Inter Milan returned to the top of Serie A with Lautaro Martinez scoring the only goal in their 1-0 win over Fiorentina.
Simone Inzaghi’s side took advantage of Juventus’ slip-up, as the Old Lady drew against Empoli after being reduced to 10-men.
The two sides will meet in a top of the table clash next weekend.
AC Milan missed two penalties against Bologna, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek scoring twice to earn the hosts a point at San Siro.
Mail Sport’s Alvise Cagnazzo wraps up all the events from the Serie A weekend.
Inter Milan returned to the top of the table after earning a 1-0 victory against Fiorentina
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VLAHOVIC CANNOT STOP SCORING
Dusan Vlahovic is undergoing a rebirth at Juventus, with the forward having scored 12 goals and provided three assists in 20 matches.
The Serbian striker scored his seventh goal in six matches in the Old Lady’s 1-1 draw against Empoli. In January, Vlahovic has scored six goals, with Cristiano Ronaldo the only player in Juventus’ history to have more with seven.
Vlahovoic fought for every ball and made himself available to team-mates throughout the match, after Juventus were reduced to 10-men in the first half. It is in delicate matches like these that Vlahovic is showing that he is in exceptional physical condition.
DAZN’s cameras lingered on Vlahovic and the signs of ‘cupping’ were evident on his neck, a technique that belongs to the tradition of Chinese medicine. The technique consists of the application of cups of delicate muscular areas of the body.
Vlahovic’s obsessive attention to his physical condition appear to be providing extraordinary results. He continually sprints and has the physicality to hold the ball up front.
The Serbian forward is now at the centre of Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri’s plans, but has suffered from the absence of Kenan Yildiz alongside him.
Allegri has instead partnered Vlahovic with Arkadiusz Milik, rather than Yildiz. Milik was shown a red card after 18 minutes against Empoli, but did not help Vlahovic even during his brief time on the field.
The feeling is that with Yildiz alongside him Vlahovic could certainly have scored more goals.
Dusan Vlahovic is reaping the rewards of his improved conditioning during a goalscoring run
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LAUTARO MARTINEZ MATCHES MAURO ICARDI
By netting his 19th goal of the season against Fiorentina, Lautaro Martinez reached 124 goals for Inter Milan. The haul draws Martinez level with fellow Argentine star Mauro Icardi in Inter’s all-time rankings, with the pair eighth overall.
Martinez is the soul of this Inter team. He is a No 10 who transforms into a No 9, highlighted by his near-post header to beat goalkeeper Pietro Terraciano.
The 26-year-old is driving an Inter side in their pursuit of the Serie A title and his seven goals ahead of his nearest rival Vlahovic in the goalscoring charts.
Despite suffering from many absences, Martinez’s goal ensured Inter beat Fiorentina to secure three crucial points ahead of the Derby d’Italia.
Martinez has scored 22 goals in all competitions this season and who knows where he can get to if he maintains his current rate, especially if Inter continue their adventure in Champions League.
The Argentine is the right man for this Inter team, which has a strong defence and an establishing attacking line-up.
As a true captain he also responded aggressively to Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri’s provocations with a message on Instagram.
‘Let’s continue on our way, without looking or speaking to anyone, let’s continue like this, together for our goals. Great guys,’ Martinez wrote.
Lautaro Martinez drew level with Mauro Icardi’s haul of 124 goals for Inter Milan
LOFTUS-CHEEK SAVES AC MILAN
After missed penalties by Olivier Giroud and Theo Hernandez, Ruben Loftus-Cheek rode to the rescue of AC Milan. The midfielder’s two goals ensured Milan fought back to a 2-2 draw against Bologna.
His performance illuminated a dark night at the San Siro, with an error-strewn Milan display putting the hosts at risk of a damaging defeat.
The last time Milan missed two penalties in a match was back in June 1955 against SPAL, a match the club won 6-0 to secure a historic Scudetto. In Serie A, it had not happened since Carpi against Lazio in May 2016.
AC Milan achieved this feat, missing two key chances to win the match against Bologna.
Loftus-Cheek has confirmed himself as the key player in Milan’s midfield, playing behind the striker in the 4-2-3-1 chosen by coach Stefano Pioli.
The former Chelsea midfielder is in the best physical condition in his time in Italy, driving AC Milan forward and forced the Bologna defence to lose the tactical shape employed by coach Thiago Motta. Loftus-Cheek has filled the avoid left by his predecessor Sandro Tonali.
The timing of his runs, behind Olivier Giroud first and then Luka Jovic, are similar to those that characterised the career of his idol Frank Lampard. His physical presence instils fear for the opposition midfield, with Loftus-Cheek specialising in late runs and finishing.
Pioli is reaping the reward of freeing Loftus-Cheek from defensive responsibilities, preventing him from expending energy.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek scored twice for AC Milan to rescue a draw against Bologna at San Siro
DE KETELAERE IS THRIVING AT ATALANTA
Charles De Ketelaere appeared to be destined to go down as one of many failures by Italian clubs in the transfer market. The Belgian seemed unprepared for the dynamism of Italian football after joining AC Milan.
Under the coaching of Atalanta’s Giampiero Gasperini, De Ketelaere is returning to being the extraordinary player he was at Brugge.
De Ketelaere has contributed seven goals and seven assists in all competitions this season. This tally is only surpassed by Marcus Thuram and Oliver Giroud.
The 22-year-old is now an indispensable player for Atalanta and was central to the team overwhelming Udinese. The 2-0 win returned Atalanta to the top four in Serie A.
De Ketelaere is now starting to look like a complete player, attacking and defending with the same intensity. His recovery tackle on Festy Ebosele shows how much he has learned to play for the team and not just for himself. At Milan he was the ugly duckling, at Atalanta he has become a splendid swan.
He caved Udinese open with two sumptuous assists and always found himself at the centre of Atalanta’s system.
According to Opta, since December only Kylian Mbappe has been involved in more goals (15) than De Ketelaere (10, with 5 goals and 5 assists). The statistics have confirm the consistency in performance of the Belgium star.
Charles De Ketelaere is thriving again at Atalanta under their coach Gian Piero Gasperini
MIRETTI IS NOT READY TO PLAY FOR JUVENTUS
Fabio Miretti is an immature player and does not look ready to feature for a top club like Juventus. The 20-year-old endured a terrible match against Empoli, with the game exposing his current limitations.
Miretti missed a straightforward pass to Vlahovic which would have set the Serbian forward clear to face goalkeeper Elia Caprile. It was striking to see Vlahovic’s anger when Miretti failed to make the decisive ball.
Twice the Italian midfielder made the wrong final choice, sending Vlahovic into a rage.
Miretti currently looks afraid and it has damaged the judgement of a player who has always been considered to be among technically the best in Juventus’ youth team.
The struggles experienced by Miretti have not helped Vlahovic. He does not appear to understand the mechanisms of a midfield that has to run a lot to make up for the absence of Milik, following his red card.
Allegri, in the 58th minute, replaced Miretti out of desperation. It should have been a beautiful fairy tale but Miretti’s experience so far in Serie A does not look like having a happy ending.
Young midfielder Fabio Miretti endured a miserable match for Juventus against Empoli
NAPOLI STUGGLES WITHOUT VICTOR OSIMHEN
Napoli’s midfield continues to be in difficulty, shown by Diego Demme having played just 13 minutes this season before being handed a start against Lazio.
However, Napoli’s attack endured a tough evening in the 0-0 draw against Lazio, underlining the importance of talisman Victor Osimhen.
Napoli coach Walter Mazzarri has tried to find solutions in Osimhen’s absence at the Africa Cup of Nations, but has yet to obtain satisfactory results.
Giacomo Raspadori appeared rusty and slow, missing yet another opportunity to be considered a starter. Raspadori did a lot of physical work but was unable to fill the void left by the Nigeria striker. He showed a lot of willing, but lacked decisiveness in front of the Lazio goal.
The former Sassuolo star was replaced by Cyril Ngonge in the 79th minute. Ngonge, in about 10 minutes, seemed to be much livelier than the Italian striker despite failing to break the deadlock.
Aurelio De Laurentiis’ team is a constantly evolving work in progress, one that is struggling to find the correct set-up.
After 22 games there is a lot of pessimism about Napoli’s return to Europe, with the draw against Lazio confirming the team’s negative situation.
Giacomo Raspadori showed willing in attack but lacked the cutting edge for Napoli
MIRANCHUK IS A RUSSIAN ARTIST IN SERIE A
Aleksei Miranchuk is an extraordinary player who has finally completed his slow adaptation to Serie A. His career has changed radically in the space of a few months, with a failure in Turin followed by a rebirth in Atalanta.
The Russian player has gained confidence, scores goals of rare beauty and has a delicate and elegant foot like Papu Gomez.
Miranchuk took advantage of an assist from De Ketelaere, who found him in the penalty area. The Russian then anticipated a tackle from Nehuen Perez, who was late marking him, and scored the first goal against Udinese.
The 28-year-old is an artist, who can help Atalanta return to Europe. He now shows the right attitude on the pitch and is also starting to be very Italian in knowing how to intelligently manage time without draining his batteries.
He has earned the trust of coach Gasperini and is becoming a key figure, without ever speaking or raising his voice off the pitch.
His goal paved the way for a convincing victory that changes the standings. The Russian midfielder has a unique vision of the game and was applauded by all sides of the stadium.
Atalanta now have 36 points and are currently in an exceptional position, thanks to the contribution of number 59.
Aleksei Miranchuk is growing in confidence and becoming a key player for Atalanta
ZIRKZEE IS ON COURSE TO BECOME A TOP PLAYER
The best player on the pitch between Milan and Bologna was Joshua Zirkzee.
The Dutch striker, abandoned by Bayern Munich, gave Thiago Motta’s team the lead and became a thorn in the side of the Rossoneri defence.
Zirkzee’s goal passed between the legs of Theo Hernandez and Mike Maignan to silence the San Siro. He has the elegance of a No 10 and the decisiveness of a No 9.
He will become a top player in the coming years, operating as an attacking wildcard who could play both as a first and second striker. He does everything he wants on the pitch. Against Milan, he would put Simon Kjaer and Matteo Gabbia in difficulty, creating a lot of embarrassment for the two central defenders.
The Bologna striker is strong physically and has a freshness that is impossible to contain.
He made young Milan defender Gabbia’s a nightmare. Zirkzee awaits the movements of his teammates and never misses the decisive passes. He was the most dangerous player in the entire match, but missed a great chance to score a second goal and change the outcome of the contest.
Zirkzee shot too high despite being positioned a few metres from the Milan goalkeeper.
Joshua Zirkzee was the star for Bologna in their draw against AC Milan on Saturday
CALEB EKUBAN APPEARS REBORN IN GENOA?
Caleb Ekuban is experiencing a pleasant second part of his career. At 29 years old, the Verona native has found a new role in Genoa as a part-time striker.
His arrival on the pitch against Lecce came with a burst of aggression and gave Genoa a physical presence.
Fresh from a disappointing experience in Turkey, Ekuban seems to have found the right formula to be a important player in Serie A. His explosive energy helped Alberto Gilardino’s team to win a very difficult match.
His goal was amazing and earned Genoa three unexpected points in a match that seemed destined for a draw. While he rarely plays 90 minutes, Ekuban has scored two match winning goals this season and provided an exceptional assist in a big match against Juventus.
Ekuban is not a pure centre forward, but his physical work and his willpower are rewarding Genoa for betting on him.
His acrobatic goal has already become a meme on the web because at the beginning of the season Genoa fans did not think he could be so decisive in a team in need of attackers scoring at least 15 to 20 goals a year.
Speaking to Sky Sport, Genoa coach Alberto Gilardino publicly complimented his forward, saying ‘Ekuban made the difference on the pitch, I am very happy for him and for us’.
Now the Italian coach will have the task of trying to find a place in the team for Ekuban, trying to create a coexistence in attack with Mateo Retegui and Albert Gudmundsson.
Caleb Ekuban, right, is impressing in attack at Genoa after a difficult spell in Turkey
RICCI IS THE NEW STAR OF TORINO
Maurizio Sarri tried to convince President Lotito to bring him to Lazio, but in the end Samuele Ricci remained in Turin.
At 23 years old, Ricci has taken the reins in Torino’s midfield, becoming a point of reference for Ivan Juric’s team.
Ricci possesses quality, intelligence and has technique to spare, demonstrated by Torino’s second goal in their 2-1 win over Cagliari.
He was very lively between midfield and defence, running intelligently and covering the ground in just a few steps. He seems to be everywhere because he has an innate sense of position that always makes him free or in the right position for almost every Torino attack.
His exponential growth since the beginning of the season also makes him a point of reference for the Italian national team. He will become an exceptional playmaker.
Ricci still remains a very young player, who is experiencing the best moment of his career after a few years of adjustment in Serie A.
He is not the heir of Andrea Pirlo but he is a midfielder of great tactical and technical ability. Ricci can be considered useful for Italy coach Luciano Spalletti during the summer’s European Championships.
Torino’s Samuele Ricci should be considered as an option for the Italian national team