Serie A finally opened for business this weekend after a players strike had delayed the initial set of fixtures. It was a tricky start for last season’s top two- Milan managed just a point at the San Siro against Lazio, while Gian Gasperini’s first league game as Inter boss ended in a surprise defeat at Palermo, despite the goalscoring exploits of Diego Milito. Juventus lead the way after a 4-1 win over Parma and it’s no surprise to see three of their players appear in the WhoScored Serie A team of the week. Here’s a rundown of some of the top performers:
Djamel Mesbah, Lecce. WhoScored rating 8.86
A quite brilliant defensive display from the left-back wasn’t enough to prevent his side losing 2-0 at home to Udinese. Mesbah made an incredible 8 of his side’s total of 15 tackles (including a last-man tackle) in addition to 3 interceptions-the most of any Lecce player- and 7 clearances at the back. He also won 8 aerial duels (100%) and was also a key player in Lecce’s attacking moves, too.
Mesbah had 100 touches, the most of any home player- right-back Nenad Tomovic (70) was second, an indication of just how involved Mesbah was. A look at his distribution shows he played 61 passes- again, the most of any Lecce player- with an 89% accuracy, in addition to 4 crosses and 14 long balls.
In terms of creativity, he managed 3 key passes and also made 2 successful dribbles down the flank in an extraordinary all-round performance from the left-back. Unsurprisingly, Mesbah picked up the man of the match award and, given his efforts, was sorely unlucky to appear on the losing side.
Hugo Campagnaro, Napoli. WhoScored rating 9.15
The centre half played a crucial role at both ends of the pitch in Napoli’s 3-1 win at Cesena. Playing on the right of Napoli’s back-three, Campagnaro was outstanding, and a look at his stats show that he was top for the vast majority of stats in comparison to his team mates.
At the back, in addition to winning 67% of aerial duels, he was top for tackles (6), interceptions (4) and clerarances (8)- the second best Napoli defensive performance came from Salvatore Aronica, with 3, 1 and 6 respectively- a clear example of how far ahead Campagnaro was.
He also had more touches (103) than any Napoli player and made 65 passes with an 82% accuracy. Going forward, he made 1 successful dribble, had 2 goal attempts and made 1 key pass- as a result, he picked up 1 goal and 1 assist in the win. Campagnaro can be more than happy with a fabulous performance that earned him the man of the match award and helped his side to second in Serie A after the first round of matches.
Maximiliano Moralez, Atalanta. WhoScored rating 8.78
Playing in the hole behind a lone striker in his side’s 4-4-1-1 system, Moralez was crucial to earning Atalanta a point away to Genoa. Atalanta only had 5 shots all game, but luckily 2 of those shots came from Moralez and, in a demonstration of clinical finishing, he found the net with both his attempts in the 2-2 draw.
Genoa controlled much of the possession, meaning his involvement was fairly limited- Moralez managed just 46 touches and 34 passes, with a 79% accuracy. He also fired in 4 crosses and played 2 long balls, making 2 key passes over his eighty-five minutes on the pitch. His defensive contribution was restricted to just 1 tackle but his two-goal salvo helped Moralez pick up the man of the match award for some lethal shooting.
Claudio Marchisio, Juventus. WhoScored rating 8.82
Sitting alongside Andrea Pirlo in central midfield, Marchisio turned in a quite brilliant performance as Juventus swept to the top of the table with a 4-1 hammering of Parma. As Pirlo picked the passes, Marchisio was the protector- 6 tackles was the most of any Juve player, and he also made 3 interceptions to help break up any opposition attacks.
Marchisio made 107 touches, second only to Pirlo (123), and played 80 passes with a fantastic 91% accuracy. He made 1 key pass and played 6 long balls (all accurate) and had 2 shots at goal, both of which were on target. A fantastic all-round performance was topped off with an 83rd minute goal as Marchisio- despite a delightful debut showing from Pirlo that brought the ex-Milan man 2 assists- walked off with the man of the match award.
Fabrizio Miccoli, Palermo. WhoScored rating 10.0
Miccoli played a pivotal part in securing Palermo three points against Inter, with a sensational attacking performance. He had 5 of his side’s 11 shots and with all 5 on target, he found the net on 2 occasions. Miccoli was also the chief creator for the home side- he made 3 key passes, picking up 1 assist, as he made light work of Inter’s back-three under Gasperini.
Palermo clearly made sure he received the ball as much as possible- he had 51 touches, third-highest of any home player- though he made just 26 passes, with a 77% accuracy. He also fired in 7 crosses and made just 1 tackle, but Miccoli’s game was all about putting the ball in the net, as Inter found out last night.
