Winter Break Review of Serie A

In terms of a title race it looks like it’s going to be a straight slug-fest between Juventus and Roma. The fight for the third Champions League position looks quite tasty though and that could be worth keeping an eye on too.

There was a sense of uncertainty when Antonio Conte, who guided Juventus to three consecutive league titles, left. That sense of uncertainty was further exacerbated when the Turin club announced that his successor would be Massimiliano Allegri whose reign at AC Milan fizzled and eventually faded out rather unceremoniously.

Table:

For all the fears though Allegri has taken the Old Lady to the top of the tree, three points clear of their closest rivals Roma. Allegri has wisely stuck with what has been working for the club i.e. playing with a back three though he hasn’t been afraid to switch to four at the back when the occasion suits him.

Carlos Tevez has been firing for Juventus topping the scoring charts with 10 goals but it is their defense that has been doing the business. The Turin club have kept 10 clean sheets, indeed they didn’t concede a goal in their first five league games.

The stability of the backline on the pitch has been matched off it too as Giorgio Chiellini and Gianluigi Buffon have both signed new contracts to prolong their stay at the club. If Juventus can tie Stephan Lichtsteiner down to a new deal then Allegri and company can say to themselves ‘job well done’.

That’s not to mention the contribution of Paul Pogba, Arturo Vidal, Claudio Marchisio and the ageless Andrea Pirlo all of whom who have chipped in with goals and assists.

Juventus already have a couple of stand-out results beating Parma 7-0 and their title rivals Roma 3-2 (in a fiery, if not controversial game). It would take a brave person to bet against them landing a fourth straight Scudetto.

Standing in the way of Juventus and glory is Rudi García’s Roma. The Rome side got off to a flier winning their first five league games before losing to Juventus 3-2. Their only other loss thus far this season was a 2-0 defeat away to Napoli.

In terms of squads Roma have as good as any in Serie A. The return of Kevin Strootman will further bolster a strong looking midfield.

Oddly enough despite being the second top scorers in Serie A, a criticism that has been laid at Roma’s door in recent week has been the effectiveness of their attack. If there was going to be any concern it would have been at the back with the sale of Mehdi Benatia and the misfortune of Leandro Castán who had to undergo surgery to remove a cavernoma to relieve pressure on his brain.

Whilst on paper all seems well Julian De Martinis writing for ESPN FC indicated that there are signs of trouble up front. Mattia Destro has gone backwards this season despite scoring four league goals whilst the other attacking players haven’t been contributing enough with the exception being Adem Ljajić.

According to De Martinis, Roma haven’t reached crisis levels yet but García should pay attention to his frontline and ensure that the Rome giants rediscover their clinical edge. They’ll need it for the title battle against Juventus. A little bit of Francesco Totti magic now and again wouldn’t go amiss.

A long way off the pace are Lazio, Napoli and Sampdoria. The title may be far beyond the reach of those three but there’s still a Champions League spot up for grabs. In fact only three points separate 3rd from 8th.