With the Serie A fixtures scaped across various time slots and European football about to kick off, it finally feels as if the new campaign is hitting second gear. This was even evident in the thrilling, action-packed fixtures we witnessed this week – at least except for the Empoli-Juventus snoozefest. Napoli and Milan thrashed their opponents by four unanswered goals, while Inter and Roma had to settle for unsatisfying draws, and let’s not forget about two absolutely wonderful encounters in Bergamo and Parma. So let’s try to recap the action as best as we can while enlisting the Tops and Flops of Serie A Round 4.
Top (Player): Ademola Lookman
While they eventually resigned to losing Teun Koopmeiners, Atalanta fought tooth and nail to keep Ademola Lookman in Bergamo, and his mesmerizing display on Sunday afternoon certainly justifies the club’s effort.
The MVP of the Europa League final was unstoppable on the newly-inaugurated Gewiss Stadium, proving to be a thorn in the back for Fiorentina who just couldn’t keep him quiet.
In a stunning back-and-forth encounter that ended in Atalanta’s 3-2 win, the Nigerian was the star of the show. He produced a marvelous assist for Mateo Retegui’s equalizer, before beating David De Gea with a cheeky finish.
He also put Davide Zappacosta through on goal for a squandered opportunity which could have added to his goal-contribution tally.
Top (Duo): Romelu Lukaku & Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
Once upon a time, Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez were the hottest combo in Serie A. Then, Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvarastkhelia inherited the tag, but neither partnership ended on an amicable note.
So with both Lukaku and Kvara searching for a partner, they might have found their perfect match, at least based on the evidence we saw in Sardinia.
The Belgian giant put the Georgian through for Napoli’s second goal, and the latter returned the favor just a few minutes later.
Now let the hustle to come up with a cheesy moniker for the newly-found partnership begins!
Top (Manager): Paulo Fonseca
After being berated by the club’s supporters as well as the media (us included), it’s only fair to give credit where credit is due and show Paulo Fonseca some love.
Yes, it was only Venezia, but at least we’re beginning to witness flashes of the sort of football the Portuguese manager aspires to play.
Moreover, Rafael Leao looked inspired for once, while Theo Hernandez overcame his early-season woes to remind the world of his prowess. Moreover, new signings like Tammy Abraham, Youssouf Fofana and Emerson Royal are beginning to prove their worth.
The Rossoneri have now earned their first win of the season, but it remains to be seen how Fonseca will navigate between the Serie A and Champions League commitments.
Flop (Manager): Daniele De Rossi
Poor Daniele De Rossi can’t catch a break. Just a few minutes following his sent-off for dissent, Roma were denied their first win of the season due to a last-gasp equalizer from Genoa defender Koni De Winter.
But aside from the final stretch, it just feels as if the Giallorossi have lost their tactical identity over the summer despite being bolstered by some exciting new arrivals.
We still expect DDR to steady the ship, but let’s hope he can do so before the impatient fanbase turns on their beloved idol.
Top (Team): Napoli
Even though they had some nervy moments throughout the encounter and had to wait until the final minutes to kill off the match, Napoli deserve the plaudits for thrashing Cagliari by four unanswered goals in the heart of Sardinia, a feat that shouldn’t be undermined.
And suddenly, Antonio Conte’s men are second in the table, ahead of Inter, Juventus and Milan, something that few of us had envisioned following their opening-day collapse in Verona.
Flop (Team): Venezia
It was yet another miserable evening for Venezia who only have one point to show from the first four rounds of the season. Eusebio Di Francesco’s men simply couldn’t cope with Milan’s quality and pace, and were perhaps overwhelmed by their surroundings at San Siro.
The Venetians endured a first-half routing, conceding four avoidable goals. Milan could have arguably added more before deciding to take their foot off the pedal in the second period with Champions League action in the background.
Di Francesco could be set for a familiar early-season axe, but one has to wonder if the squad truly has the quality to hang with Italy’s elite.
Top (Goalkeeper): Vanja Milinkovic-Savic
At this stage, we might just rename this section after the Serbian who has been a recurring presence in the early rounds of the season.
The Torino custodian held firm against Lecce who might feel they deserved more than a draw from their Northern trip after creating the bulk of the chances during the stalemate, but were denied by the gigantic gloves of the 27-year-old who pulled off six saves.
Flop (Goalkeeper): Jesse Joronen
The Finnish shot-stopper had a nightmarish first half at San Siro. He was beaten at his near post from an acute angle on Theo’s opener, and then allowed the Rossoneri to score with an awkward finish from inside the six-yard box, before giving away a spot-kick for a misjudged intervention.
He’d certainly loathe to see the match highlights.
Top (Match): Parma vs Udinese
When the two teams headed to half-time with Parma leading 2-0, it would have been very difficult to envision a scenario where Udinese would prevail as the victors by the end of the encounter.
And yet, Kosta Runjaic made a few tweaks to his lineup, and voila!
The Zebrette turned the result upside-down, aided by Mandela Keita’s red card which gave them a numerical advantage. Lorenzo Lucca kicked off the uprising with a trademark towering header, while Florian Thauvin found his inner poaching skills to equalize and then put his team up front.
Don’t look now, but Udinese are somehow on top of the Serie A table!
Flop (Match): Empoli vs Juventus
Both sides entered the match unbeaten, and they both kept this tag intact. But while Empoli can be proud of this achievement, the Juventus faithful certainly expected more from their new coach and new contingent who put on a display that only Massimiliano Allegri would be proud of.
Top (Debut): Samuel Iling-Junior
It was an eventful summer for Samuel Iling-Junior who completed a switch from Juventus to Aston Villa only to be shipped back to Serie A on loan.
Nevertheless, the young Englishman finally made his talk on the pitch, saving Bologna with a lovely injury-time equalizer to prevent an untimely defeat against Como.
This was certainly a debut to remember for the 20-year-old.
Flop (Debut): Mandela Keita
On the contrary, Keita impeded Parma’s chances of earning anything from their clash against Udinese by earning his marching orders on his first Serie A appearance after coming off the bench.
The young midfielder will have other chances for sure, but this one will burn for a while.
Top (Super-Sub): Dany Mota
Every time Dany Mota takes the field, one has to wonder why he isn’t the first name on Alessandro Nesta’s starting lineup. The Portuguese immediately added flair, pace and tenacity upon his introduction against Inter, and most importantly, he put Monza in the lead with one of the most clinical headers we’ve seen in a long while.
The 26-year-old thought he had given all three points to the home side, but fellow super-sub Denzel Dumfries salvaged a draw for the Serie A champions.
Top (Assist): Ademola Lookman
The Nigerian striker skipped past his marker with a nasty flick and cut to the middle before providing the assist for Retegui with an outrageous cross.
Top (Goal): Ademola Lookman
And if his fabulous assist wasn’t enough, then how about that cheeky finish for the winner?
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