While the end is drawing ever near, the thrill and excitement are reaching their pinnacle in what has been an unforgettable campaign for Calcio on all levels. This weekend, Juventus and Inter have consolidated their spots on the podium behind crowned champions Napoli. For their part, Roma and Lazio continue to drop points while Milan’s campaign is faltering at the most crucial stage. So let’s recap the action in our own way, by identifying the best and worst performers from the Italian weekend in our Tops and Flops from Serie A Round 35.
Top (Player): Remi Oudin
While the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Gaetano Castrovilli had solid claims as well, Remi Oudin gets the recognition for an unlikely brace that almost clinched a victory for Lecce over Lazio at the Olimpico Stadium.
In the end, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic snatched a late equalizer for the hosts, but it was still a Friday night to remember for the Frenchman in Eternal City.
The 26-year-old had yet to score a goal in Serie A prior to Round 35, so to pull off two goals from sublime shots must have felt surreal for the attacking midfielder.
Flop (Player): Ruan Tressoldi
To be fair, Lady Luck completely abandoned Ruan Tressoldi at the Giuseppe Meazza. But it still isn’t enough to justify being the main culprit in the first three of Inter’s four goals.
The 23-year-old should be excused for losing the physical duel against the overwhelming power of Romelu Lukaku who warded the defender off before scoring the opening.
But in the second half, the Brazilian was the author of an own goal as he failed to deal with Raoul Bellanova’s pass, before deflecting a shot from Lautaro Martinez into his own net to round off a nightmarish outing for the promising centre-back.
Top (Manager): Leonardo Semplici
Kudos to Leonardo Semplici, a realistic manager who knows how to take the best out of a technically-limited team. Although Milan weren’t at their best, Spezia managed to hold on during the first hour of play before suddenly becoming the haunter.
The Ligurians collected three unexpected yet valuable points at the Rossoneri’s expense to skip past Verona in the Serie A standings.
The Aquilotti are embroiled in a tense relegation dogfight, but they sure picked the right man for the salvation mission.
Flop (Manager): Stefano Pioli
On the other hand, Stefano Pioli ended a calamitous week with another loss. Following Milan’s defeat against Inter in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final, the Diavolo received a slap in the face in Spezia, leaving their Top-Four hopes hanging by a thread.
While their manager has been firmly rotating his starting formation, this policy could spectacularly backfire if Milan end the campaign empty-handed on all fronts.
Moreover, joining his players for a controversial lecture from the traveling Ultras didn’t paint him in a good light at all.
Top (Team): Monza
Admittedly, the real Napoli never showed up at the U-Power Stadium. Luciano Spalletti gave opportunities for those who featured less throughout the campaign while the players who took the field were obviously suffering from a hangover following 10 days of wild celebration.
Nevertheless, Monza still displayed the type of breathtaking football that won them the hearts of neutral Serie A followers, scoring two exquisite goals, including one from a marvelous team play, marking them as the best side from Round 35, at least in our book.
Flop (Team): Milan
To be fair, Milan were unlucky not to find the back of the net, instead hitting the post on a couple of occasions. But the team never displayed the sort of tenacity that won them this type of encounter last season.
The Rossoneri have chosen the worst possible moment of the season to collapse.
Top (Goalkeeper): Michele Di Gregorio
While his Monza teammates were supreme in the 2-0 victory over crowned champions Napoli, they still needed some heroic saves from Michele Di Gregorio.
The Italian custodian is one of the best revelations of this Serie A campaign, and he proved his major potential once again in Round 35.
Flop (Luck): Paul Pogba
On Sunday evening, Paul Pogba entered the pitch with a broad smile on his face. The Frenchman was making his first start of the season at this late stage of the campaign.
But once again, his hopes have turned to ashes after sustaining yet another setback that will prove to be the final nail in the coffin of a season that never truly took off.
Watching the unconsolable Frenchman leaving the pitch in tears after just 21 minutes was an agonizing sight.
The football Gods have completely abandoned Juventus star who was once considered one of the brightest midfielders in the game.
Top (Super-Sub): Antonio Candreva
This season, Antonio Candreva has been the ultimate star at Salernitana – with all due respect to Boulaye Dia’s recent heroics.
The aging winger doesn’t even need the full 90 minutes to make an impact. He entered the pitch in the 80th minute, and following a fabulous give-and-go with Krzysztof Piatek, he scored a wonderful 93rd-minute winner over Atalanta which all but sealed the Granata’s spot in Serie A for another season.
Top (Match): Inter vs Sassuolo
Saturday night Calcio certainly delivered, as Inter toppled Sassuolo in an entertaining encounter, one that wasn’t lacking in goals or twists.
While the Nerazzurri found themselves leading with three goals early in the second half, the Emilians almost pulled off a comeback before falling short in the end. But kudos for believing in their chances at a time when the odds were greatly stacked against them.
Flop (Match): Bologna vs Roma
On the contrary, neither Bologna nor Roma were too eager on making a statement on Sunday, as the two Serie A sides settled for a goalless draw in Round 35.
While the Giallorossi’s European commitments seem to be affecting their domestic form, it seems that the capital side is leaning towards raising the white flag in the Top-Four battle, hoping to secure a Champions League spot from an alternative path (AKA winning the Europa League).
Top (Goal): Romelu Lukaku
While Candreva’s strike should be taken into consideration, Lukaku’s opening goal against Sassuolo gets the nod as it depicted all the facets of the Belgian bomber.
The 29-year-old overpowered the hapless Tressoldi to create some space for himself before launching an unstoppable rocket towards the far post.
You just can’t stop Big Rom on his day.
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