What have we discovered this week about Serie A? Effectively, for starters, Inter is perhaps drawing inexorably nearer to the Scudetto, however they will boast the very best left again in Europe in Federico Dimarco.
The Italian opened the scoring within the 2-0 win over Empoli with a deft end, earlier than former Arsenal and Man United ahead Alexis Sanchez made certain of the consequence 9 minutes from time.
Fierce metropolis rivals AC Milan additionally managed a win, beating Fiorentina 2-1 on the highway, whereas Roma and Lecce performed out a 0-0 draw as Lazio inflicted a 1-0 defeat on Juventus.
The Bianconeri proceed to wrestle, with simply seven factors from their final 9 video games, and as such, Massimiliano Allegri’s future appears to be hanging by a thread.
Right here, Mail Sport’s Alvise Cagnazzo takes you thru all the things that occurred in spherical 30 of the 2023-24 Serie A season.
Inter star Federico Dimarco (above) is the very best Italian left again since Gianluca Zambrotta
AC Milan additionally bought three factors on the weekend, beating Fiorentina 2-1 on the highway to remain in second
Your browser doesn’t assist iframes.
1 – DIMARCO IS THE BEST LEFT BACK IN EUROPE
Federico Dimarco is the very best Italian left again since Gianluca Zambrotta.
Raised in Inter’s youth academy, he turned out for Ascoli, Empoli, Sion, Parma and Verona, earlier than returning definitively to Inter in 2021, turning into within the house of three years a stalwart irreplaceable for each Inter and Italy, and he will certainly play a key position throughout the European Championship.
The victory towards Empoli demonstrates how essential Dimarco has develop into, the group not dependent solely on the aggressive fury of Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martinez, the 2 attackers who’ve mixed for 70 per cent of the group’s objectives this season.
Dimarco shoots like a pure attacker, hits with energy and precision and is about to develop into an icon of the group. He’s in all probability essentially the most technical defender in Serie A and Empoli could not get near stopping him.
Simone Inzaghi has constructed an ideal, seemingly flawless machine, during which the 26-year-old box-to-box wing again, performs as each a fifth defender and third attacker in Inter’s 3-5-2 system.
In that formation, Dimarco is among the few who Inzaghi’s system is definitely dictated round, so prolific is he in each attacking and defensive roles.
Dimarco will certainly play a vital position for Italy on the Euros this summer season as they appear to defend their crown
2 – JUVENTUS DON’T PLAY FOOTBALL
One win, three attracts and 4 defeats in 60 days. That is all that Massimiliano Allegri – who continues to be presumptuous within the press room and horrible in his position as coach on the helm of Juventus – has to indicate for himself.
The Bianconeri not comply with their coach, who appears to make a incorrect transfer at each flip. They failed in all essential tactical selections towards Lazio, with Mattia De Sciglio changed out of desperation after 45 minutes and Fabio Miretti non-existent in midfield.
The gamers have their faults however Allegri is making Juventus play among the worst soccer the membership has seen of their 101-year historical past, with the outcomes to match.
Manuel Locatelli’s legs appear to shake when he performs, gamers are unable to carry their nationwide group type again with them to Turin, and it would not take a genius to understand there’s one thing not fairly proper within the dressing-room.
Seven factors in 9 video games are a cruel but sensible snapshot of the progress of a group, which wants a shake-up and never a coach who merely repeats the phrase: ‘Let’s keep calm, settle down!’.
The group is averaging one level away from relegation to Serie B and continues to don’t have any concepts that would change course of occasions.
Massimiliano Allegri’s Juventus slumped to a 1-0 defeat at Lazio on Saturday
3 – NAPOLI – A TEAM WITHOUT SOUL
Has anybody seen Napoli on the pitch? The 0-3 suffered by Napoli at house towards Atalanta demonstrates how severely the facet is missing in character, one thing that has disappeared within the final seven months.
Successful the Scudetto for the second time in a row would have been troublesome however the stage of high quality this season has been inadequate. Simply 45 factors in 30 video games, 44 objectives scored and 36 objectives conceded; too many for a group that may definitively say goodbye to fourth place in Serie A standings.
The true technical worth of the group might be precisely portrayed in these numbers however what makes the followers undergo is absolutely the lack of character of the group coached by Francesco Calzona.
Weak, defeatist and nervous, Napoli appeared to attend helplessly for the ultimate whistle.
Eight of the 11 on this facet wouldn’t begin at some other prime Italian facet and this could give pause to President De Laurentiis who let Eljif Elmas depart and changed him with gamers who have been lower than par reminiscent of Leander Dedoncker and Hamed Junior Traorè.
In Naples they’ve disenchanted everybody, particularly those that ought to have proved one thing after the various tens of millions spent within the winter switch market.
Cyril Ngonge is a participant with combined performances and towards Giampiero Gasperini’s group he was crushed by the Atalanta defence. Giovanni Di Lorenzo misplaced all of the one-on-one duels and bears some blame for the third objective scored by Teun Koopmeiners.
Napoli’s season went from dangerous to worse with the 3-0 house defeat by Atalanta
4 – LEAO IS A DELIGHT FOR THE EYES
Rafael Leao is a gazelle unattainable to cease. Towards Fiorentina he overwhelmed the complete defence, chopping the sphere like a sizzling knife by butter.
Milan’s 2-1 win is an illustration of psychological, technical and muscular energy by the Portuguese participant who, hypnotises gamers with the ball at his toes and makes Rossoneri followers explode with pleasure.
The run for his fifth objective of the season is aesthetically good, and may very well be performed out towards a few of Hollywood’s biggest cinematic composers, so stunning was it to observe.
When the ball reaches his toes, the Fiorentina defenders start to maneuver again to attempt to restrict the harm and as a rule they’re compelled to commit a foul as a result of Leao is unstoppable in each space of the pitch.
He runs vertically and diagonally to equally devastating impact, and through the years he has discovered find out how to defend the ball.
When Leao is within the sport he leaves no means out for his opponents, he runs laughing like Ronaldinho at Barcelona, he all the time beats his man, creates assists for Olivier Giroud and all the time raises his head as he runs in the direction of the objective.
It’s a pleasure for the eyes and the hearts of Rossoneri followers who’ve elected him as the brand new icon of AC Milan group. He’s of a stage clearly superior to that of all of the wingers in Serie A and has an elastic physique that makes him mild as if he have been flying on the grass.
Rafael Leao has delighted the Milan followers along with his dribbling and assists this season
5 – BOLOGNA DESERVE A CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PLACE
Bologna deserve a spot in Champions League. The three-0 victory towards Salernitana is a direct message to Juventus, now solely two factors away, which serves to consolidate fourth place within the Serie A standings.
Salernitana, final within the standings, are usually not a troublesome opponent however the way in which Bologna attacked the match reveals how a lot the group has matured in current months.
Managing such a fragile match to make sure a higher likelihood of collaborating within the subsequent Champions League was not straightforward however Bologna managed to realize three factors, growing the group’s vanity.
Victory No seven in eight video games is an ideal snapshot of the qualities of Thiago Motta’s group who managed to win even with out making 100 per cent use of Joshua Zirkzee, who got here on as an alternative within the sixty fourth minute and produced a superb efficiency.
The gamers on the pitch might change however not the successful mentality of this group which deserves to have the ability to write an essential web page within the membership’s historical past. Motta has constructed an ideal group that defends and assaults with the identical aggressiveness within the revolutionary 4-1-4-1 a revolutionary tactical system.
The group’s soccer is pleasant, cheerful and with out too many tactical obsessions: it assaults with 6 males and defends with 5 males with out ever dropping the target of scoring yet one more objective than the opponent as some extent of reference.
6 – TUDOR DELETE SARRI
At Lazio he managed to alter his pores and skin in just a few days, he deserted the tracksuit and sat on the bench in a jacket, tie and sneakers. Igor Tudor’s debut was emblematic as a result of he demonstrated how having clear concepts is all the time a notable start line.
His first match on the helm of Lazio is definitely constructive as a result of it cuts with the previous and with Maurizio Sarri’s concepts, adjustments tactical module, additionally adjustments gamers and makes troublesome selections, reminiscent of leaving Matteo Guendouzi on the bench.
He gained within the finals seconds, however Lazio present some indicators of rebirth, the group was uninterested in Sarri and the will to struggle reveals how generally altering coaches is an inevitable course of to enhance the general efficiency.
Regardless of the times of labor with the Biancoleste, Tudor has already given form and concepts to a Lazio in his picture and likeness – aggressive urgent play from the primary minute to the final, and plenty of operating with out the ball to supply fast sport options.
The highway continues to be very lengthy and the disastrous capitulation below Sarri earlier than his resignation have put Lazio’s standings in disaster and they’ll now need to attempt to get as many factors as doable with Iron Sergeant Tudor on the bench.
New Lazioboss Igor Tudor was rewarded for making powerful selections towards Juventus
7 – CARNESECCHI BETTER THAN DONNARUMMA
For the time being the very best Italian goalkeeper in Serie A is Marco Carnesecchi. The younger Italian stopper gained the tight duel with Victor Osimhen, saving 4 harmful pictures from the Napoli striker, pulling off a miracle save with the Niegrian star certain of a sure objective.
Within the first match of the season towards Napoli, Carnesecchi was an immature goalkeeper on the lookout for confidence however 4 months later he’s a severe, concrete and really dependable No 1. He appears to be like like a robotic, and he screams, jumps, yells and punches the grass after each save.
In Bergamo he grew to become a person after the 12 months of apprenticeship in Serie A with Cremonese.
His shoulder harm is now a distant reminiscence and the interval of settling in in Bergamo served to enhance among the goalkeeping fundamentals, which throughout the interval spent at Cremonese appeared to be a restrict to his progress. If his physique doesn’t make him fragile, Carnesecchi will likely be destined to dominate the worldwide scene.
The comparability with Gianluigi Donnarumma immediately wouldn’t see him fall as far adrift of the PSG star as you would possibly suspect, and stylistically good matches like these towards Napoli are proof of how far he has come.
In contrast to the PSG goalkeeper, from whom he’s separated by solely 12 months of age, Carnesecchi appears to have higher focus for the complete 90 minutes, with out ever exceeding his personalism within the setting section.
8 – GUDMUNDSSON IS READY FOR A TOP CLUB
The Icelandic boy dangers turning into the true protagonist of the Serie A summer season switch market. Albert Gudmundsson is a prime participant who for too a few years has been content material to play soccer with out having to show in any respect prices that he’s the one participant from Northern Europe to have the mentality of a South American star.
Towards Frosinone he handed crucial step, the ultimate examination that transforms good gamers into prime gamers in essentially the most troublesome matches, turning into the protagonist of the match regardless of not being in good bodily situation.
Albert Gudmundsson scored his eleventh objective of the season for Genoa in draw with Frosinone
From the perspective of decoding the match, Genoa was definitely not the very best however having a participant like Gudmundsson within the group means having the ability to take advantage of each little alternative to attain. His typical generosity has failed however his means of taking part in all the time lets you change the tempo of the match: even when he is not current 100% within the match he places all of Frosinone on alert however little or no will be seen within the final sixteen meters.
The star of the Icelandic nationwide group will get the penalty that unlocks the match and scores it with the coolness of a cold-blooded animal, reaching 11 objectives in Serie A. He was inconsistent for lengthy moments of the match, maybe held again by tiredness because of the commitments with the nationwide groups, however he nonetheless managed to hit the exact left-footed shot that pierced Frosinone goalkeeper, serving to Genoa to realize a valuable level within the standings.
9 – GRUMPY JURIC IS STELL AN EXCELLENT COACH
He might have many character flaws which have led him to typically argue with journalists and to be in battle with the sporting director of the Italian membership however Ivan Juric is a superb coach who’s making an attempt to carry Torino again to Europe.
At occasions Juric looks like “Grumpy”, one of many Seven Dwarves who accompanies Snow-White within the well-known Walt Disney movie, but managing to realize good outcomes regardless of his dangerous mood.
The 1-0 victory towards Monza is a watershed second and will be thought of among the finest moments for Torino.
Juric, in contrast to different coaches, has the power to brilliantly learn the moments of the match. His group gained the midfield duel towards Monza by a landslide, all the time having management of the ball.
The adjustments chosen by the Croatian coach had affect on the match and the entry of Toni Sanabria gave group three golden factors.
In a championship filled with ups and downs, Torino with season finale might obtain president Urbano Cairo’s fundamental objective.
10 – KOOPMEINERS PRIMED FOR PREMIER LEAGUE
Koopmeiners has 11 objectives in Serie A, which represents his greatest season in his profession.
He solely managed a half hour as a result of some bodily issues however on the pitch his contact introduced distress to the Napoli midfield.
Koopmeiners appears to have a magnet between his toes that pulls the ball and leaves all others all at sea. He hits Napoli with a humiliating 0-3 with an incredible strike, clear and exact, dramatically growing his financial worth which grows sport after sport.
Juventus might face competitors from Premier League for Atalanta’s Teun Koopmeiners
In line with Opta knowledge the Dutchman who grew up in Azerbaijan is the second-highest scoring midfielder within the prime 5 European leagues, behind Jude Bellingham, within the lead with 16 objectives.
He’s not Clarence Seedorf and even Ruud Gullit however he has all the elemental traits to be a contemporary midfielder indispensable for each prime membership.
Juventus CEO Cristiano Giuntoli is keen to do the unattainable to carry him to Turin however his future may be within the Premier League. Regardless of the membership’s official denials, Atalanta certainly know the way forward for the participant who will depart Giampiero Gasperini’s group on the finish of the season.
