📝 Matchday 6 ratings: Juve-Milan flop 👎, Gasp, KDB, Bonny shine 🔝 | OneFootball

The 6th matchday of Serie A is in the books, with Roma and Napoli pulling ahead at the top while the big match between Juventus and Milan ends up being a mistake-filled affair.

Watch the entire Serie BKT live with LaB Channel on OneFootball. Click here to purchase LaB Channel for only €79.99 a year and watch it on all your devices.

Let’s take a look at the scores from 10 to 0 in our usual report card.

10 - Roma, Gasp gives you wings

For a few hours, before Napoli secured their win against Genoa, Roma breathed the air of being sole league leaders. And if some have criticized the Giallorossi’s performances, Gasperini’s words are almost mocking: "No one gives us credit, but Roma keeps winning".

The character shown against Fiorentina after conceding a goal to Kean certainly says a lot: Soulé’s increasingly central role, the positions found for Pellegrini and Dybala, and the usual contribution from players like Mancini and Cristante, along with a more and more proactive Celik.

In short, is the Gasp treatment working? What’s certain is that Roma has been lucky and has only partially digested the new coach’s instructions, but they’ve already managed to absorb the intensity of Gasperini’s pressing, and that seems to be making the difference.

9 - The understanding between KDB and Højlund

Joining Roma at the top of the table is Napoli, but not in an obvious way: in the first half, the Partenopei played a forgettable match, falling behind against Genoa.

The comeback came in the second half thanks to the player who was at the center of the week’s controversy: Kevin De Bruyne, who hadn’t taken kindly to being subbed off last week.

Left out of the starting lineup to put McTominay back in the center after the defeat to Milan, De Bruyne was decisive for the comeback in the second half. Above all, the great understanding found with Højlund stood out, as he scored the winning goal from the Belgian’s assist.

8 - Inter and Bologna’s four-goal hauls

Thuram’s injury worried Inter fans a lot, but after the performance against Cremonese, the Nerazzurri have every right to feel a bit more at ease.

The reason? Bonny’s match, providing three assists in a convincing win against Cremonese. A monologue that, despite the not-so-formidable opponent, dispels doubts about Inter’s quality.

A solid team: Chivu seems to have had the intelligence to inherit Inzaghi’s legacy and patiently implement his ideas, finding good responses from a group that seems to have quickly regained motivation after last season’s disappointing finish.

Four goals also for Bologna: an important statement for a team that had a very inconsistent start to the season. The certainty? Riccardo Orsolini, who ends the day as the league’s top scorer alongside Pulisic.

7 - Juric’s revenge

Who would have thought? Among the two teams still unbeaten in this Serie A after six rounds is Ivan Juric’s Atalanta.

After two failed experiences last season (Roma and Southampton), many had more than a few doubts about how much the Croatian could do, taking on the heavy legacy of Gasperini.

Underestimating just how “Gasperini-like” Juric’s style is, and how well it could suit the characteristics of La Dea. Despite many injuries and the absence of a key player like De Ketelaere, Atalanta put Como on the ropes, only to be pegged back by a lucky chance and slowed down in the second half due to a lack of depth.

6 - Lazio-Toro, fear lasts 103’

Lazio and Torino came into the match at the Olimpico battered and put on a totally crazy game.

Not the best defensive performance, nor the best demonstration of mental strength, but plenty of entertainment and an absolutely unpredictable match.

The spectacular brace from Cancellieri, Che Adams’ equalizer, the goal that could have decided it all by Coco in the 93rd minute, and Cataldi’s composure in converting a decisive penalty to score the latest goal in Serie A history: are you not entertained?

5 - Sassuolo, increasingly convincing

Second win in a row for Grosso’s Sassuolo, who are proving their worth and showing they deserve to be in this league. And to think the evening could have been complicated by Berardi’s last-minute withdrawal due to physical problems.

The Neroverdi let Verona control possession, but were always dangerous on the counterattack, putting the Scaligeri in trouble.

Grosso continues to show excellent management skills, managing to turn a player like Fadera into a resource capable of making an impact and creating dangerous bursts late in the game.

4 - Como, less convincing

A start that could have been better for Como, who against Atalanta picked up their third draw of the season after those against Genoa and Cremonese.

In a spectacular, high-paced match, the Larians struggled to contain a rampant Atalanta, finding the equalizer only with Perrone’s lucky cross-shot.

Given the summer’s transfer investments and the progress shown at the end of last season, it was reasonable to think that some weaknesses and naivety had been left behind by Fabregas’ team, yet this Como still seems too easy to neutralize despite the great technical quality on the pitch.

3 - Juve-Milan, so many mistakes

It was the headline match of the day, but it was a huge disappointment in terms of quality on display. Mistake after mistake – starting with Christian Pulisic’s penalty sky-high – in what should be a clash between two league “big guns.”

Juventus continues its streak of draws (now at 5, a record in the post-Calciopoli era) and ends the evening still haunted by David’s awkward slip in the box. A team with unclear hierarchies, finishing with three strikers on the pitch.

On the other side, Milan fails to make their individual quality count: if the Rossoneri came closer to victory than their rivals, they still didn’t fully convince and let the top of the table slip away.

3 - Genoa, another defeat

A good first half capped by a goal from Ekhator was not enough: Genoa is still missing a win, and a third consecutive defeat is a worrying sign for Vieira’s team.

It’s true, the fixture list hasn’t been kind, with the Rossoblù already facing Juventus, Lazio, and Napoli, as well as two outsiders like Bologna and Como.

If there’s a positive aspect, though, it’s the upcoming schedule for the Grifone: Parma, Torino, Cremonese, Sassuolo, Fiorentina, Cagliari, and Verona are the opponents from now until the end of November. It starts with direct clashes, with the imperative to turn things around in the standings.

2 - Pisa’s collapse

The four-goal defeat to Bologna is a bad sign for Pisa. The Tuscans so far, even when defeated, had managed to stay in the game against strong opponents like Napoli.

Sunday’s collapse, though partly justified by Idrissa Touré’s red card, is a heavy stumble for the bottom team, who will have to try to snatch their first Serie A win against Verona in the next match, before the schedule gets tougher.

1 - Verona, this isn’t working

Verona keeps searching for a league win, but despite the talent of Gift Orban and Giovane, the goal seems cursed for the Scaligeri, and the defeat to Sassuolo confirms this trend.

Verona’s attack has so far been by far the most ineffective in the entire league, with only two goals scored (one from a penalty) against 7.11 xG, the worst underperformance in Serie A so far.

0 - Viola disaster, Pioli trembles

The biggest disappointment at the start of this season is undoubtedly Fiorentina: the Viola are still searching for a win.

The defeat to Roma, despite the goal that got Moise Kean going and two crossbars that cry out for revenge, certifies a state of health that’s anything but good for Pioli’s bench.

A defense constantly troubled by the Giallorossi’s movement, an attack still disjointed and dependent on individual flashes of brilliance, and above all, a home start with three defeats in three matches: two of which after taking the lead and then being pegged back.

The Viola are fourth from bottom, kept out of the relegation zone only by goal difference, and Pioli will have to do something quickly to shake up a team in crisis.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.

📸 MARCO BERTORELLO - AFP or licensors