Juventus bounced back against Lazio, while Inter Milan and AC Milan sealed important victories in the Race for the Scudetto this past week.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Alvaro Morata (Juventus)
There's no doubt about it. Andrea Pirlo decided to surprise everyone by leaving Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench in the big match against Lazio, a potentially decisive game for the remainder of the season.
The former Milan and Juventus player launched Alvaro Morata from the first minute and he was rewarded for that decision. The Spanish striker was decisive against Lazio, scoring a brace that allowed the Bianconeri to confirm third place in the standings and continue the run-up to the first two positions, even if Milan and Inter seem not to want to stop.
Lazio started the match well, taking the lead with a goal from Correa from a good counterattack, but after Rabiot scored for 1-1, Morata first scored from a penalty kick and then closed a Juventus counterattack with a great shot.
The former Atletico Madrid striker has finally found continuity and has now become a key player for Pirlo's Juventus, for the kind of football his team play, or intend to play. During this season he has already scored 16 goals and collected 11 assists. If he continues to play at these levels, Pirlo and Juventus will really be able to target second-placed Milan.
Morata arrived to the skepticism of many fans and journalists, despite his coach publicly saying that he wanted him and him only for his technical characteristics. Game after game, the reason behind this decision is increasingly evident.
Morata converts from the spot against Lazio
INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES OF THE WEEK
Gianluca Mancini, Lorenzo Pellegrini (AS Roma)
It would have been unfair to reward only one between Gianluca Mancini and Lorenzo Pellegrini for their performances, because both of them played great and allowed Roma to win against Genoa, a team that since Ballardini's arrival on the bench has had a performance at the level of the left side of the rankings.
Pellegrini, the Roma captain, always important to remember that he was born in 1996, became the protagonist of the match thanks to his technical quality and his incredible vision and passing range: 5 key passes and the decisive assist for Mancini's goal. Pellegrini has now scored 4 goals and collected 7 assists this season, becoming more and more central for his Roma match after match.
As for Mancini, the former Atalanta central defender also born in 1996, has become a real leader of Paulo Fonseca's Roma. He is a leader from the technical point of view and from the point of view of personality, thus becoming one of the most loved players by Roma fans. This season he has already scored 4 goals, but his defensive solidity and his character are the things that make him irreplaceable.
There must also be a mention for the sensational performance of Lorenzo Insigne, who in the most difficult moment of the season - decisively also for the future of Rino Gattuso who remains at risk - put the team on his shoulders. In the last two games he scored 3 goals and collected 1 assist, honoring the armband he wears, guiding them to victory over Bologna, a very important result to keep the rhythm of the contenders.
TEAM PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK
The Nerazzurri overcame a significant obstacle in Atalanta, which according to many sports journalists represented a real danger for the end of this season, especially after the surprising victory of a Milan decimated by injuries against Ivan Juric's Verona.
Atalanta are now known to all European football fans for their way of playing: aggressive, fast, offensive, almost ferocious. Gasperini's men, who will be called up for the challenge against Real Madrid in the Champions League, played in the usual way, they nearly scored on several occasions, but the wall erected by Conte held up.
Handanovic was the best afield for his team, making himself the protagonist with a series of decisive saves, but the whole team played without giving up an inch in the middle of the field, fighting from the first to the last minute. It is true now the Nerazzurri have only one match a week, having left the Champions League, but Conte seems to have put a hand on the 2020/2021 Scudetto.
The three points arrived despite missing goals from the usual Lukaku and Lautaro: it was Skriniar who decided the match, a goal born from the development of a corner kick. Conte has now solved every problem in his team and his boys are now really beginning to believe in the possibility of being the next champions.
Skriniar celebrates after scoring against Atalanta
SURPRISE OF THE WEEK
We already mentioned it a few lines ago: the real surprise of this weekend was Milan's victory against Juric's Verona. To most it might seem strange, but in reality Stefano Pioli's team lacked fundamental, central elements, such as Ibrahimovic (between muscular problems and the San Remo festival), Calhanoglu, Mandzukic, Ante Rebic and Theo Hernandez.
An experimental formation for Pioli, with Krunic in the role of attacking midfielder. The Rossoneri won 2-0 and did so with an excellent performance, solid, of great character, reacting like a great team to the difficulties caused by the many physical problems. Krunic decided the game (with a great free kick, which journalists in Italy have defined as "Beckham-like") and Diogo Dalot, on loan from Manchester United, who scored a great goal.
Milan's true strength lies in the squad, a close-knit group that makes the difference, more than any individuality and more than any protagonism.
Ibrahimovic is playing less, Pioli can't count on the Swedish champion the way he did in the beginning of the season for his numerous injuries. But the team trusts him, listens to him and never gives up, even when a false step would be almost acceptable.
It is precisely for this spirit that Milan are surprisingly second in the standings and continue to dream of being able to win the Scudetto, an undertaking that (just as we say) would truly be miraculous. Now Milan is there, only 6 points from Inter and don't want to stop dreaming.
