sport news Lukaku, Giroud, Juventus flop, Napoli struggle: 10 things we learned from Serie ... trends now
The penultimate round of fixtures in Italy's top flight for the 2022-23 season again provided plenty of goals, controversy and drama.
Juventus' costly 1-0 loss against AC Milan saw their hopes of European football suffer a significant blow.
And champions Napoli dropped more points amid the uncertainty surrounding the club.
Elsewhere, Jose Mourinho's Roma lost again and Inter Milan - ahead of their Champions League final against Manchester City on June 10 - beat Atalanta in a five-goal thriller.
And below, Mail Sport's ALVISE CAGNAZZO talks us through 10 things we learned from another intriguing weekend of football in Serie A.
The penultimate round of fixtures in Italy's top flight again provided plenty of goals and drama
AC Milan beat Juventus 1-0 thanks to a fine goal from veteran striker Olivier Giroud (pictured), and below, Mail Sport's Alvise Cagnazzo discusses 10 things we learned from Serie A
1 - DYBALA MISSES OUT AGAIN
After his absence in the Fiorentina vs Roma clash, not even making the bench, an embarrassing statistic for Paulo Dybala was confirmed.
Due to missing out, the Argentine forward will definitely not be able to match the 2,614 minutes he managed in his final season at Juventus. He is currently at 2,348, with two games left this season to increase that tally.
Roma's collapse has been steep and the loss at Fiorentina destroyed their faint hopes of attaining Champions League football next season.
As always, Jose Mourinho's side played defensively, only managing eight shots and four on target compared to 15 and six respectively from the hosts.
More alarmingly, without Dybala, Roma were lacking in quality and Fiorentina dominated the ball, making 494 passes with 66 per cent - nearly two thirds - of possession.
'La Joya' will almost certainly be staying next season but the rest of the Roma team might look very different.
The Giallorossi seem unable to get results without Dybala, such a tactical and technical icon for them, and it will be another season without challenging in Europe's top competition for Paulo and Co.
Paulo Dybala could not play for Roma, who again missed out on Champions League football
2 - INTER CAN NOW COUNT ON LUKAKU
Romelu Lukaku is on fire. His performance against Atalanta was exceptional, he destroyed Giorgio Scalvini - the best defender under 23 in Serie A - and he showed he has rediscovered the physical prowess of his best ever spells.
His progression to top speed has been devastating and his goalscoring ability has raised questions for manager Simone Inzaghi about whether to start him in the Champions League final against Man City.
Lukaku's showing against Atalanta was perfect, an extraordinary display of quality in his 81 minutes on the pitch and proving his ability to help his side through difficult moments in the match.
His link-up with strike partner Lautaro Martinez is a genuine threat because they seem to have perfect chemistry. When the two centre forwards are in optimal physical shape, the three central midfielders also benefit from the work of Lukaku and Martinez in attack.
The Chelsea loanee's future will not be known for a few more weeks but much will depend on the outcome of the Champions League final.
Inter Milan can count on Romelu Lukaku, whose partnership with Lautaro Martinez is thriving
3 - CONTE PRESENT AT JUVENTUS' STADIUM
With the summer transfer window about to open, Juventus seem intent on bringing home a former icon of the team to restore goodwill among the fans.
The presence of manager Antonio Conte in the stands at the Allianz Stadium got tongues wagging about a coach who is now a free agent. However, Conte's presence should not be considered as overwhelming proof of his return to the helm at Juve.
After his dismissal from Tottenham, Conte returned to live in the city of Turin with his wife and daughter, relaxing back in Italy after his unsuccessful and tumultuous spell in England.
His salary would be even higher than that of Massimiliano Allegri and it seems very difficult to imagine how Juventus could invest so much money to fire the Tuscan coach and take on Conte's significant wages.
Antonio Conte was present at Juventus' stadium, sparking rumours of a sensational return
4 - GASPERINI AND ATALANTA READY TO SEPARATE
So it's farewell to Atalanta for Gian Piero Gasperini after seven years of historic results, record points totals and above all Champions League qualifications.
Gasperini will be remembered as the most important coach in the history of the Bergamo club but in a few days the end of his relationship with Atalanta will be confirmed.
Different visions of the future, strained relations with the club's top brass and a less than idyllic relationship with some of the squad's most influential players are negative aspects which have convinced the 65-year-old to leave.
Gasperini has achieved exceptional results in Bergamo which will be difficult to emulate but at the moment the ideal conditions do not exist to continue the manager-club relationship that began seven summers ago.
Roma, if they separate from Mourinho, and Genoa would be clubs potentially interesting in courting him, and his future will certainly be in Serie A, albeit it is unlikely he will move to one of the very top clubs.
Gian Piero Gasperini has been heavily linked with a move away from Atalanta this summer
5 - LECCE ACHIEVE SALVATION FROM 24 YARDS
Lecce has mathematically secured salvation, staying up in Serie A, after two 12-yard interventions, one against and one for, just 90 minutes before the end of the campaign.
Goalkeeper Wladimiro Falcone, on loan from Sampdoria, made a brilliant save from Christian Gytkjaer of Monza in the 84th minute and in the 11th minute of second-half stoppage time, Lorenzo Colombo scored the decisive penalty that sealed a 1-0 win and gives Marco Baroni's side another year in Serie A.
A magical match in which the hugely
