With this weekend in Serie A coming to a close, 24 fixtures have now been played and Napoli and Juventus start to pull away from the rest of the league.
As most of you know, I have followed Serie A since the 1980s, and even more so since the internet became a thing in the 90s. Having been giving out betting advice for the last 15 years around the net, I consider myself someone who knows a thing or two about the league. I watch all of these matches either live or by streaming them and stream plenty of Italian Serie B matches on Saturdays because I want to see what is going on for myself, and not read someone else’s take on it.
So, this is your weekly wrap-up segment on GMS, because no one can bring you this angle, and my insights other than… well, me! So let’s talk about what happened around Italian Serie A this weekend, because it was a pretty good round of football.
Two matches went down on Saturday as Bologna hosted Fiorentina and Genoa hosted Lazio, each match ending in a draw.
First, here are the stats from the match after Full Time, and then I will discuss each match a bit further.
Club vs Club – 3-Way W – D – W Lines
Bologna 1:1 Fiorentina 4.69 – 3.62 – 2.05
Genoa 0:0 Lazio 2.78 – 3.26 – 3.09
Bologna 1 – 1 Fiorentina – FT
47% Ball Possession 53%
12 Goal Attempts 12
6 Shots on Goal 2
3 Shots off Goal 7
3 Blocked Shots 3
15 Free Kicks 17
8 Corner Kicks 4
5 Offsides 5
1 Goalkeeper Saves 5
13 Fouls 10
0 Red Cards 1
2 Yellow Cards 4
What made this match strange is that it took almost an hour to find the first goal, and it came by the team who had a player sent off the pitch not two minutes earlier.
The Viola made it 1 – 0 in the 59th minute, but they did it playing down a man after Chilean Matías Fernández committed a stupid second foul that earned him an early shower. Already playing with a yellow card, Fernández basically tore off the jersey of Domenico Maietta right in front of the ref, but it didn’t stop the Viola’s Federico Bernardeschi from finding the net.
Barcelona loanee Cristian Tello completed a splendid inside pass that found Bernardischi waiting alone to, convincingly and calmly, put home the game’s first goal.
Bologna’s goal to level the match just four minutes later came on a similar play, and we offer this as one of our three nominations for goal of the week in Serie A. You will have your chance to vote on your choice as well, and I will announce the winner on the World Tour Soccer Podcast this Thursday.
Here it is…..
Notice who started the drive, because Emanuele Giaccherini was the one who finished it.
He made the outlet pass, which then got advanced to Godfred Donsah, who in turn found Giaccherini at the spot slamming home the equalizer.
We just love the drive that started actually much further back if you watched the match. They had completed double-digit passes before you see Giaccherini make the outlet pass, so the nomination goes for the drive and the finish in essence.
The match ended 1 – 1, so a point to both sides means that Fiorentina sit third in the table with 46 points. That is eight points behind second place Juventus, and one point above Inter Milan.
Bologna is now tied with Chievo Verona on 30 points in the 10th and 11th positions respectively.
Second game on Saturday came at Stadio Luigi Ferraris, where Genoa hosted Lazio.
Genoa 0 – 0 Lazio – FT
51% Ball Possession 49%
4 Goal Attempts 10
1 Shots on Goal 2
2 Shots off Goal 6
1 Blocked Shots 2
21 Free Kicks 15
2 Corner Kicks 9
3 Offsides 3
2 Goalkeeper Saves 1
12 Fouls 18
3 Yellow Cards 3
You can guess that one of the goal-of-the-week nominations didn’t come from this match, as neither side was able to find the net. Lazio certainly had the better of the chances, as you see the 10 attempts, but we only saw a total of three shots on frame, and only one of them came in the first half.
How many times have we discussed Lazio when they leave Rome, in my last 2-3 years of those who follow my writing or my podcasts? Nothing about this match changed that opinion, and they have to regroup quickly with a Thursday match on deck this week, albeit it’s against winless Hellas Verona at Stadio Olimpico.
The schedulers moved this match to Thursday because Lazio has a Europa League match in Turkey against Galatasaray next Thursday before their match at Frosinone on February 21. So Lazio will be busy having a Europa League and Serie A campaign to navigate through the spring.
The result leaves Lazio in 9th place with 33 points trailing Empoli by a point.
The result for Genoa leaves them with 25 points just above the relegation zone, in 16th position of the table.
Sunday we had eight matches on the board, and what a weekend of action it was.
We have two more nominations to make for goal of the week in Serie A, so get your cursor ready to make a selection.
Let’s list the Sunday schedule, and then break it down from there.
Club vs Club – 3-Way W – D – W Lines
Verona 3:3 Inter 5.00 – 3.80 – 1.92
Frosinone 0:2 Juventus 17.00 – 6.70 – 1.34
AC Milan 1:1 Udinese 1.61 – 4.27 – 7.50
Napoli 1:0 Carpi 1.24 – 8.30 – 21.00
Sassuolo 2:2 Palermo 1.85 – 3.83 – 6.14
Torino 1:2 Chievo 1.75 – 3.80 – 7.06
Atalanta – Empoli 2.88 – 3.23 – 3.10
AS Roma – Sampdoria 1.54 – 4.60 – 7.60
_________________________________
Hellas Verona 3 – 3 Inter Milan – FT
26% Ball Possession 74%
10 Goal Attempts 15
4 Shots on Goal 7
4 Shots off Goal 5
2 Blocked Shots 3
14 Free Kicks 20
7 Corner Kicks 10
0 Offsides 2
4 Goalkeeper Saves 1
20 Fouls 12
3 Yellow Cards 2
Hellas Verona finally won their first match of the campaign in their mid-week match with Atalanta at home, although they had to do it comeback fashion after going down 1 – 0 early.
With an 83rd-minute goal from Pazzini while playing most of the second half up a man, the Gialloblu are now in the win column.
In an attempt to back up the win and actually put a mini streak together to climb any closer out of possible relegation to Serie B next campaign, Verona fell victim to a comeback by Inter Milan.
Verona went down 1 – 0 early in the match, and then proceeded to score three unanswered goals to take a seemingly secure 3 – 1 lead. The last half hour of the match was dominated by Inter Milan who stole two points from Verona and came away with a point of their own as a result of the draw.
One would think that a match with three goals from each club might put a nominee on the board for goal of the week, but the first four goals came off headers from three corner kicks and a set piece, although the first Verona goal came damn close to making it.
Herlander went up against three Inter defenders to redirect the corner into the back of the net, so we will at least give him the nod for goal of that match respectively.
The result leaves Verona at the bottom of the table with 15 points, which sounds high for a club with one win. 11 draws have at least not made it impossible to climb out of the hole, despite needing to make up nine points to catch Sampdoria who are currently just above the drop zone.
Inter Milan now stands at 45 points in fourth place, currently holding the Europa League group stage entry position in the table, but obviously much will be shifting with 14 matches remaining in the campaign.
Frosinone 0 – 2 Juventus – FT
32% Ball Possession 68%
5 Goal Attempts 25
0 Shots on Goal 9
4 Shots off Goal 9
1 Blocked Shots 7
17 Free Kicks 24
2 Corner Kicks 6
2 Offsides 3
7 Goalkeeper Saves 0
23 Fouls 15
3 Yellow Cards 1
Nomination number two comes with the goal to make it 2 – 0 for Juventus as added time had just been shown on the sidelines.
Paulo Dybala’s masterful left boot helped clinch the three points for the surging Old Lady, marking their 14th straight league win, while also advancing their record to an 18 – 1 – 1 mark over their last 20 outings in all competitions.
Here is the nominated goal from Dybala….
Alvaro Morata Goal – Chievo vs Juventus 0-2 by footy-goals
Alvaro Morata had either Paul Pogba to his left, or Dybala to his right. All three Frosinone defenders chose to stay on the ball instead of spreading out to cover the three man rush to the box, and Dybala made no mistake, which you can see from the last angle of the shot from field level.
It’s ridiculous really, and just full of class with the final touch to also help GiGi Buffon add to his clean sheet total, as Frosinone did not put a single shot on frame in the match.
There were two decent opportunities for the Canaries, but without a world class finisher up front — and becoming the first club to allow 50 goals this campaign — relegation looms for Frosinone.
The result leaves Frosinone with 19 points, just above Hellas Verona four point clear of the bottom position, and tied with Carpi.
To add insult to injury, keep an eye out for a possible suspension coming for Frosinone’s Danilo Soddimo. He threw a cheap elbow on Dybala as the ref was about to blow the final whistle, and it may land him a suspension to go along with the yellow card he picked up for the idiocy.
The poor start to the Juventus campaign is certainly behind them, but two of their next three matches will be a true test to just how far they’ve come. Juventus will host Napoli this weekend, travel to Bologna on the 19th, and will also be hosting…..
Wait for it …..
I mean it is a big match if there ever was one….
Wait one more second….
Okay thank you for waiting, and this message has been brought to you by the World Tour Soccer Podcast,
What’s the big match? Bayern Munich comes calling to start off the Round of 16 in Champions League, and that might just be worth watching for any football fan out there.
We will save that discussion for my Champions League posts as that arrives later, but for now the 2 – 0 result leaves Juventus just two points behind Napoli atop the Serie A table.
AC Milan 1 – 1 Udinese – FT
63% Ball Possession 37%
22 Goal Attempts 9
5 Shots on Goal 5
10 Shots off Goal 2
7 Blocked Shots 2
17 Free Kicks 18
9 Corner Kicks 0
4 Offsides 3
4 Goalkeeper Saves 4
14 Fouls 14
1 Yellow Cards 3
Can you be any more impressed with 16-year old goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma? Might we be talking about the next Gigi? He does have the same name as Mr. Buffon, and we know what he has done, but obviously he has a long way to go to come close to the accomplishments of Gianluigi Buffon.
His big save actually led to the equalizing score for Milan after going down 1 – 0 in the 17th minute to Udinese.
Udinese came so close to making it 2 – 0 just as the second half got underway. The transition goal to make it 1 – 1 was finished by Milan’s M’Baye Babacar Niang. The goal comes in as our third nominee, only because it came off a brilliant save that led to a four-pass combination that provided the splendid finish that essentially earned Milan a point.
Check out the Niang Goal to make it 1 – 1…..
The 1 – 1 result leaves A.C Milan just outside European positions in 6th place with 40 points, while Udinese holds on to the 14th position with 27 points
Napoli 1 – 0 Carpi – FT
76% Ball Possession 24%
22 Goal Attempts 2
7 Shots on Goal 0
12 Shots off Goal 2
3 Blocked Shots 0
12 Free Kicks 11
13 Corner Kicks 1
2 Offsides 0
0 Goalkeeper Saves 6
9 Fouls 13
0 Red Cards 1
1 Yellow Cards 6
As evident from the stat sheet you see, Napoli controlled the match, although never did score from the run of play, as Higuain’s penalty kick conversion accounts for the only goal of the match.
Carpi Center midfielder Rafaelle Bianco was sent off the pitch after picking up a second yellow card in the 56th minute, although it is questionable if he or Cristian Zaccardo actually committed the foul. Even with plenty of extra looks from replay, I too can still not decide which of the two provided the contact that sent Lorenzo Insigne to the turf. Regardless, it led to Carpi having to finish the match a man down, and Higuain’s penalty kick strike in the 69th minute.
The result keeps Napoli two points clear on Juve on top of the Serie A table, and leaves Carpi tied with Frosinone at 19 points in the relegation zone for now.
Sassuolo 2 – 2 Palermo – FT
64% Ball Possession 36%
23 Goal Attempts 7
6 Shots on Goal 2
10 Shots off Goal 2
7 Blocked Shots 3
25 Free Kicks 23
7 Corner Kicks 3
2 Offsides 2
0 Goalkeeper Saves 4
21 Fouls 22
0 Red Cards 1
3 Yellow Cards 2
This was a pretty decent match to watch, as each club scored a goal in both halves, but Palermo likely feels like the successor coming away with a point away from home.
Palermo scored first, but Sassuolo scored in added time of the first half to bring both clubs to the half at 1 – 1.
Sassuolo scored just five minutes in to the second half, but allowed an equalizing goal just three minutes later.
The ultimate reason that Palermo feels like they escaped Mapei Stadium with a result, is simply because they had to play the last 15 minutes of the match down a man, while also facing 23 shots towards their net.
Morocco defender Achraf Lazaar was the only Palermo player to pick up bookings in the match, as he was handed a yellow card late in the first half, and his final act of the game came again in the 75th minute. Earning him an early exit from the match, an outlet pass that had Domenico Berardi hoping to break in on net alone, ended in Lazaar taking down the Italian national on his way there.
The result leaves Sassuolo in eighth place tied with Empoli with 34 points, with Palermo stuck in in the 15th spot in the table entering next weekend’s round 25.
Torino 1 – 2 Chievo Cerona – FT
52% Ball Possession 48%
12 Goal Attempts 8
4 Shots on Goal 3
5 Shots off Goal 4
3 Blocked Shots 1
19 Free Kicks 27
6 Corner Kicks 2
3 Offsides 1
1 Goalkeeper Saves 3
25 Fouls 18
3 Yellow Cards 3
Chievo Verona joined Juventus as the only two clubs to come away with three points away from home this weekend, and the win now gives the Verona outfit a 5 – 2 – 6 record in their travels this campaign.
Torino was essentially responsible for all three goals in the match, if you break it down the way I see it.
Torino scored first in the 19th minute, after a decent strike from Marco Benassi that was a result of a brilliant first touch from Ciro Immobile to create the chance. Immobile just returned to Torino on January 14 on loan from Sevilla, and he has certainly made an impact with the club since putting on the maroon jersey again.
After two uneventful stints with Borussia Dortmund and Sevilla, Immobile now has a chance to finish the campaign in Italy, and his control of a long outlet pass gave him the ability to turn and find Marco Benassi right at the penalty spot, who made no mistake in finding the back of the net.
An own goal from Torino midfielder Bruno Peres accounted for the equalizer to level the match in the 34th minute, and a foul inside the Torino defensive goal box led to the final strike of the match off the boot of Valter Birsa.
Birsa stepped up to the penalty kick with conviction, and caught the Torino keeper Daniele Padelli leaning to his right, as he smashed the shot home to the left just inside the post.
The win for Chievo now has them tied with Bologna on 30 points, while also leapfrogging Torino who entered the match one point ahead of Cheivo, now two points behind, with the two clubs smack in the middle of the Serie A table.
Atalanta 0 – 0 Empoli – FT
40% Ball Possession 60%
11 Goal Attempts 9
2 Shots on Goal 3
6 Shots off Goal 5
3 Blocked Shots 1
17 Free Kicks 23
5 Corner Kicks 3
4 Offsides 4
3 Goalkeeper Saves 2
19 Fouls 14
3 Yellow Cards 4
The first half of this match was the only thing worth watching, because it provided all five shots on frame, with the best opportunities on net coming in the first 45 minutes.
The second half? It was sort of like watching paint dry, or waiting for water to boil on the stove, or more like waiting for a shooting comet to go by the night sky. Nothing to really discuss here, unless you find value in a scoreless draw that at least did give each club a point.
The result leaves Empoli tied with Sassuolo on 34 points, which is six points better than Atalanta who has now gone nine straight league matches without a win. Atalanta has scored only five times in that stretch, and so far only Udinese, Carpi and Hellas Verona have scored less goals in the campaign than Atalanta.
AS Roma 2 – 1 Sampdoria – FT
56% Ball Possession 44%
13 Goal Attempts 10
4 Shots on Goal 4
6 Shots off Goal 4
3 Blocked Shots 2
15 Free Kicks 11
4 Corner Kicks 5
0 Offsides 3
3 Goalkeeper Saves 2
12 Fouls 12
2 Yellow Cards 3
The last match of the round took place at Stadio Olimpico, and Roma came away with the 2 – 1 win despite some amount of pressure from Sampdoria to try to find that equalizing goal.
Amazingly, we have a similar situation to the Torino match here, as Roma accounted for all three goals, but at least did score two of their own before allowing an own goal just before the hour mark.
The goal to make it 2 – 0 for Roma came off the boot of Argentinian Diego Perotti, and it was a gem of a goal for sure. We will give it out as an honorable mention towards the goal of the weekend, and it could arguably be in the discussion after the volley smash from the top of the box that found pay dirt.
Manager Luciano Spalletti has lit a spark under his Roman club since returning to Rome, as the Italian national managed here from 2005 – 09, winning two Coppa Italia titles and one Super Cup title in his former time there.
Three straight league wins will help the cause, and having Carpi and Palermo coming up next will likely see Roma favored to win those matches, but let’s not lose track of the fact that mighty Real Madrid are coming to Rome on February 17 for the Round of 16 in Champions League.
Naturally, there was no sign of Francesco Totti again this weekend, as he played his one required match of the second half of the campaign already, which I say in my most sarcastic voice because I am sick of hoping he will play and not seeing him in the lineup again. Maybe he will make an appearance for the Madrid match, but let’s not cross all of our fingers and toes on that one.
Roma’s win this weekend has them hanging on to the fifth position in the table with 44 points, as they, Fiorentina and Inter Milan are sitting 3 – 4 – 5 in the table all separated by a point.
Samp has now lost five of their last six, with one point coming from a draw in the mix, and they are now deep in the discussion for possible demotion to Serie B only five points clear of Carpi and Frosinone.
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So please do not forget to vote for the goal of the weekend, which can be found at the Get More Sports Forum located here …. Link to Forum Poll
Your choices are
1) Bologna’s Emanuele Giaccherini
2) Juventus’ Paulo Dybala
3) AC Milan’s M’Baye Babacar Niang
You may leave your comments here, but I prefer you vote on the forum please.
Link to Forum post to Vote is located here …. VOTE
Grazie, and I hope you enjoyed this week’s wrap up of the 24th round of Serie A action.
