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Horncastle's Heaven and Hell: Higuain breaks another record
HEAVEN
Roberto Donadoni
This will come as no surprise to those of you who followed Donadoni at Parma and the dignity with which he handled himself as the club was pulled into financial oblivion. A year ago, one of the stalwarts of the great Milan team of the `60s, Mario Anquiletti, passed away. He left a mountain of debt and his family, hitherto unaware of it, risked losing everything. However, upon learning of their plight, Donadoni, a Milan legend in his own right, wrote them a cheque and cleared the outstanding arrears. The man is a saint.
Coolibaly tribute
You’ll no doubt recall that Napoli’s game with Lazio at the Olimpico was temporarily suspended in midweek after elements of the Curva Nord made monkey noises when centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly touched the ball. To show their solidarity, Napoli fans wore Koulibaly masks at the San Paolo on Sunday. It was a touching gesture and an entirely necessary one if the culture is to change in grounds around Italy.
Golnado Higuain
Another one of Maradona’s records falls after Napoli made it eight wins in a row. Higuain has now scored in each of his last six games in Serie A. Sunday’s winner was something of a mythbuster too. Everyone has Higuain down as a terrible penalty taker after misses in the Champions League ‘play off’ with Lazio last season and the Copa America final but this was his 10th goal from the spot in 14 attempts and it came under pressure too. Juventus were ahead in Frosinone and poised to go top while things were by no means going Napoli’s way against Carpi who had held them to a draw in Modena earlier in the season.
The BBC
Normal service has resumed. Statistically Juventus’ defence is back to being the best in Italy. For the fourth time this season they didn’t allow their opponents a single shot on target. Frosinone made only two touches in Juventus’ box which makes you think Gigi Buffon might as well have stayed at home. Leo Bonucci came through without picking up a booking that would have ruled him out of Saturday’s title decider with Napoli. But Giorgio Chiellini did hobble off injured and won’t be available. With Mario Mandzukic and Sami Khedira already in the treatment room, it’s far from ideal for Max Allegri. How will he get around it? Martin Caceres is out for the season after snapping his Achilles tendon so the question is: does he throw in Daniele Rugani, who Sarri of course knows so well, or will he consider a change of system? Juventus’ 14-game winning streak began with a return to 3-5-2 so it’s unlikely he will disrupt it by going back to a back four. Decisions. Decisions.
The Year of the Monkey
Roma’s shirts wished everyone a very Happy Chinese New Year on Sunday night and it was apt that Diego Perotti got the winning goal. Perotti’s father Hugo, a former winger with Boca, was nicknamed El Mono, the Monkey, and just hours before the Year of the Monkey began, his son, who naturally inherited the sobriquet, got his first goal for Roma. Not known for his goalscoring - it’s said that Perotti and goals are like water and oil: they simply don’t mix. Initial experiments with him as a false nine a la Totti suggest, however, that maybe that will change.
Walter Sabatini
The Wolf of Trigoria appeared to have lost his touch when it came to playing the market and was said to be considering handing in his resignation. However in stark contrast with a year ago when Seydou Doumbia, Victor Ibarbo and Nicola Spolli made no impact at all on Roma’s season, Ervin Zukanovic, Stephan El Shaarawy and Diego Perotti have all hit the ground running, which is particularly welcome as the rest of the team seem to stop after an hour.
Gigi Donnarumma
The teenager really couldn’t have done anything more to stop Udinese’ first goal, using all of his Spidey sense to make a miraculous double save before Pablo Armero and the immutable law of the ex aligned to cosmically get one over him. However the Karma police did then intervene.Milan’s equaliser arrived almost immediately after Donnarumma denied Francesco Lodi and this time the universe decreed: gol mangiato, gol subito - goal missed, goal conceded - against Udinese.
Luca, we’re not in Hellas anymore
It’s a decade since a player last assisted three goals in one game all from set-pieces. It’s as if Luca Marrone used to train with Andrea Pirlo or something. Now unbeaten in five, Verona could have been forgiven for thinking they were going to follow up their first win of the season with another one after taking a 3-1 lead against Inter. Safety is now a point closer after Carpi, Frosinone and Samp all lost, but the Butei are still nine adrift. “We’re still alive,” Gigi Delneri insists.
Ivan Perisic
Replaced Felipe Melo at half-time and changed the game for Inter with an assist and an equaliser.
HELL
Everything but the goal
Much criticised for falling asleep in the stands in Udine a week ago, Lazio director of sport Igli Tare must have found it hard to keep his eyes open at Marassi on Saturday. Held 0-0 by Genoa, it was the third game in a row Lazio have failed to score. Veteran striker Miroslav Klose has yet to get off the mark this season. Filip Djordjevic is now without a league goal in four months and Alessandro Matri didn’t exactly help matters by getting sent off last week. In all, Lazio’s strikers have mustered five goals between them. “We’re lacking that spark,” coach Stefano Pioli sighed.
The Toro loses its fight
It seems we’ve reached a tipping point. By now a consensus is forming that Giampiero Ventura has taken Torino as far as he can. Obliterated 4-0 in the Coppa Italia by rivals Juventus, it’s one win in 10 in the league. Twelfth and in freefall, there’s uncertainty at the goalkeeper position, a lack of ideas in midfield and the banishment of Quagliarella, all of which have complicated matters. Even so this is the best group of players Ventura has ever had at Torino yet the team has taken a step back on last year and the year before that. Immensely grateful for everything he has done - Ventura has been Torino’s best coach since Gigi Radice and Emiliano Mondonico - a delicate decision awaits owner Urbano Cairo, more likely in the summer than anytime soon.
Interchangeable
First five games of the girone d’andata: 5 wins, 0 draws, 0 losses: Points 15 Form 1st.
First five games of the girone di ritorno: 1 win, 3 draws, 1 loss: Points 6 Form 11th.
Losing their heads
To think Inter hadn’t conceded a single headed goal until last week’s Madonnina. On Sunday they conceded another three in Verona. All from set-pieces, a speciality of their hosts. Fourteen of Verona’s 19 goals this season have come from dead ball situations. Roberto Mancini promises to dedicate more time to them in training than last week’s two 15-minute sessions. Miranda’s absence through suspension at the Bentegodi is not an excuse. What was once the best defence in the league is now in ruins. Nine goals conceded in Inter’s last four games in all competitions - a trio of 3-0 defeats - underlines it..
Felipe Melo
A walking red card, Mancini had to replace him at half-time to prevent a re-run of the Melodrama before Christmas against Lazio when, coincidentally, Inter lost all their stability. Suspended for next weekend’s third place ‘playoff’ with Fiorentina, it’s more a blessing than a curse. Melo cannot be saved now.
Doveri bad refereeing
Disallowed a perfectly legitimate goal by Callejon for a non-existent offside. Elected not to award him a penalty too. Then unjustly reduced Carpi to 10 men, showing a second yellow card to Raffaele Bianco for an intervention on Lorenzo Insigne that was never a bookable offence.
Matto Fernandez
Naively got himself sent off against Bologna. Will miss the Inter game next Sunday.
Mario Balotelli
The more M’Baye Niang scores, the less likely he’ll get any first team opportunities between now and the Euros. Liverpool fans, prepare for his return to Melwood in June.
Edin Dzeko
Left out of the starting line up again, Dzeko couldn’t hold the ball up and kept losing it when did come on. His confidence looks shot to pieces. Still without a goal from open play in Serie A since August.
James Horncastle (@JamesHorncastle)
