Five Key Stats from Week 8 in Serie A: How Giuseppe Rossi destroyed Juventus

Serie A came bursting back to life for week eight the aftermath of the international break with a rousing 35 goals scored throughout the 10 contested matches.

Roma remarkably remained perfect courtesy of a Bosnian-powered triumph over Napoli at the Stadio Olimpico, whilst a miserly Milan returned to winning ways despite decimated ranks, and an inspired Giuseppe Rossi catapulted Fiorentina to an sensational comeback against fierce rivals Juventus in the highlights of a scintillating round of Calcio.

1. Pjanic Masters The South of Italy

After going the distance last Tuesday against Lithuania to help his native Bosnia to an historic first-ever World Cup berth, Pjanic’s brilliant week continued as he struck a brace in the Derby del Sole to send unblemished Roma five points clear at the summit of the Serie A table.

Giallorossi talisman Francesco Totti limped off on 33 minutes in a match crying out for a hero, and the 23-year-old stepped forth to answer the call with a superb curling free-kick on the stroke of half-time before smashing home from the penalty spot to seal the three points 20 minutes from the final whistle.

Not only did Pjanic assume responsibility for providing the firepower for the capital club against Napoli, but he also registered a game-high six key passes on the creative front to account for two-thirds of his side’s chances to complete a performance resembling one of the injured Roma captain.

2. A rare clean sheet for Milan

Massimiliano Allegri’s team posted just their second shut-out of the league campaign thus far with a 1-0 victory over Udinese on Saturday.

The Rossoneri had struggled mightily at the back through their first seven outings of the term in conceding 13 goals and welcomed the Zebrette to the San Siro under grim circumstances with both Philippe Mexes and midfield destroyer Nigel de Jong suspended, leaving much-maligned loanee Matias Silvestre to start alongside Cristian Zapata in central defence.

Yet Milan managed to escape unscathed on the back of 34 clearances and a Man of the Match effort from Gabriel, on his Italian top flight debut, between the sticks.

Troubling still, however, is the fact that Silvestre and Zapata failed to make a single tackle or interception between them, leaving both the coaching staff and fans alike to look forward to January, when recent capture Adil Rami will be eligible to take the pitch for the famed northern outfit.

3. Ravenous Rossi vanquishes Juventus

There’s simply no denying that Giuseppe Rossi is every bit the player he was prior to the pair of devastating knee injuries that saw him lose 19 months of his promising career.

With Fiorentina two-nill down two after the first-half, the American-born Italy international put the Bianconeri to the sword with three goals in a span of 15 minutes to send the Artemio Franchi into raptures.

The 26-year-old’s glorious quarter-hour saw him soar to the top of the Serie A scoring charts with eight goals in as many domestic contests, igniting the fire once more in a Viola side that had taken just three points from their previous three matches.

And as few things mean more to the Florentine outfit’s faithful than toppling Juventus, Rossi has undoubtedly won a place in the hearts of the club’s supporters whilst he continues to prove to Italy boss Cesare Prandelli he will be an essential call-up for the World Cup next summer.

4. Catania crisis deepens

The darlings of Serie A last season, the Elefanti slumped to a fifth defeat this term against Cagliari, dooming coach Rolando Maran to the sack in the process as former Genoa boss Gigi De Canio takes the reins at the Stadio Angelo Massimino.

Catania have failed to contend with the loss of influential playmaker Francesco Lodi and wing wizard Alejandro Gomez over the summer, ranking dead last in Squawka Attack Score this season on 368 and creating the third-fewest chances in the Italian championship to date with 56.

Indeed the Sicilians were equally impotent in Sunday’s clash at the Stadio Sant’Elia, completing only 72% of their passes, taking a pithy seven shots, and picking out a team-mate with only five of 24 crosses.

De Canio will in turn have his work cut out for him to revitalise an attack that lacks continuity and inventiveness whilst also needing to restore the confidence of a defence that has committed four errors that have led to opposition goals already in 2013-14.

5. Lazio’s weakness in the middle their undoing

The Aquile are without a win since the fifth round after falling victim to an opportune Atalanta at the weekend, a loss punctuated by a lack of presence in the centre of the park.

Lazio failed to make a single tackle in the middle of the pitch in the defensive third, with midfield trio Ogenyi Onazi, Lucas Biglia, and Hernanes combining to take the ball of their opponents’ feet just once throughout the 90 minutes.