Higuain Seals Juventus Win Against Roma

The top-table clash between Serie A leaders Juventus and second-placed Roma was decided early on by Gonzalo Higuain's brilliant goal as Juventus now sit with a comfortable seven-point lead at the top of the table. The Argentine had looked dangerous with an early chance saved by Szczesny, and on the fifteen-minute mark he managed to steal possession from Daniele De Rossi before dribbling past the Roma defence and blasting the ball into the net.

It was a tough blow for Roma as the lead let Juventus sit and defend comfortably. Luciano Spalletti's choice of starting with Gerson instead of Mohamed Salah soon proved to be a failed experiment as the giallorossi were ponderous in possession. Having ex-Roma playmaker Miralem Pjanic run the clinical one-touch passing of the Juventus counter-attacks only highlighted Roma's lack of midfield spark.

Spalletti replaced Gerson with Salah at the start of the second half but Massimiliano Allegri's halftime team talk had clearly revved up his players for a strong start to the second half. Alex Sandro had a few good runs on the left side after his fairly muted first half, and Mandzukic was proving to be a large a nuisance for the Roma defence. While in the 50th minute Pjanic had to be substituted by Cuadrado due to a thigh problem, Roma was constantly giving possession away with poorly placed passes.

Spalletti eventually took De Rossi off for El Sharaawy in the 72nd minute, shifting to a much more attacking 4-3-3 in a desperate attempt to grab a late equalizer. Roma pressed high up into Juve's half with Naingolann and Strootman cleaning up any Juventus attempts to counter, and the rest of the team working hard as Juventus players tired in the later stages of the match. Roma began to create chances but couldn't find a goal: Perrotti failed to beat Buffon after a nice setup by Salah and Manolas was only inches away from an unsavable diving header.

In the end, the best chances of the second half came for the Juventus midfielder Sturaro but Szczesny was imperious in stopping the Italian's shots. The first chance came when the midfielder was served a pass into the box by Mandzukic's brilliant backheel, and the second was also provided by the Croatian who headed the ball into Sturaro's path towards goal. While Roma finished the second half strong, Spalletti's experiment of leaving Salah out along with Higuain's early goal were both enough to give Juventus the victory.

Now with a seven-point lead ahead of Roma and a nine-point lead ahead of AC Milan, it looks like Juventus might run away with the scudetto yet another season. While the bianconeri performance wasn't perfect, Allegri's team yet again managed to do just enough to win when it really mattered.

The Week of the Neopolitans

It has been quite the week in European soccer/football, and as the season progresses there's finally a huge sense of excitement from the results of the round of Champions League group stages which will inevitably bleed over into a weekend of derbys and possibly season-defining matches. The result which dominated the headlines of recent Italian press was Napoli's 2-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund, a match which saw a club lift itself to new heights while another gradually self-imploded, all in 90 minutes. Napoli, currently sharing the top of the Serie A (with Roma) has continued to maintain an impeccable record to the season in what was a fantastic Champions League debut victory over last years runners-up. Now, the excitement around Napoli continues to rise as they prepare for a visit to the San Siro to take on AC Milan this Sunday, and if the Neopolitans continue their victorious run, a new title-contender could be firmly established in the Serie A.

The midweek events at the San Paolo were the first part of an incredibly defining week for Napoli fans. A 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund was the best way possible for Benitez to debut with his new club in the Champions League. Although he'll have to acknowledge that something in the Borussia Dortmund's system collapsed in that match, and that something was the man that is Jurgen Klopp. The man, the pillar of the club which pushed them to the top of German football with a beautiful style of play. In the 29th minute as Subotic was coming back on after being patched up for a nasty gash near the eyebrow, Napoli took their corner, the central defender was sprinting towards his box hoping to reach his man he needed to mark. While he did get there in time, it was too late as the Dortmund defence had already been shaken by the confusion and the unforgiving Higuain headed Napoli into the lead.

Klopp collapsed, rage overcame him and his facial muscles as he menacingly advanced and protested to the closest official near him. But his release of anger and frustration did not amuse or impress anyone, and he was quickly dismissed for his vehement protests. It wasn't much later that the colossal central defender Mats Hummels began touching his hamstring and had to be replaced by Aubameyang near the end of the first half. The first half also featured Borussia's keeper Weidenfeller receive a straight red card when he charged out of the box towards Higuain on the break and instinctually stopped the mid-air ball with his hands.

Napoli closed off the match without much trouble after that against a shattered 10-man Borussia Dortmund, largely thanks to a beautifully looped free kick by true hometown Neopolitan Lorenzo Insigne. While Borussia managed to squeeze out an own goal courtesy of Zuniga's attempt to clear the ball out of the box with his heel, the story of the night had already been written, as a crushed Borussia Dortmund fell to the imposing Italian opponents.

While the task accomplished by Benitez's men was definitely formidable, there's a very stark sense that with the proper focus this Napoli side could very easily continue their victorious run into the weekend away against AC Milan. The rossoneri have been barely scraping points, from the late midweek victory over Celtic to the even later 2-2 draw against Torino equalized by a 96th minute penalty by Balotelli. This is the chance for Napoli to possibly take charge of the Serie A, as Roma host their cousins Lazio for the city derby in what could be a tricky match for the giallorossi.

Compared to the immense optimism around Napoli, it seems like Milan are bracing themselves for what many have already said is a fundamental match. While Mexes is coming out saying that he'd always pick Balotelli over Higuain and that Milan is still at the start of their campaign, with the injuries of supposed key-signing Kaka to Poli, Montolivo, El Sharaawy, along with just about half the defence, Milan is looking very shaky even if they'll be playing at home.

It feels like while there could be an interesting tactical battle between how Benitez would break down Allegri's AC Milan side, right now it seems like Allegri has just about 11 players to work with compared to Benitez's fit and inspired squad. If this match is won by Napoli, it could be the beginning of a completely new era for the Serie A, which could possibly even extend to a strong Champions League run. While it's also important to acknowledge that the season is long and many surprises await us, from the way this week could go, it could very well become the season of the Neopolitans.