For those who still dare suggest Italian football is predictable, the mayhem witnessed throughout the weekend should be enough to dispel such an unfounded claim. Perhaps Udinnese’s reign on top of the table turned out to be brief as expected, but Torino seizing the top spot was certainly an unforeseen spin. What’s more? Thiago Motta’s Juventus are impregnable at the back, yet futile upfront. Did anyone see this coming? Nevertheless, the biggest twist of the weekend was reserved for the Derby della Madonnina, with a struggling Milan turning the table on their arch-rivals. So let’s review all these astonishing events and more while identifying the Tops and Flops from Serie A Round 5.
Top (Player): Artem Dovbyk
Last week, Artem Dovbyk opened his Serie A account in the 1-1 draw against Genoa. While that strike wasn’t enough to rescue Daniele De Rossi’s job. it has seemingly opened the floodgates and resorted the confidence of last season’s La Liga top-goalscorer.
The Ukrainian bomber finally looked like the beast who terrorized Spanish defenses last term, giving Ivan Juric a 3-0 winning debut over the high-flying Udinese.
The 27-year-old showcased his clinical touch on the opener, before muscling his opponent off the ball to help Paulo Dybala win and convert a spot kick, and then rounding off his evening with an assist for Tommaso Baldanzi.
The real Dovbyk has now arrived on the scene, and Serie A has been warned.
Flop (Player): Pawel Dawidowicz
Even though Verona played the majority of the contest with a man down, their encounter against Torino was still one of the closest contests of the weekend. The Gialloblu eventually lost 2-3 following a valiant effort.
Therefore, one would imagine that Paolo Zanetti’s men would have at least come out with a draw had Pawel Dawidowicz avoided getting himself sent off for foolishly elbowing Tony Sanabria in a moment of madness.
The 29-year-old is thus entirely responsible for his team’s harsh defeat.
Top (Manager): Paulo Fonseca
With his back against the wall, it was either go big or go home for Paulo Fonseca. Despite circulating sacking reports in the leadup to the big Derby, the Portuguese tactician was either not afraid to take risks, or simply felt he had no other choice at that stage. But either way, it certainly paid off, as his ultra-attacking 4-4-2 formation left Inter confused.
In the past six editions, Simone Inzaghi had always prevailed over the often predictable Stefano Pioli. However, the Nerazzurri boss found a more courageous counterpart this time, and his men simply failed to adjust.
So kudos to Foneseca for the way he charged his troops to battle despite all the difficulties that haunted the club over the past weeks.
Flop (Manager): Kosta Runjaic
The Udinese boss is certainly one of the best revelations of the new Serie A campaign, but perhaps he overplayed his hand against Roma, and potentially undermined the dangers of facing the wounded Lupi at the Olimpico.
The German manager played with three attackers (Lucca, Brener and Thauvin) while also ringing the changes in the middle of the park, which left spaces at the back for the Giallorossi who comfortably cut through the Zebrette’s lines.
Runjaic was simply outplayed by Juric who knows Serie A inside out.
Top (Team): Roma
We spoke about Dovbyk’s exploits above, but the entire team deserves credit as well for an impressive performance that ensued in the middle of the storm. Roma had only sacked Daniele De Rossi a few days ago and replaced him with Juric, while CEO Lina Souloukou resigned after receiving heated backlash, and the Curva Sud is in full revolt.
So kudos to the players for maintaining their composure and knocking Udinese off their temporary perch.
Flop (Team): Cagliari
This week, Roma, Fiorentina, Bologna and Venezia all registered their first wins of the season. But it just isn’t happening for Cagliari at the moment.
This time it was Empoli, the team that Davide Nicola led to a sensational salvation last season, who inflicted more damage on the under-fire manager, while the Isolani failed to produce anything noteworthy in front of a livid Sardinian crowd who witnessed their team lose 0-2.
Although we’re still five rounds into the season, the early signs are anything but promising for the Rossoblu.
Top (Goalkeeper): Wladimiro Falcone
We’ll highlight the incredible encounter between Lecce and Parma below, but first, let’s applaud Wladimiro Falcone for a superb showing between the posts.
Yes, the Italian ended up conceding twice in added-time, but it was only after pulling off a whopping eight saves throughout the match, including some brilliant efforts.
Flop (Match): Juventus vs Napoli
For the third week in a row, Juventus are making an appearance in this section. This time, the Old Lady’s dance partner is a Napoli side that was happy to share the spoils in Turin rather than risk a momentum-ending defeat.
In the end, it was the defenders who emerged on top on both ends in a match that lacked the usual intensity and animosity between the two rivals, instead ending with Antonio Conte applauded by his old supporters.
Top (Fans): Juventus
Speaking of which, Juventus fans showing their appreciation to Conte’s time at the club felt like a breath of fresh air at a time when players, managers and directors often get jeered for making perfectly reasonable decisions in relation to their professional careers.
Top (Match): Lecce vs Parma
This was the sort of glorious carnage that football fans simply adore regardless of their affiliation. While the first 90 minutes had already witnessed enough drama to fill several pages, so let’s just focus on what transpired in added time.
With Lecce 2-0 up, Lecce’s Nikola Kstovic missed a one-on-one with Zion Suzuki that would have killed the match once and for all. Instead, Parma scored twice in the dying embers (93rd and 95th minutes) to earn themselves a well-deserved point at the end of a chaotic evening at the Via del Mare.
Top to Flop: Nikola Krstovic
The Montenegrin striker delivered the goods early on in the second half when he riffled an unstoppable freekick to give Lecce a two-goal cushion. But with the goal at his mercy, he failed to place the final nail in Parma’s coffin, and was instantly punished by an astonishing comeback.
This one will haunt him for a while.
Top (Super-Sub): Anas Haj Mohamed
The 19-year-old Tunisian had a Serie A debut to remember, providing the two assists for Parma’s extremely late comeback.
We will certainly see more of the youngster in the coming weeks, as Fabio Pecchia never shies away from giving deserving starlets a chance, as evidenced by his young lineup.
Flop (Not-So-Super-Sub): Matteo Cancellieri
While Mohamed covered himself in glory while coming off the bench, his Parma teammate Matteo Cancellieri had an embarrassing outing.
The Lazio loanee entered late in the first half to replace the injured Simon Sohm, and he “succeeded” in prompting a red card for Frederic Guilbert by throwing himself to the ground following the slightest of touches in shameful theatrics.
Curiously, the winger himself was then sent off for a late challenge, putting a swift end to an eventful cameo.
Top (Debut): Albert Gudmundsson
Albert Gudmundsson doesn’t need any introductions following his splendid campaign at Genoa, but a memorable debut never hurts.
The Iceland star entered the pitch after the interval with Fiorentina trailing against Lazio, but managed to turn the result upside-down by scoring twice from the spot, including one he won himself, thus winning himself the instant adoration of the purple crowd at the Artemio Franchi.
Top (Moment): Matteo Gabbia’s Derby Winner
Matteo Gabbia marked his return to the starting lineup with a gutsy display at the back, before emerging as the unlikely Derby hero by nodding home the late winner that ended Inter’s reign of terror over this fixture.
Although he’s only 24 years of age, this will likely go down as the most glorious night of his playing career.
Flop (Moment): Ruslan Malinovskyi’s Freak Injury
If you haven’t seen the footage yet, consider yourself lucky.
We can only hope that the Genoa playmaker overcomes this agonizing ordeal.
Top (Assist): Ylber Ramadani
Yes, it’s that Lecce-Parma slobber-knocker again. Ylber Ramadani is one of the most underrated midfielders in Serie A, and his lovely through ball to Patrick Dorgu shows some of the things he’s capable of doing.
Top (Goal): Santiago Castro
Filling the big shoes left by Joshua Zirkzee was never going to be an easy mission for the 20-year-old, but scoring a stunning winner to earn Bologna’s first victory of the season is certainly a start.
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