EURO BITES: Serie A - Napoli consolidate lead but Juve remain on their tails, Roma's new coach disappoints, Mihajlovic is saved again

Salvatore Avallone rounds up the latest as Serie A as Napoli keep Juventus at arms length and one coach saves his job for the time being.

NAPOLI CEMENTS LEAD AT THE TOP

Napoli consolidated their place at the top of Serie A with a 3-1 win over Sassuolo on Saturday, increasing the distance to third placed Inter in the process and keeping a two-point advantage over Juventus. Sassuolo held their own and it’s clear they are not intimidated by the top teams, having won against Napoli, Juventus and Inter in the first round of the season. But Napoli got revenge and deserved the win, with numerous chances to score in both halves. Superstar striker Gonzalo Higuain scored his fifth brace in the last seven matches, reaching the total of 20 goals in 20 matches. Coach Maurizio Sarri said that he “fears Juventus more than Inter. It’s crazy to think we can match a team that has won the last four championships.”

JUVENTUS ON A WINNING WARPATH

There was much for Juventus to celebrate in Udine after their crushing 4-0 win over Udinese on Sunday afternoon. After ten consecutive victories, the Bianconeri have confirmed that once again the team from Turin is a top contender for this year’s title. Paulo Dybala scored a splendid brace and proved that he is the driving force behind Juventus’ turnaround in fortunes. The Argentine striker called the game “one of the most wonderful moments” of his career, while goalkeeper Luigi Buffon celebrated his 250th victory in Serie A with Juventus. The three points put them alone at Napoli’s heels in second place in the table, but coach Massimiliano Allegri was cautious, reminding fans that there are still 18 matches to go.

AS ROMA’S PROMISING NEW START SPUTTERS TO A STOP

Hopes were high for AS Roma in their match against Verona on Sunday. New coach Luciano Spalletti, who replaced Rudi Garcia last week, had already managed Roma successfully from 2005-2009 and was welcomed with enthusiasm by the team and fans. But despite optimism and Spalletti’s new 4-2-3-1 formation, Roma continued to disappoint with a 1-1 draw on home turf against Serie A’s bottom team. Verona played well, mounting counterattacks and matching Roma’s moves to collect only their ninth point of the season. Roma’s players were booed off the field at the end of the match with many, particularly newcomers like Edin Dzeko, Mohamed Salah and Iago Falque, falling short of expectations. “It was not a good performance,” Spalletti admitted. “There’s a lot of work to do.”

HAS INTER LOST ITS TOUCH?

Inter’s Serie A and Champions League ambitions are losing steam with the team’s first three performances of 2016. After a draw in Bergamo on Saturday against Atalanta, Inter has gained only four points in the last three matches, seeing them drop to third place behind Juventus. Inter’s difficulties were highlighted in Saturday’s match, where despite numerous Atalanta players out with injury, the team from Bergamo deserved to win. They had multiple chances to score, thwarted only by the incredible saves of Inter’s goalkeeper Samir Handanovic, who was once again the best on the field. Inter coach Roberto Mancini tried to change formation several times without success and pointed his finger at Inter’s attack, calling them affected and complicated. “Football is simple. We don’t need anything miraculous,” he said.

MILAN CONTINUES TO RISE; FIORENTINA FALTERS

The beginning of 2016 has not been easy for Milan coach Sinisa Mihajlovic. With every match, there have been rumours that defeat would see him lose his job. On Sunday night, he once again saved himself as Milan proved to be a cohesive group of players behind their coach. Progress has been made in midfield thanks to Giacomo Bonaventura, whose contribution has given balance to side. Although Milan didn’t create many opportunities to score, Carlos Bacca broke Fiorentina’s defence with the first goal and it was followed by a second for Kevin Prince Boateng in the closing stages. Fiorentina, on the other hand, seemed a different team from the beginning of the season. They were ineffective and slow, unable to create clear-cut chances and Sunday marked the first time this season that they failed to score in a game.

JANUARY BARGAIN FOR TORINO IN THE TRANSFER MARKET

Torino’s president Urbano Cairo sold Italian striker Ciro Immobile to Borussia Dortmund two years ago for €22 million. Immobile then joined Sevilla last summer. Although Cairo says he subscribes to the motto that “return horses” never bring good results, he couldn’t resist the offer last week to loan Immobile back from Sevilla for the sum of €850,000 until June. The deal seemed too good to be true with Torino having the opportunity to buy Immobile back for €11 million in the summer - half what they sold him for two years ago. Cairo’s transfer “bargain” seems to be paying off already as, in his first match back in Turin on Sunday, Immobile was the creator of the first goal and was decisive for the team’s victory after a run of three consecutive defeats.