There was tons of action in the Serie A this weekend, with Inter Milan picking up some ground at the top of the table.
The Nerazzuri currently sit one point clear of AC Milan in second place, after the Rossoneri were beaten 1-0 by Juventus at home.
Atalanta defeated Genoa 2-0 to maintain their position inside the top six, but Roma are hot on their heels, after Stephan El Shaarawy scored a last-gasp winner to help them clinch a 1-0 victory against Monza.
Elsewhere, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored twice to help Napoli claim a 3-1 victory against Verona, while Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martinez both scored in Inter Milan’s 3-0 victory against Torino.
With plenty of action to digest, Mail Sport’s Alvise Cagnazzo walks us through ten talking points from this weekend’s Serie A action.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia dazzled for Napoli scoring twice during their 3-1 win against Verona
After a slow start to the Serie A season, he now has three goals in his last five appearances
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Kvaratskhelia’s starring role in the city of ‘Romeo and Juliet’
With Luciano Spalletti’s departure and Rudi Garcia’s arrival, Kvaratskhelia’s role within the team has profoundly changed. In Garcia’s 4-2-3-1, there is no room for frills and spectacular dribbling and the Georgian star has radically changed his approach to the match, becoming less demonstrative and more concrete in his attacking mechanisms.
Under Spalletti he touched the ball 70 percent of the time during matches, but now in Garcia’s Napoli team that figure has dropped to 40 percent, with the 22-year-old disappearing from the pitch at times during the match.
But in the city made famous by ‘Romeo and Juliet’, he brought the captain of Verona, Davide Faraoni, to his knees, nipping in the bud the controversy over his slow start to the season.
Marco Baroni’s side were too weak to worry Napoli who, even without André-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Victor Osimhen and managed to win 3-1 by utilising wingers Matteo Politano and Kvaratskhelia.
Even without a central striker, Garcia won the match by choosing to put Giacomo Raspadori at the center of the attack, leaving Giovanni ‘Cholito’ Simeone on the bench for over 45 minutes, making the manoeuvre more engaging and freeing the 2 wingers from tasks in the defensive phase.
But from the Georgian’s sleepy start, which lasted many weeks, the Georgia international experienced to the dream of finally being able to return to being a key protagonist in Napoli’s hour of need.
It seems talks with Aurelio De Laurentiis in the last few days have been useful and on Saturday, Kvaratskhelia became that silent leader that Garcia has been looking for within the team.
Manuel Locatelli breaks 50-game goal drought
After 50 games without a goal, Manuel Locatelli returned to score for the first time since January 9, 2022 and did so in the same stadium where seven years ago he scored an extraordinary goal against Juventus.
History may repeat itself, but this was a big coincidence. Locatelli scored the winning goal vs Juventus on October 22, 2016 to give AC Milan the victory. At a crossroads in his career, the midfielder – again – scores a very important goal on October 22, 2023, this time at a delicate moment in his professional life, as he relaunches his candidacy to be a key piece of Massimilano Allegri’s puzzle.
He is not a point guard and probably never will be, but he uses a lot of tactical intelligence to try to make up for technical gaps in his game. After the golden years spent at Sassuolo he embarked on a downward spiral, no longer in contention at international level.
Manuel Locatelli also ended his 50-match goal drought scoring against Milan in their 1-0 win
It was almost a repeat of history, after he had scored the winning goal against Juventus in the same fixture on October 22, 2016
Against Milan, he played perhaps one of the most aggressive and tactically perfect matches of his Juventus career. He is a player on the rise and after two years of barely sufficient performances he finally seems to have greater maturity to withstand the psychological impact of big matches.
He managed to put pressure on Yunus Musah, and to keep Tijjani Reijnders from running vertically. He is a defuser of dangerous actions.
He also fights with a lot of aggression and received an avoidable yellow card for too much competitive nastiness. Now Allegri will hope that this is the beginning, and not the end, of a cycle of games as a protagonist in a midfield without Paul Pogba and Nicolo Fagioli.
Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martinez are a ‘goal machine’ for Inter
Three goals and seven assists in nine Serie A matches: Marcus Thuram’s impact in Serie A has been extraordinary so far. The journey he has just begun in the Nerazzurri shirt seems destined to establish him among the greatest centre forwards in the history of the Italian club.
Thuram is a giant who makes the whole team revolve around his movements and turns every assist into gold.
His positional metamorphosis is a tactical masterpiece by Simone Inzaghi who has always considered Thuram Jnr a modern first striker, capable of attracting the ball and making the midfield breathe.
From winger in a 4-3-3 system, to becoming a centre forward in 3-5-3 formation, this radical change might have changed his career forever. The chemistry with Thuram Junior and Lautaro Martinez is exceptional and the two players seem born to play together.
The No 9 and No 10 are complementary and careful to respect every type of hierarchy without ever clashing.
Martinez scores one goal on average every 65 minutes in the league, but the whole team deserves the applause given that against Torino the Nerazzurri defence achieved their sixth clean sheet in nine games.
Thuram’s prodigal goal reinforces the belief that even without Romelu Lukaku the team plays better with a star at the centre of the attack.
Stephan El Shaarawy is a brilliant player
Stephan El Shaarawy has perhaps finally understood that he can be an important player at 30 years old.
After his experience in AC Milan, Monaco and Shanghai Shenhua, he has finally found a leading role in Roma.
His first goal in the 2023/2024 Serie A allowed Roma to obtain their third consecutive victory. Even when Lukaku doesn’t score or Paulo Dybala is hampered by injuries, Jose Mourinho manages to make his team shine by giving more and more space to ‘The Pharaoh’ who will very soon be able to return to play for the Italian national team too.
Seven appearances this season in Serie A, one goal and a lot of running in a team dedicated to sacrifice and extreme defence of the result – El Shaarawy is a player who over the years has lowered his position to become a box-to-box winger.
After scoring the lone goal of the match, fans inside the Olimpico Stadium shouted the Italian-Egyptian’s name while Jose Mourinho celebrated on his knees after having brought El Shaarawy on as a substitute, before the Portuguese manager received a red card in the 99th minute. He will now miss their next big match against Inter MIlan on Sunday.
Roma and Inter once again will not have Mourinho as their protagonist but El Shaarawy will be there and will have the task of demonstrating his value once again. The tears after the goal speak to a very delicate moment in his career, and the relaunching of his central role in Mourinho’s short-term project.
Stephan El Shaarawy scored a stunning volley to help give Roma a 1-0 victory against Monza
AC Milan manager Stefano Pioli was made to rue some of his selection and tactical decisions after his side’s defeat to Juventus
Stefano Pioli’s decisions cost AC Milan dearly
In the first decisive match of the season for AC MIlan, Stefano Pioli made multiple wrong technical and tactical decisions, complicating the game for the Rossoneri.
The main errors are linked to technical choices. Malick Thiaw and Yacine Adli deployed from the first minute failed in all their duels and proved to be the players least suited to containing Juventus’ attack and midfield.
The German defender, Thiaw, was too slow and inexperienced and also naive in conceding a red card for a foul on Moise Kean. Perhaps it would have been more appropriate to immediately deploy a fast player like Pierre Kalulu.
On Adli, the discussion is more tactical than technical because the French midfielder was crushed by Adrien Rabiot and Weston McKennie, half-wingers who without particular merit sent the former Bordeaux star into a tailspin.
Pioli’s third and most serious mistake was to remove Olivier Giroud, their only shining light in attack, inserting Luka Jovic instead.
The Serbian striker was absent until the end of the match, and was never able to put pressure on the Juventus defence.
Only Rafael Leao created any sort of havoc but first Federico Gatti, then Gleison Bremer limited the Portuguese panther’s movements, allowing Juventus to claim their sixth clean sheet in the league.
To date, Milan have won seven matches in Serie A, losing two against top sides including Inter and Juventus – a wake-up call that risks demotivating Rossoneri in direct clashes. The next match against PSG in the Champions League will be decisive in measuring the possible psychological repercussions of this weekend’s defeat.
Lewis Ferguson dazzles for Bologna
Lewis Ferguson has become a formidable player for Bologna and under the teachings of Thiago Motta, he has improved his positional sense too.
He has expanded his range of action, becoming an offensive playmaker behind Joshua Zirkzee in the 4-2-3-1. The Italian-Brazilian coach understood the former Aberdeen star’s potential in front of goal after he has scored twice and created a further two goals in nine Serie A matches this season.
His ability to be a universal player makes him extraordinary for any type of midfield and in the summer he will most likely leave Bologna to try and star for a top club, either in Italy or abroad.
From his first goal scored for Bologna against Lecce on October 23, 2022, to his last against Frosinone, Ferguson has become the backbone of the midfield in the past 12 months.
With around 12 kilometres of running on average per game, the Scottish star runs the most out of every player in Serie A. Abderdeen was paid £3,050,000 by Bologna, but today his economic value is around £17million – a lot of money that the side could use to strengthen the team in the next summer transfer window.
Lewis Ferguson (right) is having a fantastic season at Bologna, running more than any other player in the league
Ademola Lookman (left) is another player who has dazzled of late, scoring 16 goals in 40 appearances for Atalanta
Lookman shines back
Ademola Lookman’s statistics are extraordinary and demonstrate how his arrival in Italy has improved all the qualities he previously showcased in the Premier League.
Giampiero Gasperini’s tactical care has improved his feeling for goals, allowing the former Everton player to become one of the key players in Serie A right now.
According to Opta, Lookman scored 16 goals in 40 appearances for Atalanta in Italy, with his strike against Genoa this weekend equalling the score obtained in 118 appearances in the five top European leagues while playing for Leicester, Fulham, Leipzig and Everton.
It was an exceptional moment of physical and psychological form which dispelled the doubts at the beginning of the year when Gasperini was unable to find the compatibility between the Nigerian winger and the new signing De Ketelaere.
At 26, Lookman is proving to be one of the most interesting wingers in the Italian league, after managing to find a more advanced role in Gasperini’s 3-4-2-1. Strengthening the midfield to give greater freedom to Lookman – and the new tactical scheme deployed by the Italian coach – has immediately delivered positive results.
Lookman, meanwhile, wants to exceed 15 goals in Serie A by the end of this year’s campaign.
Demba Seck is still too immature to play in Serie A
Demba Seck is probably one of Torino’s biggest disappointments at the start of the new season.
The Senegalese player is yet to rise to the occasion this season despite coach Ivan Juric deciding to gamble on him by changing Torino’s tactical scheme.
Senegalese forward Demba Seck (left) continues to look untested for Torina this season
After the period spent at Spal, the Croatian coach was certain he could rely on on the player, but entry into Serie A was much more difficult than expected.
Since 2022 he has played 23 games in the Italian top flight without ever managing to score, benched Nemanja Radonjić and even managed to convince Juric to launch a highly dynamic 3-4-2-1.
Given the physical problems of Pietro Pellegri and Duvan Zapata, and the lack of consideration towards Toni Sanabria, Seck was supposed to be the answer to the team’s scoring problems but to date, despite his numerous efforts, he has not managed to demonstrate that he is worthy of the Serie A stage.
His 190cm height is useful for headers and physical clashes, but it makes him a rather bulky and rigid centre-forward, with serious technical handicaps. Juric appreciates his commitment but up to now, Seck has been an inconclusive player, without great quality – and a few too many errors in front of goal.
Is Matias Soule the best winger in Serie A?
Seven games, two goals and one assist. From a promising young player for Juventus to a starter for Frosinone, Matias Soule wants to continue to impress in the Italian first division.
The defeat against Bologna was a hiccup, but Matias Soule’s excellent performance is an excellent sign for the young winger who continues to be decisive in his first season as a starter in the Serie A.
Di Francesco deployed him as a right winger in a 4-2-3-1 together with Reiner and Garritano – a disguised 4-5-1 that allows the young Italian-Argentine to be an attacking focal point while learning to defend with order and discipline.
Juventus believes a lot in his potential, deciding to send him on loan for 12 months to Frosinone, together with Kaio Jorge. His excellent start in Serie A would discourage a return to Turin in January but the needs of Allegri’s team, sapped of Fagioli and Pogba, could accelerate his return to the Old Lady, depriving the player of the experience necessary to mature tactically and play consistently .
Spalletti also continues to monitor Soule and hopes that the 20-year-old born in Mar de La Plata can become a player for the Italian national team. He currently sits top in the Serie A for attempted and successful dribbles but is still undecided about his future in the national team and the slowness of Argentina, he is not yet convinced of his call-up. That could increase his desire to accept Italy’s approach as happened years ago with Mauro Camoranesi.
Juventus loanee Matias Soule now has two goals and one assist in seven games for Frosinone
Boulaye Dia is the perfect player for the Premier League
Maybe he won’t be able to save Salernitana, but Boulaye Dia is certainly a top player who deserves to play in a club with bigger ambitions than a team that has struggled to save themselves in their last few Serie A matches.
The Senegalese striker snatched one precious point for Filippo Inzaghi’s team, scoring two very important goals in the last ten minutes of the game.
In the first half he scarcely bothered the Cagliari defence, as if he were excluded from his teammates’ plans. But everything changed at the end of the match, as he emerged as the leader of the team – Dia asked for the ball and received it.
Meanwhile, Boulaye Dia (left) could be the perfect player for the Premier League
He got an important equaliser with great coolness before striking a penalty to wrap up the match 2-2. In the Premier League, he would be perfectly at ease given his ability to hit on the counterattack with his speed, playing both as a first or second striker.
He could be a low-cost solution as early as January 2024, and it is very likely that he will leave Salernitana at the end of this championship.
His chemistry with Paulo Sousa was not exceptional, but the arrival of Inzaghi could broaden his tactical skills, transforming him into a first striker with very interesting characteristics.
Despite being of a much lower technical level, his career could follow in the footsteps of Thierry Henry with a change of role strongly desired by Pippo Inzaghi to increase the killer instinct shown only partially during his experience at Villarreal.