In the present state of modern football with the physical nature of the game becoming more important than the technical nature, there seems to be less and less room for the fantasista, a player that has always been the focal point in the Italian game. The fantasista is the player with sublime technique, the player that you pay to watch, the one that can change the game at any second.

Roberto Baggio. Giuseppe Signori. Marco Di Vaio. What do all these players have in common? Yes they are all Italian, yes they are all strikers, but the main similarity is that when each of these players went to play for Bologna, their careers were rejuvenated.

There is something about the capital city of the Emilia-Romagna region that just rejuvenates a player's career.

In Italy the show Scherzi a Parte is like Candid Camera (or Punk'd), and plays practical jokes on various Italian celebrities and films it so we can watch much to our amusement. Over the years there have been many played on Italian footballers and managers, and I have collected the best ones and put them here for your viewing pleasure.

Funny and odd thing happened in this weekend's game between Catania and Torino. Catania had a free kick from about 25 yards out and Catania attacking midfielder Giuseppe Mascara lined up to take it. Everything looked routine, Torino goalkeeper Matteo Sereni set up his wall, and then something very strange occurred.

This weekend we have one of the most intense derbies to watch, the derby between Roma and Lazio. For more team-specific info, read the Lazio and Roma Offside blogs. I chose to show the highlights of one of the most interesting derbies, the 3-3 draw in 1998-99. Video after the jump.

If you find yourself watching the Serie A game of your choice this Sunday and start yawning (not due to tiredness but due to the boredom of the game), try and find a way to switch over to Napoli-Sampdoria. With Ezequiel Lavezzi leading the Partenopei and Antonio Cassano leading the Blucerchiati, there should be fireworks.

I want to apologize to everyone that loves to read this blog for my sporadic blogging on all that is new in the calcio world. When I took over the Italy Offside after the departure of Martha I wanted to pick up where she left off and even I have to admit that I haven't fulfilled my duties up until now.

The "gol di tacco" (heel flick goal) is something that is rare and when it occurs it is revered by fans and media. It's probably one of the most difficult things to do in football (although it does take some luck) and that's why we don't see it often. In the past 2 weeks the calcio world has seen 2 beautiful "gol di tacco".

This Saturday our beloved Nazionale takes on Bulgaria in World Cup 2010 qualifying. Italy has a positive record vs. Bulgaria, playing 14 matches in total, winning 7, drawing 5, and losing 2 and have scored 25 goals vs. Bulgarian defenses. Our last loss vs. Bulgaria goes back to the Vicini era, losing 2-1 in Sofia.

The first derby of the Serie A season will take place Sunday night between Milan and Inter. Inter command the table with 10 points while Milan are at 6. Milan will want to defeat rivals Inter to keep them in the higher spots of the table and to avoid going -7 behind Inter. Here are some videos of great derbies of the past:

Usually when we think of goalkeeper's scoring goals, we think of those keepers that take free kicks and penalties for their club, past and present (Jose Luis Chilavert, Rogerio Ceni, Hans-Jorg Butt), but there are always the goalkeepers that come up in the last minute of the game with their team down by a goal and get a touch on the ball and score themselves.

The best player of these early days of the calcio season is without a doubt Antonio Di Natale. In the first day of the season Di Natale scored 2 wonderful goals vs. Palermo and yesterday he saved Italy with 2 goals vs Cyprus. (That makes 9 goals in 22 appearances now for the Azzurri)

Di Natale is a late bloomer.

Finally, after weeks of anticipation, the curtain to the 2008/2009 Serie A season will be raised. The SuperCoppa always brings joy to fans starved of calcio for months, as it means the season will finally begin. Yet again, the match is Inter-Roma, the umpteenth battle between the Giallorossi and the Nerazzurri in recent years.

With the Olympics going on and National Team fever ready to sweep back in when Lippi makes his first call-ups of his second tenure on Saturday, I thought I'd dedicate this video of the week to the Nazionale. With World Cup 2010 qualifying just around the corner, here's a segment from a Gazzetta dvd called "La Grande Storia della Nazionale" showcasing Italy's top 100 goals in World Cup qualifying and in the final tournaments.

I decided, since this weekend Inter and Roma play crucial games on the last day of the season to decide the Scudetto, to post two videos of what happened to both teams the last time they were in the same situation. (Having to win on the last day to win the Scudetto)

The last time Inter had to win on the last day was the infamous 5 Maggio 2002 (Sorry Inter fans).

I decided, since this weekend Inter and Roma play crucial games on the last day of the season to decide the Scudetto, to post two videos of what happened to both teams the last time they were in the same situation. (Having to win on the last day to win the Scudetto)

The last time Inter had to win on the last day was the infamous 5 Maggio 2002 (Sorry Inter fans).

I thought I'd start posting a video of the week. This week we travel back in time to the 1990s, when the Serie A was arguably the best league in the world. In this video we'll see some of the greatest goals in Serie A in the '90s.