In a weekend filled with draws and slim wins, few empathic performances were registered. Milan did just enough to earn a home victory at the expense of the brave Empoli, while Inter’s last-gasp draw at Torino means that the Rossoneri are now the undisputed Serie A leaders (regardless of the Nerazzurri’s postponed fixture against Bologna). On the other hand, Napoli and Juventus kept their Scudetto hopes alive by picking up three necessary points away to Verona and Sampdoria respectively. So let’s try and pick up the best and worst performers from the weekend in our Tops and Flops from Serie A round 29.
Top (Player): Victor Osimhen
Prior to the Bentegodi clash, Verona manager Igor Tudor disregarded Victor Osimhen when asked who’s the best striker in Serie A, instead giving his preference to Dusan Vlahovic.
A fair statement on any other day.
However, theses comments lit up a fire within the striker who was adamant on proving the Croatian wrong. Thus, he made his talking on the pitch with a brace that led the Parternopei towards an all-important victory at an extremely delicate timing of the season.
The Nigerian’s two goals reignited Napoli’s Scudetto charge at a time when their season was under the threat of total-collapse.
The New Napoli Idol: How Osimhen Dethroned Insigne https://t.co/YDcGQ692VY pic.twitter.com/UndQ5w4VrC
— The Cult of Calcio (@cultofcalcio) March 14, 2022
Flop (Manager): Simone Inzaghi
Following the big battle at Anfield, Simone Inzaghi fielded almost the same lineup despite having the luxury of depth.
While the Nerazzurri looked fresh and dynamic in midweek, their performance against Torino was nothing like it. Instead, they were lucky to escape with a last-gasp draw following some dubious refereeing calls.
The reigning champions have been gradually losing control of the title race, despite the fact that most circumstances have been playing in their favor.
Top (Manager): Thiago Motta
Slowly but surely, the Italo-Brazilian is cementing his reputation as one of the best up-and-coming managers in Serie A, as Spezia took another significant step towards securing promotion with a win over Cagliari in round 29.
The former Inter and PSG midfielder has been gathering the points all while displaying an attractive brand of football.
We could well see him at the helm of a higher-caliber side next season, but we’re also curious to see how far he can go with the Ligurian minnows.
Flop (Team): Roma
Reminiscently to Inter, José Mourinho’s Roma had to rely on an added-time equalizer (from a spot kick) to spare them the blushes.
From start to finish, Udinese seemed to be in control of the action, and came extremely close to doubling their lead on some occasions, while the the majority of the Giallorossi players looked uninspired.
Roma’s Champions League hopes are now nothing more than a fading memory.
Top (Team): Juventus
As we mentioned in the introduction, excellent performances were hardly on display in round 29, which explains how a solid but unexciting Juventus can be considered as the best side form the Serie A weekend.
The Bianconeri punished Sampdoria on counter attacks, while the likes of Alvaro Morata (author of a brace), Juan Cuadrado, Arthur, Manuel Locatelli and Wojciech Szczesny all produced convincing displays.