Round 36 of Serie A action has seen the cream of the crop pull further away from this season’s pretenders, while the race for safety now sees itself as a two-horse affair.
Napoli have maintained their two-point advantage over Roma, thanks to a Gonzalo Higuain double, responding to yet another game-changing goal by Francesco Totti. Behind them, Inter lost to Lazio, whilst Fiorentina dropped points to Chievo and Sassuolo overtook AC Milan for a European spot.
Frosinone nearly beat the Rossoneri at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza but ended up with only a draw that has all but doomed them to Serie B. Carpi fell to Juventus, whilst Palermo‘s victory over Sampdoria means the Rosanero are now level on points with the Biancorossi.
Our Team of the Week will see a 3-4-1-2 formation deployed.
Do you agree with our selection? Have your say in the comments below or get in touch on Twitter @SerieAFFC!
Francesco Bardi – Frosinone
Bardi was forced to stand on his head for most of the game, and was downright spectacular in the first half. An error did lead to the Rossoneri’s first goal, but he bailed out another terrible defensive display from his backline. Not bad for a goalkeeper making his first start of the season.
Thiago Cionek – Palermo
With the Polish international on the pitch, Palermo have not conceded in two games. He personally saved the day with a sliding block on a goal-bound Daniele De Silvestri effort.
Francesco Acerbi – Sassuolo (7 Team of the Week appearances)
An absolute wall for Sassuolo, helping the Neroverdi climb to what would be an historical European spot. Acerbi seems ready for the Euros.
Luca Antonelli – AC Milan (3 apps)
One of the few Rossoneri to play decently against Frosinone, a wonder-goal seconds after his entrance inspiring Milan’s comeback.
Antonio Candreva – Lazio (4 apps)
The Italy winger showed Roberto Mancini why he would be a great signing for Inter by breaking Nerazzurri backs again, putting constant pressure on the defence and firing home his side’s second goal from eleven metres.
Afriyie Acquah – Torino
Hardly a natural shoo-in for TOTW honours, against Udinese Acquah finally added some quality to his consistent defensive effort and scored a beautiful goal, smashing a powerful shot under the bar in Torino’s rampage of Udinese.
Lorenzo Pellegrini – Sassuolo (2 apps)
The teenager has confirmed himself as one of the revelations of Eusebio Di Francesco’s wonderful Sassuolo, showing glimpses of the ideal modern midfielder, combining defensive strength with quality on the ball. The icing on the cake: the decisive goal which may take the Neroverdi into the Europa League next season.
Franco Vazquez – Palermo (2 apps)
The oriundo scored the opening goal and set up the second. If Palermo manage to remain in Serie A, it will be thanks to his class and consistent efforts.
Andrea Belotti – Torino (2 apps)
A goal for the youngster, and what a goal it was. For good measure, he added two others that were disallowed against Udinese. The former U21 star is the man of the moment for Torino, having tallied 11 goals in 2016. What more will it take to convince Antonio Conte?
Gonzalo Higuain – Napoli (16 apps)
Hardly missing a step after returning from suspension, this season’s capocannoniere Found the net twice to kill Atalanta, taking his tally to 32 goals in 33 appearances. He is the difference between Napoli and the teams chasing, and his world class was on full display once again. Despite missing the the Partenopei’s previous three matches, the Argentine talisman is now just three goals behind Gunnar Nordahl for the single-season scoring record.
Francesco Totti – Roma (2 apps)
If his status as an all-time legend was in any doubt, he has put that to rest over the past month. The Eternal Captain’s second-half inclusion changed the Giallorossi’s fortunes once again as one of his trademark piledriver free kicks gave Roma yet another three points. Totti now has four goals and an assist in his last five matches, in just over 100 minutes, all of which have either brought his side level or given them the lead. Contract to be extended, please.
