Round 32 of Serie A action was always going to be a tough act to follow, but thankfully, Round 33 has proven just as event-filled and contained just as much excitement as the week which preceded it.
AC Milan fell to yet another defeat, this time at the hands of Genoa. The result presented the Grifone with their first win against the Rossoneri the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza since 1958.
Elsewhere, Juventus overcame Fiorentina in a 5 goal thriller, Roma recorded a win away to Sassuolo, and Napoli fell to a shock defeat at Empoli in a game that saw three own goals.
Without further ado, the formation chosen for this week’s Team of the Week is a 4-3-1-2, and sees some very attacking fullbacks deployed.
Feel free to comment if you feel we have overlooked someone in our selection.
Diego Lopez – AC Milan (5 Team of the Week appearances)
Although the Rossoneri fell to a humiliating defeat and conceded three goals, things would have been a lot worse were it not for the former Real Madrid man. The Spaniard was massively let down as his defence exposed him time and time again and while the result was already embarrassing, it would have been on another level in Lopez’s absence.
Bruno Peres – Torino (4 apps)
The Brazilian earned his place in the team largely thanks to his attacking exploits. The wing-back was involved in both of Toro’s goals against Palermo as he picked up a goal and an assist on the night. He caused the Rosanero problems all night long with his pace and sheer power when galloping forward.
Nicolas Burdisso – Genoa
The 34-year-old defender showed every bit of his experience as his side claimed a historic win at the San Siro. He completely nullified the threat of Capocannoniere hopeful Jeremy Menez before the Frenchman was dismissed. His organisation and reading of the game was vital to Genoa’s success.
Bostjan Cesar – Chievo
Though it’s not a prerequisite to make the team, I do like to have at least one defender in my eleven who kept a clean sheet. He comfortably dealt with any threat Cagliari shoed through Marco Sau and Duje Cop. He also looked good in possession and displayed good distribution.
Achraf Lazaar – Palermo
Again, another attacking option in defence, but a completely deserved place in this team. The Moroccan international was as much a problem as the aforementioned Bruno Peres was for the opposition. He finished the night with two assists, and his forward runs were a thorn in the side of Torino throughout the game.
Miralem Pjanic – Roma (3 apps)
Before even taking his goal into consideration, Pjanic delivered a near perfect performance at Sassuolo and was always likely to get on the scoresheet. He came close early on with a free kick and his distribution was flawless throughout. A brilliant all round performance from Il Pianista.
Riccardo Saponara – Empoli (4 apps)
With this selection, the 23-year-old is making a third consecutive appearance in the TOTW this season – something which only Paul Pogba and Felipe Anderson have achieved. The AC Milan loanee continued to let us know just how good he is and speculate further about how bright his future could be. The cherry to top off his performance was a beautifully taken bicycle kick goal which helped the Azzurri to claim all three points.
Andrea Bertolacci – Genoa (4 apps)
The young playmaker was on top form on Wednesday evening, and even contributed with a wonderful solo goal as his side became the latest team on the long list of teams who have beaten Milan in recent memory. He persistently caused problems for the Rossoneri and was in menacing form.
Iago Falque – Genoa
Another Grifone player to make the cut, but I make no apologies for that as they were superb in their San Siro victory. The 25-year-old Spaniard was impossible for Milan to tame as he exploited the space between midfield and defence and his tricky runs were near impossible to stop. His performance was made complete as he scored from the penalty spot.
Carlos Tevez – Juventus (8 apps)
This appearance puts him level with Paul Pogba as the overall leader for TOTW appearances, and with this in mind it is easy to see why Juventini will be hoping they can hold on to the man known as El Apache for one more year at least. His goal was sublime, and converted in a typically Tevez-like clinical fashion. It doesn’t take long to run out of superlatives for this man.
Mauricio Pinilla – Atalanta
Not for the first time this season, Pinigol scored a sensational bicycle kick to earn his side a point. I concede, he probably wouldn’t be appearing in this list had his goal not been so spectacular, but when you consider the fact that it’s not even the first time he’s scored a goal of this nature this season, I think you would be hard-pressed to argue that he is not deserving of his place. As well as this strike, he did score another, more routine goal as La Dea drew 2-2 with fellow struggles Cesena.
