Samir Handanović vs Atalanta
Samir handanovic is in the conversation of one of the best goalkeepers in Italian football. An argument can also be made that he is one of the best goalkeepers in the world. He seems to always a be ignored in this conversation he has delivered time in and time out. Regardless on this stage no match seems to be too big for him. Even when Inter Milan has not had their best teams Samir handanovic has been able to make saves and make a big enough impact to keep Inter Milan in the Champions League or at least in that conversation. Inter Milan can play badly and still get results because of the impact he makes in a team. Last year goalkeepers we’ve barely featured on my list. This season I have already recognized goalkeepers as a performer of the week four different occasions. Inter Milan laid an egg against Atalanta they played really poorly and quite honestly Inter deserved to lose this game. It nearly could have happened a penalty save from Samir handanovic got them a point they probably did not deserve. In that respect he’s probably as good as any goalkeeper in the league. He has saved 30% of the penalties that have been shot at him. He saved a late penalty in this game that saved the game and maybe the season. He has been as consistent as any player in the league over the last several seasons at this position. He’s always there making plays it’s about time we give him some recognition.
Ciro Immobile vs Napoli
Ciro Immobile has been one of the best players in the entire league this season. In fact if the season ended today he would get my vote for player of the year. He has taken Lazio to a place they should not be. On the verge of Champions League football and at least in the conversation for the league title. Lazio will not win the league title Inter Milan and Juventus are significantly better and have proven this this season. Despite the fact that Lazio has beaten Juventus twice over a 38 Game season Juventus is more unlikely to slip up as they have gone through many titles in the last decade they know what to do and how to win. Lazio has not won the league title since 2000 I don’t see them winning it here. However you can’t take away what the Lazio Striker has done so far this season. He is continuously delivered on a ridiculously high rate. He is literally by himself dragging Lazio into a title race and the Champions League. Without his impact this is not a European team. It truly shows the value in the team Immobile has created. He has scored a lot of penalties so it takes down the 23 goals he has scored this season a little bit but none the less every time you watch him he has the ability to deliver on a constant basis. I do not consider penalty legitimate goals for Strikers. Scoring penalties is not as difficult as it may seem or people try to crack it up today. I had the same criticism last year for Fabio. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to bring that up. However in spite of that he still has been the best player in the league. He has delivered in big games when he has failed to in previous seasons. The bigger the moment the better he performs this is what has made him a such and antagonizing figure in their attack. They are an scary team this season and even though I do not want to admit it it’s likely that they finish above Roma for the first time in nine seasons. This last weekend was another example that. Against a Napoli team that was in need of points and momentum it was a very back and forth game. However when it came down to it when the Lazio needed goal considering for much of the match they were not the better team they found their outlet from their star. 8 minutes remaining immobile scored the winning goal as Lazio has won 10 consecutive games for the first time ever. This is a team that no one wants to play this season. This is the fifth time I’ve recognized him for performer of the week. and there’s many other weeks I could have recognize them as well that I didn’t. He has just been on a level by himself this season he has defined a one-man team he is dragging Lazio against good teams to Victory I might be a Roma fan but you can’t deny what he has done this season. He has already surpassed 100 goals since he’s arrived this has ended up becoming one of the best signings the club has ever made. He is come and deliver year in and year out and this year he might be at his very best which is just scary.
Jacob Jankto vs Brescia
Sampdoria and Brescia went head-to-head in what is a relegation 6 pointer. Both teams have struggled significantly this season despite having at least some expectations going into the year. A match like this was going to be hugely important to whether or not they survived the season. Unfortunately for Brescia there was only one team in this match. Claudia Ranieri and Samp absolutely annihilated Mario Balotelli and Brescia. It was a 5-1 Annihilation for Sampdoria who is now starting to escape the relegation Zone. All-around great performance by Sampdoria. Jakub jankto was the real deal in this match. He may not be a player that is discussed very often but I’ve been a fan of him since he was at Udin. He is a good player to have in Squad depth and he has his moments where he looks unbelievable. He’s capable of playing for a team at a little higher level. The problem with him is he just can’t maintain it constantly. However when he’s at his best he can be pretty sensational. This weekend he was at his best. Jakub Jankto score one and assisted two others being responsible for three of the five goals scored for Sampdoria. He has the ability to be really special for the Midfield just needs to get more of an opportunity. If he is able to develop more consistency he will earn his spot on a bigger team. I think is a really special player not as a starter necessarily but I think he could be a valuable option Off the Bench for a bigger team. He has done really well at Sampdoria and against Brescia in a must-win match almost he delivered a breathtaking performance.
DONKEY OF THE WEEK: Antonio Conte
The donkey of the week this week goes to Antonio Conte. Inter Milan somewhat lose their grip on the top of the table as Juventus have started to create just a little bit of Separation. I still do believe that this title race is far from over but with the defending Champions beating Roma at the stadio olimpico they now have a two-point lead against Inter Milan. Largely because of Antonio Conte’s mistakes in the match against Atalanta. Atalanta has had a somewhat similar start to the year as they did last season. They are not the same team but still have some qualities to make the Champions League. Inter Milan and Atalanta in a 1-1 draw this weekend. Atalanta was the better team and without question should have won the game. If it wasn’t for a late save by Samir handanovic Inter Milan would have lost. The result is completely and utterly on the shoulders of a Antonio Conte. Antonio Conte is a brilliant manager but he makes mistakes when things don’t go his way. From a tactical perspective he struggled with the ability to make adjustments in crucial situations. This is why for a long time he has been out of the conversation of being the best manager in the world. He is capable of winning games and titles but his team struggle and competitions like the Champions League because of the lack of adjustments. Inter Milan we’re not playing well and needed a goal to try to fight through and get a victory. Martinez is Antonio Conte’s most explosive player Inter Milan. Even though Lukaku has the most goals Martinez supplies him with opportunities to do that because of how much attention he craves from his attacking mentality. He is the best player on the team and I’m not sure it’s all that close given what he can bring to the table especially in the bigger games. With all that being said in a crucial situation what is the worst thing Antonio Conte can do in that scenario take out Martinez. Antonio Conte thought taking out the most explosive offensive player was a good idea. This decision very well could have cost the game. Had he not taken Martinez out of the game I’m not sure Inter Milan would have won but they would have had a better chance to do it. Inter Milan for the first time in almost a decade are in the title race and Antonio Conte is a big reason why however decisions like this in big situations will cost them in the long run if they don’t get it together. Martinez is not treated well at Inter Milan and if they’re not careful he will go down to Barcelona and make them pay repeatedly.
Everything Roma 