Every weekend, some of the Calcio stars manage to fill the hearts of their supporters with thanks to their sublime performances, while others leave much to be desired. In this series, we’ll try to pick up the best player, manager and team from every round, as well as those who disappoint the most. So let’s take a look at the Tops and Flops from Serie A Round 14.
Top (Player): Dries Mertens
Antonio Candreva surely deserves a mention as he led Sampdoria’s come-from-behind win against Hellas Verona, but there can only be one top player in round 14, and this happens to be Dries Mertens, the author of a personal brace against Lazio.
The Belgian has been scarcely deployed as a starter this season, but Victor Osimhen’s injury meant that the veteran was given the nod on Sunday’s big clash, and boy did he deliver!
Ciro scored two wonderful goals, further consolidating his spot as the Partenopei’s all-time best scorer.
Flop (Player): Alessio Romagnoli
A defender who breaks the deadlock for his team is unlikely to end up as the flop of the weekend. But for Alessio Romagnoli, it all went terribly wrong following his opener.
Milan quickly succumbed the lead to Sassuolo, and the captain made the highlight reel for falling on his face while trying to chase Domenico Berardi ahead of the visitors’ last goal.
Few minutes later, he killed whatever hope the Rossoneri reserved for a comeback by receiving his marching orders for preventing Gregoire Defrel from heading towards goal.
Top (Manager): Alessio Dionisi
Unlike his namesake, Alessio Dionisi enjoyed a wonderful afternoon at the San Siro. The Sassuolo manager made some tweaks to his usual 4-2-3-1 formation, and it worked to a perfection.
The young tactician thrusted a third central midfielder at the expense of a more attacking-minded player, and Matheus Henrique’s rare start added some much-needed steel to the Neroverdi in the middle of the park, and he even contributed in the third goal.
This also provided the likes of Berardi and Gianluca Scamacca more freedom upfront, allowing them to do the damage.
Flop (Manager): Maurizio Sarri
On Sunday night, Maurizio Sarri returned to the Maradona Stadium as a conqueror at the head of a Roman army, but his troops were easily squashed.
The Lazio players were all over the place, and it only needed Napoli one half to finish the job with three goals, before adding the fourth in the second period.
With Ciro Immobile back at his disposal, the former Juventus and Chelsea manager had no excuses for such a torrid display, as his side was completely outmaneuvered by Luciano Spalletti and his men.
Top (Club): Napoli
Speaking of the the southerners, they’re the obvious pick for this category.
Besides the encounter between Juventus and Atalanta, the clash between Napoli and Lazio was supposed to be the most exciting battle of round 14, but instead, it ended up with one side devouring the other.
Following their first loss of the season last weekend, the Partenopei were out to make a statement, and they surely made one.
Flop (Club): Lazio
It feels that we’re repeating ourselves at this point, but Lazio’s no-show at the Maradona Stadium was surely the biggest disappointment of the weekend.
Milan’s second loss in a row certainly left a bad taste in their supporters’ mouths, but at least it turned out to be an exciting affair for the neutrals.
As for the clash between Napoli and Lazio, even the home crowd felt some boredom following the break, which makes the Biancocelesti the undisputed pick for this category.