It certainly cannot be said that in the last few days in Italy, let alone in Serie A, nothing interesting has happened. The most sensational news is certainly the 15 penalty points deducted from Juventus for "financial irregularities" and "false accounting". The Serie A standings have dramatically changed: the Bianconeri are now tenth. Let's see what happened over this Serie A weekend...
MATCH OF THE WEEK - JUVENTUS 3-3 ATALANTA
Following the 15-point penalty in the standings, Massimiliano Allegri had to find the right words to motivate his team to return to the field to try to rescue what can be saved in a season that promises to be extremely complicated for Juventus and its fans.
As usual, Atalanta had started the match by taking the lead: the usual Ademola Lookman, one of the best players in the Italian league in this first half of the season, had scored. The reaction of the Bianconeri came immediately: first the penalty scored by Angel Di Maria, then the great goal by Arek Milik.
In the second half, within a few minutes, Atalanta first found an equaliser with Joakim Maehle and then the goal to make it 2-3 with the usual, unstoppable, Lookman, with a header. The match seemed marked and heading towards defeat (even on the pitch) for the bBianconeri, but Danilo found the equaliser with a free kick.
A result that Allegri celebrated as if they won a trophy, perhaps also to send a signal to the players: penalties and points' deductions aside, the season is still yet to be done and there is a shirt to defend. It will take all of Allegri's charisma to keep the bar high at Juventus.
TEAM OF THE WEEK - LAZIO
The most beautiful Lazio since Maurizio Sarri's arrival, the most beautiful Lazio for many years. The one seen on Tuesday evening against Milan, at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, was a deluxe version of the Biancocelesti.
A real dominance, from the first to the last minute, which could only determine the 4-0 result: a game without history, a bad impression for the Rossoneri (who are no longer able to find each other as a team and as a group) and a dream night for Lazio fans.
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Mattia Zaccagni, Luis Alberto on a penalty and then Felipe Anderson were the players who condemned the Rossoneri to defeat, but it was Lazio's performance that was unbelievable, the way in which Sarri's team played. High pressing, quick passes, many goal chances and few shots allowed to Rafael Leao and his teammates.
Now the ranking from second to fourth place is extremely short: Milan at 38 points must watch their backs from Roma, Lazio and Inter, with Atalanta stopped at 35 but still only 3 points away. Everything is wide open and Lazio are candidates to fight for a place in the Champions League until the end of the season.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK - TOMMASO BALDANZI (EMPOLI)
No one expected that the star of the San Siro match between Inter and Empoli could be him, the young Tommaso Baldanzi, he's not even 20 years old and has now scored a goal at the Nerazzurri's home (they won the Italian Super Cup a few days ago) .
The match between the Tuscans and the Milanese team was hard fought, ball after ball and tackle after tackle, with Andre Onana often called upon to save the result. Not a great performance for Inter and everything was made worse by the sending off of Milan Skriniar, who received two yellow cards in the first 35 minutes of the game.
In the second half it was the young Baldanzi who solved the match, closing a counter-attack in the best possible way with a nice left-footed shot, which ended up under the arm of the Nerazzurri goalkeeper. Hero for a night, said his dream is to be coached by Jurgen Klopp. One step at a time, but this is the right way.
INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES OF THE WEEK - ALEKSEY MIRANCHUK, GIOVANNI DI LORENZO
One, the first, was highly anticipated: Ivan Juric expects a lot from him, for his technical qualities and his ballistic qualities. The second, however, a full-back and Napoli captain, is once again the cover man for his team, although this time not for defensive actions, but for the goal scored at the end of the first half, which allowed Napoli to gain advantage, then paving the way for victory and therefore the three points that brought Luciano Spalletti's team to the incredible number of 50 points in 19 championship days.
A great goal from Di Lorenzo, but above all an award for a player who has become a true example.
The Torino forward, on the other hand, decided the match against Fiorentina with a beautiful goal: his left-footed shot went under the top corner, leaving Pietro Terracciano still and above all condemning Fiorentina to another defeat, once again at home. In general it was a great performance, from a striker who has collected much less than he could have so far.
