Round 35 of this Serie A season was one of the most enthralling and goal saturated game weeks of the European calendar this campaign.
In a round which saw the slaughtering of old stereotypes surrounding Italian football, there was a staggering average of 4.2 goals per game.
Recently crowned champions Juventus were held to a 1-1 draw against the seemingly relegation-confined Cagliari, while their city rivals Torino were thrashed 5-1 at the hands of Genoa in the weekend’s final game on Monday evening. Elsewhere, AC Milan beat Roma 2-1 at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza with Inter defeating nine-man Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico by the same scoreline.
Our Team of the Week for Round 35 will see a 3-4-3 formation deployed.
Antonio Mirante – Parma
Marek Hamsik, Manolo Gabbiadini and Gonzalo Higuain were all left frustrated by the Parma shotstopper on Sunday afternoon, with Higuain allowing these frustrations to boil over after the full time whistle. The already relegated Giallobly would have been out of sight were it not for their last line of defence.
Dusan Basta – Lazio (3 Team of the Week appearances)
The Serbian international played in almost every position as the Biancocelesti were reduced to nine men and eventually left chasing a goal. Basta was superb defensively throughout and showed good composure and adaptability in reacting to circumstances.
Giuseppe Biava – Atalanta
In a game which saw La Dea all but secure their Serie A status for another season at least, the 38-year-old defender turned back time and put in a monumental shift against the dynamic attacking threat of the Rosanero. Were it not for the veteran, Atalanta would not have won the game – it’s that simple.
Luca Rossettini – Cagliari
The 30-year-old centre back defended admirably throughout and was the man responsible for reigning on the parade of Paul Pogba’s Juventus return as he turned home an equaliser at the Juventus Stadium with just five minutes left to play.
Hernanes – Inter (6 apps)
With Lazio having taken the lead, it was the Brazilian’s free kick that levelled the scoring. When Inter looked to be struggling to break through the stubborn nine men of Lazio, it was the former Biancocelesti player who evaded the defence and comfortably slotted home his second of the game. A real contender for performance of the week.
Roberto Soriano – Sampdoria (3 apps)
The Italian played a significant role in earning his side the three points against Udinese, scoring twice in the process. Soriano showed good movement throughout the game which caused the Zebrette problems, as did his crossing that could have caused more problems than it did.
Cristobal Jorquera – Parma
His standing ovation as he left the field was more than deserving. Scored a brilliantly executed free kick which was straight off the training ground, as he rolled the ball forward before unleashing a venomous strike beyond the helpless Andujar in the Napoli goal.
Josip Ilicic – Fiorentina
It is amazing that this is the Slovenian’s first TOTW appearance. He has now scored four times in his last three outings and his preceding 19-match barren run just looks all the more inexplicable when he is in this form. His first goal was as classy as you like and his second the epitome of composure in front of goal.
Manolo Gabbiadini – Napoli (5 apps)
The former Samp man is making a habit of finding himself in my TOTWs. In their time of need, Gabbiadini once again stepped up to the mark with another important goal for the Partenopei. Having only joined the club in January, it is exciting to see what the 23-year-old can go on to achieve in his career.
Tino Costa – Genoa
Despite only starting the game as a substitute, the Argentine forward made a big impact after coming on. He found himself on the scoresheet twice, with the first of these being a well-executed free kick, the Genoa man is changed the game once introduced.
Luca Toni – Hellas Verona (4 apps)
The veteran striker was up to his old tricks in the Verona derby and he continued the purple patch he has found himself in this season. The almost 38-year-old Italian international was too much to handle for the Chievo defence in the first half, but he unfortunately, and understandably faded in the second.
