Round 32 of this Serie A campaign was one of the most eventful we have seen this season.
Juventus fell to defeat in the Derby Della Mole for the first time in 20 years, as a Fabio Quagliarella inspired Torino secured a 2-1 win in what was the biggest story of the weekend.
Elsewhere, Napoli grabbed a huge win as they defeated Sampdoria 4-2 at the Stadio San Paolo, Inter beat Roma, and AC Milan’s crisis continued as they slumped to a loss away to Udinese.
The formation chosen for the Team of the Week is a 3-4-3 and sees the lesser clubs in the Italian top flight well represented.
Feel free to comment if you feel we have overlooked someone in our selection.
Mattia Perin – Genoa (4 Team of the Week appearances)
The 22-year-old Italian was close to his best again this weekend, albeit against a below par team in the shape of Cesena. He made an important save with the score still at 1-0, which allowed the Grifone to go and double their lead just moments later. Perin also saved well from a one-on-one against Gregoire Defrel to secure his place as the week’s number one.
Nemanja Vidic – Inter (2 apps)
The Nerazzurri temporarily climbed as high as seventh place in Serie A with their victory over Roma, before Sunday’s results saw them slip back down to ninth, but Vidic and co can take pride from their performance. The Serb put in an almost perfect performance, barely putting a foot wrong all game and even denied what looked to be a certain goal in the second half with a timely interception.
Andrea Costa – Parma (2 apps)
Parma, who have had an almost comically bad season, coming up against the attacking talents of this Palermo side appeared to be a recipe for disaster for the Gialloblu but they somehow earned all three points as well as a clean sheet. Andrea Costa played a huge part in nullifying the Rosanero’s attacking threat and completely muted the seemingly unstoppable Paulo Dybala.
Modibo Diakite – Cagliari
Diakite helped his Rossoblu side to a shock 3-1 victory over Europa League semi-finalists Fiorentina. The French international comfortably dealt with everything La Viola threw into the box and never looked as though he was going to be beaten.
Hernanes – Inter (5 apps)
The Brazilian often comes under a lot of criticism, but his critics will be kept quiet this week as he is the second Inter representative in this team. He opened the scoring for the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza side with a lovely strike and dominated the midfield for the remainder of the match, always looking assured in possession.
Emmanuel Badu – Udinese
The Ghanaian scored what proved to be the decisive goal for his side, against a once again mediocre AC Milan side. He threatened going forward throughout the game and offered good defensive cover too. An impressive engine and all-round performance.
David Lopez – Napoli (2 apps)
The first of three Partenopei players in this team, but they all deserve their place after what was a huge win for the Neapolitan outfit. Lopez played in typical fashion, combining defence and attack well and will be annoyed that he couldn’t convert one of his first-half opportunities.
Riccardo Saponara – Empoli (3 apps)
A second consecutive TOTW appearance for Saponara is reflective of him becoming an established talent in Serie A. Put the Azzurri ahead with a classy finish in the first half and was integral to anything the struggling side put together throughout the game.
Manolo Gabbiadini – Napoli (3 apps)
The former Sampdoria man continued his rise in a Napoli shirt and will be glad to have topped it off with a goal. He looks a more complete player with every appearance and is an exciting sight for any Partenopei supporter.
Diego Farias – Cagliari
Another Brazilian player to make the cut, and surprisingly, another Cagliari player. The Sardinian side look like certainties for the drop but this week they gave a great account of themselves. Diego Farias gave a flawless performance, contributing with two assists and scoring a sensational solo goal late on to confirm the points in what was one of the weekend’s major shocks.
Gonzalo Higuain – Napoli (3 apps)
The Neapolitan people’s latest Argentine prince has been quite hit and miss this season, given his usually high standards. The 27-year-old will have been delighted to get himself on the scoresheet twice in what was a big match for his team. The Partenopei will be keen to hold on to him when they see these kind of performances.
