Lots of goals, lots of spectacle between Napoli and AC Milan and Cagliari versus Frosinone, with Inter and Juventus continuing to grind out points as we prepare for the sprint to split the league and divide the standings between those who can win the championship and those who will fight for a Champions League spot. Let's see what happened in Serie A over the last weekend...
PLAYER OF THE WEEK - GIANLUCA SCAMACCA
That's Scamacca. After yet another physical problem that had slowed his inclusion in Gian Piero Gasperini's Atalanta finally the Italian striker is finding continuity. That's all Gianluca needs, he doesn't need anything else but to stay fit, because from a technical point of view he has nothing to envy anyone: he has shots, physicality, a European top 10 shooting ability, class, he has it all.
The two goals, the post and the assist for his teammate collected in the match against Empoli was the perfect calling card: Scamacca right now is the best Italian striker and the brace scored last weekend came right under the eyes of Luciano Spalletti, coach of the Italian national team.
The first of the two goals was simply sensational, a backheel reminiscent of Luis Suárez. He will play his next league game against Inter, first in the standings and undoubtedly the best team in Serie A: it will be yet another test for Scamacca, ready to impress once again and confirm the progress of recent weeks.
INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK - MATIAS SOULE
Juventus will probably have to think again and will have to start focusing on this young talent. Owned by Juventus, Matias Soulé is with Albert Gudmundsson the most scintillating youngster in the Italian league, of that there is not the slightest doubt.
Every game he scores a goal or helps one of his teammates score, showing flashes of genius and class that leave little doubt about his potential and future at the top level. Against Cagliari, he scored two goals, one more beautiful than the other: first with his left foot, off the goalkeeper's post, then with his right foot after a fast and elegant dribble.
At times Soulé is reminiscent of Paulo Dybala, and that is the best compliment possible. Eusebio Di Francesco has hinted that he needs to learn to be more continuous and consistent inside 90', but there is time for that. Juventus, meanwhile, are keeping their eyes on him, even for January…
COACH OF THE WEEK - CLAUDIO RANIERI
When a coach has won the Premier League with Leicester, come close to winning the Scudetto with Roma, coached in Champions League matches, and performed several miracles on different benches, it is difficult to be surprised anymore.
Well, Claudio Ranieri last weekend managed to do something that has happened very few times in the history of football: in the 72nd minute his team was losing 0-3, yet they won the game 4-3 with two goals scored in the six minutes of injury time. It was a real miracle: Cagliari seemed doomed, Frosinone had the game in its grasp, but the Sardinian team put forth all the heart and hunger of its coach, who despite his advanced age remains one of the best on the Italian scene.
Class is ageless, and Ranieri, a man who has been elegant in words and attitudes practically all his life, continues to be a reference for all Italian coaches, on and off the pitch.
MATCH OF THE WEEK - NAPOLI vs AC MILAN
By the end of the first half, the match seemed to have said all it had to say, with the two goals struck by Olivier Giroud, who had returned to scoring and to make the difference after a somewhat complicated period for himself and for Milan in general.
But Rudi Garcia and Napoli showed that they are still alive and that they have no intention of losing ground. Milan was leading by two goals after half an hour and it could have been many more, with Napoli looking absolutely out of the match, unable to get back in the running.
Well, in the second half the match changed completely, first thanks to the incredible magic of Matteo Politano, who scored a Leo Messi-esque goal, truly a gem to see and see again. Then came the perfect free kick of Giacomo Raspadori, who took advantage of an uncertain Mike Maignan, generally so reliable and almost insurmountable.
The match provided many emotions, among which must be considered also the expulsion of Natan in the final minutes, which could have given further hope to Milan. The unhinged reactions of Rafael Leao and Giroud when Stefano Pioli decided to take them out, not long before the end of the match, to bring in Noah Okafor and Luka Jovic must be noted: the Frenchman and the Portuguese did not want to go out and made that evidently clear.
