Serie A Team of Week 36: Berardi Mauls Milan, Mertens Perfect for Napoli
Juventus won the Derby d'Italia this weekend, continuing the festivities started by their Champions League final qualification by beating their bitter rivals Inter 2-1 at the San Siro.
Lazio won away at Sampdoria to keep the pressure on their city rivals Roma in the race for second, but the Giallorossi responded with a convincing performance of their own at the Olimpico, beating Udinese 2-1.
With just two rounds left in Serie A this season, Cagliari, Cesena and Parma have all been relegated. The Sardinians lost 1-0 to Palermo in the Derby delle Isole, while Parma—who have known their fate for some time—were crushed 3-0 by Fiorentina. Cesena fell 3-2 to Napoli at the San Paolo.
Elsewhere, Sassuolo heaped more misery on Milan by beating the Rossoneri 3-2 thanks to a Domenico Berardi hat-trick, while Genoa romped to a 4-1 victory in Bergamo against Atalanta. Chievo Verona lost 2-0 to Torino in Turin, and Hellas Verona overcame Empoli 2-1 at the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi.
Stefano Sorrentino, Palermo
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Giuseppe Iachini's Palermo have been rightly praised for their attacking flair this season, but it was goalkeeper Stefano Sorrentino who stood out in the Rosanero's 0-1 Derby delle Isole win against Cagliari.
The veteran Italian withstood plenty of pressure from the Sardinians and managed to keep a clean sheet despite the fact that hosts had more shots and the lion's share of possession.
Nikola Maksimovic, Torino
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Torino's young Serbian defender Nikola Maksimovic was spectacular against Chievo Verona.
The 23-year-old supplied both assists for Maxi Lopez's goals, his forward movement was integral to Toro's dominance, and according to Whoscored.com, only his team-mate Emiliano Moretti made more touches during the game.
Gonzalo Rodriguez, Fiorentina
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Fiorentina's Gonzalo Rodriguez shone against Parma this round. The Argentine was central to the Viola's attacking play, starting his side's charges forward from defence with his crisp passing and confident work on the ball.
Rodriguez was typically strong in the air at the back and up front used his aerial prowess to open the scoring after just 12 minutes with a smart header.
Santiago Gentiletti, Lazio
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It had been 237 days since Santiago Gentiletti had taken to the field in Serie A for Lazio, but you wouldn't have thought it watching his performance against Sampdoria.
The Argentine defended well and reacted brilliantly to instinctively guide the ball into the net, giving the Biancocelesti the lead in Genoa.
Ultimately, the goal also took all three points to keep pace with city rivals Roma in the race for second before the all-important Derby della Capitale.
Faouzi Ghoulam, Napoli
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Napoli's Faouzi Ghoulam was excellent on the left flank for Napoli in their 3-2 win over Cesena.
The 24-year-old Algerian might have been outshone by Dries Mertens in front of him, but Ghoulam's solid defensive work and willingness to make forward runs laid the foundations for the Belgian's match-winning performance.
Andrea Bertolacci, Genoa
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It's another TOTW appearance for Genoa's talented midfielder Andrea Bertolacci. The 24-year-old Roman's box-to-box style, excellent passing and penchant for shooting on his own ran Atalanta ragged.
His assist for Leonardo Pavoletti was exquisite, and his own strike was very well taken, too. Deservedly voted man of the match by Whoscored.com.
Radja Nainggolan, Roma
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Roma's Radja Nainggolan was back to his best against Udinese. The Belgian was typically tough in tackles but also displayed plenty of his excellent passing skills and the more attacking element to his game that's developed this year.
Nainggolan scored Roma's first just before half-time, but were it not for some excellent blocks from the Zebrette defence—and some hard work from Orestis Karnezis in goal—the 27-year-old could have easily scored more.
Mounir Obbadi, Hellas Verona
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Mounir Obbadi might not be a household name, but the 32-year-old is fully deserving of his place in this TOTW.
Obbadi was active all across the pitch against Empoli, and after Riccardo Saponara opened the scoring for the visitors with just five minutes played, it was the Moroccan international who provided the excellent free-kick that Vangelis Moras met to bring Verona back level.
Dries Mertens, Napoli
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Napoli's Dries Mertens didn't put a foot wrong against Cesena.
The 28-year-old Belgian got two goals and an assist at the San Paolo, and his dangerous runs made life extremely difficult for the Cavallucci Marini defence—not least because it often liberated Manolo Gabbiadini.
Mertens isn't the most consistent player in Serie A, but when on form, it's easy to see why Rafa Benitez was so keen to bring him to Italy from PSV Eindhoven.
Domenico Berardi, Sassuolo
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For any other 20-year-old, a hat-trick against AC Milan would create a media frenzy. But with Domenico Berardi, it just seems normal now.
The young Calabrian clearly has a huge future ahead of him at the highest level of football. It's hard to see where Max Allegri could fit him in to the Juventus squad, but it's even harder to see how Sassuolo can keep hold of the loanee striker for another season when he's performing like this every week.
Leonardo Pavoletti, Genoa
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For this round's best striker, it's hard to look past Genoa's Leonardo Pavoletti. The 26-year-old from Livorno provided two assists and scored a goal of his own against Atalanta—making it three of each in his last three games for the Grifone.
Pavoletti linked brilliantly with Bertolacci behind him and often tracked back into midfield to lend a hand in this comprehensively impressive team performance from Gian Piero Gasperini's side.
