With international week upon us, Serie A signed off with a hatful of goals and above all big news coming out of Naples, where Aurelio De Laurentiis is considering the position of Rudi Garcia. There was also the incredible clash between Genoa and Milan, with Oli Giroud finishing in goal. Let’s review the latest round in Italy…
MATCH OF THE WEEK – GENOA 0-1 AC MILAN
The decisive goal was scored by Christian Pulisic. The former Chelsea player was clever in fixing the ball with a touch of his hand but was also quick in stealing time from everyone to strike for the goal and score, but the man of the match was Olivier Giroud.
The French striker finished in place of Mike Maignan, who had been sent off for a very ugly foul, deemed “murderous” by Genoa’s president. In the goalkeeper’s jersey and, above all, with a great save, Giroud allowed Milan to win the match and move up to first place in the standings. On the internet in the last 48 hours it is impossible not to have seen a meme with Giroud as a goalkeeper: he is the man of the moment, not for a goal, but for what he did in goal. Paradoxical, but it’s true: if one is a champion, he is always a champion. Regardless of the position.
All jokes aside: Alberto Gilardino’s Genoa keeps proving to be a tough team for everyone, especially the big teams in the league. It may not have an eye-popping style of play, but knowing how to make your opponents perform badly is always credible. Bravo to Stefano Pioli and Milan for managing to bring home this important victory.
COACHES OF THE WEEK – DI FRANCESCO, MOTTA
Frosinone defeated Verona and resumed the path interrupted by the defeat against Roma: the star was Matias Soulé, at the moment the most outstanding player for the Gialloblù team, shining once again. Illuminating passes, important goals and a lot of fantasy at the team’s disposal.
The credit, however, goes to Eusebio Di Francesco: seeing Frosinone with 12 points in the standings, above Roma and Lazio, feels incredible. He deserves this moment after the hard times of the last seasons. His team plays wonderfully and wins: it is an attacking and direct soccer, it is a team that is not afraid of anyone. Frosinone fans are literally going crazy over the style of play of this new Di Francesco-branded team: it really couldn’t get any better than this.
Also very good was Thiago Motta, who confirmed himself as Inter’s bête noire: in Saturday’s match, Inter Milan had jumped to 2-0 with goals from Francesco Acerbi and Lautaro Martinez (great shot!), but Motta’s boys first shortened the distance and then found the equalising goal with an incredible shot from Josh Zirkzee, a player who is currently proving to have something more than others.
Bologna is a solid team that knows how to choose the right moments of the match, when to attack and when to manage possession. Motta is ready for a top team, it is becoming more and more evident. We will have to wait until the end of the season to see where he will go, despite Bologna’s attempt to keep him for longer, but there is great curiosity around this young and talented coach.
INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES OF THE WEEK – LUKAKU, CASTELLANOS
Big Rom is simply unstoppable. Since arriving in Rome, the Belgian has scored 7 goals in 8 games: a nightmare for his opponents, a continuous joy for Jose Mourinho and Roma, he’s playing like a god.
The Giallorossi have managed to put aside the risk that the Special One could be sacked thanks to three consecutive wins between Serie A and the Europa League, but it is impossible not to notice the impact the former Inter player has had since arriving in the capital. Every game a goal, more or less this is Lukaku’s contribution with the Roma shirt: with him the Giallorossi start 1-0. And that makes a difference, there is no doubt about it.
He scores in all ways and from all positions: a real star player. Kudos to Roma for managing to get Big Rom.
The city’s other team has another striker on the upswing, although so far he has collected only 1 goal and 1 assist, both of which were decisive in the win over Atalanta on Sunday afternoon. Ciro Immobile is encountering a variety of physical problems, and Taty Castellanos has let everyone know that he is ready to pick up Ciro’s legacy.
It will not be easy, of course, because Immobile’s numbers speak for itself, but coach Maurizio Sarri is giving more and more space to his new striker and the impression is that we have not yet seen anything of what this player can do. Great win for Lazio against Gian Piero Gasperini’s boys!
