Outside90’s Joshua Scarcella casts an eye over the five best individual performances to come from the weekend’s Serie A action.
Emiliano Viviano (Verona vs Sampdoria)
The 30-year-old has endured a tough season with I Blucerchiati, unfortunately having to watch many a ball pass into the net due to a poor defence in front of him.
In what was an end-to-end fixture, Viviano did his part to keep the away side in the match after their first half dominance, namely cutting off a number of crosses into the box before they were to become chances for the home side.
Key Stats
71% Passing Accuracy
Four Saves
Seven Claims
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Cristian Zaccardo (Bologna vs Carpi)
He is perhaps the most infamous Italian player from the 2006 World Cup for all the wrong reasons; the only goal the team conceded for the tournament was due to an own goal from the defender.
These days, Zaccardo is seeing out his career with the newly promoted team and is showing glimpses of why he was part of that famous squad. The away side was under immense pressure from the outset and did not let up for the duration of the match.
The 34-year-old spent the match marshalling his defence and using his superior experience to keep final third passes from reaching their intended targets.
Key Stats
85% Passing Accuracy
Seven Interceptions
Six Clearances
Two Tackles
Federico Dionisi (Frosinone vs Udinese)
The 28-year-old has been a regular feature in the midfield of I Canarini, playing an important part in some recent good form and wins that leaves the club one point away from safety.
Dionisi has scored a quarter of Frosinone’s total goals this season and looked to add to that tally with a stunning strike from just outside the area, Orestis Karnezis equally up to the task.
The Italian’s well known quick feet was the main feature of his display, successfully completing seven dribbles for the match.
Key Stats
76% Passing Accuracy
Six Key Passes
Three Interceptions
Seven Dribbles
One Shot on Target
One Assist
Mohammed Salah (Roma vs Fiorentina)
Much of Roma’s seven-match winning resurgence is due to the strike paring of Salah and El Shaarawy scoring outrageous goals and a number of assists to match.
A fortuitous deflection from outside the area gave Salah his first goal, while his second was perhaps the goal of the week, running onto a stunning pass from Miralem Pjanic on half way and using his blistering speed to leave the defence in his wake and slot the ball between the goalkeeper’s legs.
Key Stats
75% Passing Accuracy
One Assist
Two Shots on Target
Two Goals
Stephan El Shaarawy (Roma vs Fiorentina)
The resurrection of the Italian’s career has been a sight to behold since returning to the Serie A, now with five goals in six matches and as mentioned about, creating a significant partnership with Salah.
Showcasing his speed during the first half, the winger broke to provide Diego Perotti a tap in and take Fiorentina out of the match, not before diving on the end of some lovely work from Salah.
Although not contributing defensively, it has been a surprising feature of the 24-year-old’s play in the last six matches, and will please Luciano Spalletti who has employed a defensively sound 4-3-1-2 formation.
Key Stats
61% Passing Accuracy
One Clearance
Two Dribbles
Two Shots on Target
One Assist
One Goal
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