Although the fixture between Torino and Sassuolo was postponed due the Granata’s Covid-19 outbreak, the remaining 9 matches delivered the goods. Juventus wasted another two points in their draw at Verona, whilst Inter maintained their lead with a comfortable win over Genoa. In the biggest clash of the weekend, Milan held on to earn a slim away victory against Roma.
Here are our Top 3 stories from Serie A round 24:
Juventus Paying the Price for Their Lack of Depth
As we witnessed in Round 24, gone are the days when Juventus would be able to dominate the Serie A thanks to their incredibly deep squad. In the absence of seven first team players, Andrea Pirlo struggled to field a starting XI against Hellas Verona.
During the second half, Gialloblu manager Ivan Juric brought on several impact substitutes, including the likes of Omar Colley, Darko Lazovic and Ronaldo Viera, and they eventually helped Verona is scoring the equalizer.
On the other hand, Pirlo was only able to bring on one first team player in Weston McKennie and eventually opted to introduce U-23 Alessandro Di Pardo in the dying minutes, whilst his side was visibly out of steam.
Therefore, Juve’s lack of depth might just be their biggest undoing, as they continue to lose ground against the league leaders Inter.
Barak Replies to Cristiano #Ronaldo as #Juventus Are Held by Verona https://t.co/B70ZzWoj1Y via @cultofcalcio
— The Cult of Calcio (@cultofcalcio) February 28, 2021
Lazio Struggling to Cope With Multiple Competitions
As you might remember, Lazio had a slow start to their domestic campaign. Simone Inzaghi focused on doing well on their Champions League return, but his side’s results in the league were underwhelming to say the least.
Nonetheless, after the end of the group stages, the Biancocelesti put on a solid league run between January and February.
But once the European season resumed, the Laziali once again found themselves struggling in Serie A, with their latest mediocre showing against Bologna in Round 24 proving that the club is unable to fight on several fronts.
After their 1-4 demolition at the hands of Bayern Munich in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16, the capital club is all but out of the competition, and thus, they must shift back their focus to the domestic league, otherwise they risk to come out empty handed by the end of the season.
80 – There are only 80 seconds between penalty saved by Lukasz #Skorupski and Ibrahima #Mbaye goal in Bologna-Lazio. Arrow.#BolognaLazio #SerieATIM
— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) February 27, 2021
Pioli Shows Character in Milan Win
Ahead of the big Olimpico clash between Roma and Milan, Rossoneri coach Stefano Pioli opted to bench his captain Alessio Romagnoli in favor of the young Fikayo Tomori – who’s currently on loan from Chelsea.
The skipper has been an integral part of the Diavolo squad for several years now, but the 26-year-old’s form has dropped in the last few weeks – as we witnessed in the derby match against Inter.
Therefore, the tactician proved that he’s willing to take the tough decisions, and at the end of the day, Milan earned a hard-fought 2-1 win against Roma in an entertaining encounter in Serie A round 24.
Whilst we can’t tell exactly how much this decision impacted the final result of the match, Pioli should get the credit for his courageous call.
Fikayo Tomori made more passes (60) and made more clearances (6) than any other player on the pitch during Milan's 2-1 away win vs. AS Roma.
Thomas Tuchel, take note. ? pic.twitter.com/qls5f8ZhAU
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) February 28, 2021