Calcio lovers had a bonus as they were treated to a midweek round of Serie A action. Round 30 of the season saw the seemingly unstoppable Juventus put an end to Parma’s record breaking unbeaten streak, Roma secured a dramatic last minute winner over Torino and Napoli swept Catania aside.
AC Milan secured a morale boosting win away to Fiorentina whilst the negative atmosphere at Lazio continued as they lost to Genoa amid on going fan protests.
Simone Scuffet was in heroic form as the teenage goalkeeper helped ensure Udinese left the San Siro with a point and a clean sheet.
The bottom four of Catania, Sassuolo, Livorno and Bologna all lost as the battle for survival hots up.
The formation chosen this week is a a 4-3-1-2 with Gervinho having a free role behind two central strikers and several players making their debuts.
As ever please feel free to leave a comment and let us know if you disagree with any of the choices made.
Andrea Consigli – Atalanta (3 Team of the Week appearances)
Showed good agility to deny a long range screamer from Livorno forward Paulinho. Did everything that was expected of him, kept a clean sheet and helped enure that Atalanta continued their unbeaten run.
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- Henrique – Napoli
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- Molinaro – Parma
Henrique – Napoli
May have only been on the pitch for just over an hour but made his mark on the match. Showed his versatility by playing at full back, having been deployed in a midfield role in previous matches. Regularly ventured forward to join in with the attacks and scored a wonder goal, smashing in a half volley from an improbable angle.
Philippe Mexes – AC Milan
A minor miracle as Philippe Mexes put in a solid and reliable perfromance reminiscent of his Roma days. Won all his aerial duals and distributed the ball well. It wasn’t quite a perfect perfromance though as he was booked for a trademark late tackle on Ryder Matos.
Leandro Castan – Roma (3 apps)
Kept Torino dangerman Alessio Cerci under wraps for long spells and even matched him for pace on a couple of occasions. Organized the Giallorossi back line in the absence of regular centre back partner Mehdi Benatia, enabling debutant Rafael Toloi to have a decent debut along side him
Cristian Molinaro – Parma
Scored a great goal against his former club and was one of Parma’s main sttacking threats down the left as the Gialloblu threatened a late equalizer. Had a tough time up against Stephan Lichtsteiner but defended reasonably well.
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- Carmona – Atalanta
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- Vidal – Juventus
Jorginho – Napoli (3 apps)
One of the Brazilians best performances for his new club. Ran the midfield against a disapointing Catania side. Constantly looked to instigate attacks, playing through balls and one-two’s with his team mates. Could be an important player for Napoli in the future.
Carlos Carmona – Atalanta
Patrolled the midfield with authority, nothing flashy from the Chilean but did the simple things well. Kept the play ticking over and can pick a pass if needed. Expect to see him in or around the starting line-up for Chile at the World Cup.
Arturo Vidal – Juventus (3 apps)
Another excllent performance from the midfield dynamo. Had a hand in Carlos Teves’ second goal and made several of his trademark lung busting runs into the opposing penalty area. Never seems to get tired!
Gervinho – Roma (5 apps)
There was the odd misplaced pass and he may not quite be showing the same electric form as in the first half of the season but he was still Roma’s most dangerous attacker. Showed his intelligence to find space against a tight knit Torino defense and proveded two crucial assists
Duvan Zapata – Napoli
The Columbian has had to bide his time on the bench for the majority of the season but was given a rare start against Catania. Did not do anything outstnding but was a good focal point for the team and scored a couple of goals that will do his confidence no harm.
Ciro Immobile – Torino (4 apps)
Had one half chance in the match against Roma and took it with authority, volleying a long ball in the corner of the net from an acute angle. Showed some nifty footwork outside the box at times and will no doubt have impressed the watching Cesare Prandelli.
