5 Things About Serie A That We Learned from Week 26 in Italy

Jack Alexandros RathbornJun 7, 2018

AC Milan emphatically won in Palermo this weekend to move ominously clear at the top of Serie A. The Rossoneri are now three points clear of Juventus, who drew at home to Chievo. Chievo will be unable to surpass their scudetto rivals even if they win their game in hand.

The Old Lady remain unbeaten in Antonio Conte's first season in charge, but they do not look like champions at the moment. Their attack is blunt, which means Juve have drawn 12 games, more than any other side in the league.

Elsewhere, Napoli continued their fine run of form with a fourth successive victory which cuts the gap on Udinese in fourth to three points. Lazio capitalised on the Zebrette's stalemate with Atalanta to move two points clear in that prized third place.

The Aquile ground out victory in the Derby della Capitale, 2-1, after Roma were reduced to 10 men after just seven minutes when Maarten Stekelenburg hauled down Miroslav Klose in the penalty area. It seemed particularly harsh given that Giallorossi defender Juan was almost certainly in position to clear the ball before the German would have been able to reach it.

There were significant victories for Bologna, Siena and Fiorentina, who all moved further away from 18th place Lecce. Lecce could only muster a 2-2 draw at home to Genoa, despite leading with four minutes left. Sadly, the relegation battle seems to be void of drama this season with the Lupi seemingly the only team capable of surviving, since Novara and Cesena are 12 and 13 points adrift.

Here are five things I learnt from the weekend's action.

Ibrahimovic Stakes Claim to Be the Best in the World, After Messi and Ronaldo

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Zlatan Ibrahimovic is in scintillating form after dismantling Palermo with a hat trick in just 13 minutes.

The Swede is a dominant force and had developed his game to such an extent that he is probably the most complete striker in world football.

Ibra is enjoying the best goal-scoring form of his career with 25 goals in 28 matches in all competitions. He has always been a physical force with his hulking 6'5" frame, but his wonderful touch and vision have been utilised more than ever this season.

Massimiliano Allegri has deployed Zlatan in a new role this season: He is the protagonist in the Rossoneri's tactical transformation under the former Cagliari manager.

Ibrahimovic is prominent in the Champions League as well, with five goals in five games to equal his previous career tally in two fewer games.

Given that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are in a league of their own, Ibrahimovic would be in the conversation to be the next best. Robin Van Persie is seemingly the biggest threat, but Ibra's all-around game is more well-rounded than the Dutchman's.

Michael Bradley Enjoying Breakout Season with Chievo

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Michael Bradley helped Chievo earn a valuable point away to Juventus to complete a remarkable week. The USA international had earlier been in sensational form at the heart of the Stars and Stripes' midfield to help secure an historic victory against Italy in Genoa.

Chievo are now tied for eighth position in Serie A and are exceeding expectations. Bradley has been a revelation, with his tenacious performances in the midfield perfectly aligned to the Italian game.

There will soon be interest from the peninsula's bigger clubs, with his athleticism and intensity perfectly suited to revitalise an aging Inter or Milan, who have coveted players of his ilk since Massimiliano Allegri took the reigns.

Calciomercato.it reveals that the Rossoneri are keen on the American, who has a special place in his heart for the club. "Milan was my favourite team when I was little, as (Demetrio) Albertini was my idol," Bradley revealed.

The Flying Donkeys will be loath to lose their star, acquired for the paltry sum of £1 million last summer from German club Borussia Mönchengladbach, but will realise they are in line to make a tremendous profit if Bradley can continue to churn out these marvellous performances.

Bradley's future seems to be in Italy, where he will hope to further develop his potential in to the peak years of his career. His father, Bob Bradley, compared his son to both Daniele De Rossi and Mark Van Bommel, and those comparisons now seem ever more pertinent.

Inter Milan: Sack Looms Large for Ranieri After Dismal Draw Against Catania

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Claudio Ranieri seems destined to be sacked by Massimo Moratti in the coming days after another disastrous performance at home.

Catania will feel aggrieved to only leave the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza with a solitary point after the Nerazzurri completed a remarkable comeback in the last 19 minutes of the match. Diego Forlan and Diego Milito scored after Alejandro Gomez and Mariano Izco gave the Elefanti a 2-0 lead.

Ranieri has blundered consistently with his tactics, persistently failing bring out the best in Wesley Sneijder. The Netherlands international has been shifted around the side in numerous positions, which has unsettled the side.

Many have wrongly claimed that Sneijder is culpable for Inter's recent demise, but Ranieri has tinkered too often, preventing Sneijder from regaining his form after a stint on the sidelines with injury.

It is true that the Oranje star enjoys playing as a trequartista, but any prolonged spell in the side at a particular position would have allowed him to regain confidence and further understand his responsibilities.

Not only has Sneijder's form suffered, but accommodating him has been detrimental to his Nerazzurri teammates. Ranieri's Inter have endured 541 minutes without scoring, broken by Forlan at the weekend, but the strikers at his disposal have been afforded little time to adjust to Ranieri's desired tactics before being benched once more.

Rumours persisted in Italy last week that Andre Villas-Boas would become the next Inter manager after being sacked by Chelsea. That happened on Sunday, and now that the Portuguese is available, Moratti will be tempted to change managers for the second time this season given Inter's season is practically over.

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Juventus: Conte's Strikers Will Cost the Bianconeri the Scudetto

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Juventus drew again at the weekend as the scudetto seemed to slip away, even though the Bianconeri have a game in hand.

The undeniable problem for Conte this season has been the disastrous form of his striker. Mirko Vucinic has flopped since joining for €15 million from Roma. Alessandro Matri's form is wildly inconsistent too.

The backups—Fabio Quagliarella, Alessandro Del Piero and even Marco Borriello—all look past their prime years and seem incapable of revitalising the Old Lady's fortunes in front of goal. All five of the backups have combined for 16 goals in all competitions this season, which is quite frankly unacceptable.

It appears that Conte has exhausted all possibilities, apart from Del Piero, who has been left frustrated with pointless cameos with just a few minutes remaining. I would suggest that the Mister cuts his losses with these strikers and opts for a 4-3-3 with more genuine width. This would allow Claudio Marchisio more freedom to join in attacks.

Conte should draw upon real pace in his ranks by fielding more traditional wingers. Simone Pepe, Marcelo Estigarribia, Emanuele Giaccherini and even the problematic Eljero Elia are all capable of providing a more penetrative style of football from the flanks.

Milos Krasic, who has been frozen out by Conte in recent months, could also be re-summoned to add extra competition.

Matri, Borriello, Quagliarella and Del Piero all share a distinct lack of pace, which seems to be the underlying problem. The opposition seem content to man-mark each of them, knowing they cannot hurt them in behind. Despite his wretched form in a wide birth, Vucinic could potentially regain his confidence if deployed centrally to complete a more fluid attack.

Whatever Conte concludes from his side's recent blip in form, he will realise that an overhaul of his front line is a necessity.

Lecce: Luis Muriel, Giallorossi's Silver Lining Despite Probable Relegation

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Luis Muriel has been in fine form despite his team being destined for relegation. The Colombian has scored in three consecutive matches to help the Salentini to a five-match unbeaten run.

The Lecce forward is on loan from Udinese, who will have taken a keen interest in the 20-year-old's recent form. The Colombian U20 international has taken his tally for the season to five goals while also chipping in with six assists to give calcio fans a glimpse of his outrageous potential.

Muriel first came to the wider public's attention with the Colombia U20 national team last summer. Los Cafeteros won the prestigious Toulon youth tournament before taking part in the FIFA U20 World Cup as the host nation.

Colombia started the tournament in fine form as they topped Group A over France, South Korea and Mali, winning all three matches. Muriel scored three times in the group stages and once again in the last 16 round, where Colombia defeated Costa Rica 3-2. The Colombians eventually lost 3-1 to Mexico in the quarterfinals.

Muriel's pace and acceleration are devastating on the counter-attack and integral to Lecce's recent resurgence. Manager Serse Cosmi has set his side up to defend deep before using direct balls in to the channels for Muriel to chase.

Having a keen eye for goal, as well as the ability to finish inside and outside the penalty area, Muriel will undoubtedly be attracting interest from larger clubs, despite not even playing for his parent club Udinese.

He is certainly one to keep an eye on and might even give Lecce an outside chance of survival.