Between thrilling contests, stunning goals, double penalty saves and teenagers going rogue, Serie A certainly had you covered this weekend. As is often the case, the action was both glorious and chaotic, and in the case of the two Milanese giants, the outcome was quite contrasting. The matchday began with Inter making light work of Salernitana, before rounding off with a historic defeat for Milan at U-Power Stadium. So let’s recap the events while identifying the best and worst performers from Serie A Round 25 in our latest edition of the Tops and Flops series.
Top (Player): Dany Mota
Dany Mota might be one of the most versatile players in the league. The Portuguese can play as centre-forward, second striker or even as a wingback as he did against Milan on Sunday. But most importantly, he can inflict damage even when he’s lurking relatively far from the opposition’s goal.
On Sunday night, the Monza star gave his team a considerable advantage late in the first half, first by cleverly winning a spot kick that Marco Pessina converted, and then doubling the hosts’ lead with a clinical shot that beat Mike Maignan.
Although the Rossoneri managed to cancel Monza’s two-goal lead in what unraveled as one of the most fascinating clashes of the Serie A campaign, it must not overshadow Mota’s valuable exploits.
Flop (Player): Malick Thiaw
From one of the heroes at the U-Power Stadium to one of the main culprits in Milan’s defeat. Perhaps Luka Jovic was more deserving of the mention after getting himself sent off for hitting the notorious Armando Izzo, but that moment of madness ensued at a time when the team was trailing and frustrated, and Malick Thiaw’s blunders had a lot to do with it.
The German has just returned from injury and seemed pretty rusty, as evidenced by how he insisted on giving away a penalty kick by bringing down two opponents in a matter of seconds. The defender was then nutmegged by Andrea Colpani who provided the assist for the second goal.
Although his display improved in the second period when he was credited with the assist for Christian Pulisic’s goal, it remains a night to forget for the young Rossoneri star.
Top (Manager): Simone Inzaghi
While he doesn’t truly possess Pep Guardiola’s well-recognized football philosophy or José Mourinho’s charisma, Simone Inzaghi is slowly but surely becoming a genuine professor in his own right.
Even with his side sitting comfortably on top of the Serie A table, the 47-year-old only opted for a limited rotation when hosting a Salernitana side that ironically lies at the very bottom of the standings, thus maintaining his main core.
This strategy worked to perfection, with the Nerazzurri putting the match to bed early while playing champagne football, allowing the manager to rest some of his key players at the hour mark as a major Champions League clash awaits them against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday night.
Inter are now peaking just ahead of the crucial part of the season, and a large chunk of the credit must go to Inzaghi.
Flop (Manager): Stefano Pioli
On the contrary, Stefano Pioli inexplicably dropped his main attacking trio at a time when Milan were presented with a golden opportunity to usurp Juventus in the standings, and perhaps preserve a shred of hope of catching Inter.
This confusing rotation strategy comes ahead of Thursday’s second-leg fixture in the Europa League playoff round, with the Diavolo already placing a foot in the next stage after beating Rennes 3-0 in the first leg.
So why did Pioli rotate his lineup against Monza rather than delay it to Thursday was both perplexing and menacing.
The coach almost managed to rescue a point thanks to the star players he kept on the bench in the first half, but their numerical disadvantage eventually sentenced them to their first-ever defeat at the hands of Monza.
Top (Team): Atalanta
If there is one Serie A team that can match Inter’s rampant form at the moment, it can only be Atalanta. La Dea continue to lead the Top-four race thanks to another dominant display, this time at the expense of the hapless Sassuolo.
The club’s stats at the moment are simply terrifying. In their last five Serie A fixtures, Gian Piero Gasperini’s men collected 15/15 points, while scoring 17 goals in aggregate and conceding just twice.
Let’s see if they can maintain this marvelous form when their Europa League campaign resumes.
Flop (Team): Salernitana
While no one expected them to prevail against Inter at San Siro, Salernitana aren’t showing any signs of life at the moment, while the recurring managerial changes aren’t doing the trick anymore, with Fabio Liverani unable to evoke any reaction, at least based on his maiden outing.
In fact, even the performances of reliable veterans Antonio Candreva and Guillermo Ochoa are beginning to decay as they can clearly read the writing on the wall.
Barring a genuine miracle, the Granata will be spent packing to Serie B at the end of the season.
Top (Goalkeeper): Marco Carnesecchi
Here’s something you don’t see every day. Atalanta goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi denied Andrea Pinamonti from the spot, but the referee asked for the penalty kick to be retaken. The Sassuolo striker chose the opposite corner, but the result was similar, with the custodian prevailing once more.
A well-earned clean sheet indeed.
Flop (Goalkeeper): Ivan Provedel
In the “Guardiolan age”, goalkeepers are supposed to acquire some technical skills that allow them to integrate into passing patterns.
However, this is always a dangerous game to play, and Ivan Provedel eloquently explained the reason with a poor pass that gifted Bologna the equalizer in a crucial battle for the Top-Four spot.
Thiago Motta’s men then went on to beat the Aquile at the Stadio Olimpico thanks to Joshua Zirkzee’s winner, thus extending their heroic run.
Perhaps clearing the ball wide shouldn’t be entirely dismissed as an old-fashioned trick since it can certainly help you avoid needless gaffes.
Top (Super-Sub): Christian Pulisic
Even though Milan still left the pitch empty-handed, Christian Pulisic is certainly the Super-sub of the weekend after dragging a 10-man team that was trailing by two goals back to the contest.
The American provided the assist for Olivier Giroud before smashing a wonderful strike to restore parity, albeit for two minutes.
Top (Match): Monza vs Milan
This epic contest had so many sub-plots which almost threatened to overshadow the big picture. This six-goal thriller had it all: superb strikes, a red card due to an off-the-ball assault (and who doesn’t love those?!), a late 10-man comeback, followed by an extremely late anti-comeback.
To add insult to injury, Milan academy products Daniel Maldini and Lorenzo Colombo came off the bench to contribute to the late goals that tipped the scale in favor of Monza who have now earned their first-ever win over Milan, which must have been a bittersweet occasion for their CEO Adriano Galliani.
Flop (Match): Empoli vs Fiorentina
While the Berlusconi Derby went bonkers, the Tuscan Derby left much to be desired. Fiorentina took the lead through Lucas Beltran in the first half while M’Baye Niang replied with a penalty kick after the interval. Nevertheless, neither side truly showcased the desire to clinch the win.
All in all, the action on the pitch lacked Derby-day intensity.
Top (Goal): Dean Huijsen
If you think modern-day defenders have acquired impressive on-the-ball skills compared to their predecessors, then wait till you see what the next generation has in store.
For instance, 18-year-old Dean Huijsen decided to go on a foray, casually cutting through the opposition lines, and dribbling past an opponent before finding the far corner with a splendid strike.
So take a bow, Dean!
Or never mind the bow, just don’t celebrate by shushing the Frosinone faithful who have been jeering you for snubbing their club last month and earn yourself a booking in the process.
It truly smelled like teen spirit.
Goal pazzesco + esultanza alla @Cristiano 😱
Dean Huijsen 𝒙 #FrosinoneRoma pic.twitter.com/nXWmCyXdNe
— Lega Serie A (@SerieA) February 19, 2024
Top (Sportsmanship): Sardar Azmoun
If Huijsen is the villain, then his Roma teammate Sardar Azmoun played the role of the hero at the Stripe… perhaps the weird sort of hero, the one that smashes your hopes by scoring a second goal against your team before vigorously apologizing on behalf of his younger comrade who was slightly less courteous.
Obviously, the Canarini would have liked the Iranian more had he missed his chance to score, but it was a nice gesture nonetheless.
Top (Gamesmanship): Armando Izzo
On the contrary here’s a man who’s anything but nice on a football pitch. For the second year running, Armando Izzo helped Monza secure a historic win over a Serie A giant in his own special way: provoking an opposition player and earning himself a beating that yields a red card to the other guy,
Luka Jovic is surely disappointed with himself, but at least he joined a prestigious club that features the elusive Angel Di Maria.
Flop (President): Aurelio De Laurentiis
This isn’t about Napoli’s newest manager Francesco Calzona who might produce a better job than his two predecessors (it would actually take something quite special to do worse), but rather a president who destroyed his own masterpiece with a series of rash and ill-advised decisions.
Calling the Partenopei the defending champions sounds like a bizarre statement now, as Luciano Spalletti’s Scudetto-conquering campaign feels like some sort of an event that ensued ages ago.
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