With two big clashes in Rome and Milan and a flurry of goals across the Italian peninsula, the Serie A weekend left us plenty to chew on before we turn our attention to midweek European action. While Inter cemented its status as the ultimate Scudetto favorites with a thrilling win at the Olimpico, the race for fourth place remains exciting and exciting. So let’s take a look at the most interesting events in Serie A, Round 24, taking the Tops and Flops.
Top (Player): Lorenzo Pellegrini
We rarely pick a player whose team was beaten on aggregate for this point. However, there haven’t been too many impressive individual performances this round, with Lorenzo Pellegrini deserving of the nod despite being on the wrong side of a 2-4 home defeat.
The Roma captain was the driving force behind his side’s first-half comeback with two superb assists. He lifted Gianluca Mancini’s header with a superb cross and with a clever pass he picked up Stephan El-Shaarawy.
The Italian midfielder should have had a hat-trick of assists as his spectacular long ball went through the Inter defense like a knife through butter, but his effort was missed by the next player on the list.
Flop (Player): Romelu Lukaku
You’d think Romelu Lukaku would be determined to make a statement against Inter after being the target of abuse for months following last summer’s transfer saga.
But for the second time this season, the Belgian simply faded away against his former employers, failing to pull the trigger despite being given plenty of chances to wreak havoc.
The Nerazzurri Fans were outraged by the striker’s behavior in the summer. But after two miserable performances, they have little reason to mourn his departure, especially with his replacement Marcus Thuram in spectacular form.
Top (Manager): Thiago Motta
Thiago Motta has become a regular in this department and deservedly so. The Italian-Brazilian has now established Bologna as a bona fide contender for European places, currently sitting fifth in the table, ahead of Napoli, Lazio and Roma.
What’s more, the Emilians aren’t just picking up points, they’re doing it with empathy, as evidenced by their latest performance against sorry Lecce who had to make the long trip south after conceding four goals to Renato Dall’Ara.
Take a bow, sir!
Flop (Manager): Eusebio Di Francesco
After a mesmerizing start to the season, Frosinone are slowly but surely sliding towards the relegation dogfight. So after receiving praise for his work at first – and for good reason – Eusebio Di Francesco’s work is now under a lot of scrutiny.
The way he handled the away clash with Fiorentina suggests the former Roma boss doesn’t always read the room correctly as he opted for a progressive approach while using a group of talented players in a 4-3-3 formation, but it was done to pay his “bravery” conceding five goals.
Instead of trying to rectify the situation in the second half, he continued to drop attacking players to save the result while his team continued to drown deeper and deeper in the Purple Sea.
With more performances like this, Di Francesco could be sacked again before the end of the season.
Top (Team): Fiorentina
Perhaps Frosinone made life a little easier for Fiorentina, but the Tuscans deserve major props for a timely masterclass that ended their misery early in 2024.
Vincenzo Italiano’s men were all on song. Jonathan Ikoné was in excellent form, while Andrea Belotti opened his account for the club and Nico Gonzalez made amends with the fans with a superb volley.
The Viola they will need more of the same to stay in the mix of a chaotic race for European spots.
Flop (Team): Salernitana
Well, that might be it for Salernitana. If they can’t beat Empoli at home, how can we still believe in a great escape?
The Grenade suffered a 1-3 defeat by their former boss Davide Nicolo (the author of their incredible escape a few years ago), marking the end of Filippo Inzaghi’s reign at Salerno.
The Southerners are bottom of the Serie A table with just 13 points after round 24. They have won just two games this season, which is also the number of managers they have sacked.
Top (Goalkeeper): Maduka Okaye
Slowly but surely, Maduka Okaye usurped Marco Silvestri and after an impressive clean sheet at the Allianz Stadium, he has now further cemented his status as Udinese’s No.1.
Admittedly, Juventus had a miserable night and struggled to create dangerous chances. But even when they did, the 24-year-old was always there to thwart their efforts, helping them Zebret killed another Serie A top club.
The best Regista in the world? How Inter avenged Pirlo’s exit by grabbing Calhanoglu
Flop (Goalkeeper): Wladimiro Falcone
For the second week in a row, Wladimiro Falcone receives the accolade. But unlike last week, when Lecce managed to prevail in a thrilling battle against Fiorentina despite a howling goalkeeper, a poor display cost them this time.
The Italian keeper was unable to clear the ball properly in Bologna’s first goal, giving Sam Beukema a golden opportunity to score Bologna’s first. He was then beaten at his near post by Riccardo Orsolini, letting the ball slip between his legs.
From then on the damage was irreparable, with Lecce conceding two more goals, though through no fault of his own.
Top (match): Roma – Inter
Despite being hampered by Rome’s heavy rains that inevitably slow the pace, Roma and Inter Milan still put on a show for the Stadio Olimpico crowds and all the Serie A fans watching around the world. This was a six-goal thriller that included two comebacks.
Although the upsets were somewhat unexpected, Inter coming out on top shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone.
Flop (match): Monza – Verona
Our thoughts are with the editorial team who had to compile a highlight reel montage of a stalemate that featured almost no dangerous chances at either end of the pitch.
At the end of the day, both sides seemed satisfied with a point, especially Verona who stay alive for now.
Top (debut): El Bilal Touré
After missing the entire first half of the season through injury, Atalanta’s record signing finally made his Serie A debut in Round 24, coming on as a substitute in the team’s away game against Genoa.
While the tie was already settled at that point, the Mali international insisted on marking the occasion with a clinical header that made it 4-1 in his favor La Dea.
Watch this.
Top (Back): M’Baye Niang
For us Serie A fans, seeing M’Baye Niang take to the pitch was like a return from the vault. The 29-year-old was once a promising AC Milan youngster but has not plied his trade in Italy since 2018.
However, it was a memorable comeback from the Senegalese who made his debut for Empoli off the bench and managed to restore their lead against Salernitana with a penalty before assisting Matteo Cancellieri to put the match to bed .
It will be interesting to see how the older and more mature version of Niang fares in Italian football.
Top (Achievement): Ciro Immobile
With a clinical strike against Cagliari, Ciro Immobile smashed his way into a truly elite team. The Lazio captain now has 200 Serie A goals to his name.
It’s yet another feat to add to the growing list of achievements of arguably Serie A’s most consistent striker over the past decade, even if his prime is now in the rear-view mirror.
Top (Assist): Rafael Leao
While unable to break his 15-goal drought, Rafael Leao managed to lead Milan to a valuable win over Napoli with a breathtaking assist for Theo Hernandez, one he effortlessly unlocked Partenopei defenses.
Is there a better left-back duo in world football right now?
Top (Goal): Charles De Ketelaere
Round 24 spoiled us with a number of great strikes, and three of them followed in the thrilling contest in the Luigi Ferraris. However, it’s Charles De Ketelaere who gets the nod for his impressive finish.
The Milan flop is gradually becoming a genuine contender for the Serie A MVP award.
Follow us on Google news for more updates on Serie A and Italian football |