Round 28 of the Serie A season saw Roma return to winning ways thanks to a sole Daniele De Rossi goal against Cesena, AC Milan secure a much-needed three points against Cagliari and Inter lose to Sampdoria.
Carlos Tevez ensured Juventus overcame Genoa, Mario Gomez scored a brace as Fiorentina drew 2-2 with Udinese and Napoli scraped a draw against the ten men of Atalanta.
The formation for the Team of The Week is a 4-2-3-1 with Serie A top scorer Carlos Tevez leading the attack.
Empoli’s Ricardo Saponara gets the central playmaker role with Eder and Jeremy Menez deployed on the flanks.
Do you agree with the choices? Feel free to leave a comment if you feel we have overlooked anybody.
Albano Bizzarri – Chievo
Was a calming influence for his side, claiming crosses and high balls with authority. He was redundant for long periods as his team dominated the game with Palermo but showed great reactions to deny Paulo Dybala what looked like a certain goal.
Marcello Gazzola – Sassuolo (2 Team of The Week appearances)
Was on the losing side in the match with Empoli but his performance could not be faulted. Defended resolutely, blocking several crosses whilst delivering numerous dangerous balls into the penalty area at the other end of the pitch.
Dario Dainelli – Chievo (2 apps)
Used his experience and intelligence to ensure he was in the right place at the right time to cope with the opposing Palermo forwards. Managed to keep the highly rated Paulo Dybala quiet for long periods.
Leonardo Bonucci – Juventus (2 apps)
Was robust and physical when dealing with the speedy Genoa forwards and worked well in tandem with his fellow centre backs. Apart from receiving a yellow card for getting involved in a needless scuffle with Marco Borriello it was a strong outing from the international.
Jose Holebas – Roma (3 apps)
Dealt with the sporadic Cesena attacks with ease and used the ball well when in possession. Was always willing to venture forward and provide width down the left flank, none more so when his cross was poked home by Daniele De Rossi.
Mirko Valdifiori – Empoli (2 apps)
The midfielder celebrated his debut call up to the national squad with another standout performance, pinging inch perfect balls to his team mates throughout the game with Sassuolo enabling them to stretch their unbeaten run in the league.
Nigel De Jong – AC Milan
The Dutchman’s performance was crucial in helping AC Milan secure a much-needed three points against Cagliari. He won the ball back from the opponents on numerous occasions and made a couple of crucial interventions in the penalty area. His range of passing improved as the game became more stretched and he regularly supplied Jeremy Menez with accurate through balls in the second half.
Eder – Sampdoria
Never gave the Inter defenders a moments rest with his tireless running with and without the ball. Always comfortable when in possession and scored a sublime free kick in the second half. The Brazilian will soon be representing the Azzurri after he was called up to Antonio Conte’s squad for the upcoming internationals.
Ricardo Saponara – Empoli
Had a quiet first half against Sassuolo but turned things around in the second. He opened the scoring shortly after the interval with a fine dribble and finish before turning provider for Levan Mchedlidze and then adding a second shortly after. Is now starting to show his quality after a frustrating period at AC Milan.
Jeremy Menez – AC Milan (4 apps)
Opened the scoring against Cagliari with a splendid individual strike, bending the ball into the bottom right hand corner of the net with minimum back lift. He was able to beat his marker countless times and got on the score sheet again late on in the game with a penalty.
Carlos Tevez – Juventus (7 apps)
Followed on from his brace in the Champions League against Borussia Dortmund with another match winning display. Showed no signs of fatigue as he continued to work relentlessly for the champions and settled the tie with a thunderbolt of a strike. He showed he is human though when he missed a penalty in the 62nd minute.
