Will Recoba revive his career at Torino?

The closure of the summer transfer window brought an end to the Alvaro Recoba saga. After weeks of speculation, the Uruguay international joined ambitious Torino on loan until the end of the season.

The Granata had reportedly been chasing his signature since last season but it had to be new coach Walter Novellino to convince Recoba to leave Inter and join Torino.

Novellino, who had coached Recoba in the second half of the 1998/99 season when the two were at Venezia, handed the Uruguayan schemer a starting role in a new-look Torino side that was surprisingly blocked by Reggina at home on Sunday.

Although greater things were expected of Recoba, his impact on the side was nonetheless positive as Novellino's attack-minded team dominated for long stretches but could not finish off Reggina. The latter snatched a last-gasp equaliser to remain undefeated this season.

Recoba's inclusion on Sunday meant that Novellino had to switch from 4-4-2 to 4-3-2-1 with Alessandro Rosina and Recoba playing behind Nicola Ventola in attack.

Although this tactical module should ensure Torino do not run out of ammunition in attack, it still remains to be seen if Novellino will keep the same formation when Torino take on the likes of Palermo and Juventus later this month.

Last season, Torino avoided relegation to the Serie B by a single point and possessed the worst scoring record in the entire division.

Club owner and president Urbano Cairo did not leave any stone unturned this summer as he signed strikers Ventola (free transfer from Atalanta), Davide Di Michele (Palermo) - who will miss the team's opening nine league matches through suspension - and Sasa Bjelanovic (Ascoli).

Some critics have suggested that Recoba might overshadow the up-and-coming Rosina as the team's maker-and-shaker, and that was the one main reason the deal took so many weeks to materialise.

But if Novellino has given the green light to his president to prise Il Chino away from Inter, then the ex-Piacenza and Sampdoria mentor has a clear idea of how he can adjust his preferred 4-4-2 module in such a way as to allow Rosina and Recoba to complement each other.

If Recoba has been signed as Rosina's understudy or vice-versa, then the likelihood is that either Recoba will be a flop in Turin or else the former Italy U-21 international will be relegated to the substitutes' bench regularly, in which case, he would surely consider seeking pastures new.

When Recoba joined Inter in the summer of 1997, he was hailed as the new Roberto Baggio. Although he marked his debut at the San Siro Stadium by claiming a double against Brescia on the opening day of the 1997/98 season, he has seldom lived up to expectations.

Recoba stayed with Inter until the end of 1998 when he was loaned out for six months to Novellino's struggling Venezia, who were on the brink of getting relegated on their return to top-flight football.

But Recoba, who used to team up with ex-Milan towering striker Pippo Maniero, went on to score 10 goals in 19 appearances for Venezia, helping them to a remarkable comeback which prolonged their stay in the Serie A by another season.

When Recoba's short stint at Venezia came to an end in June 1999, he returned to Inter but never really hit peak form on a consistent basis despite being the highest-paid Serie A player for many years.

Recoba has the potential to do well at Torino but he has to believe more in his capabilities.

By declining lucrative offers from other clubs in favour of a move to Torino, Recoba underlined his determination to regain the match-winning form he showed during his time with Venezia.

Now it is up to Novellino to bring the best out of Recoba as Torino seek to secure Serie A salvation much earlier than they did last season.

Serie A statistics

1st draw between Torino and Reggina in four Serie A meetings in Turin as the visitors left it late to claim a point. Both teams have two draws to show from their opening two matches. Torino's most recent of two wins against Reggina dates back to March 9, 2003 (1-0). Napoli bounced back from their shock 0-2 home defeat at the hands of Cagliari when trouncing Udinese 5-0. It was, beyond doubt, the most surprising result of the weekend's fixtures as Napoli cruised to only their fourth win in 26 Serie A visits to Udine.

2 goalless draws were registered last weekend. Apart from Samp-Lazio, Catania-Genoa was the other 0-0 draw. It was the first match Catania played at their Angelo Massimino Stadium since the notorious incidents of last February in which a police officer was killed during riots outside the ground. Luigi Del Neri's Atalanta scored a goal in each half to chalk up a comfortable home win over Parma. Prior to Sunday's success, an Atalanta home win over Parma had been missing since December 16, 2001 (4-1).

3rd win for Roma in five home clashes with Siena. On Sunday, the Giallorossi maintained their flawless start as they annihilated Siena 3-0. Although the Coppa Italia winners were by far the better team, they only made sure of victory in the last 10 minutes by scoring twice through Ludovic Giuly and Francesco Totti. Milan, fresh from their 3-1 victory over Sevilla in the European Super Cup, were held at home for the second season running by a determined Fiorentina side. The Viola have last prevailed at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on May 17, 2001 (2-1).

4 penalties were awarded by referees last weekend. New Cagliari signing Pasquale Foggia kept his cool to score twice from the spot in a five-goal thriller against Juventus. On Sunday, the ex-Lazio winger was named in Roberto Donadoni's Italy squad that will take on France and Ukraine in two vital EURO 2008 qualifiers in the coming days. Elsewhere, Riccardo Zampagna gave Atalanta a head start by converting a 21st minute penalty against Parma in a 2-0 home victory. On Monday, Milan's Brazilian playmaker Kaka - the top favourite to win this year's Golden Ball - scored his second penalty of the term in the 1-1 draw with Fiorentina. Meanwhile, three players - Reto Ziegler (Sampdoria), Jonathan Zebina (Juventus) and Cristiano Del Grosso (Cagliari) - were sent off.

5th win for Inter in nine Serie A visits to Empoli as the champions were in a class of their own on their way to beating Gigi Cagni's UEFA Cup hopefuls 2-0. Palermo scored four times in the first half as they thrashed struggling Livorno 4-2 at their Armando Picchi Stadium. Livorno have already conceded nine goals in their first two outings and rumours have it that coach Nando Orsi is on his way out, even though club president Aldo Spinelli was quick to dismiss such claims. Claudio Ranieri's Juventus left it late to beat Cagliari - their first win there in almost eight years. A Cagliari home win over the Bianconeri has been missing since January 1999 (1-0).

29 goals were scored on the second day of the season, 17 of which were netted by visiting teams. Twelve goals were scored in the first half while the foreign legion contributed with 11. Total number of goals scored so far amount to 61. Neither own goals nor hat-tricks were recorded. Four players - Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Inter), Pasquale Foggia (Cagliari), Fabrizio Miccoli (Palermo) and Marcelo Zalayeta (Napoli) - notched a brace each. Meanwhile, there were three players, namely Roberto Sosa (Napoli), Francesco Cozza (Reggina) and Fausto Rossini (Livorno), who came on as substitutes and scored. Juve's French striker David Trezeguet still leads the goalscorers' list with four goals (none from penalties). Empoli, Siena and Livorno are still in search of their first point of the season. Genoa have yet to score while high-flying Roma have yet to concede a goal.