Roma (finally) won a big match, only confirmations for Bologna, Milan stumble and Stefano Pioli is at risk of sacking. Lazio and Juventus smile: this and much more happened over the Serie A weekend before Christmas. Let’s look at what happened in detail in Italy, between Lorenzo Pellegrini’s goal and that of young Kenan Yildiz, the new Juventus star…
MATCH OF THE WEEK – SALERNITANA vs MILAN
Yet another stumble for Milan, yet another disappointment for the Rossoneri fans, yet another injury for Milan players, this time it was Fikayo Tomori’s turn, who will be out for several weeks.
On Serie A weekend, Milan drew 2-2 against last in the standings Salernitana and even managed to snatch the point with a goal that came late in the game, when yet another defeat seemed inevitable.
Certainly, credit must be given to Pippo Inzaghi and his boys, with Fede Fazio and Antonio Candreva having first answered Tomori’s goal, they almost handed the three points to the Salernitana fans. The Rossoneri right now seem to be in a big crisis: poor results, too many physical injuries, performances far from the good things Stefano Pioli has done in recent years.
Luka Jovic scored the equalising goal in the 90th minute, sparing Milan a humiliating defeat against the last in the standings, but perhaps irreparably branding Pioli’s season. Candreva proved one more time that the higher the level of the match, the better will be his performance.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK – LORENZO PELLEGRINI
As has happened in the past to other Rome-born captains, Lorenzo Pellegrini in recent weeks has been excessively criticised by a section of the press and a small part of the Roma fanbase.
It happened to Giannini, even to Totti and De Rossi, today it is happening to the Roma captain, who due to some physical problems has not yet been able to find continuity since the beginning of the season. He has scored three goals since August, one in the Europa League and two in the league, but he has not yet found his best condition, the one that allows him to be one of the best midfielders in Europe.
Against Napoli, Jose Mourinho had initially left him on the bench (in favor of Edoardo Bove, who continues to grow more and more game after game), but when he came on in the 71st minute it was he who signed the winning goal, some real magic, an impossible-to-save shot for Alex Meret.
Pellegrini delivered three golden points to Mourinho, thanks to which the Giallorossi moved closer to the Champions League zone. He is still not the best Pellegrini, but Lorenzo is coming back and Mourinho in addition to Romelu Lukaku and Paulo Dybala will rely as always on his captain to chase this year’s dreams of glory.
INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK – KENAN YILDIZ
He is the new name at Juventus. He has long been talked about as a possible new “talent” ready to explode – and in Saturday’s match against Frosinone his star finally began to shine.
At the start of the match it was the 2005-born Turk who found the go-ahead goal with real magic that hinted at boundless talent, personality and courage. Three dribbles in a very narrow space and then a strong and precise shot off the post covered by Stefano Turati, not in the best moment of his career.
Max Allegri is often criticised (excessively and unfairly) for how he handles youngsters, but Yıldız is yet another kid who finds space and a way to shine in Serie A under his guidance. He is a profile to watch, of that there is no doubt.
TALKING POINT – STEFANO PIOLI
And now Stefano Pioli is seriously risking his job. The Milan coach is flirting with dismissal, after winning a Scudetto two years ago and reaching fourth place last year. This year things are not going well for Milan – far from it. The standings are unsatisfactory, with Juventus having run away at the top of the table. In the Champions League came the disappointment of relegation to the Europa League. The team’s performances are not up to what one would expect from Milan, and the injuries to Rossoneri players has far exceeded an acceptable number.
The latest to fall was Fikayo Tomori: the English defender was injured in the match against Salernitana and upon leaving the field did not even greet his coach, such was the disappointment and frustration. And this injury is perhaps the most serious of all, as the Englishman is likely to be out until February and the defence has run out of players available.
Pioli is now increasingly lonely within the club: he enjoys less and less trust from the management and with more bad results could risk immediate dismissal. Pioli’s fairy tale at Milan seems to be over: now a real miracle is needed to avoid being axed.
