Outside90’s Joshua Scarcella breaks down the major talking points to come out of Serie A matchday 33.
Torino build up some momentum
Now on a three match winning streak, I Granta have finally managed to find some form in recent weeks and most impressively to the fans, against tough opposition. Even though the run is too little too late, a mid-table finish to end the season will enable the club to stock up on much needed centre-backs and a striker with an ability to lead the way, come the offseason transfer window.
Andrea Belotti is a rare highlight for Torino’s season, scoring the winner against Bologna and also in four of the last six matches, three of those being man of the match performances.
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Inter create a huge hole in Napoli’s title hopes
I Nerazzuri have possibly just handed their arch rivals Juventus a very generous present, not only further hampering Napoli’s Scudetto hopes, but also out playing them at home. The away side struggled without their Capocannoniere leading striker Gonzalo Higuain, who served the second of his four match suspension for handling a referee two weeks earlier, the ban was reduced to three matches on appeal during the week.
Inter Milan’s leading man Mauro Icardi, however, had no such problem, scoring in the fourth minute to take his tally to 15 goals for the season, all of which have come within the penalty area. His defence contributed just as equally by keeping two consecutive clean sheets, a feat that has not been achieved since a their nine 1-0 victories over the first-half of the campaign.
Carpi’s late season run continues
After a run of disappointing results the Biancorossi went back to the future and re-appointed Fabio Castello, who had lead the club into the first division for the first time in their history. In doing so, many of the players that secured promotion, namely Kevin Lasagna, began to see regular game time and have steered the team to a possible second season in the Serie A.
A superb home win against Genoa now means Carpi have three wins from five matches and one point away from relegation. They scored twice in the opening 45 minutes for the first time this season, and six first-half shots on target is the most of any match they have played so far in Serie A.
Marco Borriello haunts his old club once again
The Sunday lunchtime fixture has failed to disappoint over the past three weeks, with all games being both entertaining and perhaps most importantly crowd numbers higher than average. Lacking the final blow, the team from Bergamo failed to hit the Romans on the break and the visitors asserted their authority early in the match.
It was at this moment the ex-Roma striker impacted the match, teaming up with a very consistent Alejandro Gomez to make a mess of a shaky Giallorossi defense and get Atalanta ahead. Borriello’s brace means that he has foudn the net in each of his last three appearances against his former club, most impressive due to the fact he has only scored seven goals over that period.
An uncertain future will follow the 33-year-old, but he has proved on a number of occasions this season that he is still able to cause problems in defence against the big clubs of Italy.
https://youtu.be/Tbponqw2f1g
Horror injury ends Claudio Marchisio’s season
Juventus went into their mid-afternoon clash against Palermo needing three points to put on hand on their fifth consecutive Scudetto, after Napoli’s loss to Inter Milan. This was easily achieved and now only need one more win to make the task of making up the ground just about impossible for I Partenopei.
On an afternoon full of positives, there was one large red flag, the Italian midfielder Claudio Marchisio rupturing an anterior cruciate ligament early in the match – ruling him out for the rest of the season and also ending his chance to play at Euro 2016 for his country.
It has been a frustrating 2015-16 for the 30-year-old, missing the beginning of the campaign with an injury from preseason training, then suffering another three muscle related injuries before the terrible result from Sunday’s match.
@ClaMarchisio8 Impossible is nothing. Stay strong Principino. You will come back, bigger, better, stronger. We are all with you
— Juvefc.com (@juvefcdotcom) April 17, 2016
Italy and Columbia combine for Milan
A turbulent season for the Rossoneri took a small turn for the better this week, displaying the quality the squad possesses when a proactive approach is taken. The midweek termination of Sinisa Mihajlovic’s contract meant that the Primavera manager Cristian Brocchi took charge in Genoa and will be in the position for the remainder of the season.
Positive performances from the back-line and Mario Balotelli will impress the fans, meanwhile the two most consistent players in the squad combined for yet another goal, which turned out to be the winner. Giacomo Bonaventura completed his eighth assist for the season, five of which have hit the feet of the match winner Carlos Bacca. The pair have been a large part of the reason Milan current occupy sixth position on the table and will hope to continue their form in their respective upcoming international tournaments.
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