but I have full confidence in my team."

Cagni has kept faith in most of the players from last year and the team has been doing really well.

But, whether they can keep up with this frantic pace or not is another thing as Cagni looks to ease the pressure off his players to spring more surprises and perhaps book an unlikely slot in Europe.

Serie A statistics

1st defeat for Udinese since Alberto Malesani took over from Giovanni Galeone as on Sunday the northeasterners conceded two first-half goals to go down at Fiorentina. Even though the hosts had to do without strikers Luca Toni and Adrian Mutu, they were still strong enough to beat Udinese for the second season running. Fiorentina's heroes were Giampaolo Pazzini and Ferreira Reginaldo - the two who replaced Toni and Mutu. They scored a goal each to help their side cruise to a third straight home victory. Udinese have a poor record in Florence where they have prevailed only four times in 31 visits. Their most recent victory dates back to May 11, 1997 (3-2).

2 players - Fernando Couto (Parma) and Matteo Melara (Ascoli) - received their marching orders last weekend. Only one penalty was awarded as Sampdoria got their fifth penalty of the term. However, Francesco Flachi's shot was saved by ex-Italy keeper Gianluca Pagliuca to deny Samp an early lead. All top division sides have had at least one penalty in favour. The teams with a 100 per cent scoring record from the spot are Empoli, Catania, Udinese, Fiorentina, Cagliari, Livorno, Torino, Reggina, Chievo, Messina and Parma. On the other hand, Cesare Prandelli's Fiorentina are still to have a penalty against. Palermo are the side with the best progress over last season - 15 points more at this stage. Lazio have exactly the same points of 2005/06 whereas Chievo collected no fewer than 16 points less with respect to last season.

3 wins and a draw from their last four outings catapulted Empoli to an unprecedented fourth-place. On Sunday, they beat Palermo at the Renzo Barbera stadium for the first time in two Serie A visits. It was a must-win game for both sides. In the end Empoli's sound play paid rich dividends. Palermo had most of the possession but Empoli never threw in the towel and operated mainly with fast counter-breaks. Empoli's third away win coincided with Palermo's fourth home upset of the term. Milan remained in the hunt for the fourth spot after beating Livorno at the San Siro. The Rossoneri are unbeaten in their last 11 outings (six wins and five draws) whereas Livorno collected only four draws from their last 10 matches.

4th straight defeat (vs Inter 1-3, Parma 0-1, Udinese 2-3 and Reggina 1-2) for crisis-hit Torino as the Granata were agonisingly beaten at home by in-form Reggina 2-1. Reggina took the lead after the change of ends. Torino's equaliser was a short-lived lifeline for Alberto Zaccheroni's side as Reggina hit back soon after. The final score meant that Torino have now gone six successive games without a win (one draw and five defeats) and also their fourth home defeat in a row. Walter Mazzarri's Reggina are now undefeated in their last three outings (one draw and two consecutive away wins). In a clash for a place in Europe, Atalanta and Lazio shared the spoils in the only goalless draw of the day. For the record, Atalanta have not beaten Lazio at home since their 2-1 win of October 26, 1996 (2-1). Lazio's most recent of five wins in 40 visits to Bergamo dates back to October 6, 2002 (1-0).

5th winless game in a row (two draws and three defeats) hindered Catania's bold quest for the fourth spot in no small way. In a highly-contested derby with Messina at the San Filippo stadium, Catania had to come from a goal down to share the spoils for the second time in three Serie A visits. So far, Catania have never prevailed at Messina's den. For Messina, new coach Alberto Cavasin was making his debut last weekend. They are without a win in their last 13 games (five draws and eight defeats). Sampdoria bounced back from a barren run of four winless games (one draw and three defeats) by beating bottom side Ascoli 2-0. These two sides have not shared the spoils in Serie A since a 1-1 draw on March 6, 1983.

15th win on the trot for undisputed leaders Inter as the Nerazzurri scored a goal in each half to beat minnows Chievo in Verona. Inter could not have aspired for a brighter start as they went ahead through Adriano after less than a minute. Although Chievo fought back admirably, Inter's lead was never put in jeopardy. And when Hernan Crespo sealed the side's win just after the change of ends, it was all too much for Chievo who remain just one point above the drop zone. Roma are still 11 points adrift of Inter despite hammering Parma 3-0. Parma resisted Roma's continuous assaults up to the 50th minute when Francesco Totti scored from close range. From then onwards, it was one-way traffic as Roma went all out to wrap up their victory and Parma defended desperately in their own half. Parma's only win in 17 Serie A visits to the Olympic Stadium dates back to April 13, 1997 (1-0, Crespo).

22 goals were scored on the 23rd day: 13 coming from the hosts and the remaining nine from the visitors, who managed only three wins. Foreigners contributed with eight goals while there were 14 second-half goals. Total number of goals scored so far amount to 551. Neither hat-tricks nor own goals were registered. Former Italy U-21 international striker Rolando Bianchi grabbed the only brace of the weekend for Reggina. There were no goals scored by substitutes. Francesco Totti consolidated his leadership in the scorers' list with a goal against Parma. So far, the Roma captain has scored 14 times (three goals from penalties). He is closely followed by Bianchi on the 12-goal mark (two from penalties). Inter possess the most prolific attack with 48 goals whereas lowly Ascoli have the poorest scoring record... 16 goals in favour.