Outside90’s Joshua Scarcella breaks down the major talking points to come out of Serie A matchday 30.
Gianluigi Buffon cements legendary status
A goalkeeper with the list of achievements in which ‘Gigi’ has, firmly places his name in discussions about the best of all time. The 38-year-old is being compared with his Juventus counter-part Dino Zoff for the best custodian to play for both the Bianconeri and the national team, and both have a number of points to put one ahead of the other in the argument.
It was the current Juventus No.1 who would tick off another item from the checklist, now holding the record for the longest consecutive run without conceding a goal, now standing at 974 minutes to edge Sebastiano Rossi. Buffon made 24 saves over the 11 game period and 30 over the 18 matches prior, which proves just how vital he is to Massimiliano Allegri’s, and the national starting XI.
RECORD: Gianluigi Buffon has set a new Serie A record after going 930 minutes without conceding a goal.
Legend. pic.twitter.com/QZ0flNoAKP
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) March 20, 2016
Unbeaten minnows in the clear
Many newly promoted clubs find the change in performance level a difficult task to handle, most of the time too difficult and they face a drop back into the second tier. Sometimes there are some exceptions to this rule and even though the club holds the second least number of wins after 30 rounds, it seems that Carpi may just be on a mission to include themselves in that very category.
Carpi are on an unbeaten run of five matches, including back-to-back wins and an incredible free-kick from Kevin Lasagna over last placed side Verona. The Biancorossi find themselves outside the drop zone only by goal difference, but with upcoming fixtures including Chievo, Genoa and Udinese, their late run may be enough for another season in the Serie A.
Three horse race for title
Both Inter Milan and Fiorentina have spent time on the top of the table over the 2015-16 season and could also consider themselves a genuine chance for the Scudetto, however, a month in the Serie A can make or break a season and for both, it has done the latter.
Needing a miracle to reach the top, the clubs are 15 points off Juventus in first position with seven matches remaining and now can only compete with Roma for a spot in the UEFA champions league for next season, still five points away.
Worse still is Inter Milan are winless in Rome since October 2008 against the Giallorossi, a match in which Roberto Mancini was the manager at the time.
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Napoli set yet another record
With limited success since the beginning of the 1990’s, I Partenopei have made the records tumble this season as they push for just their third Scudetto title and to prove themselves in among Europe’s elite.
A convincing win against Genoa at the Sao Paulo not only meant three points, but also a club record 67 points and 20 wins at the 30 game mark of the season. This was also combined with a personal record in the squad, with Gonzalo Higuain breaking his previous best 27 goal stand for Real Madrid, now with 29 goals at Napoli and seven matches remaining to increase the tally.
Steady away performances for Lazio
A disappointing showing in the Europa League midweek required an answer from Stefano Pioli’s men, however, with the club not being able to manage a win in 26-years at the San Siro, it would take a mammoth effort to change history, even against an average AC Milan.
The match did not provide the greatest of spectacles, but it was enough for Lazio to manage their sixth straight away draw, the first time the Romans have achieved the feat in their history, although a win would have pegged back the gap that separates the two teams.
Empoli falling away
A fantastic summer period for the Azzuri had them dreaming of Europe in eighth position, yet a lack of squad depth has disadvantaged both the team as a whole, and the younger stars who have tried their best carry the squad on their shoulders and impact the games on a regular basis. One of those has been 24-year-old Riccardo Saponara.
2016 has been disastrous for Empoli, one win at the beginning of January their only joy and four losses in their last six matches not helping the cause. Although relegation will not be a factor for the Azzuri, the what could have been will play on the minds of the players and coaching staff.
Hellas’ terrible season now official
It took 23 matches for the Gialloblu to find a win and despite an impressive three matches that followed, the team naturally fell away again during February and will join the Serie B during the 2016-17 season.
The total points accumulated for the club is the worst in 24-years, also failing to keep a clean sheet in their last 22 home matches, conceding 37 goals and also holding the current record of the most amount of consecutive matches without a clean sheet, standing at eight.
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