Calcio fans were treated to a midweek round of Serie A action in round nine of the season.
There was plenty of late drama as Juventus suffered their first league defeat allowing Roma to join them at the top of the table. Mauro Icardi scored a last minute penalty to give Inter a win over in form Sampdoria whilst fellow Argentine Gonzalo Higuain missed from the spot as Napoli drew with Atalanta.
AC Milan stuttered to another draw against Cagliari and Fiorentina brushed aside Udinese 3-0. Lazio and Verona played out a 1-1 draw in the Thursday evening match.
The Team of The Week has goes with a very offensive 4-2-3-1 for with the Viola duo of Juan Cuadrado, Giacomo Bonaventura and Victor Ibarbo all behind Khouma Babacar, in addition to three Genoa players making the eleven.
As ever feel free to leave a comment if you disagree with any of the choices!
Mattia Perin – Genoa (3 Team of The Week appearances)
The Old Lady’s nemesis as Genoa earned a shock win over Juventus. Almost single-handedly kept out the Bianconeri making a succession of saves from the likes of Carlos Tevez, Fernando Llorente and double stop from substitute Alvaro Morata.
Matteo Darmian – Torino
Attacked from first minute down the right flank. Composed in possession, whipped in several dangerous scoring and scored the only goal of the game. Should have also had a second when put through one on one with the goalkeeper after half time.
Jose Basanta – Fiorentina
Came in for a rare start against Udinese. Not overly tested but did everything that was expected of him and looked very accomplished on the ball.
Nemanja Vidic – Inter
The former Manchester United captain has had a far from impressive start to his Serie A career but the performance against Sampdoria was a step in the right direction. Marked the opposing forwards tightly, was dominant in the air and did not make any rash challenges, something he has been guilty of doing quite often.
Aleandro Rosi – Genoa
Had his hands full for most of the game with Juventus as the Old Lady dominated for large periods. Resolute in his defending and had a good battle with the opposing Bianconeri wing back before being subbed of in the final minutes.
Victor Ibarbo – Cagliari
A constant menace to the rather pedestrian AC Milan back four. Combined perfectly with Marco Sau in attack, opened the scoring with a precise header and also had an earlier chance cleared of the line
Saphir Taider – Sassuolo
An all action display from the former Inter player. Had a goal ruled disallowed and went close to scoring on a couple of other occasions. Was also not afraid to roll his sleeves up and do his defensive duties either.
Rolando Mandragora – Genoa
Gian Piero Gasperini had Serie A experts running through their squad lists when he gave 17 year old Rolando Mandragora his debut. The youngster, thrown in at the deep end against the reigning Serie A champions did not look out of place in central midfield. Was excellent at tracking the midfield runs of the opponents and composed in possession.
Giacomo Bonaventura – AC Milan
Added some flair and creativity to the Rossoneri’s workmanlike midfield before fading in the second half. Scored a stunning lob from outside the box in the first half.
Juan Cuadrado – Fiorentina
Back to his best against Udinese. Had his opponents in stitches as the Columbian displayed his full repertoire of flick, tricks and step-overs. Created two of the three Viola goals on the night.
Khouma Babacar – Fiorentina (2 apps)
Finding his feet in Serie A after a slow start. Added to his tally with a brace against Udinese and held up the ball well throughout the game. Capitalized on a defensive error for his first and showed good composure and technique for his second.
