Round 8 of the Serie A season saw Roma stall at Sampdoria and Juventus get back to winning ways against Palermo.
Napoli thumped Verona 6-2 whilst at the bottom Sassuolo ensured Parma’s nightmare start to the season continued, beating them 3-1.
The formation for Team of The Week is a 4-3-1-2 with a revitalised Marek Hamsik operating behind the front two of Antonio Di Natale and Gonzalo Higuain.
Cagliari and Sassuolo are rewarded for their impressive results by having a pair of players each in the eleven.
Do you agree with the choices? Feel free to leave a comment if you feel we have overlooked anyone.
Mattia Perin – Genoa (2 Team of The Week appearances)
Made a couple of excellent saves from Alberto Paloschi in the match with Chievo which ultimately proved crucial as his team came from behind to claim a dramatic victory.
Sime Vrsaljko – Sassuolo
Easily coped with the double threat of Paolo De Ceglie and Massimo Gobbi down Parma’s left flank. Always comfortable when in possession and provided plenty of width on the right flank.
Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa – Roma
Taking into account that Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa’s previous outing in defence for the Giallorossi was the disastrous 7-1 thrashing from Bayern Munich, the clean sheet kept against Sampdoria was a step in the right direction. Kept things tight at the back against the in form home side, restricting them to only a couple of clear cut chances.
Francesco Acerbi – Sassuolo
Continued his remarkable comeback from testicular cancer with another standout performance. Nullified the threat of the Parma attackers and organized his back four excellently. Scored the second of his side’s three goals in their 3-1 victory over the Gialloblu.
Danilo Avelar – Cagliari (2 apps)
Decisive in both attack and defence. Scored with a sublime free kick and then completed his brace with a penalty. Did not venture forward as often in the second half but still made a couple of crucial tackles to ensure his side kept a clean sheet.
Albin Ekdal – Cagliari (2 apps)
Controlled the game from the centre of the park against Empoli. Spread the ball around well and appears to be more physically imposing compared to previous seasons. Got himself on the score sheet with a well taken goal.
Lucas Biglia – Lazio
Kept things ticking over in the Lazio midfield and helped drive the Roman side to a victory over Torino. Protected his back four expertly and rarely wasted the ball. Also scored the first goal of the game.
Roberto Soriano – Sampdoria
The former Bayern Munich youngster continues his good start to the season with an impressive showing against Roma. Was not overshadowed by the likes of Daniel De Rossi and Radja Nainggolan and imposed himself on the game. Always neat and tidy in possession and provided support for his forwards whenever possible.
Marek Hamsik – Napoli
Ended a lengthy drought by scoring his first Serie A goals of the season and appeared to be rediscovering some of his form. He opened the scoring with a crisp strike before adding a second shortly after. Combined well with the Azzurri front three of Higuain, Insigne and Callejon.
Antonio Di Natale – Udinese (2 apps)
It is pretty safe to assume that the Di Natale ‘ageing like fine wine’ analogy has been done before but it still remains true. Opened the scoring with a sublime curling effort and went close to adding a second on a couple of other occasions. Nearly assisted Cyril Thereau rabona pass.
Gonzalo Higuain – Napoli
Finally opened his account for the Serie A season, and in some style too, helping himself to a hat trick against Verona. Displayed his eye for goal by pouncing on an unforced error for his first, and then good movement for his second before adding the third from the penalty spot. He also had a goal incorrectly ruled out for offside.
