Remember the days when the vast majority of the Serie A fixtures used to be be played on Sunday afternoon? The Sunday rush-hour we used to call it. Well, it appears that these days are long gone now, as on this extended weekend, we witnessed ten fixtures kicking off at ten different timings spread between Friday and Monday.
While some nostalgic fans would rue the changes, we, on the other hand, absolutely love it, as it allows us to catch the maximum of Calcio action (all while burying what’s left of our social life) and picking up the best and worst performers from every round.
So let’s check out the tops and flops from Serie A round 27.
Top (Player): Dusan Vlahovic
Can one player change the fate of an entire club? Most likely not (at least if his name isn’t Diego Armando Maradona). However, a special type of bomber can massively improve a side struggling for goals.
That is exactly what we’re seeing at Juventus since the arrival of Dusan Vlahovic. Against Empoli, the Serbian displayed his prowess with another fabulous brace all while creating chances for his teammates and fighting for the team’s cause until the very last second.
Top (Player): Giovanni Simeone
Did you you really think we’re going to leave out the weekend’s hattrick hero? Of course not. The man deserves a mention.
Just because he doesn’t play for Juventus (or some other fancy club for that matter) and his father is a simple watermelon seller on the streets of Madid, doesn’t mean he should be overlooked.
The Argentine took his tally to 15 this term (including five against the unfortunate Venezia).
Flop (Player): Giacomo Bonaventura
When you have Sassuolo and Fiorentina on your screen at the same time, you know you’re in for some crazy action. Therefore, the wild finish shouldn’t came as a surprise for anyone.
But what none of us expected is the incident that led to Giacomo Bonaventura’s dismissal. The Italian veteran came in as second half substitute to aid the Viola in their quest to take something out of the match, but ended up picking a yellow card followed by another one for dissent.
It was an uncharacteristic behavior from the former Milan midfielder, who left the referee with no choice but to tell him to “Hit the road, Jack“.
I know what you’re thinking: “Did he wrote this entire section just to deliver this silly ‘Jack’ joke?”
Possibly.
Top (Manager): Alexander Blessin
In his first five matches since taking charge of Genoa, Alexander Blessin is yet to win a single match.
However, the German hasn’t tasted defeat either, as all of his fixtures thus far have ended in draws, which is considered to be quite an achievement considering the club’s struggles since the start of the season.
Moreover, the latest stalemate in round 27 came at the expense of Inter, who were adamant on climbing to the top of the Serie A table, but found a solid Grifone in their path (plus some luck).
Credit must go to the tactician who managed to assemble the troops following two failed attempts by Davide Ballardini and Andriy Shevchenko.
Top (Team): Atalanta
It hasn’t been the happiest times in Bergamo as of late, but an Europa League qualification on Thursday was followed by a strong showing on Monday against the hapless Sampdoria, who were supposedly enjoying a positive period.
With four unanswered goals, Atalanta is the ultimate choice for this category.
Flop (Teams): Milan and Inter
Following last weekend’s shortcomings, Inter and Milan were heavily tipped to bounce back in a convincing fashion in Serie A Round 27 at the expense of Genoa and Udinese. Surely they wouldn’t fail to win for the second week in a row.
Only that they did.
The Nerazzurri will rue their luck as they came very close to breaking the Rossoblu’s resistance, while the Rossoneri will blame another questionable call on the Zebrette’s equalizer.
However, both giants know that they could – and should – have done much better, as their uncalled slips are inviting some unwanted guests to the Scudetto race.
Top (Goal): Pedro Rodriguez
Now, surely Fabian Ruiz might have scored one of the most important winners of the season (and it was a sublime effort as well), but when it comes to beauty, nothing beats Pedro’s absolutely stunning volley.