EURO BITES: Serie A - Daniele De Rossi reaches the 500-mark, the Italian derby ends in stalemate, and Roma fans continue to go on strike

A round-up of the weekend news from Serie A which included a memerable occasion for Daniele De Rossi, a disappointing Italian derby and saw Roma fans go on strike.

DANIELE DE ROSSI LEADS ROMA TO VICTORY IN HIS 500TH MATCH

For two years running, Roma have finished second in the Serie A. The next three weeks will probably determine whether Rudi Garcia’s team is destined to be one of the “bigs” this year as well, with matches against Fiorentina, Inter Milan and Lazio to come. On Saturday, in Roma’s victory against Empoli, they showed notable potential to be title challengers. Positives were the return of defender Leandro Castan after almost two months out, and the impressive performance of Daniele De Rossi, who celebrated his 500th match with Roma. The first half finished 0-0, with Empoli playing on par with Roma, but in the second half the Giallorossi broke through with a masterpiece of a free-kick from Miralem Pjanic, followed by a header by De Rossi and a goal on counterattack by Mohamed Salah. Empoli’s Marcel Buchel reduced the gap to 3-1, but it was De Rossi’s day. He said: “My dream is to win the Serie A. Roma has the tools that are necessary.”

AC MILAN NOT OUT OF THE WOODS

In Milan’s Saturday night match against Torino, Rossoneri fans hoped that the difficulties of the last two Serie A defeats would be distant history. Coach Sinisa Mihajlovic has been pressured by management (including president Silvio Berlusconi) to change the team’s formation from his unsuccessful 4-3-1-2. On Saturday, he put in place an aggressive 4-3-3 with Giacomo Bonaventura and Alessio Cerci on the wings and Luiz Adriano as centre forward. The change didn’t produce results as it ended 1-1. Although Milan had greater possession of the ball in the first-half, Mihajlovic’s players created no opportunities to score. The second-half was more dynamic, especially when goalscorer Carlos Bacca replaced Adriano, but yet again Milan conceded through defensive errors and dissatisfaction among Rossoneri fans and management is sure to continue.

THE ITALIAN DERBY FRUSTRATES BOTH JUVENTUS AND INTER

The much-awaited “Italian Derby” between Juventus and Inter Milan on Sunday evening ended in a disappointing 0-0 draw. The result doesn’t help either team, keeping Juventus in mid-table and Inter sat in second place having gained only two points in the last three matches. Juventus has two glorious chances to score in the second-half - one shot by Juan Cuadrado that was saved and an effort against the post from Sami Khedira when alone in front of the goal. Juventus’ midfield continues to worry with Claudio Marchisio not in top shape and Paul Pogba having struggled all season. For Inter, a positive was the return of Stevan Jovetic, who was the best on the field, but his combination with fellow striker Mauro Icardi left much to be desired. Icardi’s meagre two goals so far this season is another of Inter coach Roberto Mancini’s concerns.

NAPOLI PASS THE FIORENTINA TEST

Napoli’s winning streak continued on Sunday when Maurizio Sarri’s team played Serie A leaders Fiorentina in what was without a doubt the most exciting match of the season thus far. From a technical, tactical and emotional point of view, Napoli-Fiorentina delighted the 50,000 spectators at the San Paolo stadium. Napoli broke the deadlock in the second half opened with a signature goal by Lorenzo Insigne from a through ball by Marek Hamsik. Fiorentina levelled with a spectacular goal from Nicola Kalicic before Napoli took the points thanks to Gonzalo Higuain. It is now indisputable that coach Sarri’s 4-3-3 formation is the key to Napoli’s success, while Fiorentina counterpart Paulo Sousa remained optimistic despite the defeat, commenting: “I’m proud of the players. Some individual errors cost us.”

LAZIO’S SERIE A MAGIC LIMITED TO HOME GAMES

From the beginning of the Serie A season, Lazio has been successful in matches at home and doomed away. The trend continued on Sunday against Sassuolo, where Lazio lost 2-1 in a match that was marred by a controversial penalty awarded to Sassuolo and scored by Domenico Berardi at the beginning of the first half. Sassuolo demonstrated once again that they can hold their own against the big clubs having now defeated both Napoli and Lazio and drawn with Roma. They are now placed fourth in the Serie A table after the latest win. Lazio felt the absence of four important players out with injury, especially Lucas Biglia and Marco Parolo in midfield. Lazio coach Stefano Pioli was furious about the defeat, particularly because he considered the penalty to be wrongly awarded. Sassuolo coach Eusebio di Francesco, meanwhile, commented: “We shouldn’t let it go to our heads, but playing like this we can dream.”

FANS ON STRIKE…BUT FOR HOW LONG?

In a country where strikes are all too common, one place that a strike has become eerily visible is at the AS Roma stadium. Because of fans’ unruly behaviour, at the beginning of the season the Prefect of the city of Rome decided to divide the Curva Sud — the home of extremist Roma fans— for greater control. That didn’t go down very well with the “ultras”, who instigated a strike. First they attended matches in silence, and then stayed away from the stadium for the last games. When Daniele De Rossi celebrated his goal and victory on Saturday, he celebrated in front of an empty Curva Sud. This weekend Roma President James Palotta tried to negotiate, to no avail. From the beginning, one of the heads of the Roma ultras has made it clear that the curva “is our home, and we’re free men. Nobody can tell us what to do.” After Roma’s stunning win on Saturday, however, and excellent prospects for the coming matches, the question remains: how long will they stay away?