In case you glimpsed at the Serie A table and felt that hardly anything has changed from the previous round, this is because seven out of the nine matches that reached their conclusion ended with draws in a rare occurrence that preserved the status quo. Even the encounter between Udinese and Roma that was interrupted was heading towards a 1-1 draw.
Speaking of that incident, this weekend’s events in Calcio served as a stern reminder for everyone involved in the sport that the players’ health must be the utmost priority for the organizers. While Evan Ndicka luckily survived the health scare, 26-year-old Castelfiorentino player Mattia Giani tragically lost his life following an on-pitch collapse on the 12th anniversary of Piermario Morosini’s death which ensued in a similar fashion.
That being said, let’s recap the action from what was an unusual, yet exciting weekend in Italian football while enlisting the Tops and Flops from Serie A Round 32.
Top (Player): Gianluca Scamacca
This weekend, we had an abundance of eye-catching individual displays. This includes Walid Cheddira who pegged back his parent club Napoli with a brace, Armand Laurienté who also scored twice against Milan, and Felipe Anderson who led Lazio towards a commanding win.
However, we just can’t deny Gianluca Scamacca, at least not this week. Fresh from his historic brace at Anfield on Thursday, the Italian confirmed his red-hot form with a smashing goal against Verona followed by a sublime assist for Ederson who scored Atalanta’s second.
La Dea then squandered their lead while Scamacca left the pitch at the hour mark, with Tijjan Noslin – also deserving of a mention – leading an unexpected Gialloblu comeback at the Gewiss Stadium.
But that being said, the former West Ham bomber is finding his optimal form just when Luciano Spalletti is desperately searching for a striker who can lead Italy’s charge at Euro 2024.
Flop (Player): Sebastian Walukiewicz
Perhaps his display wasn’t utterly terrible, but Sebastian Walukiewicz committed a massive blunder in the dying minutes of a relegation six-pointer at the Via del Mare. The Empoli defender failed to produce what seemed to be a simple clearance, allowing Santiago Pierotti to set up the winner for Nicola Sansone.
The Polish will be hoping he and his team don’t regret this wasted point come the end of the season.
Top (Manager): Claudio Ranieri
For the second week in a row, the old fox is our top manager of the weekend. In the latest chapter of his elusive saga, Claudio Ranieri went to the lions’ den and returned to tell how he managed to escape with a point in the bag. Inter twice took the lead at San Siro, but Cagliari just refused to succumb.
And also for the second week running, it was two substitutes combining to score the Isolani’s all-important second goal, with Gianluca Lapadula providing the assist for Nicolas Viola.
Flop (Manager): Massimiliano Allegri
In recent months, Max Allegri has had the lion’s share in this unceremonious category, but he’s still managing to “impress” us with his perplexing choices with every new outing.
In the Derby della Mole, the Juventus manager felt it was a good idea to take off his team’s solitary source of creativity otherwise known as Federico Chiesa in the 60th minute when the result was still goalless, leaving the player and the fanbase speechless.
While Kenan Yildiz is certainly a gem, this remains a baffling call on the coach’s part, and depicts everything wrong with the club’s approach this season.
Top (Team): Lazio
Well, when your opponent already has one foot in Serie B and seemingly raised the white flag, your mission certainly becomes comprehensively easier. But still, Lazio deserve the plaudits for an impressive performance on the back of a difficult week.
Felipe Anderson scored twice, while Luis Alberto was unstoppable – both on the pitch and on the microphone later on – and substitutes Nicolò Rovella and Gustav Isaksen combined to inflict more damage on the hapless Salernitana who succumbed to a 1-4 defeat.
Flop (Team): Salernitana
Sadly for the Granata, their mathematical relegation is only a matter of time. And while his three predecessors at least had time on their side, there’s little Stefano Colantuono can do about it at this stage of the season.
Top (Goalkeeper): Michele Di Gregorio
Just like Allegri in the manager’s Flop section, Michele Di Gregorio is our most regular customer in this category, and for good reason.
This weekend also witnessed superb displays from the likes of Stefano Turati and Elia Caprile, but the Monza goalkeeper is a different beast. With seven saves against Bologna, he certainly earned his Dall’Ara clean sheet the hard way.
Top to Flop (Goalkeeper): Alex Meret
It was a tale of two halves for Alex Meret. The Napoli custodian covered himself in glory in the first period when he denied Matias Soulé from the spot, albeit it was a feeble effort from the young Argentine.
On the contrary, the Italy international emerged as the ultimate culprit after the break by gifting Frosinone the first equalizer with a poor pass that was blocked by Soulé who provided the assist for Cheddira.
It is this type of needless blunder that is preventing Meret from reaching the next level.
Top (Super-Sub): Noah Okafor
Noah Okafor is simply Stefano Pioli’s genie in the bottle, or more accurately, genie in the dugout. Almost every time Milan are desperate for a late goal, the Switzerland international comes off the bench to turn the Diavolo’s wishes into reality.
This time around, Okafor produced the 3-3 equalizer against Sassuolo with a fabulous shot in what was probably his first touch following his entrance.
Top (Match): Sassuolo vs Milan
This six-goal thriller might go down as one of the most entertaining encounters of the Serie A campaign. Sassuolo stunned their visitors with two early goals, but Milan kept pushing to salvage something out of the match, so the draw was arguably a fair result.
Flop (Match): Torino vs Juventus
Unfortunately, we had two goalless draws this weekend. But while the stalemate between Bologna and Monza had its moments, the Derby della Mole was a forgettable affair that witnessed very few opportunities, as both sides appeared content to avoid defeat.
Top (Assist): Kristian Thorstvedt
In our book, a mid-air backheel assist is always going to get the nod. So well done Kristian Thorstvedt who brilliantly set up Andrea Pinamonti’s opener against Milan.
Top (Goal): Gianluca Scamacca
When Scamacca enters “Beast Mode”, the best thing you can do is stay out of the way as you run the risk of being thumped by one of his vicious missiles. The Italian striker lifted the ball with his left foot before riffling a mid-air shot with his fabulous right in what was a majestic strike that only he could produce.
What a player Scamacca is 🔥 pic.twitter.com/v5JapHFczF
— Nima Tavallaey Roodsari (@NimaTavRood) April 15, 2024
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