The Tops and Flops of Serie A Round 11: Lookman Torments Napoli

With six out of the 10 weekend fixtures ending 1-0, this wasn’t exactly the most action-packed weekend in Calcio, but it certainly had its marquee moments, especially with the league leaders Napoli falling flat at home against the rampant Atalanta. Moreover, Roma’s revival aspirations were short-lived as they succumbed to another defeat, while Milan and Inter labored their away out of trouble. So we take a look back on the most important events of Serie A Round 11 while identifying the tops and flops.

Top (Player): Ademola Lookman

Despite the strange early Sunday kickoff timing, the Stadio Maradona showdown was undoubtedly the main event of the Serie A weekend. But while the Neapolitan crowds flocked in to watch their heroes rise to the occasion, the likes of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Romelu Lukaku had an off-day, leaving the stage to Ademola Lookman who was in his most devastating form, evoking memories of his elusive show at the Europa League final.

Thanks to a couple of sublime assists from Charles De Ketelaere, the Nigerian put Napoli to the sword with two wonderful strikes in the first half which put La Dea on track to a famous victory in the south.

Flop (Payer): Michel Ndary Adopo

After conceding a spot-kick that gave Lazio a 2-1 lead, Cagliari still stood a chance at taking something out of their trip to the capital. However, Yerry Mina got himself sent off for holding up Taty Castellanos, earning himself a second yellow card.

And if anyone among the Isolani wondered if it could get any worse, Adopo delivered a swift response, receiving his marching orders only a few seconds following his teammate as he sarcastically applauded the referee’s decision.

Kudos the the 9-man Cagliari who avoided shipping more goals despite their teammate’s folly.

Top (Manager): Paolo Zanetti

Verona may have fallen on hard times in recent weeks, but they were both physically and mentally sharp when they hosted Roma on Sunday, while their manager Paolo Zanetti always seemed to be one step ahead of his counterpart Ivan Juric.

The Italian tactician wasn’t afraid of making brave decisions, like hauling off Casper Tendstedt at the hour mark despite scoring a goal early on. Zanetti kept his side fresh while the Giallorossi seemed to be flagging, and in the end, it was two substitutes (Harroui and Livramento) who combined to produce the all-important winner.

Flop (Manager): Ivan Juric

While we lauded Juric for rebounding in style in the previous round, any hopes of a revival went down the drain, as his team was dealt with another agonizing defeat.

At this point, it’s evident that Roma’s troubles run much deeper than the Croatian. And yet, the former Torino coach seems to be part of the problem rather than the solution, as he appears unable to connect with his players on a human level… at least based on their complacent displays.

Top (Team): Atalanta

We already mentioned Lookman’s heroics above, but truth be told, almost every member of the Atalanta crew deserves the plaudits for a sensational display in Naples.

We can mention De Ketelaere who produced two sublime assists, Mario Pasalic and Ederson who ran wild in the middle of the park, Isak Hien who tamed Lukaku in the battle of the giants, Sead Kolasinac who kept Kvaratskhelia at bay, Marco Carnesecchi who pulled solid saves when called upon, substitutes Lazar Samardzic, Raoul Bellanova and Mateo Retegui who combined to kill the match with a third goal, and above all, the one and only Gian Piero Gasperini who remains a step above all others.

Genuine Scudetto contenders at last?

Flop (Team): Napoli

Napoli don’t lose every day, but when they do, they get routed by three goals at home. For one reason or another, the Partenopei were in shambles on Sunday. Antonio Conte suggested his team lacks the depth to play twice a week while Atalanta have been specifically built to do so.

This factor may have played a significant, but one would have still expected the league leaders to avoid a bashing at home. Nevertheless, Lukaku and Kvara were simply absent, while Giovanni Di Lorenzo once again displayed worrying signs of decline after a positive run as of late.

This abysmal result coupled with the poor showing will certainly cast some doubt over Napoli’s Scudetto credentials, but we should remember that none of their foes have been perfect either.

Top (Goalkeeper): Filip Stankovic

After rising through Inter’s youth ranks, Filip Stankovic surely had a point to prove at the Giuseppe Meazza. The young custodian is now in his maiden Serie A experience, and he’s already showing his great potential while valiantly guarding Veneizia’s goal.

On Sunday night, the Venetians needed the Serbian to be at his finest to stand a chance against the reigning champions. And while they ultimately fell just short in a wreck-nerving encounter that ended on a dramatic note, Stankovic certainly did his bit, producing seven saves to keep visitors in the match, including some jaw-dropping stops to deny Marcus Thuram and Hakan Calhanoglu.

Flop (Goalkeeper): Simone Scuffet

In earnest, Simone Scuffet was unlucky on the opener, as Luca Pellegrini’s freekick bounced off the ground to make it comprehensively more difficult than it looked. However, the Cagliari goalkeeper was still expected to do better, but instead fumbled the catch, allowing Boulaye Dia to put Lazio ahead in the second minute.

The Italian custodian almost made amends on Mattia Zaccagni’s spot-kick, but couldn’t reach the ball despite guessing the right corner.

Top (Super-Sub): Abdou Harroui

Abdou Harroui cemented himself as the ultimate hero at the Bentegodi as he kept his composure to score a late winner that earned Verona a famous victory over Roma.

We should also mention his fellow substitute Rocha Livramento who provided the Dutchman with the assist, but the Cape Verde international then got himself sent off for a nasty double-footed challenge on Stephan El-Shaarawy.

Flop (Not-So-Super-Sub): Nahuel Estevez

Parma manager Fabio Pecchia was desperately unlucky in his team’s outing against Genoa. His main deep-lying playmaker Adrian Bernabe pulled a muscle in the early going, so he was replaced by Anas Mohamed, who then received a yellow card, prompting the coach to make another change at half-time, bringing in Nahuel Estevez.

Sadly for the Ducali, the Argentine had a poor outing marked by complacent passes, one of which led to Andrea Pinamonti’s winner.

Top (Moment): Super Mario Returns

On a foggy evening in Emilia-Romagna, Mario Balotelli emerged from behind the mists to make his long-anticipated return to Serie A.

While his career didn’t pan out as initially hoped for, the rebellious striker still enjoys a cult following among Italian football fans, mostly thanks to his unique character.

Although he only played for a few minutes, making little noticeable contribution aside from getting himself booked, his mere appearance was enough to cheer the mood of Calcio fanatics everywhere.

Top (Match): Verona vs Roma

In the unwritten laws of football, when a “small” team takes the lead and then concedes an equalizer, the momentum dramatically shifts in favor of the big team which is more likely to grab the winner than not.

But whoever wrote the script for the Verona-Roma clash was perhaps unaware of this rule, as the home side squandered their lead twice, but kept coming forward, and eventually it was Third time’s a Charm for Zanetti’s courageous men.

Top (Assist): Federico Dimarco

While De Keteleare’s two assists for Lookman deserve a mention, Federico Dimarco continues to prove himself as arguably the best crosser in Serie A. The wingback put Lautaro Martinez through on goal with an inch-perfect outswinger that had just enough swerve and power that the Argentine only had to direct it goalwards.

Top (Goal): Matias Soulé

While it couldn’t prevent Roma’s devastating defeat in Verona, Matias Soulé finally opened his account for his new club, and did so in style. Backheels will always hold a special advantage in this category.