Top Three Performers and Donkey of the week #782

Duvan Zapata vs Lecce (3)

Duvan Zapata is one of the most explosive players in the entire league. When he is at his best there is very little that can be done with. He’s very physically imposing and a nightmare to deal with when he is in-form. The Colombian Striker has gained full health which is a serious Danger to everyone. Last season he scored against every a big team he faced. In the big games he’s always shown up and provided that spark that led to his team making the champions league for the first time in club history. This season he has struggled with some injuries. He has missed 11 league matches and has missed four matches in the Champions League. Since returning from his injury earlier in the season he has caught fire in a similar way to last season an electric player that has proven to be a nightmare to deal with. Even though he missed so many matches he still has put up a big numbers considering the amount of games he has played. This weekend against Lecce a team that prior to their last two matches had gotten big results against some of the better teams and looked like they were finding their way out of the relegation Zone as they were creating some separation from the bottom. That doesn’t seem to exist anymore as they were back in that situation. They were just not ready for duvan Zapata he makes this list for the third time this season in the second time since returning from his injury. The Colombian Striker ended up scoring a hat-trick showing the league that he still is the real deal. Duvan Zapata when healthy is the best player in the league along with Paulo Dybala depending on the day. He is just a different type of player a hybrid type Striker. We have not seen a lot of players of his physical size and speed which is why defenses have struggled so much to contain him. Duvan Zapata is Edin Dzeko with pace. That is a truly antagonizing precedent because Edin Dzeko is one of the smartest players in the entire league and has a different level of intelligence. He still probably a smarter player but put all the skills together he has Edin Dzeko skills with speed just dangerous he hasn’t quite mastered the passing ability but he is improving every week. The kid plays like he has his hair on fire just an unbelievable level of energy. The hat-trick this weekend he made it look so simple. Even though the ended up wiping the floor with them he scored in crucial parts of the game. He scored a goal in the first half that gave the team a 2-0 lead. Afterwards when Lecce came back he scored twice within a short period of time ending any hope of a comeback. Atalanta ended up winning 7-2. In just 18 games he has 13 goals and five assists. Given the amount of time but he is missed that is nothing short of remarkable. The Colombian Striker still has an outside chance of making the team of the season if he keeps this up he will take somebodies spot. If you have a player with his skill set and ability in the team they will always be in contention to win. We saw exactly what his value has been and a player he is with another outstanding display in a hat trick performance.

 

 

Nikola Kalinic vs Cagliari  

One of the biggest stories of Roma’s crazy win in Sardinia was the performance of Nikola kalinic. As crazy and unusual as it may sound he was one of the best performers of the week. Nikola kalinic arrived in Rome during the summer on loan from Atletico Madrid. He had not done particularly well in his last couple Seasons with AC Milan Florentina and Madrid. There was very little expectations of what he could potentially do in the Roma colors. There was a certain concern of his ability to play at a high level. The idea was to give Edin Dzeko a backup Striker to come in if needed. So far this season not counting yesterday he has been abysmal. In nine games he has provided next to nothing. However Edin Dzeko needed the rest as he is played almost consistently the last several months. Nikola kalinic was called upon to fill in and provide a spark. He did exactly that he was as surprise hero in Roma’s victory on Sunday night. Nikola kalinic has been awful so the last person Roma were expecting to come through and perform the way he did was the Croatian. He scored two goals in the first half and then provided an assist on the Justin kluivert strike. He was responsible for three of the four goals putting together a performance I’m not sure we’re going to see again from him this season. This doesn’t necessarily change the fact that he probably won’t be back next season but he gave Roma a spark in a match they needed it. Roma were great offensively and attacked with such success but they narrowly escaped in a back-and-forth battle they needed his impact and he was one of the biggest reasons Roma ended up getting all three points. Edin Dzeko is one of the best strikers in Italian football and one of the best players in Roma’s history. He has not scored a double since last season. Nikola kalinic did it in a little over 15 minutes. He was without question one of the best performers of the week. It is highly unlikely he will make the list again but after his display that took Everyone by surprise he deserves his recognition. He was Sensational He did the job he was asked to do. It’s something we’re unlikely to see on a consistent basis he deserves a lot of credit for what he was able to do against a tough Cagliari team. His future is still up in the air but for the time being it’s not our job to worry about that when the summer comes we will have to have that conversation but for the time being we have to appreciate how the Croatian Striker performed when no one expected him to he was an unsung hero in Roma’s 4-3 victory on Sunday night.

 

Henrikh Mkhitaryan  vs Cagliari 

The cancellation of the many Serie A games has given limited options for performance of the week. This week we are going to see Roma have two participants on the list once again. Henrikh Mkhitaryan has been absolutely Sensational when he has played this season. He is coming for Lorenzo Pellegrini and become a difference-maker immediately. Lorenzo Pellegrini is a Roman boy with a very high ceiling he is a very talented player there is no doubting that. However the January player of the month might have a hard time getting his job back when he returns from his injury. Lorenzo Pellegrini is expected to be sidelined a month. When he comes back he will have a role on this team but it may not be as a starter. Henrikh Mkhitaryan since he has come in for Pellegrini has two goals and three assists in all competitions in just 3 games. The Armenian has become a wizard in the Midfield. It did not work at Arsenal or man united but it is working in Italy with Roma. Even when he’s not starting he’s finding ways to impact the game. He scored 6 goals this season which is a very high number especially given the fact he has been sidelined for an extended period of time due to injuries. Once again he played a starring role in Roma’s results over the weekend. He had a goal and an assist once again being responsible for 50% of the Roma goals scored in Sardinia on Sunday night. He has been such a Dynamo in the Midfield he has used his vision and passing ability to put his teammates into good positions while creating opportunities for himself as well. On Roma second goal it wasn’t anything short of absolute brilliance by The Armenian wizard. henrikh mkhitaryan cut into the box taking the defender away from Nikola kalinic. He then put the ball in perfect space as the Croatian ended up scoring the goal from close range. From the anticipation and a strategic approach it was a brilliant display of intelligence and skill by the midfielder. Then on Roma’s final goal the match one that proved to be important he was in the right place at the right time getting his foot to a incredible Cross by Alex Kolarov to put the game away once and for all. He only continues to perform at an incredibly high level. He is the team’s third leading scorer despite the fact he’s missed over a month due to injury. Henrikh Mkhitaryan if he can maintain this level of play the rest of the season very well could be a surprise pick for the team of the season when we reach its conclusion. Roma have the momentum and confidence back within the team and a large part of that has been the performance of henrikh Mkhitaryan he is having an incredibly productive season as this entire team has started to pick up the momentum they needed. Once again The Armenian was sensational making big contributions in a Roma victory. Roma is getting the best out of him where Arsenal and Man United fail to do so there’s no doubt that he will be purchased by Roma at the end of the season After playing at the level he has this season it’s a no-brainer.

 

DONKEY OF THE WEEK: Serie A Renounce to the Coronavirus 

The donkey of the week this week goes to the league of Serie A. They have completely lost their mind and mishandled the coronavirus situation. The Serie A schedule is now behind schedule massively having canceled games in the last 2 weeks. I get the severity of the coronavirus and it is important that team’s a tread carefully. The initial cancellation two weeks ago I understood because there was a lot of things that did not line up at the time. They had to protect their product and the players. It was something that had to be done by the league. However they took it too far when they decided to cancel games the following week. Obviously there are teams who have played over the last 2 weeks such as Roma Lazio and Napoli but a good portion of the league has not seen the field in 14 days. This is unacceptable. They need to protect the players and to make sure that others are do not get the virus. Three players from the Juventus under-23 team have gotten the virus as well as Alexi Sanchez. Those situations need to be built within time but canceling the game is not the answer! Best solution is quite simple play in an indoor Stadium or play without fan involvement to protect the players and the people in the stadium. It is sad that Juventus vs Inter Milan would have to be played behind closed doors that is a fan experience that we all want to see however we have to protect the players canceling that match is unacceptable because now Inter Milan and others have two matches behind. The scheduling is run in a very tight way and they’re putting them on back burner after canceling matches in the way they have been. Not only that Inter Milan next match is in the Copa Italia they have spent two weeks without playing and they can’t even play in a league match. There are talks about them rescheduling that match and putting a League match in replace of it but beyond that it is utterly unacceptable the way this is handled. This has been a huge embarrassment and disrespectful to the fans and the people that follow the league. Canceling the games has been a bad look for Italian football. Italy has some of the more consistent cases of the coronavirus and it has to be protected. However they’re getting too far behind schedule. They cannot cancel another week. They have to fit these matches in that have not been played yet which will be now largely inconvenient for the teams who will have to play them this has been an utter embarrassment and the league must answer for this. This has been a disaster obviously I hope no one is going to get the virus but the matches Must go on they cannot stop the middle of the season because of a few cases. Be responsible take care of what needs to be taken care of and let them matches continue. You’re robbing the fans of the joy they have. What the Italian fa does not understand is for some of these people you don’t know what they’re going through or where they are in their lives. Sometimes the football is what makes everything okay and you’ve taken that from them it is a selfish approach to what was a very simple solution.