The 13th matchday of the Serie A season and the penultimate weekend of action before the World Cup break was full of excitement.
Lazio claimed the local bragging rights in the derby with Roma, Juventus defeated Inter Milan 2-0 and Napoli won at Atalanta to continue their unbeaten start.
Sportsmail’s ALVISE CAGNAZZO returns with the key talking points from another packed weekend in Italy.
Adrien Rabiot celebrates his goal as Juventus beat Inter Milan in Serie A over the weekend
1. OSIMHEN IS A UFO FLYING OVER VESUVIUS
Victor Osimhen is the leading scorer in Serie A and with his extraordinary goal that kick-started Napoli’s comeback at Atalanta he helped his team establish a gap at the top of the table.
They have 35 points, which is eight more than Atalanta and six more than second-placed AC Milan. At the moment, there does not seem to be a credible challenger to Napoli.
Osimhen now has eight goals and his performance demonstrated the Nigerian striker’s strengths as he managed to turn Merih Demiral into a graceless toad.
Victor Osimhen scores for Napoli in their win at Atalanta that moved them six points clear
Napoli looks set to be in a strong position at the top with two rounds until the World Cup pause
The mad rush of speed rewarded Osimhen, who uprooted the ball from Demiral’s feet and served an extraordinary assist for Elif Elmas’s goal.
At 23, the former Lille star is taking Napoli to the top of Serie A and is redesigning all the previous statistics of Nigerian players in Italy.
He is tall and slender, he seems to be able to stretch the ranges as if he were chewing gum and hit the ball in the most poisonous and unpredictable points for the opponents.
Each of his goals makes the eyes of president Aurelio De Laurentiis widen and shine. He has won the most important bet after the sale of Arkadiusz Milik to Marseille.
The Nigerian is the leading goalscorer in Serie A so far this season with eight goals
2. ZAPATA AND HOJLUND FLOP IN ATALANTA’S ATTACK
As always, Atalanta played the game at a very high pace, which took them in front with the usual Ademola Lookman goal but also made them understand the problems of their attack.
Rasmus Hojlund is potentially a top player but to play in Italy, a striker needs much more than the pedigree of the young Scandinavian striker who missed two chances to score.
Duvan Zapata is now considered a fragile player and his physical condition often leads him to sit on the bench or weakens his performance on the pitch.
It has highlighted the weaknesses of president Percassi’s summer transfer dealings.
Atalanta’s Danish striker Rasmus Hojlund battles for the ball against Napoli’s Juan Jesus
Jeremie Boga looks like an ice skater and can never replace ‘Papu’ Gomez, the wildcard Lookman is the only true protagonist of a team which produced an incredible amount of action without ever managing to kill the game.
Up until now the Danish giant Hojlund has scored one goal in nine matches, while Zapata has zero goals in seven appearances.
The problem exists and must be tackled very seriously by Gian Piero Gasperini.
Luis Muriel’s absence due to injury prompted the Atalanta coach to be on Hojlund but until today the boy has disappointed expectations proving that he still needs to mature psychologically to be a starter in the Serie A team.
3. OUTSTANDING BREMER GUIDES JUVENTUS TO VICTORY
The win for Juventus relaunches the team up the Serie A standings and allowed them to overtake Inter Milan and move to 25 points.
The solidity of their defence was the basis of this great result and given his exceptional form, the Brazilian Bremer can lock down the back line and relaunch the team’s ambitions.
In the Allianz Stadium against Inter, Bremer was the top player on the pitch and, after returning from a muscle injury, he was the main protagonist both in defence and attack.
Bremer was the outstanding player for Juventus as they defeated Inter Milan 2-0 on Sunday
He ran and also covered the amnesia of Alex Sandro and Danilo, managing to transform difficult situations into an opportunity to restart the attacking action despite the technical limitations of the team.
Up until now, his purchase has been without a doubt the best financial investment of the club and if Max Allegri’s team has the best defensive record in Serie A, credit must go to him above all.
In the first 45 minutes alone, Inter had four chances to take the lead while Juventus didn’t even manage to take a shot towards goalkeeper Andre Onana.
The Brazilian clears the ball away with a header during an outstanding individual performance
But the second 45 minutes rewarded Juventus with two goals but didn’t eliminate the problems in the setting phase, instead enhancing an unbeatable defence.
Bremer was suffering from a slight injury but remained on the pitch and took the ball several times from Edin Dzeko and Lautaro Martinez, orchestrating the whole Juventus defence.
He has become an extraordinary point of reference for Juventus in just 90 days as well as for the Brazilian national team which he will join at the World Cup in Qatar.
4. UMTITI IS A VERY UNLUCKY PLAYER
Samuel Umtiti’s tears at Brindisi Airport are a distant memory. Many Lecce fans travelled about 35km to greet the French world champion upon his arrival in Italy.
Today, Umtiti is considered a problem for Lecce, who are trying with great difficulty to stay in Serie A.
The precarious physical condition of the on-loan Barcelona defender continues to make the Salento team falter and they failed to win against Udinese.
There are doubts over Samuel Umtiti’s physical condition after he went off in Lecce’s game
The French defender suffered a lumbar injury to his back and Kastriot Dermaku took over. It does not seem to be anything serious for Umtiti but since the beginning of the season in 13 games, he has played only 200 Serie A minutes – too few to be considered a top player.
Umtiti seems to be 39 years of age and not 29 – he has a body full of muscle problems and frailties and his career seems destined to end well ahead of its time.
After 13 games it is legitimate to ask whether Umtiti was just a signing to please the fans or a solid player upon which Lecce’s salvation can be based.
Up until now, the results have been disastrous and this umpteenth physical problem, though slight, seems to be the confirmation of his physical frailty.
Lecce drew with Udinese but remain 16th and are deep in relegation danger this season
5. WHERE WOULD MILAN BE WITHOUT GIROUD?
Without Olivier Giroud’s extraordinary goal, a post-mortem on Milan’s structural problems would be underway today.
The new signings stutter and are not decisive on the pitch, so the team clings to the muscles and stunts of its No 9 who will very soon renew his contract until June 2024.
At the end of last season, as in this crazy Champions League, it is always Giroud who gives Milan the three points and brings them from sixth to top in Serie A.
Olivier Giroud was once again the saviour for AC Milan as they won late against Spezia
His 89th-minute goal in the 2-1 win over Spezia is probably one of the most beautiful of his career and it doesn’t matter to the Frenchman that his celebration led to a red card.
Divock Origi started the game without surprising the Ligurian defence, confirming how his adaptation to Serie A is much more difficult than expected.
Giroud is like an old car, when you turn the key it always lights up and never lets you down.
The striker is in exceptional physical shape and Milan are making the most of his characteristics to be able to bring the team as close to Napoli as possible ahead of the World Cup break.
Giroud knows the difficulties of his 36 years and wants to be at the centre of the Italian club’s project so he can gain credibility in the eyes of France coach Didier Deschamps.
The Frenchman took his 89th-minute goal well but was sent off for his shirt-off celebration
6. RABIOT IS REBORN
Five goals in 14 games. That statistic tells of Adrien Rabiot’s tactical metamorphosis.
He has never been a top player and most likely never will be but as Massimiliano Allegri often says, he is able to do 10-12 decisive actions and movements during a match that help the team in defence and attack.
In August, the French midfielder came very close to joining Manchester United but today he is the man of reference in the Bianconeri midfield.
Adrien Rabiot has become fundamental to Juventus and could be offered a new contract
The former Paris Saint-Germain star has finally found the right feeling in front of goal. One of his biggest weaknesses has become an extraordinary strength.
It would see Juventus make a concrete proposal to the player for the extension of his contract that expires in June 2023.
Rabiot has a very high salary of around £6.5million but in the last 90 days he has shown that he can become fundamental to the mechanisms of Juventus.
It is very difficult to make predictions about the future but, after many years of learning, Rabiot final understands how to be decisive on the pitch.
Different and continuous horizontal movements, a bestial physique and great progression – these are the three characteristics that make the player fundamental in this small segment of Serie A before it stops for the Qatar World Cup.
The French midfielder has added goals to his game and was on target in the win over Inter
7. WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO ABRAHAM?
A question devours the minds of Roma fans – what has happened to Tammy Abraham?
The striker is a player without grit and determination and he seems to be in a serious identity crisis.
Paulo Dybala’s arrival troubled him but a prolonged absence due to injury of the No 21 did not wake the former Chelsea striker, who continues to disappoint Jose Mourinho.
With or without Dybala, Abraham continues to fail with decisive opportunities, misses very easy chances and is showing his technical limits.
Tammy Abraham continues to struggle for Roma and has only two goals to his credit all season
It is as if when faced with a choice he always opts for the worst solution, showing great nervousness.
His statistics are embarrassing and certify a moment of bad physical and psychological form – two goals in Serie A are too few for a player who only a few months ago closed his first season in Italy with 17 goals and 26 in all competitions.
The second year is concise with a totally unexpected downturn that could even impact his future at the club.
8. WORLD CUP ALARM BELLS RINGING FOR VLAHOVIC
At Juventus, there is never a shortage of bad news. Dusan Vlahovic, for the third match running, was forced to give up due to inflammation of the adductors, severe pain in the groin.
There was no participation in the big match against Inter and a lot of fear he will miss the World Cup for Serbia, leaving Aleksandar Mitrovic alone up front.
The symptoms are the same he experienced at the end of last season and forced his to be treated by specialised staff for the whole summer.
Dusan Vlahovic is a serious World Cup doubt for Serbia following his latest injury setback
After 90 days of intense competitive activity, the problem returned and Juventus are forced to go without him.
So far, Vlahovic has had a more than satisfactory start to the year – 10 Serie A matches and six goals are an excellent tally for the striker.
The World Cup alarm has already sounded in the head of the player and the Serbian team. In his current precarious condition, Vlahovic would not be useful for Serbia in the first phase of the competition.
Their first match is against Brazil on November 24.
9. MATIC IS CAMARA SHY
Despite the derby defeat, Roma found a new point of reference in the middle of the pitch – Mady Camara.
Nobody would ever have imagined that Camara would play six consecutive games, putting Nemanja Matic on the bench.
Yet Mourinho was clear and even in the derby the Olympiacos loanee was a brilliant protagonist at the heart of the Giallorossi team.
He was very rude in his interventions and very aggressive on the ankles of Luis Alberto and Mattia Zaccagni – two reasons why the Roma fans fell in love with him.
The Guinea-born midfielder has the ability to get behind Abraham and be an additional forward on the counter-attack.
Mady Camara (right) was highly effective in midfield for Roma despite their loss to Lazio
Mourinho’s football philosophy is not a hymn to beauty but at the moment it guarantees and excellent budget of points in Serie A.
Camara’s numbers speak for themselves: 22 goals and 14 assists in 232 appearances, an excellent statistical score that shows how the player is very poisonous in the last 25 metres of the pitch.
At Olympiacos, he won three Greek championships in a row, certifying his winning mentality but to make the definitive leap in quality in Italy, it will be necessary to improve his technique.
His aggression frightened Danilo Cataldi, managing to create a comfort zone in the middle of the field without pressing Lazio players.
He is not a quality player but his way of running around the pitch is very effective.
10. LORENZO THE MAGNIFICENT
Lorenzo Colombo is the only striker in the Italian league both after January 1, 2002 to have already scored twice in Serie A.
The first goal of the Millennials was scored by Moise Kean for Juventus against Bologna in the last round of the 2016-17 championship.
Although Lecce collected just a point, the young Italian striker is a valid hope for the future and is now considered the saviour of the Salento team.
The Lecce striker, on loan from AC Milan, plays for the Italy under-21 team and dreams of returning to play for the Rossneri.
Lorenzo Colombo (left) in action for Lecce against Udinese in Serie A at the weekend
The absence of a young striker in Stefano Pioli’s club could favour this transfer market operation in the summer.
After experience in Serie B with SPAL and Cremonese, Colombo had his first real great opportunity in Serie A.
Up to now, Assan Ceesay is a flop and Lecce could decide to bet immediately on the young Italian star but putting aside the Gambian striker or perhaps deploying him in tandem with ‘Lorenzo the Magnificent.’