Top 5 Stories from Serie A Round 17: Gattuso Versus Brad Pitt

AC Milan, Inter Milan, Italian Football, Juventus, Napoli, Serie A, Serie A 2020-2021, Top 5 Stories

On the heels of a midweek round, Italian Football fans were set for another weekend packed with action and much awaited fixtures all around the Italian peninsula. Atalanta kicked things off with a comfortable win at Benevento, and Milan shrugged off Torino on Saturday night. But the big fixtures were left for Sunday.

The battle between Roma and Inter at the Olimpico ended in a thrilling 2-2 draw. Napoli and Lazio earned victories as well, and Juventus had to dig deep to get all three points against Sassuolo. So here are our Top 5 stories from Serie A round 17.

Iličić Cementing Himself Among Top Serie A Players 

Saying that 2020 was an unfamiliar year would be a huge understatement, but did anyone had as many ups and downs as Josip Iličić during the last 12 months?

At the beginning of last year, the Slovenian was in the best form of his career, destroying the likes of Milan in Serie A and Valencia in the Champions League.

However, after living several months in the city of Bergamo – which was at the time the biggest epicenter of the the Covid-19 outbreak in Europe – the Atalanta star suffered from a deep depression and was nowhere to be seen after the restart of last season in June.

Nonetheless, Iličić slowly worked his way back to the top, and has started the new year with some thrilling performances. His brilliant round 17 display against Benevento – where he scored a goal after a solo effort and created others – proves that the former Palermo man should be considered as one the very best players in Serie A.

Milan Avoid the Storm with Round 17 Victory 

After a spectacular run in the first 15 matches, Milan felt the sour taste of defeat for the first time this season in the league when they fell short against Juventus last Wednesday.

Nonetheless, they say that the true test of character comes right after the first major disappointment, and luckily for the Rossoneri, they were able to mentally overcome their midweek loss as quickly possible when they easily shrugged aside Torino in a 2-0 victory.

The Granata are not exactly the Turin side that Milan were hoping to beat throughout last week, however, they all count for three points just the same – three points that helped the Diavolo in steadying the ship and even extend their Serie A lead at the end of round 17.

Inter Shooting Themselves in the Foot with Old Italian Mentality 

After Inter’s tough victory against Napoli in Matchday 12, some analysts lauded Antonio Conte for closing on the match with his late substitutions. However, here we pointed out that the Nerazzurri ran themselves through unnecessary troubles instead of finishing off their 10-men opponents.

In Sunday’s early kick-off, a similar scenario took place at the Olimpico. Inter mounted an impressive second half comeback against Roma who were nowhere to be seen in the first 25 minutes after the break. But instead of killing off their struggling opponents, the former Chelsea tactician took off Lautaro Martinez and Achraf Hakimi and gave away the initiative to the home side.

This time, the Beneamata paid for their negative approach as the Romans earned a late 2-2 draw. Unfortunately for the Inter supporters, it is unlikely that their coach would take a major lesson from this one, as the old Italian mentality of defending the slimmest lead is rooted deep within his footballing veins.

Napoli Need More “Gattuso” Wins, Less “Brad Pitt” Performances

We’ve already said it on multiple occasions, Napoli can be the most devastating side in the league on their day. However, when the Partenopei aren’t at their best, they tend to drop easy points, and their loss against Spezia last Wednesday being a prime example.

Fortunately for the Azzurri fans, their team was finally able to break the habit against Udinese, when they earned a hard fought victory away from home thanks to a late winner by Tiémoué Bakayoko.

It was far from being a beautiful performance, and as Gennaro Gattuso brilliantly compared it to his not-so-comely looks, claiming that Napoli doesn’t need to be like Brad Pitt!

Perfectly said, Mister!

Even in Defeat Sassuolo Leave with Heads Held High

The clash between Juventus and Sassuolo was one of the most awaited fixtures in Round 17, and Serie A fans weren’t left disappointed with the pace of the action.

The Neroverdi had to play with a man down after Pedro Obiang’s dismissal, and after conceding a second goal from a long range shot by Danilo, it was supposed to be “game over” for Roberto De Zerbi’s men. 

However, Sassuolo showed their resilience when they were able to score an unlikely equalizer with Gergoire Defrel and they even threatened to add another.

Even though Juventus ended up winning the match with two late goals from Aaron Ramsey and Cristiano Ronaldo, Sassuolo should be lauded for their effort, courage and beautiful display, as the Emilians are obviously building something very special.

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