Michel Sakr, Author at The Cult of Calcio

Thuam, Mkhitaryan, Inter Milan, Serie A Round 33

The Tops and Flops of Serie A Round 33: Thuram Crowns Inter, Napoli Disintegrate

April 24, 2024 Michel Sakr AC Milan, Inter Milan, Italian Football, Juventus, Napoli, Roma, Serie A, Tactical Trends Leave a comment

Despite the Derby fever, we're still determined to recap all the events of the weekend while also shedding some light on the most intriguing action, whether it involves the big clubs or the smaller ones. So here are our Tops and Flops of Serie A Round 33.

Arkadiusz Milik, Lazio vs Juventus, Coppa Italia

Juventus Player Ratings vs Lazio: Milik & Weah to the Rescue

April 23, 2024 Michel Sakr Italian Football, Juventus, Lazio, Player Ratings, Serie A Leave a comment

Max Allegri brought in Timothy Weah and Arkadiusz Milik who combined to score the all-important goal for the Bianconeri. So here are our player ratings for Juventus who advanced to the cup final despite losing 1-2 on the night against Lazio.

Inter are considering bolstering their attack but aren’t plotting a major shift and aren’t tracking Jonathan David, as some reports suggest.

Inter Player Ratings vs Milan: Thuram the Second Star Hero

April 22, 2024 Michel Sakr AC Milan, Inter Milan, Player Ratings, Serie A Leave a comment

Fikayo Tomori reignited the Rossoneri hopes by pouncing on the rebound to peg one back, but the league leaders held on despite chaotic scenes that yielded three red cards. So here are our player ratings for Inter who are now the newly-crowned Serie A champions after beating Milan 2-1 on a historic evening at San Siro.

The Return of the Prince – How De Rossi Restored Roma’s True Identity

April 21, 2024 Michel Sakr Italian Football, Roma, Serie A, Tactical Trends Leave a comment

While we can't attribute the club's revival to a single aspect, it has certainly been a combination of factors that can be credited to De Rossi and his fabulous work in the training ground, the dugout and the dressing room. So we'll try to summarize it under the banner of the four following points,

Atalanta Player Ratings vs Liverpool: Composed La Dea Make History

April 18, 2024 Michel Sakr Atalanta, Europa League, International Football, Italian Football, Liverpool, Player Ratings, Serie A Leave a comment

The Premier League giants could only register a 1-0 win which wasn't enough to put them through. So here are our player ratings for Atalanta who, despite the slim defeat, achieved history by reaching their first European semi-final since 1988 at the expense of Liverool.

Gianluca Scamacca has been productive when healthy since transferring to Atalanta. He detailed why he picked La Dea and more after the Sturm Graz game.

Tops and Flops of Serie A Round 32: Magical Week for Scamacca, Draw Galore

April 16, 2024 Michel Sakr AC Milan, Inter Milan, Italian Football, Juventus, Lazio, Napoli, Roma, Serie A, Tactical Trends Leave a comment

In case you glimpsed at the Serie A table and felt that hardly anything has changed from the previous round, this is because seven out of the nine matches that reached their conclusion ended with draws in a rare occurrence that preserved the status quo. Even the encounter between Udinese and Roma that was interrupted was heading towards a 1-1 draw.

Milan might eventually face some punishment for the ongoing probe about their ownership structure, but not in the short term.

Juventus Player Ratings vs Torino: Wasteful Vlahovic, Solid Bremer

April 13, 2024 Michel Sakr Italian Football, Juventus, Player Ratings, Serie A, Torino Leave a comment

In a game of two halves, the Bianconeri had the upper hand in the first 45 minutes before fading after the interval. So here are our player ratings for Juventus who settled for a goalless draw against crosstown rivals Torino.

Atalanta Player Ratings vs Liverpool: Scamacca Stuns Anfield Road

April 11, 2024 Michel Sakr Atalanta, Europa League, International Football, Italian Football, Liverpool, Player Ratings, Serie A Leave a comment

Scamacca completed his brace at the hour mark while Mario Pasalic added the third to complete a historic rooting. So here are our player ratings for Atalanta who now have one foot in the semi-final after beating Liverpool 3-0 away from home.

Gianluca Mancini, Roma vs Lazio, Serie A Round 31

The Tops and Flops of Serie A Round 31: Mancini the Hero and Villain in Roman Derby

April 9, 2024 Michel Sakr AC Milan, Fiorentina, Inter Milan, Italian Football, Juventus, Lazio, Napoli, Roma, Serie A, Tactical Trends Leave a comment

This weekend, five Serie A fixtures yielded dramatic come-from-behind victories, something you surely don't witness every day. So let's review the most thrilling action from Serie A Round 31 in a special edition mainly dominated by Tops, but also features a few Flops here and there.

Juventus Player Ratings vs Fiorentina: Gatti the “Corto Muso” Hero

April 7, 2024 Michel Sakr Fiorentina, Italian Football, Juventus, Player Ratings, Serie A Leave a comment

After the break, Massimiliano Allegri resorted to his defensive antics, inviting the Viola to his final third of the pitch. His team eventually survived, but it wasn't a memorable display by any means. So here are our player ratings for Juventus who returned to winning ways with a slender 1-0 victory over their old rivals Fiorentina.

Juventus Player Ratings vs Lazio: Chiesa and Vlahovic Roar in Coppa Italia Win

April 2, 2024 Michel Sakr Coppa Italia, Italian Football, Juventus, Lazio, Player Ratings, Serie A Leave a comment

The Bianconeri came to life early in the second period, starting with Federico Chiesa's opener. Dusan Vlahovic then delivered a clinical strike to give his side a comprehensive advantage ahead of the return fixture in Rome. So here are our player ratings for Juventus who avenged Saturday's league defeat by beating Lazio by two unanswered goals in the cup tie.

It was not just points that Milan lost against Lecce, with Rafael Leao and Calabria also picking up knocks that is bound to lay them off for a short period.

Tops and Flops of Serie A Round 30: Sensational Leao, Perplexed Allegri

April 2, 2024 Michel Sakr AC Milan, Atalanta, Inter Milan, Italian Football, Juventus, Lazio, Napoli, Roma, Serie A, Tactical Trends Leave a comment

Milan are attempting to play catchup, with a hard-fought victory in Florence confirming their revival. As for Juventus, they continue to sink deeper and deeper, setting negative records with every passing week. So let's look back on the action of the exciting weekend while enlisting the Tops and Flops from Serie A Round 30.

Author: Michel Sakr