EURO BITES: Serie A - Napoli top the table for first time in 25 years, Roma slip into crisis, and is Antonio Di Natale ready to retire?

Salvatore Avallone rounds up the news from Serie A as Napoli move to the top of the table, Milan and Juventus revivals continue and Roma reach crisis point.

NAPOLI OUTRIGHT LEADERS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 25 YEARS

The last time Napoli was alone at the top of the table was the season of 1989-1990, when Diego Armando Maradona led them to win their second and last Serie A title. At the San Paolo stadium on Monday night, second placed Napoli defeated league leaders Inter Milan to reach the summit once again. The win came thanks to a touch of magic from striker Gonzalo Higuain, whose stunning goal in the first two minutes of play left Inter reeling. At halftime it seemed that the game was over with Inter defender Yuto Nagatomo dismissed, but coach Roberto Mancini’s side put up a valiant fight. Higuain got a second goal before a goal by Adem Ljajic gave Inter hope. But it ended with a historic victory for the hosts. Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri declared: “Our fans are thrilled, they haven’t felt this emotion in 25 years. We’re glad, but tomorrow we need to start again because we haven’t concluded anything yet.”

AS ROMA IN CRISIS?

After their humiliating 6-1 loss against Barcelona on Tuesday, Roma suffered a 2-0 defeat at home on Sunday against Atalanta, confirming that the team is in what Roma sporting director Walter Sabatini calls a “dramatic situation”. Physically and strategically weak, Roma struggled to fill the gaping holes in attack left by the absence of forwards Gervinho, Mohamed Salah and Francesco Totti, who were all out for injuries. But a lack of character and determination were also evident: there was no pressing or aggression, and Roma slowed to Atalanta’s rhythm as the visitors took advantage of all possible opportunities. Roma coach Rudi Garcia conceded that Atalanta deserved the win, but he is convinced that his team, by staying united and continuing to train with focus and humility, will be back to winning soon.

JUVENTUS SECURES ANOTHER IMPORTANT VICTORY

Juventus’ recent comeback has been steady and Sunday’s 3-0 win against Palermo marked their fourth consecutive victory after a disappointing start this year. The Bianconeri are now fifth in the table, only five points behind Fiorentina. Coach Massimiliano Allegri’s decision to move to a 3-5-2 formation was crucial - this formation is the one that led Juventus to win numerous titles in past years. The man of the match on Sunday was Croatian striker Mario Mandzukic, who scored the first goal with a header from a splendid cross by Paulo Dybala. Mandzukic is critical for Juventus’ success: he has scored six goals this season and on all six occasions have resulted in victorious. A triumphant Allegri told reporters: “This victory puts us back in the race for the title. We’re growing, we’re making fewer mistakes, and we’re realising that we need to suffer and fight, always.”

AC MILAN FINALLY BACK ON TRACK

Milan trampled Sampdoria 4-1 on Saturday in the best match played this season by the Rossoneri. The victory was thanks in large part to coach Sinisa Mihajlovic’s new 4-4-2 formation, with the young French striker M'baye Nyang playing very close to Carlos Bacca and Alessio Cerci as a fourth midfielder. Nyang was the star of the show, scoring his first brace in Milan colours. Sampdoria not only lacked character, but also seemed out of sync under their new coach Vincenzo Montella. With the win, Milan are moving in the right direction and has good prospects moving toward the winter break with the next three games are against relatively easy opponents (Carpi, Verona and Frosinone). Finally cameras caught a satisfied Mihajlovic at the end of the match, when he saidd: “We played a game that was almost perfect…Like this we can win against anyone.”

SASSUOLO STALLS FIORENTINA

Sassuolo surprised Serie A contenders Fiorentina with a 1-1 draw on Monday, demonstrating once again their magic touch at home. Sassuolo has defeated Napoli, Lazio and Juventus on home turf, and against Fiorentina played some quality football. The result reflected a balanced match, with Fiorentina inspired by Borja Valero, who scored his second goal of the season early in the match. But Fiorentina coach Paulo Sousa’s decision to select Pepito Rossi in place of superstar Nikola Kalinic did not bring results. Rossi lacked match fitness after returning from his knee injury. Sassuolo equalised through a Sergio Flocchari header. Sousa attributed Fiorentina’s disappointing performance to his team’s fatigue after last Thursday’s Europa League match.

ANTONIO DI NATALE: UDINESE’S TORCHBEARER

In a world where footballers are often mercenaries, changing teams frequently and signing the most lucrative contracts that come their way, two players in the Serie A stand out for their loyalty: Roma’s Francesco Totti and Udinese’s Antonio Di Natale. This year marks Di Natale’s 12th season with Udinese and over the years he has refused numerous higher paying offers from teams like Juventus. At 38 and with 208 Serie A goals under his belt (190 of which he made for Udinese), Di Natale has been rumoured to want to retire. In fact, this week many speculated that the final game before winter break might be his last. But Udinese president Giampaolo Pozzo wants to see Di Natale on the field on January 17, when Udinese will play Juventus at home in the first match in their new stadium. Di Natale has neither confirmed nor refuted rumours of his mid-season retirement, but has declared: “I’m thinking only of playing…until when?”