For those involved in European competitions, the matches are starting to come thick and fast in Serie A. And perhaps for some, it’s starting to take its toll.
Here’s what we learned from round six of the 2023-24 Serie A campaign.
1 – LAUTARO MARTINEZ CAN WIN THE GOLDEN BOOT
Lautaro Martinez’s form is giving new optimism to Inter who, after the defeat against Sassuolo, demonstrated that they are among the favorites to win the Scudetto by winning 3-0 against Salernitana.
Martinez was rested for 45 minutes and then scored four goals in 37 minutes, the first time that has happened in Serie A history. The Argentina striker had five shots on goal, scoring four goals: impressive accuracy that brought Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa to his knees.
Against Salernitana he was immense. The definition of a man against boys. The difference between his qualities and those of all Salernitana players was vast.
Martinez is a top player who scored 10 goals in the month of September. Until this weekend no player in Serie A had ever managed to score four goals after coming off the bench, so he is already a Italian championship legend. He is an Inter icon, a charismatic heir of Diego Milito and Javier Zanetti, and a man who can may well be able to take the Champions League back to Milano.
Lautaro Martinez scored four goals off the bench to help earn Inter Milan a victory
The Argentine forward scored all the goals during their 4-0 win over Salernitana
2 – PULISIC SHINES BACK
Ups and downs shouldn’t change your opinion: Christian Pulisic is a top player who just needed time to adapt to AC Milan.
The first goal of the match against Lazio was a small sign of his ability. The former Chelsea star managed to coordinate himself as good pace to, to beat Ivan Provedel.
Pulisic is strength is his technique and, well, strength. He runs and fights like a midfielder and, like all players who come from the Premier League, he has great stamina.
During the weekend’s match he drove Elseid Hysaj, Alessio Romagnoli and Daichi Kamada crazy, with the defenders often sucked into the vortex of his attacking exploits.
Stefano Pioli often takes him off in games to rest him because his quality needed in Champions League matches and previous physical problems have convinced Milan staff to manage him with great caution.
Pulisic has adapted perfectly to Serie A and selling him may be a big regret for Chelsea. Pioli understands how to use him to get 100 per cent of his quality out and he is an incredibly important player for Milan.
3 – OSIMHEN IS AN ALIEN
Initially left on the bench, Victor Osimhen only needed six minutes to score his fifth goal in seven Serie A games.
An exceptional haul as demonstrated by his great professionalism despite the very delicate moment of his non-football career in Naples. If any were needed, Osimhen proved once again that he is the best striker in Serie A and deserves special treatment from Napoli.
Rudi Garcia prefers to rest him for the first half, also in view of the important Champions League match with Real Madrid and he doesn’t get upset: like a robot he gets up and fights like a lion and crushes Lecce in his penalty area. An exemplary professional who plays for the good of the team and demonstrates an aggression and determination reminiscent of Edinson Cavani.
Rudi Garcia has shown a certain rigidity towards him several times but yet another goal certifies that Napoli needs his contribution to hope to win the scudetto again.
The 0-4 victory against Lecce relaunches the Osimhem team in the Serie A standings and makes the controversies between the Nigerian player and the club less painful. Sooner or later we will need to find a point of contact and resolve the problems but for the moment the number 9 continues to score and deliver another 3 golden points to Napoli.
Victor Osimhen has not let the off-field antics at Napoli affect his performances on the pitch
4 – THIRD CONSECUTIVE GOAL FOR GUDMUNDSSON
Albert Gudmundsson is such a bright star and he is destined to shine at a top club next season. After being the best player in Serie B last year, the player had shone in Genoa’s return to Serie A with 11 goals and five assists and now he is already the main man after just seven games in the top Italian league.
He arrived in Liguria as a relative unknown, but in a few months he has become a man of interest in Serie A, the championship in which his grandfather had been a pioneer many years ago.
The two goals scored against Udinese were an extraordinary show of strength from a player who can help Genoa this year and then move to any top Italian club. The 26-year-old comes from Iceland, the land of ice and geysers, land of great athletes who have found a natural outlet in football thanks to the great performances of the national team.
A goal in a third consecutive weeks demonstrates his effectiveness. After Emil Hallfredsson, Gudmundsson is the second Icelandic player to be a star in Serie A. He has managed to bring Scandinavian success to Serie A once again.
5 – RABIOT IS A GHOST
His match against Atalanta was so bad that it couldn’t even be judged. Up against Teun Koopmeiners, he put in yet another nightmare performance, demonstrating that he has some physical problems that Massimiliano Allegri doesn’t seem to worry about.
Without the help of Wojciech Szczesny to deny Luis Muriel and Koopmeiners, Juventus would probably have suffered a defeat that would have been tough to take. The match was an unequal comparison between one of the best midfields in Italy, that of Atalanta, against one of the worst, that of Juventus, and Rabiot was a standout.
He doesn’t support, never helping the attackers, only noticeable when he’s brushed off the ball by stronger midfielders. He walks round the pitch, running away from the ball. He is the player who is increasingly ghosting, and he was always under the control of the midfield of Atalanta.
The feeling is that he plays without enthusiasm without ever looking for the best solution on the pitch.
6 – UNSTOPPABLE LUKAKU
Romelu Lukaku was Roma’s biggest purchase in the summer transfer window. He replaced Tammy Abraham and has meant the England forward, who has been sidelined with a serious knee injury, hasn’t been missed.
Only Gabriel Batistuta (six) and Stephan El Shaarawy (four) have scored more goals than Romelu Lukaku (three) after their first five Serie A games with Roma. The Belgian player’s numbers are exceptional and, despite the many injuries, in 2023 only Lautaro Martinez (30) and Victor Osimhen (26) have scored more than him, currently on 13 goals after the match against Frosinone.
At 30, he seems to have finally found the physical and psychological balance and, unlike in the past, the former Chelsea star has immediately managed to lose weight, his historic weak point, and get back into 100 per cent shape.
If Roma have any hope of finishing in the top six in Serie A, the credit must certainly be attributed to the goals of the forward, perfectly at ease next to Paolo Dybala at the center of the attack. Jose Mourinho will continue to motivate him psychologically and physcially, in the hope that he can reach 20 goals for the season, helping Roma move up the table after a negative start.
Romelu Lukaku made it three goals in his first five games for Roma after Frosinone win
Lukaku opened the scoring in the 21st minute before his side went on to win 2-0
7 – KLASSEN DISAPPOINTS THE EXPECTATIONS OF INTER FANS
On the magical evening against Salernitana where Martinez’s star shone, there was no trace of Davy Klassen. The Dutch midfielder brought in on a free was anonymous, running in slow motion and failing to be the aggressive midfielder that Simone Inzaghi needs.
The main problem with his game is the slowness of his movements, taking a while to grow into the game. It is the opposite of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who has a different pace to his play and who has no rivals in his role this season.
Without Klassen, Inter gain speed and dynamism and his return to the bench seems destined to be permanent. He is 30 years old but appears older, despite having good technical quality.
Compared to his compatriot Koopmeiners from Atalanta, the former Ajax star has a different speed, a less powerful shot and a lower threat of goal. If the Inter fans dreamed of having purchased a star, they are wrong. Klassen is not and will likely never be a starter in this Inter team.
8 – ORSOLINI IS IN BOLOGNA HISTORY
With the goal against Empoli, right winger Riccardo Orsolini managed to score for Bologna for 6 consecutive seasons in Serie A, a statistical record that began in the 2018/2019 season, a statistical record that gave him allowed to reach Beppe Signori.
Former Bologna and Lazio star managed to score at least 1 goal with the Bologna shirt in Serie A from 1998/1999 to 2003/2004. His first goal in this Serie A is a jewel that projects Bologna into a state of serenity in the Italian tournament standings with 10 points in 7 games.
Against Empoli Orsolini not only reached an icon of Italian football on a statistical level but also scored his first hat-trick in Serie A. Orsolini doesn’t always make the right choice on the pitch, he is often messy but he has finally understood that he is the charismatic leader of the team.
He found greater continuity of performance and raised his technical level. He is a war machine who runs and fights, betting on dribbling and speed. After Federico Chiesa he is probably the best winger in Serie A and this could become the season in which he will make the definitive leap as a top player.
Riccardo Orsolini has managed to score for Bologna for 6 consecutive seasons in Serie A
9 – LECCE, ARE GLORY DREAMS ALREADY OVER?
It all started as a pleasant dream and today it seems to have turned into a big nightmare. In the last 2 games Lecce have conceded 5 goals without ever managing to score, abruptly slowing down their race towards the top of the table.
After an exceptional start, D’Aversa’s team ran into the wall of Juventus and Napoli, being betrayed by their best player Kristovic. The Montenegrin striker is passively undergoing media pressure after his extraordinary impact with Serie A and now appears as an attacker isolated from the rest of the team, nervous and without enthusiasm.
When the attacker Kristvovic turns off the engine the whole team gives up and against Napoli Ostigard and Natan too easily defused the Montenegrin attacker. Ostigard closes every space and never allows him to run vertically, limiting his competitive fury.
Baschirotto, Strefezza and even the goalkeeper Falcone make several mistakes and the whole team suffers when its leaders are suffering. D’Aversa’s team has excellent players but in terms of overall value it suffers from a lack of quality.
In decisive moments, even on a psychological level, he is unable to react and this aspect will have a huge impact on future big matches in this championship. Juventus and Napoli are 2 strong teams but Lecce didn’t have a good approach in either of the 2 games.
10 – SALERNITANA FLOP
Salernitana defends itself for 45 minutes and with Cabral and Dia tries to tickle the Inter defense without succeeding.
Difficult to remedy the team’s free fall, impossible just to think of seeing this team built like this with Paulo Sousa still sitting on the bench. Salerno is a city in love with football and Portuguese coach doesn’t seem to be the right man to save it.
There are many problems within the club and Paulo Sousa is not the only one responsible for this collapse. Serie A ranking is negative with 3 points in 7 marches, there are no signs of improvement and most likely there will not be until President Iervolino tries to find a remedy for the mistakes made on the summer market in the January market.
If the team manages not to be too far from fourth-last place until Christmas, it will be able to hope to move up several positions in the classic at the beginning of 2024, otherwise the situation could already be compromised.
At this moment it is difficult to imagine a miracle and if even Ochoa, the absolute protagonist in the last Serie A, seems to have become a “normal” goalkeeper, something is not working.