While the first round of the year turned out to be an utter mess, ordered was restored for the second one with all 20 Serie A clubs taking the pitch for matchday 21. Therefore, credit must be given for the great effort put by Lega Serie A which allowed us to witness a marvelous round of fixtures, including one that can be considered as a genuine candidate for the match of the season. So let’s take a look at our Tops and Flops from Serie A Round 21.
Top (Player): Alessandro Bastoni
In this category, several names could have been given the nod and deservedly so.
Luis Muriel, Theo Hernandez, Gianluca Scamacca and Giacomo Raspadori all scored hattricks, and yet, Alessandro Bastoni was arguably the most decisive player of the round, with a match-winning performance against a formidable opponent.
The young defender put Inter in the lead with a stunning long-range effort, and when Ciro Immobile grabbed the equalizer for Lazio, Bastoni delivered an inch-perfect cross that allowed Milan Skriniar to restore the Nerazzurri’s lead.
The future is now!
Top (Trio): The Sassuolo Trident
Even though Bastoni got the nod, we just had to mention the Sassuolo trio one way or the other. Of course we’re talking about the young Raspadori and Scamacca as well as Domenico Berardi.
Roberto Mancini was surely left devastated by Federico Chiesa’s injury, but watching the Neroverdi’s attacking talent must have given him a glimpse of hope, as the three men helped one another to score a combined five goals in Empoli’s net.
Top (Manager): Ivan Juric
While the majority expected Dusan Vlahovic and his Fiorentina teammates to return with all three points from Turin, it turned out to be a completely different story.
The Croatian manager had a perfect plan in place to absolutely nullify the purple threat, while his Torino players pounced on every opportunity to punish the Tuscans’ lackluster defending, effectively ending the match in one half.
Flop (Manager): Igor Tudor
It wasn’t all great news for Croatian managers in round 21, as Igor Tudor saw his Verona side shell-shocked at the hands of Salernitana who are supposedly the weakest team in Serie A.
The former Juventus defender insists on breaking apart his winning trio (Simeone, Caprari and Barak), leaving the latter on the bench yet again.
The Gialloblu were one of the main dark horses of the league during the first half of the season, but they must restore their balance sooner rather than later.
Top (Team): Atalanta
Well, they still have to improve their defense which remains their Achilles Heel this season, but Atalanta pulled off a fantastic display away at Udine.
The Orobici scored six goal through different players and with various maneuvers. On their day, Gian Piero Gasperini’s men are simply a joy to watch.
Flop (Team): Fiorentina
In Round 21, three Serie A teams lost with a four-goal margin. But while Udinese were facing the mighty Atalanta, and Empoli were down to ten, Fiorentina’s embarrassing defeat at Torino remains unjustifiable.
Almost all of Vincenzo Italiano’s men were poor on Monday, and if they don’t improve their displays in the coming weeks, the Viola can surely kiss their European dreams goodbye.
Top (Match): Roma vs Juventus
At the final whistle, Juventus fans were ecstatic, the Romans were despaired, while the neutral viewer was simply grateful for the unbelievable twists and turns from start to finish.
This one had it all, brilliant strikes, a come-from-behind win and some late drama, as Wojciech Szczesny’s heroics secured all three points for 10-men Juventus.
Roma vs Juventus Player Ratings: Szczesny Preserves Memorable Comeback Win https://t.co/iH0WnzAOiv pic.twitter.com/Bq96xEH6jl
— The Cult of Calcio (@cultofcalcio) January 10, 2022