The second matchday of the Serie A season was an interesting one, to say the least. Napoli, Milan and Inter have each showed another commanding display, confirming their status as genuine Scudetto contenders.
On the contrary, Lazio and Roma have succumbed to shocking defeats. Despite playing against relatively weaker opposition, the capital sides have assembled a single point between them after the first two weekends of the season.
Meanwhile, Juventus avoided a defeat by snatching a point from a controversial 1-1 home draw against Verona. So let’s review the most memorable action of the Italian weekend in our Tops and Flops for Serie A Round 2.
Top (Player): Giovanni Di Lorenzo
Don’t look now, but Giovanni Di Lorenzo may have transformed himself into one of the best players in his position in the world.
Despite being a right-back, the Napoli captain was once again at the center of every dangerous play created by the team during the 2-0 win over Sassuolo on Sunday.
With a cheeky backheel, he freed Matteo Politano who won the spot kick for the opener. In the second half, he timed his run perfectly to meet Kvicha Kvaratskehlia’s through ball before maintaining his composure in front of goal and putting the match to bed.
So while we did have several other memorable displays this week, Di Lorenzo’s vast impact all over the pitch wins the day.
Flop (Player): Maxime Lopez
Speaking of Napoli’s win over Sassuolo, Maxime Lopez practically killed any hopes the Emilian club had of salvaging a result by getting himself dismissed. Out of the blue, the match official showed the Frenchman a direct red card, obviously for dissent.
The midfielder might be seeking an exit from the club, but such a demeanor surely won’t impress any suitors.
Top (Managers): Alberto Gilardino, Eusebio Di Francesco & Marco Baroni
This might count as cheating, but overlooking any of the three managers following their marvelous feats would be blasphemous.
Alberto Gilardino’s Genoa, Eusebio Di Francesco’s Frosinone and Marco Baroni’s Hellas Verona pulled off three sensational Serie A upsets, respectively beating Lazio, Atalanta and Roma in Round 2.
This trio of results is indicative of what should be a scintillating campaign in Calcio.
Flop (Manager): José Mourinho
Now certainly Gian Piero Gasperini and Maurizio Sarri must take part of the blame for their sides’ shocking defeats, but at least they were present on the sidelines. On the contrary, José Mourinho remains a persona non grata in the dugout, as he continues to serve a lengthy ban for his knack of mocking match officials when decisions don’t go in his favor.
While the Special One’s antics can be entertaining for the casual fan, Roma have been paying dearly for his notorious. Resorting to the legendary Bruno Conti is an admirable attempt on the club’s behalf, but the 1982 World Cup winner can’t make up for the absence of the most iconic gaffer in modern football.
The result? A less than inspired Roma side that has already dropped five points from the first two rounds of the season.
Top (Team): Inter
This one was a direct head-to-head between La Madonnina rivals, and perhaps Milan had more than a claim following an impressive and entertaining showing against Torino at San Siro.
Nevertheless, Inter looked even more composed as they swept Cagliari aside away from home. They only needed one half to finish the job before coasting during the second period.
Flop (Team): Lazio
On the back of a second defeat in a row, we just can’t spare Lazio this time around. Surely, the Biancocelesti lacked a bit of luck as they were denied by the post. Yet, this is hardly an acceptable alibi for last season’s runner-ups who fell short on home soil against a newly-promoted club in the shape of Genoa.
Maurizio Sarri might be struggling to find the right dynamics without Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, but he’ll have to put the train back on track before it’s too late.
Top (Goalkeeper): Michele Di Gregorio
In Round 2, Monza vs Empoli was arguably the pick of Serie A hipsters. The Biancorossi emerged victorious thanks to Andrea Colpani’s fabulous brace, but Raffaele Palladino had to rely on Michele Di Gregorio’s heroics to secure the result.
The 26-year-old was one of last season’s main revelations, and now he’s out to prove that he’s no one-year wonder.
Top (Surprise): Alfred Duncan
Alfred Duncan is an Inter youth product who has been plying his trade at Serie A for his entire career. The Ghanaian has represented a host of Italian clubs but has somewhat become an afterthought.
But at the age of 30, the Fiorentina midfielder may have pulled his best Serie A display ever in the 2-2 draw against Lecce. Duncan provided the assist for Nico Gonzalez’s opener before scoring the second with a wonderful diving header.
Although the Viola somehow squandered a healthy two-goal lead, it remains a memorable evening for the experienced midfielder. We shall see whether he’ll manage to maintain his spot or relinquish it to a returning Sofyan Amrabat.
Flop: Napoli Light Effects
Napoli never fail to surprise us, do they? The city and the club alike have been in celebration mode over the past few months, and how could they not be, after clinching the Scudetto title they had been craving for 33 years? But at this point, they might be running out of flamboyant tricks.
“But wait,” said one overly excited Partenopei official. “How about adding extremely annoying light effects every time the team scores the goal?”
Possibly a disco himself back in his day, Aurelio De Laurentiis nodded his head in approvement and everyone’s eyes are paying the ultimate price.
Top (Goal): Andrea Colpani
This Serie A weekend witnessed a number of fascinating strikes, but Colpani’s marvelous curler is arguably the best goal from Round 2. The 24-year-old even added another lovely goal later on, but his opener was something else.
Top (Assist): Rafael Leao
Similarly to goals, we also had several brilliant assists worthy of a mention, including Samuel Iling-Junior’s exquisite cross that found Dusan Vlahovic’s head.
But when Milan’s left-flank boys combine, magic often ensues. This was the case when Rafael Leao picked up Theo Hernandez with a casual, yet, outrageous through ball for the Rossoneri’s third goal.
CHE GOL DI THEO HERNÁNDEZ!
CHE ASSIST DI RAFAEL LEÃO!pic.twitter.com/X9p1gDZLR1— Football Report (@FootballReprt) August 27, 2023
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