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Another weekend, another round of Serie A football is done and dusted. As always, round 21 saw its share of failures and successes, some expected and some not-so-expected results. There was some slight movement in the table, but unfortunately for one side – Hellas Verona – they are now standing alone. After bottom-feeders Troyes claimed their first win in Ligue 1 this season by coming back from behind against Lille to win 3-1, the Gialloblu are now the only side in Europe’s major leagues sans a win this season.
So, as usual, there were quite a few observations to be made following some of this weekend’s results, and what did we gather after 10 more games of 2015/2016 Serie A action? Let’s have a look:
1. Lazio are really becoming this season’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Last campaign saw Lazio finish in an impressive 3rd, securing European football in the process. This term, however, has been a roller coaster ride for fans and they are indeed, “like a box of chocolates” because one really never knows what they will see from Stefano Pioli’s side. The Aquile will have been bitterly disappointed with their loss to Juventus in the Coppa Italia, but they rebounded in style by thrashing Chievo 4-1 at the Stadio Olimpico earlier this Sunday.
Here is where things get interesting. Were teams to be ranked based on home games alone, Lazio would be in fifth, with 21 points; by contrast, if it’s only based on away form, they would be in 12th. Combine the two, and one gets their current ninth place standing. What is unusual is their performances in the past five league games. They concluded 2015 with an impressive win against Scudetto contenders Inter, but then followed it up with a shock scoreless draw against Serie A debutants Carpi. Then was yet another excellent performance to defeat Fiorentina, another Scudetto aspirant 3-1. But somehow, after beating the Viola, they were unable to do so against Bologna, recording yet another stalemate.
If one’s into patterns, this means that, given they beat Chievo, a draw against Udinese is on the cards. Or is it? Fans will certainly take that – although a win will be preferable – as they will be hoping to record their seventh unbeaten game next weekend.
2. Dybala’s 11 and Juventus add another three points
On Sunday, Juventus recorded their 11th straight win to make sure they keep up the pressure on Napoli and inch ever so closer to matching the 12 consecutive victories achieved under Antonio Conte during the 2013/2014 season. Roma certainly did not make it easy; with Luciano Spaletti in charge, the Giallorossi decided to mix things up by utilizing a three-man back-line for the first time all season. It was a bold tactical move, but it nearly paid off. That is, of course, until Paulo Dybala again showed why he was worth every Euro. With just under a quarter of an hour remaining, the Argentinian starlet latched onto a nice pass from Paul Pogba to fire home to seal a vital win for Massimiliano Allegri’s men in front of their home crowd.
Coincidentally, that happened to be his 11th goal and his third in just two games. As noted before, Juventus indeed have a crown jewel within their ranks – one that fans hope to have in their treasure chest for many more seasons to come.
3. Are the wheels falling off the Inter-Scudetto train?
Despite recording an important win in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals against Napoli – setting up a mouthwatering clash with Juventus in the process – 2016 has not been a good beginning for the Nerazzurri. With the exception of a 1-0 win over Empoli, Roberto Mancini’s side have earned just two points in their last three fixtures and frustrated fans by drawing 1-1 with Serie A debutants Carpi at home.
Just as was in the case with Sassuolo, Inter were undone by a last gasp goal. This means that Samir Handanovic has now conceded three goals in his past three matches, but certainly given his impressive performances, most of the blame cannot be laid at the Slovenian keeper’s feet. The result will certainly please the Biancorossi, given that Fabrizio Castori’s side are trying to claw their way out of the drop zone. The same, however, cannot be said for the Nerazzurri, who sit in fourth and are in danger of losing ground on Napoli and Juventus if they cannot arrest this downward trend in results.
4. Fiorentina finally awaken from their purple haze
This edition of Serie A and its Scudetto race is definitely one of the most interesting ones fans have seen in a while, due to the excellent performances of teams like Napoli, Inter, and Fiorentina – before Juventus decided to wake up and join the party. The Viola in particular have been quite stellar, scoring in an impressive 26 straight games before seeing that streak snapped by AC Milan in round 20. After losing two straight games, there was concern among some followers that the team will start sliding down the table, but fortunately for them, Inter have hit a mid-term bad patch of form, keeping the Tuscan side still in third place.
A win over Torino this past round keeps them four points behind Juve and six adrift of Napoli, but will have restored some of the confidence that was sapped from Paulo Sousa’s side following the defeats to Lazio and Milan. With Genoa next up on the agenda, supporters will hope the 2-0 result will represent the springboard in getting back to winning ways.
5. Sassuolo running out of steam?
In the 2013/2014 campaign, Sassuolo made their first ever appearance in Italian football’s top flight. Whilst the Neroverdi barely escaped relegation, they did announce themselves to the world in a big way on January 12, 2014. A certain young striker named Domenico Berardi single-handedly defeated Milan by scoring a poker in a 4-3 win for Sassuolo. This effectively ended Allegri’s reign at the club and more significant, Berardi wrote himself into the history books as the first player to ever score four against the Rossoneri in one match. (Not even five-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi, nor countless other strikers of today and yesterday have ever achieved that feat).
Anyway, Sassuolo’s sophomore term would go much better, as Eusebio Di Francesco’s men finished in 12th. This season, they have taken it one step further and have risen as high as third in the table, before settling down in fifth place – in prime position for a Europa League spot. However, things have taken a downward trend; after beating Inter, the Neroverdi have seen their form dip somewhat and suffered their second loss in just three games after Bologna powered past them 2-0. Fortunately for their loyal supporters, there are still plenty of games to go and most impressive is the fact that they have not dropped out of the top ten all season.
Could this downturn in results for Sassuolo – and Inter – mean they are running out of steam, or is it just a stumble in the long road that is a domestic campaign? Will Fiorentina get back to winning ways? And will the Scudetto race become a two-horse affair between Napoli and Juventus?
